SRD 5.2.1, p. 290

Goblin Boss

A little schemer full of plots and chaos.

CR 1 → Tier 1 Small Fey (Goblinoid) Leader

Motives & tactics

Ambush, steal, flee when outnumbered

SRD 5.2.1

AC 17

Initiative +2 (12)

HP 21 (6d6)

Speed 30 ft.

Score Mod Save STR 10 +0 +0 DEX 15 +2 +2 CON 10 +0 +0 INT 10 +0 +0 WIS 8 −1 −1 CHA 10 +0 +0

Skills Stealth +6

Gear Chain Shirt, Scimitar, Shield, Shortbow

Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 9

Languages Common, Goblin

Daggerheart

Difficulty 12

Thresholds 8 / 14

HP / Stress 5 / 3

ATK +1

Scimitar Melee · 1d8+1 phy

Experience Sneaky +2, Clever +2

Actions

Multiattack. The goblin makes two attacks, using Scimitar or Shortbow in any combination.

Scimitar. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Slashing damage, plus 2 (1d4) Slashing damage if the attack roll had Advantage.

Shortbow. Ranged Attack Roll: +4, range 80/320 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage, plus 2 (1d4) Piercing damage if the attack roll had Advantage.

Bonus Actions

Nimble Escape. The goblin takes the Disengage or Hide action.

Reactions

Redirect Attack. Trigger: A creature the goblin can see makes an attack roll against it. Response: The goblin chooses a Small or Medium ally within 5 feet of itself. The goblin and that ally swap places, and the ally becomes the target of the attack instead.

Features

Shortbow Shot — Action: Shoot a shortbow at a target within Far range. On a success, deal 1d6+1 physical damage.

Master of Surprise — Passive: If the goblin boss attacks while Hidden, it makes the attack with advantage. On a success, it deals an extra 1d4 damage, added to the attack’s total.

Nimble Escape — Action: Mark a Stress to move anywhere within Close range and become Hidden if there is something to hide behind. If the goblin boss is Restrained, this also clears the condition.

Redirect Attack — Reaction: When an attack against the goblin boss succeeds, it can choose to swap places with an ally within Very Close range. The attack then hits the ally instead.

Rally Minions — Action: Spend a Fear to summon 1d4 goblin minions within Far range.

Environment

Goblin Cave

Tier 1 · Traversal

A trap-ridden cave full of goblinoids.

Difficulty 12

Impulses Hide what lives here, ensnare, alert others

Potential adversaries Goblin Boss (Leader), Goblin Warrior (Standard), Goblin Minion (Minion)

Features

Battle Cry — Action: Once per scene, all living goblins call for help. This immediately summons 1d4+2 additional goblin minions or goblin warriors, in any combination, to help in the fight. They appear within Far range.

Spring Trap — Action: Spend a Fear to have a goblin boss command an ally to run to the cave wall and spring a trap on a target. This trap falls from the ceiling and covers all creatures within Very Close range of the target in a net. While covered in the net, all creatures are both Restrained and Vulnerable. An Agility Roll can be made to break free of the net.

Designer's note

A cruel green leader of chaos on the battlefield. It uses anything and anyone around it to survive. It is clever and nasty.

Why Leader?

Well, it’s kind of in the name: it’s the boss of the goblins. So giving it the ability to control lots of smaller Minions, goblin minions in particular, felt like a good call.

Rally Minions isn’t from 5e

This ability, combined with Redirect Attack, is where the goblin boss’s Leader side comes through. It can keep pulling in reinforcements to protect itself and direct the battle. Additionally, it costs a Fear to activate, which keeps it from overwhelming players.

Why is Redirect Attack free?

Because the goblin boss summons Minions to fight near it, redirecting an attack means choosing to sacrifice one. Players are still rewarded by taking a combatant out of the fight, which is arguably better than just damaging the boss, especially since a Minion’s passive lets extra damage defeat additional Minions.

Why the higher damage thresholds?

A goblin boss has good armor compared to an average adversary (AC 17 from a chain shirt and shield), so it warranted upping its thresholds a bit.

Why add the Goblin Cave?

The environment I added further enables the goblin boss to be a Leader when a GM wants to push a party. It has the potential to be deadly and challenging, but it’s within reach of what players can handle.

Spring Trap

For this, I imagine a cave area with little room to maneuver, even in a larger, more open section. So, as a surprise, the trap just lands, catching the party off guard. It also costs a Fear, so it can’t be used constantly to cripple a party. Its goal is to be a major hindrance, not a death sentence. If you feel being both Restrained and Vulnerable is too much, I would drop the Vulnerable aspect.