Copyright 2009 Wizards of the Coast

D&D Fourth Edition uses “Goblins” to describe a set of closely related species of humanoids: actual goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears. They’re a very traditional component of the game and we looked at lots of them in the MM1/Monster Vault Let’s Read. The post covering their basic lore is here.

Since the first Manual covered them so well, the second brings us a small number of more specialized stat blocks for them.

Bugbear Wardancer

Wardancers are specialized martial artists. Their weapon of choice is a two-handed heavy flail, which they swing in wide arcs while moving through enemy forces in the battlefield. The end result looks something like a dance, thus the name. There’s a religious element to the art: there are different schools organized around the worship of different exarchs of Bane, who compete among each other to see whose war dance is the best.

The wardancer presented here is a Level 6 Skirmisher with 70 HP, low-light vision, and Speed 7. Its basic attack is a Flail Dance that does physical damage and has a lot of stacked riders: it pushes the target 2 square and knocks it prone, and also allows the bugbear to shift 1 square. Yes, this is an at-will basic attack.

The wardancer also has a couple of special attacks. Flail Barrier (recharge 5+) does a bit of automatic damage in a burst 2 around the bugbear, and makes it take half damage from weapon attacks until the end of its next turn. Flail Assault (close burst 2 vs Reflex; encounter) does a bit more damage and knocks those it hits prone.

All the wardancer’s attacks deal extra damage if it has combat advantage against the target.

Goblin Acolyte of Maglubyet

Another martial artist, this one a goblin from a sect devoted to Maglubyet. In previous editions (and again on 5th), Maglubyet is the main goblinoid deity, but here he’s one of Bane’s Exarchs. His acolytes seek to make themselves in his image.

The Acolyte is a Level 1 Controller with 29 HP, Speed 6, and low-light vision. They wield a battleaxe in combat, and back it up with a bit of divine magic.

Acolytes are surrounded by a Life Scourge aura (2) that prevents enemies inside from recovering hit points. Their basic attack is a Slashing Shroud that consists of an axe strike that also makes the acolyte invisible to the target until the end if the acolyte’s next turn. A good option against PC defenders.

They can attack at range with the Hand of Maglubyet (ranged 10 vs. Fortitude), a telekinetic attack that deals force damage and either slides the target 3 squares or immobilizes it for a turn. Maglubyet’s Fists (recharge 5+) allows them to use this attack twice in a single action. So as far as martial artists go, this is one of those annoying hadouken spammers.

The acolyte also has the standard Goblin Tactics power that allows it to shift 1 square as a reaction when missed by a melee attack. This is what you would change if you were making acolytes of other species.

Lolthbound Goblin

Goblins are generally big on Bane worship, but that’s not universal among them. This is a goblin whose people have been slaves to the drow for generations. Their training, and even their physiology, have some important differences from your usual goblins. They’re clearly meant to be encountered alongside drow, though for that to work out you’ll need to make those drow lower level or the goblin higher level.

As written, the Lolthbound Goblin is a Level 3 Soldier with 45 HP. They have speed 6, and replace the usual low-light vision with full darkvision. They wear light armor and fight with a war pick.

When Lolthbound Goblins are within 5 squares of a drow, they gain a +2 bonus to all their attacks and defenses. That pick is a high-crit weapon and marks targets for a turn on a hit. Once per encounter they can use a Stinging Blow that deals poison damage and instead of marking increases any ongoing poison damage the target is taking by 5. This synergizes with the poisoned weapons drow so often carry.

Also once per encounter they can use a Lolthbound Shriek (close blast 5 vs. Fortitude), which deals light thunder damage to anyone in the area who is not a drow or spider.

Aside from the usual Goblin Tactics reaction, they also have Drow Protector, an interrupt where the goblin throws himself in front of a drow that’s just been targetted by an attack, becoming the target instead.

Lolthbound Goblin Slave

This is a Level 12 Minion Skirmisher version of the lolthbound goblin above, which makes it appropriate for use with drow without the need for level adjustments. They’re also armed with war picks, and add a hand crossbow to their loadout.

Their basic melee attack is a Stinging Pick, which works just like the Stinging Blow from the regular version. Their basic crossbow attack deals a bit more damage if they’ve moved 3 or more squares before making it.

They also gain the attack and defense bonus from being near drow, and have Goblin Tactics.

Hobgoblin Fleshcarver

This is the hobgoblin specialized martial artist. Unlike the bugbear and goblin examples, fleshcarvers don’t seem to have a religious component to their training. It’s all about hard work and crafting your own custom-fitted weapons. Their weapons of choice are a polearm and a set of poisoned throwing darts, whose poison is harvested from serpents they hunt as part of their training. Fleshcarvers never refuse a challenge to combat, though they’re smart enough to not let such a challenge distract them in the middle of an ongoing battle.

Fleshcarvers are Level 6 Elite Controllers with 146 HP. They have Speed 6 and low-light vision, wear heavy armor, and are armed with the afore-mentioned specialized weapons.

Their stance and movements act as an aura (2) named Fleshcarver’s Trap, dealing 5 damage to any enemy inside the first time they move during their turn. Their glaive is reach 2 and is used both for basic attacks and for an at-will Glaive Flurry that targets all enemies in a close burst 2, does more damage than the basic attack, and slides targets 2 squares.

At range they can throw those Toxic Darts to do a bit of poison damage and slow the target (save ends). If the target was already slowed, it’s immobilized instead. When they’re hit by a melee attack, they can use their reaction to shift 2 squares and make a dart attack. And finally, fleshcarvers have the same Hobgoblin Resilience and Phalanx Soldier powers from MM1 hobgoblins.

These hobgoblins are more effective when lots of enemies are in reach, but the selective targetting on their area attack means they engage all those enemies while fighting in formation for that sweet defense bonus from Phanlanx Soldier.

Sample Encounters

These new goblinoid specialists can be inserted into any goblin encounter, and being goblins themselves also work well with any of their typically allied creatures. These are the encounters we get on the book:

  • Level 1: 1 goblin acolyte, 3 goblin warriors, 1 Lolthbound Goblin. It’s likely the whole group are drow slaves, with the LBG being their leader. The level math works out, but the LBG’s drow-related skills are wasted here.

  • Level 6: 2 bugbear wardancers, 2 bugbear warriors, 1 barghest battle lord. A warlord and their bodyguards.

  • Level 6: 1 fleshcarver, 3 hobgoblin soldiers, 2 dire wolves. A patrol with a little extra kick to it.

  • Level 13: 4 lolthbound goblin slaves, 1 drow priest, 2 blade spiders, 2 drow warriors. Lots of poison being thrown around on this one, which makes the minions more dangerous than their level would indicate.

Final Impressions

I like these new additions, because their stat blocks are interesting and their associated lore fleshes goblin culture out a bit more. I like that they’re complex enough to have multiple martial styles.