Goblins¶
Behaviors: hide, ambush, snipe, retreat
Goblin clans live in caves, forest thickets, and abandoned ruins, thriving through numbers, cunning, and knowing when to run. A goblin clan plans, ambushes, and vanishes into the darkness only to attack again.
A goblin clan has a Faction Proficiency Bonus of +2.
Theme: Mud Clan¶
Lives in a warren dug into wetland ground, a hillside, or a forest thicket. Filthy, opportunistic, cunning. Mud walls, mud floors, mud on faces. Raids nearby settlements for food and captives, for the pot or for the pit. Damp earth, fire smoke, and the rot of the midden carrying through the passages. Squeals and cackles from deeper in; the occasional whine of a chained wolf. Dark throughout, but pitch black past the first bend.
| Faction CR | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1,400 XP) | 2 Goblin Squads, 1 Wolf Pack | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Lair Defenses, Lair Actions, Hoard | Warren Mouth, Sentry Nook, Grunt Den, Wolf Pen |
| 2 (3,150 XP) | 3 Goblin Squads, 2 Wolf Packs, 1 Trapper Team, 1 Chief | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Lair Defenses, Lair Actions, Hoard | Warren Mouth, Sentry Nook, Grunt Den, Wolf Pen, Rooting Pit, Midden, Trapper's Workshop, Chief's Den |
| 3 (5,000 XP) | 4 Goblin Squads, 2 Wolf Packs, 1 Worg Riders, 1 Scrapper Line, 1 Trapper Team, 1 Chief on Worg | Trait: Personality, Origin, Goal, Trouble, Lair Defenses, Lair Actions, Hoard | Warren Mouth, Sentry Nook, Grunt Den, Wolf Pen, Rooting Pit, Midden, Trapper's Workshop, Chief's Den, Trophy Wall, Prisoner Pit, Slop Kitchen |
Details¶
Creatures¶
Goblin Squad (CR 4, 500 XP) — the clan's basic warrior formation. 1 Goblin Boss plus 6 Goblins. Loot: 2d10 gp, shortswords and shortbows.
Scrapper Line (CR 3, 400 XP) — the clan's heavy melee. 4 Goblin Scrappers. Loot: 2d10 gp, hooked axes and shields.
Trapper Team (CR 3, 400 XP) — the clan's trap specialists. 1 Goblin Trapper plus 4 Goblins. Sets and re-sets Lair Defenses; carries smoke pots and other tricks. Loot: 2d10 gp, spare trap components, 1d3 smoke pots.
Wolf Pack (CR 3, 400 XP) — the clan's mounted skirmishers. 4 Goblins on 4 Wolves. The handler is a goblin among the four. Loot: wolf harnesses, 2d10 gp, shortbows.
Worg Riders (CR 3, 450 XP) — the clan's heavy skirmishers. 3 Goblins on 3 Worgs. Loot: 2d10 gp.
Chief (CR 2, 450 XP) — the clan's leader. Uses the Goblin Chief stat block. Loot: a decent sword and shield, a stolen signet ring (50 gp), 3d10 gp coin cache. See Hoard for magic items the Chief may carry.
Chief on Worg (CR 3, 550 XP) — the mounted Chief. 1 Goblin Chief on 1 Worg. Loot: as Chief, plus a worg harness and saddle.
Features¶
Personality. Roll d6 or choose.
Mud Clan:
| 1. Skulking (avoids fights until numbers overwhelm; retreats deeper on setback). | 2. Vicious (kills stragglers; leaves warnings at the entry). | 3. Cackling (breaks morale with mockery and laughter through the ambush). |
| 4. Hungry (raids for food before coin; strips corpses of edible parts). | 5. Twitchy (paranoid; triggers traps on ally and foe alike). | 6. Boisterous (drums, chants, and the din of the ambush; makes noise a weapon). |
Origin. Roll d6 or choose.
Mud Clan:
| 1. Broke off from a larger clan after a Chief's death. | 2. Fled a warband of orcs or gnolls that overran the old warren. | 3. Refugees driven out of a proper cave-warren by kobolds or drow. |
| 4. Always been here; the mud remembers them. | 5. Followed a Juju's vision to this hillside. | 6. Escaped a mine or camp that used them as slave labor. |
Goal. Roll d6 or choose.
Mud Clan:
| 1. Overwhelm a nearby village and take the fields for the clan. | 2. Steal enough livestock to feed the clan through winter. | 3. Find and eat a specific creature: a lost farmer, a rival Chief, a rumored tastier meat. |
| 4. Grow the clan to the largest in the region and answer to no one. | 5. Kill and pot a specific human who wronged the clan a generation back. | 6. Take and hold a specific bit of ground: a bridge, a mine, a road. |
Trouble. Roll d6 or choose.
Mud Clan:
| 1. A rival goblin clan is pressing in from the next valley. | 2. Wolves have gone missing; the last patrol found only bones. | 3. The Trapper died in his own workshop; nobody knows what half the triggers do. |
| 4. A recent raid brought back plague; three goblins in the sick pit. | 5. The Chief's authority is contested by an ambitious Scrapper. | 6. Something in the deepest tunnel has begun eating goblins in their sleep. |
Lair Defenses. Pick 3 at CR 1, 4 at CR 2, 5 at CR 3. Place into Locations that may host one.
| Defense | Detect | Avoid | Effect | Themes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barricade of Sharpened Stakes | — | DC 12 Dex save | Three-quarters cover; 1d6 piercing to climb across. | all |
| Camouflaged Firing Slit | DC 15 Perception | — | 2 goblins with shortbows have three-quarters cover and are unseen until they act. | all |
| Chained Wolf | — | — | A Wolf lunges from a covered alcove when a foe passes. | all |
| Concealed Escape Hole | DC 15 Investigation | — | Camouflaged escape route out of the lair; a goblin can slip through even if a taller creature cannot. | all |
| Muck Pit | DC 12 Perception | DC 13 Dex save | Fall 5 ft into stinking mud; 1d6 bludgeoning; DC 12 Athletics to climb out. Prone on failure. | all |
| Pull-Up Ladder | — | — | A knotted rope or rough ladder is the only way between two levels. Goblins climb it and haul it up after them; pursuers face a 10-ft climb without aid (DC 12 Athletics). | all |
| Rolling Blockade | DC 14 Perception | DC 13 Dex save | A cut log, barrel of muck, or stack of stones balanced on a rope. When triggered, it tumbles down a corridor. Each enemy caught takes 2d6 bludgeoning; the corridor is blocked (Small creatures can squeeze past; Medium+ must shove it aside with a DC 15 Strength check or take another route). | all |
| Rope Bridge | — | — | Spans a mud channel, drop, or crevice. Goblins cross and cut the rope from the far side. Pursuers face a 10-ft gap; DC 12 Athletics to jump. A fall lands in mud or on stakes at the DM's discretion. | all |
| Rope Snare | DC 13 Perception | DC 12 Dex save | A cord loop yanks tight around a foot; restrained until a DC 12 Athletics check to escape. | all |
| Smoke Pot (static) | DC 12 Perception | — | A slow-burning clay pot fills a 10-ft radius sphere with obscuring smoke at a Location. The sphere lasts until the pot is destroyed (AC 10, 3 HP) or removed. Vision inside is heavily obscured; creatures inside are effectively blinded. Goblins fire from concealment. | all |
| Tripwire with Bone Rattles | DC 13 Perception | DC 13 Dex save | Bones and clay bells rattle; the clan is alerted. | all |
| Weighted Deadfall | DC 14 Perception | DC 13 Dex save | 2d6 bludgeoning; DC 12 Athletics to dig free from mud and rock. | all |
Lair Actions. On initiative count 20 (losing ties), the clan coordinates from concealment. The DM picks one; the same lair action does not repeat two rounds in a row.
Mud Clan:
| Cackle from the Dark | Every goblin in the lair uses its reaction to shout, hoot, and cackle from concealment. Each enemy in the lair makes a DC 12 CHA save or has disadvantage on its next attack roll. |
| Muddy Rout | Goblins across the lair kick mud, slop, and refuse into the passages. Each enemy in one Location the DM chooses makes a DC 12 DEX save or falls prone; the ground there is difficult terrain until the end of the next round. |
| Everyone Loose! | Every goblin in the lair uses its reaction to loose a sling stone or shortbow arrow at the nearest enemy in range. Each such enemy makes a DC 13 DEX save or takes 1d6 bludgeoning or piercing damage. |
Hoard. Place at an appropriate Location in the lair.
| Faction CR | Coins | Gems | Magic Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1x CR 0-4) | 300 gp | 2 rolls on Goblin Gems | 1 roll on Goblin Magic Items; on a d6 result of 5-6, a second roll |
| 2 (2x CR 0-4) | 500 gp | 4 rolls on Goblin Gems | 2 rolls on Goblin Magic Items; on a d6 result of 5-6, a third roll |
| 3 (3x CR 0-4) | 750 gp | 7 rolls on Goblin Gems | 3 rolls on Goblin Magic Items; on a d6 result of 5-6, a fourth roll |
Junk (any hoard). Chipped weapons, mud-clogged trinkets, animal collars with name plates, teeth and bone shards, a broken toy, a stolen woolen sock. For Mud Clan: pouches of muddy grubs, dried river-fish, a rusted iron cook-pot. May include a book or map the clan did not read but keeps for the shapes.
Goblin Magic Items. Roll d20 or pick.
| d20 | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | Potion of Healing |
| 2 | Potion of Climbing |
| 3 | Potion of Poison |
| 4 | Potion of Animal Friendship |
| 5 | Spell scroll of grease |
| 6 | Spell scroll of fog cloud |
| 7 | Spell scroll of hideous laughter |
| 8 | Spell scroll of stinking cloud |
| 9 | Dust of Sneezing and Choking |
| 10 | Bag of Tricks (tan) |
| 11 | Boots of Elvenkind |
| 12 | Cloak of Elvenkind |
| 13 | Ring of Warmth |
| 14 | Wand of Web (3 charges left) |
| 15 | Alchemy Jug |
| 16 | Bag of Holding (soiled but working) |
| 17 | Rope of Climbing |
| 18 | +1 shortbow or shortsword |
| 19 | +1 leather armor |
| 20 | Cloak of Protection |
Goblin Gems. Roll d10 or pick. All entries fit any hoard as a single roll; scale value by rolling more times. See Gems for how color determines affinity in crafting and spell components.
| d10 | Color (School) | Value | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black (Necromancy) | 10 gp | Obsidian |
| 2 | Green (Conjuration) | 10 gp | Malachite |
| 3 | Orange/Yellow (Transmutation) | 10 gp | Tiger eye |
| 4 | Iridescent (Divination) | 10 gp | Labradorite |
| 5 | Red (Evocation) | 50 gp | Carnelian |
| 6 | Green (Conjuration) | 50 gp | Chrysoprase |
| 7 | Orange/Yellow (Transmutation) | 50 gp | Citrine |
| 8 | Colorless (Any) | 50 gp | Rock crystal |
| 9 | Black (Necromancy) | 50 gp | Onyx |
| 10 | Red (Evocation) | 100 gp | Garnet |
Locations¶
Chief's Den. The Chief's quarters and audience room. A rough throne of stacked stones or a scavenged wooden chair, a hearth, hung tokens taken from every recent raid. May have: a Lair Defense; a hoard.
Grunt Den. The communal sleeping and eating chamber. Goblins pile in when off duty. Loot: cooking pots; a scavenged blanket or two; 1d10 gp in pilfered coin.
Midden. The refuse pit outside the lair mouth. Bones, broken tools, the leavings of raids. Smell hangs in a wide radius; flies constant.
Prisoner Pit. A dug-out pit where the clan holds captives for ransom or the pot. Straw floor, a wooden grate above; a goblin sits watch nearby. May have: a Lair Defense.
Rooting Pit. A dug hollow where goblins scavenge for grubs, roots, and worms. The floor is churned mud. Occasionally a small trap set for rats.
Sentry Nook. A small watch station just inside the entry. Slings and a shortbow leaning against the wall, a shallow firepit, tally marks scratched into the mud. Loot: a signal horn (10 gp). May have: a Lair Defense.
Slop Kitchen. Where the clan cooks and renders. A soot-blackened firepit, hanging pots, a wooden block for butchering. Loot: cook-pot (5 gp), knives, dried meat and preserved edibles.
Trapper's Workshop. The Trapper's bench: coils of rope, clay pots of pitch and slow-burning incense, cut logs balanced against the wall, hooks, snares, and half-built rigs. Dangerous to enter unaware. Loot: trap components (30 gp), 1d3 unused smoke pots, tinker's tools (50 gp). May have: a Lair Defense.
Trophy Wall. A corridor lined with hung skulls, boots, breastplates, and the odd captured banner. The clan's history in one hall.
Warren Mouth. The primary way in and out. A muddy hole in a hillside or bank, half-hidden by brush. May have: a Lair Defense.
Wolf Pen. A gated stall housing the clan's wolves and worgs. Straw, water buckets, the smell of wet fur. Loot: tack and leashes. May have: a Lair Defense.
Mapping¶
Once you know the Locations of the lair, you can create a basic map.
- Take a d6 for each Location. Drop all dice onto a page. Each die represents where a Location is and how deep it is. Assign the highest die (or one of them) to be the Warren Mouth.
- Read each remaining die, and assign a Location to it:
- 5-6 (upper): near the surface. Sentry Nook, Midden, Rooting Pit.
- 3-4 (middle): the working spaces. Grunt Den, Wolf Pen, Trapper's Workshop, Slop Kitchen, Prisoner Pit.
- 1-2 (lower): the deep interior. Chief's Den, Trophy Wall. Mark each Location and its depth on the map.
- Connect the Locations. Connect them with muddy passages; every Location has at least one connection. The Warren Mouth connects to at least one Sentry Nook.
- Place Creatures. Roughly half the Locations hold a creature at any given time. Sentry Nook, Grunt Den, Trapper's Workshop, and the Chief's Den almost always do. If any creatures don't fit, they are assumed to be away raiding, hunting, or scouting.
- Place Lair Defenses. Assign each pick from the Lair Defenses table to a Location.
- Place Hoards. Assign the hoard to a Location.