Goblin Warrior

Goblin warriors as allies is the bread and butter of any campaign that takes goblinoid politics seriously. The framing options are wide: a deserter clan that hates its old chief, a tribe that the party rescued from a worse predator, a single warrior bonded to a PC after a one-on-one duel, or contracted scouts hired with a sack of coin and a promise of meat. Goblins are CN Fey in 5.2, not the cartoon cannon fodder they were in earlier editions. Play them as people with grudges and humor.

In combat, the value is the same Nimble Escape engine, just pointed the other way. Send goblin warriors ahead as scouts (Stealth +6, Darkvision 60 ft.), let them Hide, and use them to spot the ambush before the party walks into it. In the fight itself, position them on the flank where they can fire Shortbows from cover and Disengage if anything closes. They are not a wall; they are arrows with legs. With 10 HP and AC 15, one good hit takes them out of the fight, so don't let them get pinned.

The price of goblin loyalty is respect, paid loudly. Goblin warriors will follow a PC who beat them in a fair fight, who shared the loot evenly, or who killed their old boss. They will not follow a PC who treats them like a pet. If the party's paladin condescends to the goblin, the goblin walks at the next opportunity and tells the next chief everything they learned about the party.

Have the goblin scout the party's camp first night and steal one harmless thing. The follow-up scene is the goblin returning it with a sheepish grin, and the friendship is real after that.

Goblin warriors are CR 1/4 mooks with one trick that makes them feel scarier than the math: Nimble Escape lets them Disengage or Hide as a bonus action every single turn. Run them like skirmishers, never like a line, and the encounter plays the way the SRD intends.

Open from cover at range. Stealth +6 against the party's passive Perceptions, then Shortbow at +4 from 80 ft. for 1d6+2 piercing. If the goblin had Advantage on the shot (Hidden, Help action from another goblin, prone target), tack on the extra 1d4. After firing, Nimble Escape into Hide using the same crate, log, or arrow slit. The party never sees a clean target unless they push aggressively, which is the encounter's whole shape: do the players burn a turn to flush the goblins, or do they sit and trade arrows? The goblin warrior wins the trade because it costs nothing to redo Hide every round.

Once the party closes, switch to Scimitar at +4 for 1d6+2 plus 1d4 on Advantage. Pair goblins so one Helps and the other swings, banking the Advantage rider on every round. Nimble Escape into Disengage means the scimitar goblin can swing, step out of reach for free, and the party's reaction attack never triggers. With AC 15 and only 10 HP, a single hit usually drops one goblin, so the math wants you to spread the damage: never let a PC focus down one goblin while the others escape. Eight goblin warriors is a real fight for a level 3 party because of the action economy, not the damage.

Goblin warriors flee. The moment a third of them are dead or a clear leader goes down, the survivors Disengage into the trees and don't come back tonight. Let them. The same goblins return next session having learned the party's faces, which is the campaign-level value of running them as actual cowards.

Give one goblin a name and a wound from last session's fight. The players remember the bandaged ear and feel the campaign tightening around them.