Goblins as Player Race in 5e Dungeons & Dragons - Web DM

Goblins are the classic first DnD combat encounter, but there's so much more to them! Today we discuss what goblinoids: goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears really are, and how to get inspired by them, and how we have the most fun playing them.
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[@LokNWykLeer]

Bugbear Gloomstalker Assassin

[@thenicemare]

Literally made my Goblins like the Covenant in Halo, adding Gnolls to the group as the Jackals. Goblins are Grunts, Hobgoblins are Elites, Bugbears are Brutes, Trolls are Hunters. So far has worked out great!

[@geoffdewitt6845]

This goblin life-cycle idea is amazing!!! What if there's a legendary goblin out there the size of a dragon - or a tarrasque? Wait, what if that's Maglubiyet??? And he's on Acheron, and imbued with near-deific powers, he harvests goblin souls and leads them in the Blood War! And now you have a CR 25 goblin!

[@danielfisher898]

I love the image of goblin hordes using a Hydra as a siege weapon

[@RiotKurhein]

My goblin races are bastardized versions of races interbred with Orcs.

[@colinbunn6066]

Me: about to run a goblin based session this week

[@Vespuchian]

Hobgoblins worked really well in one game I was in where they were the ones ruling the empire. Our DM leaned into the Lawful, Roman-esque angle and had Hobgoblin justice being harsh, but fair, so non-hobgoblins were fine living in the empire because the Law was very well defined even if punishments were very 'eye for an eye'. Our party were foreigners, used to the idea of "the goblin horde" worshiping Maglubiyet the Conqueror, so they came into the empire expecting Genghis Khan's Mongols and found Kublai Khan's China where the gods of law and order were ascendant.

[@b_hollow_]

I DM goblins as the gnome/ halfling version of orcs as if orcs are evolutionarily twisted elves in the tolkein tradition 🍻

[@simoncroft73]

In my setting, Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears are halflings, humans, and dwarves that were mutated by experimentation. Their uniting feature is the experimentation that was done to them.

[@cero54]

So glad you touched on Halo and the Covenant. That's how i run my goblinoid society. So easy to parallel that!

[@Youcallmedrunk]

In the Halo analogy, if Hobgoblins are Elites (Sangheili) Goblins are the Grunts (Unggoy), then Bugbears are maybe Brutes (Jiralhanae)?

[@ratholin]

Goblins are the best. I had a bard who disguised himself as an orc and infiltrated the dark army along with a few goblins that owed him their lives and from there he built his own unit inside the army that was 90% goblin 10% orcs. Goblins left their command to join his company because of the egality. In a game I game mastered I had this uberwealthy elf who had never seen a goblin. His son had stolen from a goblin shoemaker named Brillo and when the PCs took the goblin to see him, the rich man thought he was a talking cat and took him in renamed him Don Fluffito.

[@harjutapa]

Hobgoblin War Wizard is a character concept I've wanted to play for months.

[@MegaJman117]

i had the idea of a Goblin illusion wizard with the criminal background, he was a thief pre-adventure and stole his spellbook from a wizard's apprentice, and was just smart and angry enough to figure it out himself

[@jasoncross4587]

Hey it's the goblin episode I ask for!! thanks guys!!

[@d-risky4994]

Strength based rogue. Expertise athletics plus Grappler feat

[@Janitwo]

Goblinoids are fey in my campaign setting. Gives them nice flavour to make them completly different from orcs.

[@keegansullivan1571]

When talking about the hobgoblins all I could think of now is a hobgoblin monk based of Iroh from Avatar. Initially a terrifying warrior/general to now an easy living hero who's reaching for enlightenment.

[@IndorilNerevar-MoonandStar]

In my camping world the word goblin means subjugated and the prefix hob means "un" making hobgoblins the un-subjugated. I depict the hobgoblins as the slave masters to the goblin race.