Goblin, Variant (5e Race Variant)

This material is published under the OGL

Goblin

Goblins are small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in large — sometimes overwhelming — numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.

Physical Description

Goblins are short humanoids that usually stand between 3 and 4 feet tall. Their scrawny bodies are topped with oversized heads with massive ears and noses, and beady red or occasionally yellow eyes. Goblins' skin tone varies based on the surrounding environment; common skin tones include green, gray, and blue, though black and even pale white goblins have been sighted. Their voracious appetites are served well by their huge mouths filled with jagged teeth.

Goblins belong to a family of creatures called goblinoids. Their larger cousins, hobgoblins and bugbears, like to bully goblins into submission. Goblins are lazy and undisciplined, making them poor servants, laborers, and guards.

History

Goblin history is rich with folklore and tall tales, ranging from hobgoblin invasions of old, to the story of a young goblin once rode a chicken into an orc camp. However, it is also riddled with tales of subjugation and powerlessness as, due to their small size, they are frequently bullied into the service of other malevolent creatures. This history of groveling, makes goblins dream of gaining power and strength of their own, which sometimes draws them to adventure.

Society

Goblins live in loose clans ruled by a leader they refer to as a Mob Boss. Evil goblin societies frequently war against their neighbours, if not attempt to annoy them. More peaceable goblins, who are fewer and far between, prefer to play practical jokes on neighbours, which sometimes can be just as bad as if they had declared war.

Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they have: sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight is meaningless in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise. Goblins tend to have a poor grasp of strategy and a cowardly nature, preferring to flee the field if a battle turns against them. With proper supervision, though, they can implement reasonably complex plans, and in such circumstances their numbers can be a deadly advantage.

Motivated by greed and malice, goblins can't help but celebrate the few times they have the upper hand. They dance, caper with sheer joy when victory is theirs. Once their revels have ended, goblins delight in the torment of other creatures and embrace all manner of wickedness.

Some goblins believe in reincarnation, which make them even more dangerous than normal Goblins, as without the fear of death, they have no qualms dying or sacrificing other goblins for the greater (their own) good.

In the cities where they are accepted, most of the time begrudgingly, goblins usually live in solitary or occasionally join gangs with other races.

Goblin Names

Goblin names are not given at birth as the average goblin life expectancy is very short and they believe giving a name to be a waste. Instead they assign them numbers until, if the goblin is lucky or resourceful enough, they reach the age of maturity (usually after 4 years). These names are given by the Mob Boss and named goblins gain great respect among their comrades. If a goblin does something incredibly daring (or stupid) and gains renown, he may also be given a title describing the deed.

Male: Gungax, Makdox, Gizil, Bilnix Rukalog, Drax, Unkgil

Female: Tiwin, Kawli, Wort, Ib, Drolaw, Marowa, Walow

Goblin Traits

Goblins are small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in large — sometimes overwhelming — numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Goblins reach adulthood at age 8 and live up to 60 years.
Alignment. Goblins care only for themselves, and as such tend toward evil alignments.
Size. Goblins usually stand between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh 40 to 80 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.
Nimble Escape. You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Sneaky Bugger. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill. If you are hidden, you can move up to 10 feet in the open without revealing yourself if you end the move in a position where you're not clearly visible.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin. Goblins, bugbears, and hobgoblins share the same language. There are dialect differences, but they can be overcome by speaking very clearly. However, the races do not share a script. While hobgoblins use a complicated pictographic script, goblins use a simple phonetic script using heavily modified Dwarven characters.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
3′ 5″	+2d4	35 lb.	× 1 lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Character Options → Race Variants