Hobgoblin Paladin 1
Hobgoblin Paladin 1 — The Encounter
Oath-sworn warden of the legion's grim banner · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Hobgoblin Paladin 1
Not every paladin kneels to mercy. The legions breed their own oath-knights, and the oath these swear is conquest: to break the enemy's will before breaking the enemy's body. A hobgoblin paladin radiates that dread like heat off a forge; soldiers near it stand firm where they would otherwise run, and foes who falter find they cannot flee the circle of its presence. It channels its vow through the spiked mace, each blow carrying the weight of the oath behind it. Such knights are given the cohort's banner and the cohort's worst orders, for they will see them done. To duel one is to feel your courage measured and found wanting, and to learn that the legion's discipline is not merely trained into its soldiers but sworn into its champions.
Run Hobgoblin Paladin 1 in Sixty Seconds
- Open with Dreadful Word. Frighten the biggest threat, then Aura of Conquest stops them from fleeing and chips 1d10 psychic each turn.
- Spend smites early. Oathbound Smite is two uses of +2d8; land them on the first clean hits, don't hoard.
- Kill-priority. It frightens and locks down the front-line bruiser so its allies can swarm the soft targets.
- When bloodied. It plants by its banner and keeps the aura up, trading body for control until the line collapses.
- Three ways to run it: a paired duo with a shieldmate, a frighten-lock captain over a squad, or an elite lieutenant beside a bigger boss.
Hobgoblin Paladin 1
Medium humanoid (goblinoid), lawful evil
CR 3 · 700 XP · GUIDELINEMartial Advantage. Once per turn, the paladin deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 ft. of an ally of the paladin that isn't incapacitated.
Aura of Conquest. Signature. Allies within 10 ft. of the paladin have advantage on saving throws against being frightened, and any frightened enemy that starts its turn within 10 ft. takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and cannot use its movement to leave the aura.
Actions
Multiattack. The paladin makes two Spiked Mace attacks.
Spiked Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) bludgeoning damage plus 4 (1d8) radiant or necrotic damage from its oath.
Dreadful Word (Recharge 5-6). The paladin barks an oath-curse at one creature it can see within 30 ft. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom save or be frightened of the paladin until the end of its next turn.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Oathbound Smite. Once per turn when the paladin hits with Spiked Mace, it may expend its oath to deal an extra 9 (2d8) radiant or necrotic damage. It can do this twice before a short or long rest.
A grim hobgoblin knight in spiked half-plate, round shield raised, its spiked mace wreathed in the cold light of a battlefield vow.
Hobgoblin Paladin 1, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEBanner Bearer (signature). While the squire holds the paladin's banner aloft, allies within 10 ft. of the squire have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Actions
Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage.
Reactions
Interpose. When the paladin is hit by an attack, the squire steps in to take half the damage instead.
A devout young legionary who carries the dread banner and dreams of swearing the conquest-oath itself.
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 with Dreadful Word to frighten the strongest melee PC, then Aura of Conquest traps them in place for the team. Burn Oathbound Smite on the first solid hit. Pair it with a shieldmate or two berserkers so Martial Advantage stays live.
Lead a frightened-locked formation. Frighten the front-liner, hold them with the aura, then mob them with adds. Save smites for the caster you can reach; pair it with archers who exploit the immobilized targets.
As an elite lieutenant, its aura denies retreat across the whole boss room. Frighten and pin the party's escape while a flagship threat lands the heavy blows. Do not run it solo; it is a battlefield-control captain, not a finisher.
Put Hobgoblin Paladin 1 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 Hobgoblin Paladin 1?
Its native build is CR 3 (Tier 1): AC 15, 58 HP, +5 to hit, save DC 12. Use the Tier 2 (CR ~6) and Tier 3 (CR ~11) lines for tougher parties.
Can Hobgoblin Paladin 1 be a companion or ally?
Yes, though its oath is conquest, not mercy. Use the Oath-Squire, Bound profile for a willing follower, or run the full paladin as a grim allied captain.
Is its smite divine?
It draws on a sworn battlefield oath rather than a god's grace; treat the extra damage as radiant or necrotic to taste, using only SRD-safe terms.
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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