Goblinoid

Note

In order to make the existing 5e ancestries balanced with the ones presented in these rules, we’ve made adjustments to the existing 5e ancestries. You can play with the original ancestries as originally presented, but if you want to utilize the Major/Minor Feature system, we’ve redesigned them here.

These ancestries replace the official 5e races. Some have been rolled up into larger categories, like the reptilian category capturing kobolds, lizardfolk, and snakefolk.

Goblinoids fall into three different species; goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears.

Goblinoid Names

Example Names: Ziggyziggy.

Goblinoid Traits

• Ability Score Increase. You gain a +2 and +1 bonus to two different ability scores of your choice, or +1 to three different ones.
• Age. Goblins age faster and live shorter lives than humans, reaching adulthood by the age of 10 and living up to 60 years. Hobgoblins and bugbears have similar lifespans to humans and age at the same rate.
• Size. Goblins are smaller than humans, standing between 3 and 4 feet tall. Hobgoblins have the same sizes as humans, and bugbears are much taller, standing between 6 and 8 feet tall on average. If you are a goblin, your size is Small. If you are a hobgoblin or bugbear, your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet if you are Small, or 30 feet if you are Medium.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.

Major Features

Choose two of the following major features. You can exchange one major feature for two additional minor features.

• Armor Training. You are proficient in light and medium armor.
• Fury. When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage equal to your level to the creature. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Nimble Escape. You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
• Show No Weakness. If you miss with an attack roll or fail an ability check or saving throw, you can reroll it if there is an ally that can see you. If the reroll is still a miss or a fail, you take psychic damage equal to you hit dice size (so 1d10 for a fighter, for example) and can choose to reroll again. Continue until the roll is either a success, or you decide to stop. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Sneaky Strike. You deal an extra 2d6 damage on weapon or spell attacks against surprised creatures. Each creature can only be affected by this ability once per combat.

Minor Features

Choose two of the following minor features, or four if you only chose one major feature.

• Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Fluent. You can speak, read, and write two additional languages of your choice.
• Long Limbs. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.
• Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
• Stealthy. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
• Trained Tools. You have proficiency in two tools of your choice.
• Warcaster. You know one wizard cantrip of your choice. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
• Weapon Training. You are proficient with two weapons of your choice.