Goblin Batrider
Goblin Batrider — The Encounter
Cave-bat skirmisher who strikes from the dark roof · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Goblin Batrider
Where the warren's tunnels open into vaulted caverns, the bravest — or most expendable — goblins are bound to the great cave-bats that roost in the dark. Breaking a bat is a brutal apprenticeship; most riders are crippled or eaten before they ever take wing, and those who survive wear the scars as rank. In battle the batrider does not hold ground. It hangs in the gloom above the roofline, reading the field through its mount's shrieking echolocation, then folds its wings and drops, lance-first, on whatever looks isolated and afraid. By the time defenders look up it is already climbing back into the black. Caravans crossing the deep passes post no watch on the ground that matters; the death always comes from overhead, a rush of wind and a single screaming pass, and then nothing but the slow drip of water and the laughter receding into the ceiling.
Run Goblin Batrider in Sixty Seconds
- Stay airborne — its whole kit is fly 60 and dive; never let it get pinned in melee on the ground.
- Open with a Swooping Lancer charge for the +2d6 rider, then fly clear the same turn.
- Kill-priority is isolated backliners; it picks off whoever strays from the group.
- When bloodied it disengages into the dark, circling until the party is distracted again.
- Three ways to run it: a cavern ambusher overhead, a scout-skirmisher for a goblin warband, or paired with ground troops as the aerial half of a pincer.
Goblin Batrider
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
CR 2 · 450 XP · GUIDELINESwooping Lancer. Signature. If the batrider moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target before a melee attack and hits, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage. The bat can then immediately fly up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from that target.
Echolocation Mount. While mounted, the batrider can't be surprised by any creature within 60 feet that isn't deafened, drawing on its bat's blindsight.
Actions
Multiattack. The batrider makes one attack with its riding lance, and its mount makes one Bite attack.
Riding Lance. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12+3) piercing damage.
Bite (Mount). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
A snarling goblin lashed into a saddle atop a leathery giant cave-bat, lance raised high and dagger tucked at the belt, wings spread mid-swoop.
Goblin Batrider, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINERoost Sense (signature). Goblin Batrider's blindsight (30 ft.) lets it and its rider detect hidden or invisible creatures in range, granting allies advantage on attacks against them.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
Reactions
Veer Off. When hit by an attack, Goblin Batrider can fly up to 15 feet, carrying its rider, without provoking opportunity attacks.
A second, smaller cave-bat that wheels alongside the lead rider, screeching warnings into the dark.
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.
Stay airborne and out of melee reach. Open with a Swooping Lancer dive on an isolated PC, then fly off the same turn. Kill-priority is squishy backliners caught away from cover. Pair it with ground goblins so the party can't all look up at once.
Hit-and-run from the ceiling, diving on casters and re-climbing each round. Use darkness and height to deny return fire. Pair it with a bigger threat; alone, ranged PCs will eventually clip its wings.
Run it as the airborne harasser in a cavern lair, not a solo boss. Strafe the weakest target, never landing. Pair it with minions or a flagship boss to soak the party's attention.
Put Goblin Batrider 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 Batrider?
Its native build is CR 2 (450 XP), a Tier 1 mounted skirmisher. The sheet also gives Tier 2 and Tier 3 numbers so the same rider scales into higher-level cavern encounters.
Can Goblin Batrider be a companion or ally?
Yes — as an aerial scout it makes a strong mounted ally, and its echolocating bat sniffs out hidden foes. It also ships with its own bound companion, Wingnit, a second cave-bat.
Is it a solo boss?
No. It has no legendary actions; it is a mobile harasser, not a centerpiece. Pair it with ground goblins or a heavier flagship threat.
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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