Hobgoblin

These burly humanoids stand about 6 1/2 feet tall. Coarse hair ranging from dark gray to deep reddish brown covers their hides, the bare skin of the face is red-orange or dark red, and big males show red or blue noses. Their eyes are yellowish or dark brown, their teeth yellow. They wear bright clothing, often bold blood red, dye every bit of leather black, and keep weapons polished and well kept. Besides their own language they commonly speak with goblins, orcs and carnivorous apes, and one in five speaks the common tongue of humans.

Weapons in a typical force break down as 30% polearms, 20% morningstars, 20% bows with swords, 10% spears, 10% spears with swords, 5% morningstars with swords and 5% whips with swords. With 60-foot infravision they fight as well in deep darkness as in daylight. Elves are always their first target. Every tribe has a battle standard to inspire its troops, carried by the chief when he leads, otherwise by a sub-chief.

Hobgoblin society is a military one of tribal bands, each fiercely protective of its status; when tribes meet by chance the result is insults (85%) or a brawl (15%). They live in nearly any climate and underground. A tribe has 2d10x10 (20 to 200) adult male warriors, and each 20 answer to a sergeant backed by two assistants, all with 9 hit points apiece who still attack as 1+1 Hit Dice creatures. Groups above 100 follow a sub-chief with 16 hit points, AC 3 and +2 damage who attacks as a 3 Hit Dice creature. At home the tribe follows its chief (22 hit points, AC 2, +3 damage per attack), who attacks as a 4 Hit Dice creature and is guarded by 5d4 (5-20) sub-chiefs. Every leader and chief goes armed with two weapons. Females number half again as many as the warriors, and children three times as many.

Some 80% of lairs are underground complexes; the rest are surface villages defended by 3-6 guard towers, a fence pierced by 2 gates, and a ditch, often built on ruins and using their surviving defenses. For each 50 warriors a village mounts a ballista plus two catapults each of heavy and light size, and underground lairs have a 60% chance of 2-12 carnivorous apes on guard. Expert miners, they have a 40% chance to notice shifting walls, sloping passages or new construction.

Considering themselves above goblins and orcs, hobgoblins often command them and throw these lesser races away as fodder. Some hire out as mercenaries to rich or powerful evil humanoids.

This aquatic hobgoblin makes its home in caves beneath shallow seas, lakes and rivers. It breathes through gills, swims at 12 with webbed fingers and toes, has a sleeker body and pale green skin, and speaks a strange dialect of hobgoblin. Koalinth favor thrusting weapons such as spears and polearms and are just as vicious as their land cousins, preying on anything they meet, particularly aquatic humanoids and demihumans, and they despise aquatic elves.