Hobgoblin (Dragonstar)
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Hobgoblins are a militaristic subrace of Imperial Goblins, devoted to warfare and discipline. They despise their Lesser Goblin cousins and try to avoid their larget Bugbear bretheren, but still have much more relations with these creatures than with anyone else. When a goblinoid population becomes successful and well fed, the ratio of Hobgoblin to Lesser Goblin skyrockets, and what was once a hilarious if bad-natured tribe quickly becomes an army.
Personality: The Hobgoblin psyche relishes discipline, order and warfare. They are born soldiers, and even without intruction will form military-style units and a chain of command. If actually trained in the arts of war, they can become formidable soldiers.
Physical Description: Hobgoblins are burly humanoids standing 6 1/2 feet tall. Their hairy hides range in coloration from dark reddish-brown to dark gray, with dark or red-orange skin. Large males have blue or red noses. Hobgoblin eyes are yellowish or dark brown, while their teeth are yellow. They prefer to dress in distinctive uniforms in contrasting colors, prefering red, black and silver. They keep their clothes clean and their equipment shiny.
Relations: A Hobgoblin is not happy unless he is either giving or taking orders. They love to kick Lesser Goblins around, and sometimes grundingly accept the orders of a particular Bugbear leader, but mostly they enjoy each other's harsh company. They particularily hate elves, and love to fight dwarfs and gnomes. They respect humans who are in a position of strength, but are quick to oppress them is they show weakness. Halflings, kobolds and the like are beneath their concearn. Hobgoblin mercenaries are disciplined and well seen by humans and half-dragons, but hobgoblin armies are inevitably followed by hordes of goblins which cause so much collateral damage that even Asamet finds their usefullness limited.
Alignment: It is rare to find a Hobgoblin who is neither evil nor lawful, and most are both. They strive to expand their influence, to impose order and/or oppress those around them. Excetional hobgoblins are good, some are even paladins, but very few are chaotic.
Hobgoblin Lands: Hobgoblins live among goblins, and care very little for the land, letting the goblins ravage the environment while hunting the precious resources the hobgoblins need to wage war. When successful, they are capable of building mighty empires, but they tend to overuse their resources, overestimate their abilities, and wage war until they are finally destroyed, so hobgoblin empires are few and far between. Most hobgoblins make a living as merceneries or feudal lords among other peoples, mainly goblins.
Religion: Hobgoblins honor The Warrior and The Reaper, usually seeing little difference between the two.
Language: Hobgoblins speak goblin and common. Many also speak undercommon. Various sign-languages are also common, and used as backup communication on battlefields. The hobgoblins have no secret sign language, but often construct one more or less on their own. These are fairly rudimentary, and can be understood by outsiders with a successful Sense Motive roll (DC 10). It is rare for them to bother to learn other languages.
Names: Hobgoblins mostly have nicknames, and some have only ranks or numbers. They use their unit or tribe names in place of family names. The leader names his troops as he likes, often giving them deragoratory names that the hobgoblin troopers cherish with fierce pride. Typical hobgoblin names include "Private Brownose of the Bluelaser company" or "Twelft man, third company, Black Flag legion".
Adventurers: Hobgoblin adventurers are few and far between. A hobgoblin who is unlucky enough to have grown up alone in a tribe of goblins or who has been kicked out of a troop might try to make it on his own, but even then they tend to seek out groups with strong ties and rules in which to work. Few adventuring bands provide the needed stability, but those that do are often very successful.
Hobgoblin Racial Traits
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution. Hobgoblins are dead-eye shots and hearthy troopers.
- Medium-Size. No special rules applies to hobgoblins because of their size.
- Base speed 30 ft.
- Darkvision up to 60 ft.
- +4 racial bonus on all Move Silently checks.
- Automatic Languages: common and goblin. Bonus languages: draconic, giant, orc, undercommon, sign language.
- Favored Class: Fighter. A hobgoblin's fighter levels do not count when determining whether or not there is an XP penalty for multiclassing (see PH, chapter 3, experience penalty for multiclass characters). Hobgoblins relish combat and take well to discipline and training.
- Level Equivalent: +1.
Race Guide | Imperial Goblins | Lesser Goblin | Bugbear
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