D&D (2024) Hobgoblin warriors

[UngeheuerLich]

Did anyone notice the hobgoblin warrior stat block...

CR 1/2
Only 11 hp,

but:
AC 18 (with a shield)
Longsword attack +3/2d10+1 damage (yes, two handed damage and an extra d10 on top!)
Longbow: +3/d8+1 damage... And an extra 3d4 poison damage.

But now you say: the to hit bonus is low (only +3), but they also have pack tactics.

I am not against dangerous enemies, but those hobgoblins seem a bit overtuned in the offense. And I don't like AC 18 with shield when they most probably won't use it, as switching from longbow to a one handed weapon with shield costs a whole turn.
I think the new stat blocks should list AC as 16 (+2 with shield equipped).

 

[Bae'zel]

I was hoping that they had something more to them than “pack tactics”.

I’ve got to read their fluff text more carefully, but my impression of them is “mean, militaristic Fey who want to conquer” which could be any type of classic “orc” stand in from the past 50 years.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I was hoping that they had something more to them than “pack tactics”.

I’ve got to read their fluff text more carefully, but my impression of them is “mean, militaristic Fey who want to conquer” which could be any type of classic “orc” stand in from the past 50 years.

That was my vibe too. Hobgoblins will replace orcs.

 

[Thommy H-H]

They're CR 1/2, not 2. Same as before. The extra damage is also exactly what they gained from Martial Advantage before, so the only meaningful change is the addition of Pack Tactics.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

They're CR 1/2, not 2. Same as before. The extra damage is also exactly what they gained from Martial Advantage before, so the only meaningful change is the addition of Pack Tactics.

Corrected the Typo.

No. Nit the same as before. Advantage on many attacks, a good ranged option. That is in my opinion too much on the offense side. Compare that with the old orc which already was a bit too good for CR 1/2.

I think they are overtuned. A few CR 1/2 creatures are overtuned (although they can be dispatched with level 1 spells quite easily. But against martial characters...

 

[Horwath]

one shoting everything at 1st level that is not a barbarian is a bit too much for a ranged attack.

 

[Thommy H-H]

Corrected the Typo.

No. Nit the same as before. Advantage on many attacks, a good ranged option. That is in my opinion too much on the offense side. Compare that with the old orc which already was a bit too good for CR 1/2.

I think they are overtuned. A few CR 1/2 creatures are overtuned (although they can be dispatched with level 1 spells quite easily. But against martial characters...

The 2014 hobgoblins did 5 damage base (1d8 + 1), with a 7 (2d6) bonus for Martial Advantage, which their CR calculation treated as always applying, for a DPR of 12, with AC 18. That's the same as the 2025 version, they just arrive at the numbers differently. Pack Tactics is new, yes, but it's a fairly small buff which, like the old Martial Advantage, doesn't apply if they're encountered alone (as they might be at level 1, which is the only time a low CR monster punching above its weight really matters tbh).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The 2014 hobgoblins did 5 damage base (1d8 + 1), with a 7 (2d6) bonus for Martial Advantage, which their CR calculation treated as always applying, for a DPR of 12, with AC 18. That's the same as the 2025 version, they just arrive at the numbers differently. Pack Tactics is new, yes, but it's a fairly small buff which, like the old Martial Advantage, doesn't apply if they're encountered alone (as they might be at level 1, which is the only time a low CR monster punching above its weight really matters tbh).

Advantage on attacks is no small buff. It is a huge buff. You contradict yourself: the old +2d6 damage relied on allies next to their target. You said they did equally much damage as now.

So what is it? Do they have allie or no?

And with bows, allies next to the target is even less guaranteed. So usually their initial attack were a lot less scary. Now they deal 12 damage on average at 150ft range.

Two of them might easily kill a level 1 party. One hit, one kill for most characters. I really don't see how they thought this is balanced for a CR 1/2 creature.

 

[sevenbastard]

I assume the Hobgoblins will be the main bad guys in the new Keep on the Boardeland starter set. So buckle up!

 

[Thommy H-H]

Advantage on attacks is no small buff. It is a huge buff. You contradict yourself: the old +2d6 damage relied on allies next to their target. You said they did equally much damage as now.

So what is it? Do they have allie or no?

And with bows, allies next to the target is even less guaranteed. So usually their initial attack were a lot less scary. Now they deal 12 damage on average at 150ft range.

Two of them might easily kill a level 1 party. One hit, one kill for most characters. I really don't see how they thought this is balanced for a CR 1/2 creature.

Their CR in 2014 was based on a DPR of 12. The DMG says you just add the damage bonus from Martial Advantage to the base DPR to give the total. It's assumed they always get it, basically.

Now, we can argue about whether that's too high for a CR 1/2 creature, but it's been this way since 2014, and no one's had any issues including hobgoblins in low-level encounters up to now.