Military precision and combat prowess
Hobgoblins are part of the Goblinoid family although they are larger than Goblins and smarter than Bugbears. They are very much related however, having a similar appearance and descended from the hobgoblins that first left the feywild long ago.
While hobgoblins are highly militaristic, this does not mean that they are necessarily evil. In fact, they generally uphold the laws of their society rigidly and are known to often be loyal to whatever group they find themselves in. This makes them great team players (despite a certain arrogant streak) allowing them to operate well in an adventuring party.
This is especially manifest in their traits which are stronger when fighting alongside allies.
Is a Hobgoblin the right character for me?
Dungeons and Dragons lets you take a flexible approach to building a character, but if you’re going to stick to typical culture and the best-optimised build for a Hobgoblin you might consider the following:
Choose a Hobgoblin if you like…
- To coordinate attacks with allies
- Like to be in the thick of action
- Are looking for a way to use your bonus action more often
A Hobgoblin might not be for you if…
- You’re not a team player
- Want to stay away from danger
- Have a mischievous or independent streak
If you think a Hobgoblin isn’t for you, not to worry, there are dozens of playable races for you to pick from, just check out our races guide to find out about all of them. For an alternative combat-focused race, you could consider a Goliath, Bugbear or Aasimar.
Racial traits
| Ability Scores | +2 to one ability score and +1 to another or +1 to 3 different ability scores |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Size | Medium |
| Speed | 30ft |
| Traits | Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Fey Gift, Hospitality, Passage, Spite, Fortune from the Many |
| Resistances | Charmed |
| Innate Spellcasting | None |
| Book found in | Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, Volo’s Guide to Monsters |
Tactics
Hobgoblin’s are excellent team players, with their 2 primary traits requiring close proximity to allies to be effective. Not only that, but fey gift will also boost the abilities of allies making you everyone’s favourite party member. I’d recommend using some of the following tactics when playing as a Hobgoblin:
Fey Gift – Being able to use the help action as a bonus action gives help some genuine utility in combat (in a similar way to a rogue mastermind). The main question is what fey gift to use? Temporary hit points will always be very useful but they don’t stack so I’d suggest one use of hospitality (unless the characters have lost those hit points) and then tending to use spite. Extra speed is less likely to be useful so I’d avoid passage except under rare circumstances.
Pack tactics – The best Hobgoblin traits require close proximity to allies so positioning is important. Fortune of the many is most effective when within 30ft of 3 allies so try to stay close to your party. Fey gift is even more limiting as the help action requires you to be within 5ft of an ally. With this in mind, Hobgoblin’s are not well suited to small parties so I’d avoid them if the party has less than 4 players. Party composition is important too. If you’re going to be the only melee character in a party, you may struggle to use your traits effectively.
Bonus action overload – Because fey gift is reliant on using your bonus action, avoid combining Hobgoblin’s with classes that already heavily use bonus actions. More on this later, but classes like artificers and monks are likely to be so caught up in other bonus actions, meaning that fey gift gets little attention.
Which classes are good for Hobgoblins?
The following guide will focus on the version of the Hobgoblin race found in Monsters of the Multiverse where ability score improvements can be assigned against any ability. In short the best classes for a Hobgoblin will be ones that keeps its bonus action free and stay close to allies, so your character can activate Fey Gift as much as possible.
Below I’ve put together a score for how well each class works with a Hobgoblin based on how well the racial traits work with each class:
Artificer⭐⭐
Barbarian ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bard ⭐⭐⭐
Cleric ⭐⭐⭐
Druid ⭐⭐⭐
Fighter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Monk ⭐⭐
Paladin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ranger ⭐⭐
Rogue ⭐⭐
Sorcerer ⭐⭐
Warlock ⭐⭐⭐
Wizard ⭐⭐
*Star ratings scored out of 5
Best classes for hobgoblins
Barbarian
While Barbarians do gain abilities utilsing bonus actions under some subclasses, they tend to be less useful than Fey Gift, so it will still be taking priority often. This ability can freely be used while raging too, unlike the innate spell casting abilities some races are packaged with.
Fortune of the Many also covers the common weakness Barbarians have in failing Wisdom and Charisma based saving throws. These two stats are often low in Barbarians as they don’t synergise with their other abilities.
Fighter
For similar reasons to a Barbarian, Hobgoblins make excellent Fighters. Not only are they thematically well-suited, but they also don’t use their bonus action as often as most other classes. Battlemaster’s may use bonus actions for their Manoeuvres, but even these are limited in number per rest.
Because Fighter’s tend to concentrate on strength and constitution like Barbarians, they can also be susceptible to a lot of saving throws so Fortune from the Many is defensively helpful too.
Paladin
Paladins mostly have their bonus actions tied up in their spells like their smites, but also have a limited number of spell slots as half-casters so on many occasions, may not have another use for their bonus action so the Fey Gift ability of a hobgoblin works well for them. While not as susceptible to some saving throws as other martials (especially charisma based ones) paladins often have to dump wisdom to ensure strong charisma, strength and constitution so Fortune from the Many will help here.
Worst classes for hobgoblins
Generally, the worst classes for hobgoblins are those that already make better use of their bonus action than Fey Gift offers. Classes with high wisdom and charisma often need Fortune from the Many less too as will fail less saving throws. This is especially the case for monks who are always using their bonus actions in combat. Artificers are also often using their bonus action to order around their homunculus servant or get their artillerist firearm shooting at targets so will rarely find a use for Fey Gift. Rogues have a similar problem with cunning action.
How to Roleplay a Hobgoblin
Code of Honour
Hobgoblins tend to be ruled by the following code of honour, which can be key for roleplaying a Hobgoblin characters:
- Follow orders
- Honour the gods
- Do not suffer or give insult (though if you are insulted, it should never go unanswered)
- Reward glorious actions
- Uphold the legion
Roleplaying ideas
Hobgoblins follow a strict, militaristic code of conduct. In particular, they operate for the benefit of the legion. While you can play a Hobgoblin however you like, they are likely to have been heavily influenced by this culture. Below are some ideas for how you could roleplay your Hobgoblin:
- Strict, militaristic adherence – Most Hobgoblins receive rigid training and are used to following the orders of their superiors. While Hobgoblins won’t obey orders mindlessly, they will respect and follow orders. If they disagree, they’ll make it known, otherwise, they’ll crack on with the job at hand.
- Respect is earnt – Hobgoblins respect those that are highly capable in their field, particularly if it’s in combat. They will show great respect, even to an opponent if they show high competence. On the other hand, they will likely be dismissive of those that are weak or feeble, offering little compassion.
- Collective mindset – Hobgoblins are accustomed to looking after the neds of the legion ahead of their own needs. If a party member requires a healing potion, they will give it, if someone needs to keep watch at night, they will perform their duty. Think about the collective needs above your own, and frown upon those that think selfishly or purely of their own requirements.
