Goblins in Pathfinder 2e are small sized miscreants. They are not the scariest monster in the bestiary, but they certainly establish a baseline threat against which other more dangerous creatures can be measured.
Pick a pod from the list below, read the general tactics, then read the specific tactics for that pod.
L1 Pod - 1 Goblin Pyro + 4 Goblin Warriors (120xp)
L1 Pod - 1 Goblin War Chanter + 4 Goblin Warriors (120xp)
L2 Pod - 1 Goblin Pyro + 1 Goblin Warrior + 2 Goblin Dogs (105xp)
L3 Pod - 2 Goblin War Chanter + 2 Goblin Commando + 2 Goblin Warriors (100xp)
General Tactics
Goblins have darkvision but their dogs only have low-light vision. Use the Goblin pods without dogs in dark caves and night time.
Goblins are also ambushers and prefer to be hiding before combat begins. Remember that a target is flat-footed when attacked by a hidden enemy. That said, there is a good chance one or more will fail to hide from the PCs. Expect one goblin warrior to die before they even get their first turn.
Use Goblin Scuttle defensively. Let's see the scuttle in action, assuming the PC doesn't have a reach weapon. Three Goblin Warriors are near a PC but not in melee range.
G PC G
G
The first goblin closes the gap and makes two attacks with the dog slicer.
G:PC G
G
The second goblin closes the gap and makes two attacks with the dog slicer while benefiting from flanking thereby activating the backstabber trait of the dog slicer.
G:PC:G
G
The third goblin approaches the PC, striding with their first action.
G:PC:G
G
The other two goblins use Goblin Scuttle reaction to step away from the PC.
G PC G
G
The third goblin makes one attack with the dogslicer (second action) and then stride or steps away with the third action
G PC G
G
Level 1: 1 Goblin Pyro + 4 Goblin Warriors (120xp)
This is a melee ambush pod. It works best against PCs that cluster together, such as melee combatants that prefer to flank.
Start the fight off with each Goblin hiding less than 25ft away from the party.
The Warriors pick a target and do the Goblin Scuttle shuffle that's described under General Tactics.
The Pyro tries to position itself to get at least two PCs in its Burning Hands spell. The Pyro may even get into melee range of an enemy to do so, because it can always try to escape with Goblin Scuttle.
If no such positioning exists, the Pyro casts Grease under one or more PCs that it believes will have a poor Reflex save.
Easy to forget
The warrior's dogslicer deals +1 precision damage if the target is flat-footed.
Grease spell can be shaped in any way as long as the four squares touch each other.
Adjustments
3 Players - Remove one Warrior. Start off one of the Warriors more than 25 ft away so they can get at most one melee strike off on the first turn.
5 Players - Add one Warrior. To increase danger, focus all Warrior attacks on the same PC. To reduce danger, spread the attacks.
6 Players - Add two Warriors (total of six). To increase danger, focus all Warrior attacks on the same PC. To reduce danger, spread the attacks.
Level 1: 1 Goblin War Chanter + 4 Goblin Warriors (120xp)
This is a ranged ambush pod. It works with all the goblins hiding in bushes or behind rocks. Keep the goblins spread apart but still within range (60ft) of the War Chanter's Inspire Courage.
The goblins are hiding with their shortbows in hand. When a PC gets within 60ft range of all the goblins, roll initiative.
On each of their turns, the Warriors make two shortbow shots and then attempt to hide back in cover.
The War Chanter always starts off with Inspire Courage. They follow it up with one shortbow attack followed by hiding. While it is tempting to use Goblin Song, the ability does not help the goblins much so its use is discouraged. Use it if the PCs are getting demolished and you want to ease up on the difficulty of the combat.
Easy to Forget
A goblin can help its ally get out of trouble with Goblin Scuttle. Warriors will certainly try to do that for their War Chanter.
Their shortbows have the deadly d10 trait. Keep that in mind if they crit.
Adjustments
3 Players - Remove one Goblin Warrior. Use Goblin Song to ease up on the difficulty mid-combat.
5 Players - Move the War Chanter and two of the Goblin Warriors to high ground, such as 10ft high tree branches or ledges with cover. Alternatively, add one more Goblin Warrior
6 Players - Move all goblins to high ground, such as 10ft high tree branches or ledges with cover. Alternatively, add two more Goblin Warriors.
Level 2: 1 Goblin Pyro + 2 Goblin Warrior + 2 Goblin Dogs (120xp)
Two Warriors are mounted on a Goblin Dog each. Note that the Warriors need to spend actions 1:1 commanding their mounts to take actions. Since the Dogs are helpful to the goblins, the Warriors only need to roll 4 or higher (on the die) on their Command an Animal check to get their Dogs to do what they want. See the full Mounted Combat rules here.
The Warriors command their Dogs to get within 5ft of as many enemies as they can. Once there, they command the Dogs to Scratch. If they can't get within 5ft of at least two enemies, a Warrior commands their Dog to use its jaw attack instead, then use Juke to move away.
If a rider dies, the Dog continues to try to bite any hurt PCs. If all Goblins die, the Dogs run away.
The Pyro tries to cast Burning Hands on at least two PCs. If no such positioning exists, the Pyro casts Grease under one or more PCs that they believes will have a poor Reflex save.
Easy to Forget
Goblin Dog's Irritating Dander is activated if it is hit with an unarmed attack or someone tries to Grapple it.
Goblin Pox is a disease, so multiple exposures to it do nothing while a creature is already afflicted.
Goblins and their Dogs are immune to Goblin Pox.
Adjustments
3 Players - If a rider dies, its Dog runs away.
5 Players - Give the Warriors the Ride general feat - meaning they always succeed on commanding their mounts.
6 Players - Add a Goblin Dog for the Pyro to ride. Give the Pyro the Ride general feat so they can command their Dog without needing to make a check.
Level 3: 2 Goblin War Chanter + 2 Goblin Commando + 2 Goblin Warriors (100xp)
A more complex melee ambush.
The War Chanters use Inspire Courage on their allies and Goblin Song on the PCs. Multiple instances of Inspire Courage do not stack, but is useful for coverage if battle is split into multiple fronts.
The Commandos take advantage of Goblin Song's penalty by attempting to demoralize a PC, then striking it with horsechopper. They use the 10ft reach to not be adjacent to their enemies and still be flanking.
If a War Chanter or Commando is in melee with an enemy, the Warriors use their movement to help the others step back with Goblin Scuttle. Other than that, the Warriors focus their attacks on whoever the Commandos are targeting.
War Chanters can also use Soothe on the Commandos or each other if hurt. They can switch to making Strikes if there is no one to use Goblin Song on.
Easy to Forget
The horsechopper has 10ft reach.
Goblin Song can target two PCs at once.
Critically failing on Goblin Song against a PC makes that PC immune to it for one hour.
Adjustments
3 Players - The Commandos target different PCs. The Warriors each pick one Commando to follow and support.
5 players - Replace the Goblin Warriors with Elite versions.
6 players - Replace the Goblin Commandos with Elite versions.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
"Ambushes rarely work out." Yeah, at least one Goblin will fail its stealth check against a PC. When I ran it, all but one failed. It was still an interesting encounter. Ranged combatants used their hiding spots to attempt to duck back into hiding.
"120xp? Why are these encounters so hard?" Because the Warriors have very low health, I expect one (or more) will die before their turn even comes up. If the players are unlucky in their rolls and the goblins are doing too well, you can try easing up on the difficulty by using less flanking.
"What about darkvision?" For added challenge, you can move the L1 or L3 encounter to a location of darkness such as an unlit caverns.
Closing Questions for the Reader
What monster(s) would you like me to tackle in the near future? What additional information can make the monsters easier to use?
If you have gotten this far, thank you for your interest.
Until next time, happy gaming!
- Utkarsh
@AvtrSpirit@dice.camp on Mastadon
@AvtrSpirit on Twitter
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