Monster Manual 5E

GOBLINS
Goblins are small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that
lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons,
and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins
gathe r in large-sometimes overwhelming-numbers.
They c rave power and regularly abuse whatever
authority they obtain.
Goblinoids. 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, ma king the m poor servants,
labore rs, a nd guards.
Malicious Glee. Motivate d by greed and malice,
goblins can't help but celebrate the few times they have
the uppe r hand. They dance, caper with sheer joy when
victory is theirs. Once their reve ls have ended, goblins
delight in the torment of othe r creatures and embrace
all manner of wickedness.
Leaders and Followers. Goblins are ruled by the
strongest or smartest among them. A goblin boss might
command a single lair, while a goblin king or quee n
(who is nothing more than a glorified goblin boss)
rules hundreds of goblins, spread out among multiple
lairs to ensure the tribe's survival. Goblin bosses are
easily ousted, and many goblin tribes are taken over by
hobgoblin warlords or bugbear chie fs.
Challenging Lairs. Goblins festoon their lairs with
alarms designed to signal the arrival of intruders. Those
lairs are a lso riddled with narrow tunne ls and bolt-holes
that human-size d creatures can't navigate, but which
goblins can crawl through with ease, allowing them to
flee or to circle around and surprise their e nemies.
Rat Keepers and Wolf Riders. Goblins have an
affinity for rats and wolves, raising the m to serve as
companions and mounts, res pectively. Like rats, goblins
shun s unlight and sleep underground during the day.
Like wolves, they are pack hunte rs, made bolde r by their
numbers. When they hunt from the backs of wolves,
goblins use hit-and-run attacks.
Worshipers ofMaglubiyet. Maglubiyet the Mighty
One, the Lord of Depths and Darkness, is the greater
god of goblinoids. Envisioned by most goblins as an
eleven-foot-tall battle-scarre d goblin with black skin and
fir e erupting from his eyes, he is worshiped not out of
adoration but fear. Goblins believe that when they die in
ba ttle, their spirits join the ranks of Maglubiyet's army
on the plane of Acheron. This is a "privilege" that most
goblins dread , fearing the Mighty One's ete rnal tyranny
even more than death.