Hobgoblins

• Underground Tunneling (Special): Fundamentally the same as for dwarves, only much cruder. Base Skill: 20% +5% per level of experience.
• Underground Architecture: Fundamentally the same skill as for dwarves, only much simpler and cruder. Base Skill: 5% +5% per level of experience; detection and deactivation of traps is done at half his normal architecture skill level.
• Underground Sense of Direction: Fundamentally the same skill as for the dwarf, but less acute. Base Skill: 10% +5% per level of experience and cannot judge the approximate relation/proximity to surface structures while underground.
• Marshal Allies. Unless the Hoboblin is incapacitated, it and creatures of its choice within 30 feet of it have +2 on saving throws against HF.
• Rallying Cry (1/Day). Each creature of the Hobgoblin's choice that is within 30 feet of it, can hear it, and not already affected by Rallying Cry gain +3 advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the start of the Hobgoblin's next turn.
• Command. The Hobgoblin targets one ally it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see and hear the Hobgoblin, the target can make one weapon attack at +3 as a reaction.
• Directed Strike (3/day). When a creature the Hobgoblin can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll, and the creature can hear the Hobgoblin, the Hobgoblin grants +5 advantage to that roll

1. Hunting (+20%)
2. Track Humanoids (+20%)
3. Tactics (+20%)

1. Worship evil gods, devils, demons and even powerful dragons, sphinx, giants and sorcerers.
2. often sell services as mercenaries, spies, thugs and thieves.
3. Can wear any type of armor, but most prefer chain mail, splint, scale and plate
4. Poor craftsmen and tunnel builders. They hate physical labor more than goblins!
5. Tend to be lazy, cruel, vindictive bullies as well as deceitful and treacherous and rude.
6. Unlike goblins, hob-goblins operate well in groups especially if they think they're getting their fair share of the spoils.
7. Although aggressive, mean and given to acts of terrorism and brutality, goblins are easily intimidated (and bluffed) by demonstrations of power.

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Culture

The average hobgoblin warrior is a creature sure to strike fear into the heart of any normal man, dwarf or elf. Standing between six and seven feet tall, hobgoblins have well developed muscles born from a lifetime of warfare and are surprisingly agile for their stature, Their flattened noses, pointed ears and almost feline faces mark them unmistakably as one of the goblinoid races, but an observer not running in fear of his life might notice some important in comparison to goblins and bugbears. A hobgoblin's weapons and armour would seem to be unusually well looked after, even polished, for what is supposed to be a primitive warrior and far from adopting a goblinoid's traditional stealth, hobgoblins fight in rigid and disciplined formations, easily a match for any unit from one of the more civilized races.

Despite being nearer in size and mass to bugbears, hobgoblins are physically closer in form to the smaller goblins. However, they are much stronger and tougher than their diminutive cousins and have a very different outlook on the world. In the few studies that have been performed on the goblinoid races, beyond mere adventurer boast and banter, there has been no evidence that hobgoblins are any more intelligent, It is their natural aggressiveness and innate discipline that allows them to accomplish far more, to the extent a tribe is able to dominate all manner of creatures, even those physically stronger. Their highly developed senses are a legacy from their goblinoid origins and are far superior to those of any human, approaching the sensitivity of an elf. A hobgoblin's finely attuned hearing seems to be able to not only detect the faintest of noises in relative silence, but also has the ability to pick out and filter individual sounds from a multitude of sources, even during pitched battle. It has been theorised that far from being a natural talent, this capability is hammered into hobgoblins from an early age, as goblins and bugbears do not seem to demonstrate anything similar, though their own hearing is at least as good. The benefits of hearing your unit leader's voice barking commands in the midst of deafening combat obvious.

Size, weight and muscle power aside, the defining difference between hobgoblins and related races, physiologically speaking, is their relative lack of stealth. Goblins and bugbears demonstrate a consummate ability to utilise any shadow or terrain feature to mask their approach upon an enemy and even when fully armed for battle they are able to make near soundless passage. It is apparent that somewhere along their history, hobgoblins lost much of this capability and though some few individuals are adept at stealth tactics in combat situations, as a race they are noticeably inferior when performing such careful actions. It is this one deficiency alone that may permit many goblins to live freely and not be part of an entirely enslaved race, subservient to hobgoblins everywhere.

Placed squarely between goblins and bugbears on a physical level, hobgoblins have often posed students with interesting questions and speculations concerning the origin of the species. It is often presumed that goblins and their kin have existed in the world for at least as long as dwarfs and elves. There are certainly very old histories and legends telling of their existence and they are well situated within the myths of most civilized races. Their proliferation throughout the world attests to both their long and tumultuous history, as well as their stubborn refusal to be wiped out by the likes of man and dwarf. Given this, it seems a likely assumption that hobgoblins should be the most successful and prolific of all their kin. Adventurers and scholars alike deem the hobgoblin to be the strongest goblinoid race, not least because they exhibit so many human-like characteristics. Texts have been written about the likelihood of hobgoblins someday creating an entire nation of their own in the mould of the civilized races, clearly surpassing any such predictions for orcs who are often, and incorrectly, viewed as a goblinoid race. So, the question must be raised; if hobgoblins are so capable, respond readily to discipline and easily dominate other races, why are they not more common? Indeed, why are the civilized races not constantly engaged in full scale warfare against large and self-sustaining hobgoblin empires?

The pervading misconception is, of course, that being mere monsters, hobgoblins have neither the wit nor the will to succeed as man, dwarf and elf has, to any who have made the most cursory study of the hobgoblin race, this reasoning is utter folly, perhaps dangerously so. There far too many recorded incidents throughout history of hobgoblins destroying powerful armies and shattering immense fortresses for them to be dismissed in this way. Many scholars, loremasters and other deep-thinkers believe instead that, given the hobgoblins' racial supremacy amongst others of their kind, their relative rarity demonstrates that they are in fact a newer race, opening up the debate of how they actually came into being. Such men are also strong advocates for the culling or even methodical genocide of the entire race, living as they do in fear of eventual hobgoblin mastery across the entire world. Needless to say, such raised concerns are often ridiculed, with the wilderness full of Orcs, dragons, legions of the dead and other foulness. Hobgoblins are normally regarded as but one threat amongst many. Discussions on the specific origins of hobgoblins are varied, but they all tend to a common theme in that the race is derived from goblins directly. Some tell of an ancient sorcerer, quite mad, who attempted to create a warrior race in order to overcome his rivals who commonly used unaugmented goblins to further their plans. Others presume hobgoblins were indeed artificially created, but dismiss the use of magic, citing instead a process of selective breeding such as that used to produce stronger and more aggressive war horses. Yet more pronounce that the creation of an entire race for war is an insane and time-consuming venture and propose that hobgoblins developed naturally from goblins and further, that bugbears developed from hobgoblins. This prompts speculation of a race even more powerful than the towering bugbears. For their part, hobgoblins rarely, if ever, speculate on their own origins and are content to leave such thoughts in the hands of their gods. The lesson is clear though, any race as aggressive and capable as the hobgoblins is likely to have a profound impact upon any others it meets.

Diet and related matters

Goblinoids are noted for their ability to subsist long periods of time on just about any organic matter they scavenge and this, more than anything else, points to a racial stubbornness to exist within habitats that any civilised race would shy away from. Hobgoblins seem to be a little more refined in their preferred tastes and, where possible, exist solely on meat and water. Horse flesh is a favourite and raiding parties seeking to steal all manner of livestock from other nearby races provide the primary source of food for a tribe. However, where meat is scarce, hobgoblins are perfectly capable of digesting an incredible army of material, even turning their hands to farming on occasion. The only foods they seem to avoid al all costs are carrion and, interestingly, cannibalism, the latter of which they absolutely shun though it is a common practice amongst other goblinoids.

The Life Cycle of the Hobgoblin

The life of a hobgoblin revolves around just three things; eating, making war and achieving a greater standing within the dominance hierarchy of the tribe. Individuals are expected to work towards the good of the tribe and are rewarded for successful results. of interest is that whilst young are protected and seen as embodying the future of the tribe, the role of motherhood is not assigned any great standing. A female hobgoblin may be respected as a warrior in her own right, but her duty to provide the tribe with new potential warriors, whilst expected, will never be rewarded.

Physically, female hobgoblins are very similar to their male counterparts, panicularly when dressed full armour, to the extent that a member of any other race may have great difficulty distinguishing sexes. They are certainly capable of becoming as good a warnor as any of the males, though the female will rarely attain any position of true authority within the tribe's structure whilst carrying young, her fighting ability, and thus her tribal standing, all but disappear. In common with other goblinoids, hobgoblins have no concept of long term relationships between sexes and though an especially weak female may be considered the property of a strong male, in general she will be fully capable of choosing her own mate for breeding purposes.

The gestation period of a hobgoblin female is six months and she will typically bear two or three young. Life in a hobgoblin tribe is often harsh if not brutal and it is rare for more than one of the young to mature as an adult. Hobgoblin young develop fast and are capable of rigorous combat at the age of six, easily able to defeat any non-fighting member of the civilized races. They are considered adults within the tribe around the age of eleven or twelve, when they will join the other warriors.

Physical Variations

Hobgoblins tend to exhibit the same types of physical variation within the species as the other goblinoid races do in terms of hair, skin and eye whilst the hair that covers all parts of their body bar hands, feet and face is typically dark red:brown or grey. of more note is that such colour variations tend to breed true within a tribe so that each member is more or less identical in terms of colour. Exceptions can arise, however, and are often treated as figures of ridicule or as being Drafer, 'not of the tribe,' Needless to say, the life expectancy of any who are different is drastically reduced from the norm.

The combination of dark skin and red eyes seems to be exceedingly rare and, rather than being subjected to vilification, such hobgoblins are usually accorded greater status within the tribal structure. Hobgoblins often portray their patron deity, referred to as The Mighty One, as bearing these colours and so it is natural to assume that such hobgoblins are seen as having been touched by the god and that he watches over their destiny. These individuals often become adepts or even clerics within the tribe.

Exceptionally large males are often seen with their pale noses developing either a blue or red shade, the colour again dependant upon the tribe they were born into. The exact purpose of this colour change and the process of its development is not known, though it is certainly a natural phenomenon rather than being artificially applied. It is often presumed that such colourations, which become bolder as the male develops physically, make him somehow more attractive to hobgoblin females and thus increase his chances of mating.

Psychology

A hobgoblin's life is one of constant conflict, not just against every race it meets, but also within itself. On the one hand, a hobgoblin shares many traits with the other goblinoids. It is merciless in nature, uncaring of other sentient beings and utterly dedicated towards its own personal advancement. From the earliest age, however, a hobgoblin is taught that the tribe as a whole is of all-importance and that true and power are bestowed by its underlying order. Manifesting as a strong adherence to discipline that sets hobgoblins apart from every Other related race, hobgoblins are relatively easy for their leaders to control and their beliefin the strength of their own tribe is paramount. However, a hobgoblin is unlikely to be willing to lay down its life for others, merely that any personal advancement will take place through actions that benefit the entire tribe and are thus amply rewarded. An example of this can be found in the hobgoblins' attitude towards their young. Though capable of fighting at an early age, their young are kept far from any potential combat unless the tribal lair itself is actually being overrun by enemies. This is not out of any maternal or paternal feeling towards the young, merely that they represent the future of the tribe. All goblinoids display a hatred for any race other than their own, but hobgoblins have developed an aggression that far outweighs that of their cousins. They vigorously pursue war and conflict as a way of day-to-day survival, gleefully attacking other races at any opportunity. Differing tribes of hobgoblins will readily battle one another and these other tribes are usually regarded as being no better than of a different race. of special animosity to a hobgoblin are the elves, a race that, in myth at least, dealt a murderous defeat to all goblinoids. This hatred permeates the entire race and hobgoblins have been witnessed in battle dispensing with their renowned discipline and actually bypassing several enemy units in order to strike at a sighted elf. Where a race is not Wiped out by hobgoblins, it will be enslaved and dominated. Nowhere is this more true than with orcs and goblins. Entire tribes may be rounded up and moved to the hobgoblin's own lair, where they will be turned into slave labour or used as cannon fodder in future battles. Hobgoblins operate a brutal regime for any captive, viewing them no differently than beasts of burden, though it is said that hobgoblins treat their horses better than they do their slaves. Even bugbears may be subjugated in this manner, if the hobgoblins are given the chance.

Description:

Hobgoblins are a fierce humanoid race that wage a perpetual war with the other humanoid races. They are intelligent, organized, and aggressive. The typical hobgoblin is a burly humanoid standing 6½' tall. Their hairy hides range from dark reddish-brown to dark gray. Their faces show dark red or red-orange skin. Large males have blue or red noses. Hobgoblin eyes are either yellowish or dark brown while their teeth are yellow. Their garments tend to be brightly colored, often bold, blood red. Any leather is always tinted black. Hobgoblin weaponry is kept polished and repaired. Hobgoblins have their own language and often speak with orcs, goblins, and carnivorous apes. Roughly 20% of them can speak the common tongue of man.

Combat:

Hobgoblins in a typical force will be equipped with polearms (30%), morningstars (20%), swords and bows (20%), spears (10%), swords and spears (10%), swords and morning stars (5%), or swords and whips (5%). Hobgoblins fight equally well in bright light or virtual darkness, having infravision with a range of 60 feet. Hobgoblins hate elves and always attack them first.

Hobgoblin Unit Overview

Scouts

The scout/rogue plays a critical role in Hobgoblin society. Always alert for new enemies in the tribal territory, they also locate new food sources and gather information on targets for raiding warriors. When goblins do strike, scouts are rarely among them, having moved onto prepare the next target. Scouts might be used,at times,to perform special tasks. For instance, raiders assaulting a town may have a small group of scouts sneak in to gather prisoners and loot for the warren. Another common mission of the scout is the poisoning of wells and livestock of a potential target and burning crops and warehouses. These actions may happen days before a raid, ensuring the defenders will be sick and weak. The elite Hobgoblin scouts, known as skulks, may lead these special operations but are never involved in battles. Instead they busy themselves preparing traps and co-ordinating ambushsites along the path of returning raiders.

Warriors and Archers

The largest percentage of a raiding force will be warriors. These rank-and-file males are well acquainted with violence and are generally effective combatants, especially in groups. It would be a mistake to assume they forsake their stealthy heritage to takeup arms. Rather, they maximise their threat by approaching unseen and unheard, swarming opponents only to fadeback into cover, usually to a prepared ambush site. Many tribes also have dedicated archers. When present,these units can have a dramatic impact on the battle. Arrow storms cover the advance and retreat of warriors while other archers wait in ambush for pursuing enemies.

Wolves, Worg and Cavalry

Wolves, dire wolves and the cruelly-intelligent worg are common sights on the battlefield, fighting beside their Hobgoblin allies. The presence of these beasts is often enough to terrify even hardened soldiers, granting the goblins a tremendous advantage on the field. Without riders,the great wolves often run haphazardly around the battle field, bringing chaos, fear and death while their allies push through the confused and weakened enemy. As feared as they are ontheir own, worg-mounted cavalry are one of the most feared units in the realms. These warriors are expert riders who have grown more brutal and sadistic through their close association with the evil wolves. When they charge into battle, only the most disciplined enemy is not scattered.

Leaders

Most raids will have one or more sergeant sin command, with lieutenants commanding only the largest actions. The dual purpose of a unit leader in combat is to inspire courage in the troops, allowing retreat only when it leads to strategic advantage and to make decisions related to the goals of the raid. Without strong leadership even experienced warriors tend to deteriorate into a mob and excessive violence, looting and destruction often result. Good leaders understand the tribe can milk a village and its environs for months or years unless powerful retribution comes as the result of too zealous an assault.

The Priesthood

In combat, adepts and priests alike counter light sources and sow fear, disease and disorder. Their versatility assures even moderate-sized raids will contain at least one priest or adept. On the battlefield, priests are also fond of summoning reinforcements to their side, often zombies from the corpses of slain enemies. The impact of seeing their comrades'dead bodies advancing on them helps spread terror in the ranks of the goblins' enemies

Habitat/Society:

In common with the scourge that is the goblinoid races, hobgoblins can be found in practically any environment all over the world. However, as well as being a little less prolific than their Hobgoblin cousins, they are also wary of more extreme climates, being all too aware of the additional and often unnecessary dangers that can be posed by a harsh desert or frigid glacier. Whilst an adventurer may well find hobgoblin tribes in such regions, they are likely to be present only through the most dire of circumstances. In genetal, hobgoblins prefer more temperate areas, with forests and mountains being particular favourites. Open grasslands, as tribal areas, are usually shunned, though they may be found in such places, travelling from one lair to another. They are very cautious when determining a region for a tribal lair and by preference Will choose an area that provides a great many hiding places or is extremely difficult for an enemy to reach, hence the number found in forests and mountains. Where this is not possible, hobgoblins look for defence when creating a lair. Ruined forts and underground cavern complexes or tunnel systems are popular choices. Though not generally nomadic by nature, hobgoblin tribes have been known to move from area to area in search of more prosperous lands. There are two circumstances that can cause this to happen. Firstly, a tribe's lair may simply be located in an area that become too dangerous to remain in, whether through a natural catastrophe or a determined resistance to the tribe's constant raiding. A more powerful goblinoid tribe moving into the area may also cause a move, if they survive the initial battles. Secondly, and more commonly, a hobgoblin tribe may eventually exhaust all readily available resources and be forced to find a more bounteous area.

Unless disaster is imminent, a tribal chieftain will never risk his entire tribe by simply striking out into the unknown, Instead, small bands of scouts, numbering no more than five or ten of the tribe's best warriors will be dispatched to locate and report on possible sites for a new lair. Such bands will take steps to avoid direct combat, concentrating instead on finding a new lair in an area that can support the entire tribe. There are several key factors hobgoblins will consider when searching a new home. Most importantly, the surrounding area must be able to support the tribe in terms of both food and supplies. As the largest hobgoblin tribes can number well over three hundred warriors alone, with nearly twice as many young, this is no easy task to accomplish. The Scouts will be looking for numerous weakly defended farmsteads and villages, abundant natural resources or several smaller goblinoid tribes the hobgoblins can begin to dominate and enslave. They will also attempt to get a sense of the balance of power in the new region. Though hobgoblins live to make war, they are by no means foolish and will avoid stronger tribes or civilized areas with professional standing armies. The defence of the lair itself is of prime concern so the scouts will be searching to identify areas that could be made to be impregnable against anything short of a direct, and very costly, assault by any sizeable army.

Once a suitable site has been found, a warband, often led by the tribal chieftain himself, will be sent to take the new lair and clear out any current inhabitants. More scouts will be used to locate food sources and the construction of defences, ranging from simple ditches to full blown repairs on ruined fortress walls, will commence, This is done with all speed, for it is at this time the tribe is at its most vulnerable, With neither the new lair nor the old fully defended. It will be the chieftain's primary concern to bring the rest of the tribe to the new lair as quickly as possible and so the warband will work fast, taking no more than two or three days to complete the defences. Aside from a few warriors in the original warband, every warrior of the tribe will be used to protect the movement of the tribe's young and possessions as they make the journey to the new lair. Generally, a tribal chieftain will go no further than fifty or sixty miles when moving in this way and so the task of relocating the entire tribe from the initial scouting to the abandonment of the old lair will take little more than a week. Being a critical time for the tribe, stragglers are not tolerated and any hobgoblin falling behind will simply be left to fend for itself. <>p>Once installed within the new lair, any neighbouring races will instantly notice the new arrivals' presence. Raiding parties are immediately mounted and begin to prey on neighbours and their resources. These raids are the hobgoblins' primary means of sufficiency and as food reserves are likely to be low after the relocation, the hobgoblins will be vigorous in their attempts to stock, with horses and other livestock being their main targets. The defences protecting the lair will also be reworked and built upon, becoming ever more elaborate and, by goblinoid standards, sophisticated, with initially even the young being drafted in to assist, walls, watchtowers and often small engines of war will be constructed to prevent any attack from forcing the hobgoblins to move on once more. After a tribe has established itself in a new area, a constant process of war and raiding will begin, with just two aims in mind — the continued existence of the tribe and the utter destruction or domination of all intelligent life other than hobgoblin.

Hobgoblins are nightmarish mockeries of the humanoid races who have a military society organized in tribal bands. Each tribe is intensely jealous of its status. Chance meetings with other tribes will result in verbal abuse (85%) or open fighting (15%). Hobgoblin tribes are found in almost any climate or subterranean realm. A typical tribe of hobgoblins will have between 20 and 200 (2d10 x 10) adult male warriors. In addition, for every 20 male hobgoblins there will be a leader (known as a sergeant) and two assistants. Groups numbering over 100 are led by a sub-chief. The great strength of a sub-chief gives it a +2 on its damage rolls. If the hobgoblins are encountered in their lair, they will be led by a chief, giving it and +3 points of damage per attack. The chief has 5-20 (5d4) sub-chiefs acting as bodyguards. Leaders and chiefs always carry two weapons. Each tribe has a distinctive battle standard which is carried into combat to inspire the troops. If the tribal chief is leading the battle, he will carry the standard with him, otherwise it will be held by one of his sub-chiefs. In addition to the warriors present in a hobgoblin tribe, there will be half again that many females and three times as many children as adult males. Fully 80% of all known hobgoblin lairs are subterranean complexes. The remaining 20% are surface villages which are fortified with a ditch, fence, 2 gates, and 3-6 guard towers. Villages are often built upon ruined humanoid settlements and may incorporate defensive features already present in the ruins. Hobgoblin villages possess artillery in the form of 2 heavy catapults, 2 light catapults, and a ballista for each 50 warriors. Underground complexes may be guarded by 2-12 carnivorous apes (60%). They are highly adept at mining and can detect new construction, sloping passages, and shifting walls 40% of the time. The vast majority of hobgoblins live as members of tribes, though independent mercenary companies are also common. Tribes steadily grow in prosperous times with each hobgoblin having its own specific tasks to fulfil, though every mature adult is considered first and foremost a warrior. A typical tribe will average around one hundred and fifty warriors or so, though it can grow to over twice that size in areas with many diverse resources or when two tribes fight and are eventually amalgamated by the victors into one. There will also be a great many non-combatants in the form of the injured, young and pregnant females, perhaps tripling the size of the entire tribe in numbers. Though there can be infinite variation between tribes in terms of lair, equipment, specific culture and resources, all form a dominance hierarchy led by an overall tribal chieftain who is recognised as the greatest warrior of all and who likely attained his position through sheer force of arms. All authority within the tribe is derived from the chieftain and he (for there have been no recorded instances of females becoming chieftains) will maintain an iron grip on the order of the hobgoblins beneath him. Directly beneath the chieftain in terms of both rank and authority are his overlords, the most capable warriors of the tribe who act as unit leaders and bodyguards, There will generally be between four and twenty such overlords, depending on the size of the tribe, and they are noticeably better equipped than the bulk of the hobgoblins they lead. The chieftain personally selects warriors himself for this duty, usually after some great achievment in battle, though a scout consistently finding wealthy resources for the tribe to plunder may also be granted such status. Whilst hobgoblins have only the most tenuous grasp of a martial honour system, they do acknowledge that the laws of the tribe must come first in all things. When a chieftain dies for any reason, his successor will come from within the elite group of overlords who are already considered to be far superior to the average warrior of the tribe. Very rarely, the overlords may reach a consensus as to who the natural leader should be, especially if one of the overlords is considerably wealthier than the others. To a hobgoblin, excess wealth can only mean a large number of victories in battle and so it follows that the wealthiest have the best skill in arms. However, this is not the usual course of action as chieftains generally take great care to keep their overlords more or less equal to one another. Instead challenges, known as Surka will be issued to determine who has the right to lead the tribe.

Ecology:

Hobgoblins feel superior to goblins or orcs and may act as leaders for them. In such cases, the ``lesser races'' are used as battle fodder. Hobgoblin mercenaries may work for powerful or rich evil humanoids.