Goblin Archer
Goblin Archer — The Encounter
Sharp-eyed goblin skirmisher with a hand crossbow · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Goblin Archer
Among the warren-folk the archers are the prized eyes of the band, the ones who can put a bolt through a gap in a knight's visor at thirty paces and vanish before the body drops. They favor light crossbows and stolen hand-bows tinkered with bits of scrap, valuing reach and the chance to shoot first above all else. A goblin archer never stands its ground if it can help it; it shoots from cover, scurries to new cover, and shoots again, wearing a foe down with a hundred small wounds. Larger races sneer at goblins as cowards for this, but the warrens have survived a thousand years of bigger neighbors precisely because their archers refuse the fair fight. Where one perches, a dozen others lurk in the rocks above, and the first arrow is rarely the last surprise.
Run Goblin Archer in Sixty Seconds
- Hit-and-run sniper Nimble Escape lets it Disengage or Hide every turn; it never stands and trades blows.
- Open from hiding The first shot on a surprised or not-yet-acted target adds Crackshot's 2d6, so it loves the ambush.
- Kill-priority It targets your casters and archers, then Skitters to fresh cover before you can answer.
- When pressed Closing on it is the counter; it will Disengage and flee, so cut off its escape or it shoots all day.
- Three ways to run it A nest of snipers, harassers on a bigger threat's flanks, or a single scout that opens an ambush.
Goblin Archer
Small humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic neutral
CR 2 · 450 XP · GUIDELINENimble Escape. The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.
Crackshot. The goblin is the best eye in the warren. Once per turn, if it hits a target it can see that hasn't acted yet this combat, or a target unaware of it, the attack deals an extra 7 (2d6) piercing damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The goblin makes two hand crossbow attacks.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+3) piercing damage.
Scrap Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Skitter (Bonus Action). The goblin takes the Disengage or Hide action, scurrying to fresh cover.
A wiry goblin in scavenged leathers, big ears pricked and eyes narrowed, leveling a cobbled-together hand crossbow with the steadiness of a born marksman.
Goblin Archer, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEFlush the Quarry (signature). When Goblin Archer is adjacent to an enemy, the goblin archer's first hand crossbow attack against that enemy this turn has advantage.
Actions
Snapping Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage.
Reactions
Trip the Runner. When an enemy within 5 ft. tries to move away, Goblin Archer nips its heels; the enemy must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity save or fall prone.
A mangy, half-wild warren cur the archer keeps to flush prey from cover and trip anyone who tries to close the gap.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Open from hiding so the first shot lands Crackshot's bonus damage, then Skitter to new cover and fire again. Never stand and trade. Kill-priority: enemy casters and archers. Pairs in a nest of several or behind tougher goblin brutes.
Same hit-and-run, more sting: ambush, Crackshot the surprised target, then Nimble Escape between cover every round. Focus one fragile target down. Run a pack of them harassing the flanks of a bigger threat.
An elite warren sniper, but still an add-on: snipe from elevation, vanish, and pick off isolated heroes while a flagship boss holds the party's attention. Pair it with minions or a bigger threat in a lair full of cover; never a solo encounter.
Put Goblin Archer on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Goblin Archer?
A single archer is CR 2 at home Tier 1. Use the Tier 2 (CR ~6) or Tier 3 (CR ~11) lines to scale up; the hit-and-run and Crackshot kit stays identical, only the numbers move.
Can Goblin Archer be a companion or ally?
Yes. A goblin marksman makes a sly scout or hireling for a party that doesn't mind its skittish habits, and its warren cur Snik attaches as a bound companion that flushes prey from cover.
Is one archer a solo encounter?
No. Goblin archers have no legendary actions and rely on ambush, cover, and numbers. Field them as a nest or alongside tougher goblins and a larger boss.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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