D&D 5E Fey Hobgoblins, where did they come from? What are they for?

[see]

Indeed, to quote the first in-print publication of the gods of the Realms (back when the Realms were just one guy's home campaign that he used for examples in his Dragon Magazine articles), in the Dragon #54 (October 1981) article "Down-to-Earth Divinity":

To adhere to the AD&D structure, however, requires a DM adopt, more or less wholesale, the “Nonhumans’ Deities” section of the DDG and Thrym and Surtur (the giants’ gods) from the Norse mythos.

And no, Maglubiyet was not made a servant of Bane then, or at any point until the Realms were entirely butchered. Nor was Grummsh identified with Talos, or so on.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Ah, that is the quote I was thinking of, but I thought it was Monster Mythology, when it was actually DDG. Good to see that it goes much, much further back than what I had thought.

 

[teitan]

OK, but what classic setting do they come from?

Or what classic setting features Hobgoblins?

I can’t thing if anything really prominent.

Or maybe there’s a classic adventure?

Or a splatbook?

Or NEW setting since they have said they have new settings in the works. Maybe they have a more fairy tale like setting coming next year in the spring?

 

[teitan]

IGNORE ME!

 

[teitan]

Huh. Good catch. Fey Ancestry could also be replacing Martial Training, which is a type of trait we're not likely to see for races anymore. Fey Gift is completely additional, though, and the two Fey traits taken together convey something with a pretty different lore feel from the core-rules hobgoblin. So variant, rather than wholesale replacement as the new default, still seems more likely at this point. Now, when 2024 5E comes along, that may be a different story...

Why wouldn't we see Martial Training? As an example I would expect to see something like that from say, a person from Israel since they have mandatory 2 years military service as law there no matter the gender and if we are treating culture as race now it would make even more sense than it just being an inherent racial thing.

 

[teitan]

Indeed, to quote the first in-print publication of the gods of the Realms (back when the Realms were just one guy's home campaign that he used for examples in his Dragon Magazine articles), in the Dragon #54 (October 1981) article "Down-to-Earth Divinity":

And no, Maglubiyet was not made a servant of Bane then, or at any point until the Realms were entirely butchered. Nor was Grummsh identified with Talos, or so on.

So... 4e.

 

[JEB]

Why wouldn't we see Martial Training? As an example I would expect to see something like that from say, a person from Israel since they have mandatory 2 years military service as law there no matter the gender and if we are treating culture as race now it would make even more sense than it just being an inherent racial thing.

From the Gothic Lineages Unearthed Arcana:

Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage.

 

[Cadence]

Anyone have a favorite write up of Bargrivyek or speculation? I have a campaign right now where "historical information" about him would fit in perfectly.

 

[Faolyn]

OK, but what classic setting do they come from?

Or what classic setting features Hobgoblins?

I can’t thing if anything really prominent.

Or maybe there’s a classic adventure?

Or a splatbook?

Maybe this is a Planescape-esque thing, with an emphasis on planar races? The original PS had half-elves as one of the standard races (along with bauriars, githzerai, and tieflings), with the assumption that they were half-planar elf. I could see them emphasizing planar goblins (and eladrin, those astral elves, gith, and the planetouched) for a new Planescape.

 

[Faolyn]

Anyone have a favorite write up of Bargrivyek or speculation? I have a campaign right now where "historical information" about him would fit in perfectly.

I like everything on AuldDragon's blog.