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

[Weiley31]

Weren't they also Fey in 4E as well?

 

[lkj]

It's funny, the UA fey hobgoblin is so divorced in style and abilities from the existing hobgoblin race, the thought crossed my mind that it's not actually a test for a hobgoblin race at all. That calling it a fey hobgoblin was a misdirection.

To be clear-- I don't think that's likely. There's lots of other reasons to create a different hobgoblin.

But it would be kind of funny.

AD

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Weren't they also Fey in 4E as well?

They werent in terms of stats, but they goblinoids played a big part of the Feywild in 4e, with the kingdom of Nachtur and all that.

I love the lore of Shadow of the Demon Lord for hobs and gobs, where gobs where thrown out of the fey realms because they trashed the Summer's Queen palace, now condemned to live in human sewers and eat garbage and s**t (Rob Shwald is sometime a little puerile with its worldbuilding) and Hobs are created gender-less and all identical by the elven lords and ladies to fight the trolls and other horrors of the few realm.

 

[Parmandur]

It's funny, the UA fey hobgoblin is so divorced in style and abilities from the existing hobgoblin race, the thought crossed my mind that it's not actually a test for a hobgoblin race at all. That calling it a fey hobgoblin was a misdirection.

To be clear-- I don't think that's likely. There's lots of other reasons to create a different hobgoblin.

But it would be kind of funny.

AD

It does feel like serious misdirection of some sort.

They might want to move away from the Orientalism of "Evil Samurai" Hobgoblins.

 

[Charlaquin]

It does feel like serious misdirection of some sort.

They might want to move away from the Orientalism of "Evil Samurai" Hobgoblins.

I’m guessing it’s more of the latter than the former.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's funny, the UA fey hobgoblin is so divorced in style and abilities from the existing hobgoblin race, the thought crossed my mind that it's not actually a test for a hobgoblin race at all.

Actually, it isn't. The Fortune of the Many ability in the UA is mechanically identical to the the Saving Face ability of the Volo hobgoblin. It's just renamed to avoid the orientalism.

This is just an attempt to revert the hobgoblin to what it was in folklore, before twee-haters like Tolkien and Gygax started messing with them.

Hobgoblin n. A mischievous or evil spirit.

-OED

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Actually, it isn't. The Fortune of the Many ability in the UA is mechanically identical to the the Saving Face ability of the Volo hobgoblin. It's just renamed to avoid the orientalism.

And it recharges on a long rest (being Proficiency bonus uses), instead of short rest, like the Volo's Hobgoblin.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

And it recharges on a long rest (being Proficiency bonus uses), instead of short rest, like the Volo's Hobgoblin.

This seems to reflect a general trend away from short rest abilities. My guess is short rests will be gone in 5.5.

 

[Ancalagon]

There were hoboglins in Dragon Warriors in the 1980s

Is this fey enough?

 

[Lyxen]

It could be that Maglubiyet was always Lawful Evil (which fits him being a God of Conquest), and so the feyish proto-Hobgoblins that were also Lawful fit the best with his portfolio than the other proto-Goblinoids did as he dominated them, so he chose the Hobgoblins to be the leader race of Goblinoid society to keep the others in check.

That is as good an explanation as any, with then goblins being really too stupid and chaotic to follow orders and Bugbears too strong, whereas the Hobgoblins fell right into it.