SRD 5.2.1, p. 290

Goblin Warrior

A little green menace with a shortbow and scimitar.

CR 1/4 → Tier 1 Small Fey (Goblinoid) Standard

Motives & tactics

Ambush, steal, flee when outnumbered

SRD 5.2.1

AC 15

Initiative +2 (12)

HP 10 (3d6)

Speed 30 ft.

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

Skills Stealth +6

Gear Leather Armor, Scimitar, Shield, Shortbow

Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 9

Languages Common, Goblin

Daggerheart

Difficulty 11

Thresholds 7 / 12

HP / Stress 4 / 2

ATK +1

Scimitar Melee · 1d8+1 phy

Experience Sneaky +2

Actions

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.

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 warrior attacks while Hidden, it makes the attack with advantage. On a success, it deals an extra 1d4 damage, added to the attack’s total.

A Quick Hide — Action: Mark a Stress to move anywhere within Close range and become Hidden if there is something to hide behind.

Designer's note

This is a typical goblin; it isn't fancy, strong, or extra weak. It just wants to survive and help fulfill its boss's schemes. It tries to avoid toe-to-toe fighting but will do so when necessary.

Why a Standard?

This is your average basic goblin. It is low enough CR that it could have become a Minion or Horde, but that doesn’t do its fantasy justice. It should be more dangerous than that on its own, especially since it’s quite similar to the goblin boss. The biggest thing to differentiate them is that this one is simpler. It has less it can do, but if the boss were to die, one of them would (hopefully) be capable of stepping up and becoming the new boss.

Why not use Nimble Escape like the goblin boss?

That would be a very powerful feature for the goblin warrior. It felt like it already wants to hide and stay out of close-quarters combat as much as possible, so having it focus on hiding was key. The goblin boss is much more about staying alive, and that is why it has risen up through the ranks. The goblin warrior simply hasn’t learned that lesson yet, so it doesn’t get to remove the Restrained condition in the same way.

The numbers

Since this is a Standard, it felt like sticking right to the middle range of the Adversary Stat Block Benchmarks was ideal. It should sit right in the middle of the curve, dealing neither too much nor too little damage and being neither too tough nor too fragile.