Hobgoblin 1
Hobgoblin 1 — The Encounter
Twin-Axe Reaver of the Goblin Camp · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Hobgoblin 1
Where common goblins skulk and scatter, the hobgoblin stands its ground. Drawn from the war-camps that festoon the borderlands, these greater goblinoids are bred to drill rather than to scheme: they rise at the horn, march in column, and die in formation if ordered to. This one is a camp-reaver, a veteran skirmisher trusted to break the enemy's edge before the warband proper arrives. Its twin axes are not ornament but doctrine, for it is taught to never let a foe recover footing once stagger has begun. Folk tales paint the hobgoblin as the goblin grown cruel and clever, a bogey that keeps to roads and ruins and exacts toll in blood. Travelers who hear iron rasping on iron in the dark woods are wise to fear the discipline behind it more than the malice, for a thinking goblin is a far worse thing to meet at dusk.
Run Hobgoblin 1 in Sixty Seconds
- It holds the line. While it can see an ally within 30 ft. it has advantage on saves vs. frightened — fear effects mostly waste a turn here.
- Open by closing. Charge the back line, spend Multiattack on the softest target; the goblinoid wants to be in your casters' faces immediately.
- Watch the frenzy. Any crit OR any kill grants a free extra axe swing (once/turn) — dropping a PC can let it cleave straight into the next one.
- Kill-priority: remove it before it removes your healer; it is built to punish a stagger and never let you recover footing.
- Three ways to run it: a road-toll bogey ambushing travelers; the disciplined anchor of a goblin camp; or an elite shock-trooper screening a bigger boss — always with minions, never alone.
Hobgoblin 1
Medium humanoid (goblinoid), lawful evil
CR 2 · 450 XP · GUIDELINEMartial Discipline. Unlike the chittering goblins it leads, the hobgoblin holds the line. It has advantage on saving throws against being frightened while it can see at least one allied creature within 30 feet.
Twin-Axe Frenzy. When the hobgoblin scores a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, or reduces a creature to 0 hit points with one, it may immediately make one melee weapon attack as part of the same action. This bonus attack can trigger only once per turn.
Actions
Multiattack. The hobgoblin makes two melee attacks: one with its battleaxe and one with its hand axe.
Battleaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) slashing damage, or 9 (1d12+3) slashing if wielded in two hands.
Hand Axe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) slashing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Press the Flank. Reaction. When an allied creature within 5 feet of the hobgoblin hits a target, the hobgoblin can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks, repositioning to gain a flanking angle.
A broad-shouldered goblinoid in patched leather and buckled scraps, this reaver grins through a flat, scarred face as it whirls a battleaxe and a lighter hand axe in trained, unhurried arcs.
Hobgoblin 1, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEPack Tactics (signature). Hobgoblin 1 has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the hound's allies is within 5 feet of that creature and not incapacitated.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Reactions
Snap at the Heels. Reaction. When an enemy within 5 feet stands up from prone, Hobgoblin 1 makes one bite attack against it.
A scarred war-hound that fights at the reaver's heel, trained to topple armored foes so the axes can finish them.
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 by closing with the squishiest target and committing Multiattack, then trigger Twin-Axe Frenzy on any kill or crit to chain into the next body. Kill-priority: enemy healers and back-line casters; use Press the Flank to slide around the front line. Pair it with goblin archers or a bigger warband boss — it is the disciplined anchor, not the centerpiece.
Run several of these as the front rank of a war-camp, each anchoring a knot of minions so Press the Flank keeps triggering. Focus the most exposed PC, then ride Twin-Axe Frenzy through downed targets. Best fielded in numbers or beside a captain-tier leader — a single one is just a sturdy melee threat.
At this tier it is an elite shock-trooper amid a larger lair or warhost, never a solo encounter. Lead with it to soften a flank, chaining frenzy hits, while the true boss commands from behind. Kill-priority stays on casters; pair it with a stronger threat and a screen of minions to keep its reaction live.
Put Hobgoblin 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 1?
Its home tier is Tier 1 at CR 2 (450 XP): AC 14, 45 HP, +4 to hit, save DC 12. The same traits and actions scale up to Tier 2 (AC 16, ~120 HP, +6, DC 14) and Tier 3 (AC 18, ~200 HP, +8, DC 16) — only the numbers move.
Can Hobgoblin 1 be a companion or ally?
Yes. As a disciplined goblinoid veteran it makes a fine sergeant for an NPC warband, a mercenary hire, or a reluctant ally; it follows orders well and fights in formation. Use the stat block as-is and lean on Press the Flank and Martial Discipline to make it play like a trained soldier rather than a savage brute.
Is this a boss or an add-on?
An add-on. The hobgoblin is the tough anchor of a goblin camp, not a solo centerpiece — it lacks legendary actions or lair-scale defenses, so a full party will out-act one of them. Field it in numbers or alongside a true boss for the best fight.
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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