ngl he's just a cutie patootie

wait, is this an evil rouge goblin from KOTLC?

A goblin appears and to the surprise of everyone it is an average goblin  

,':|

I'm brand new to dming. Would this be a good first monster to have the party fight? If not can I get some recs? 

Quote from NotJames10 >>

ngl he's just a cutie patootie

 he issss

Hello! I’m a new DM and found this helpful to have goblin stats for during combat, when putting my players in a fight against them. It’s my first time being a DM and combat is the one thing I’ve always struggled with understanding. I understand most of this but what does it mean when it puts a ‘5’ in the hit points, and then the dice to roll. I get the dice part I just don’t understand the ‘5’

i know it might sound pretty dumb, but I’m genuinely just curious, and struggle a lot with combat

I’m playing as one

Been a couple of weeks since you posted this but in case you haven't found out the answer yet it's just the average damage based on the damage dice used, some DMs use it to speed up combat or if there's a lot of enemies in a fight.

Goblins are green, this is the truth WoTC doesn't want you to know.

The guy from "The Monsters Know What They're Doing" stated that goblins wouldn't coordinate or use melee much at all. 
But I wish he focussed more on other goblin tactics. 
What about if the gobs have already fallen back to their home or other defensive/counterattack point?
Their statblock including a shield and shortbow already establishes them as having both melee troops and archers. (as opposed to Kobolds, who sometimes get into melee to grant pack tactics, but aren't equipped for it)
So in my head they have a selfish form of cooperation, they watch each other's backs only because if their ally falls, they might be next to die, and if they act too cowardly in battle they might be punished for it later by their leaders. (serving as a shield-bearer could be a punishment for crimes)
I think that the melee goblins wouldn't roam but protect the approach to forts, towers, and other areas where archers can watch over, to act as speed-bumps.
(They would stand inside a gate and attack anyone who tries to come through it, not stand outside where they can be shot from afar. Around corners, spiral staircases etc.)
... Of course their battle plans can still fall apart under panic, but still. 

goblins ride giant rats and wolves (replying to blamoyay)

BLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Goblins are easy. As long as u have 1 tank in ur party (Cleric, Paladin) then its good 2 go

- Is there a guide out there for Goblin gangs and hordes? Like, hierarchy, organization, and social life?

There is some information from the forgotten realms wiki under Goblin: Society

"Goblin society was tribal by nature, generally led by the strongest (and sometimes smartest) around, who normally had access to the best weapons. Leaders among the race often came to power through betrayal or aggression rather than by more peaceful means, or as clerics of the goblin gods. Because of the violent nature of goblin culture, it was not uncommon for goblins to come under the domination of individuals from a larger, more physically powerful culture, most typically larger goblinoids such as hobgoblins or bugbears.

Goblins had little concept of privacy, living and sleeping in large communal areas with only the leaders living separately in their own private chambers. As such, goblin lairs were often stinking or soiled, though easily defended when under assault and layered with simple traps for such purposes. The innermost chambers of goblin lairs were usually the most densely-populated and well-defended. Goblin settlements were often filled with young goblin children, partially due to gender roles, though young goblins did not outnumber adults since their lives were often at least as dangerous as their forebears.

The gender roles of goblin society had the dominant males sustain the community through raiding and stealing, sneaking into lairs, villages, and even towns by night to take what they could (and if supplies ran short they were willing to eat sentients, including each other). Goblin females meanwhile were expected to birth as many children as possible to sustain a population constantly driven down by violence. Many goblins who left for a life among other races were females, driven away by the rigidly structured role they were expected to play.

Some goblin tribes were not above waylaying travelers on the road or in forests and stripping them of their possessions. Goblins sometimes captured slaves to perform hard labor in the tribe's lair or camp."

-Do goblins have advantages in groups?

If you mean like pack tactics, no. But if you mean how adventers can do certain actions together to get an advantage, sure, any monster, NPC or player can do that.

-Are goblins playable characters in dnd?

Yes, they're a playable race from what I can find, though not a core race, but are found in Volo's Guide to Monsters, which can only be purchased physically because they decided to stop selling them digitally for some reason.

Can someone please explain that to me because I would believe it would be easier and cheaper to keep the digital versions available over the physical ones that need to be printed and shipped?

12 hp

da

goblins are playable characters it is a species. No they dont have advantage in groups but I would much prefer to fight one than 73

IF you want to see how these guys behave and more, check out the monsters know what theyre doing, basically goblins will fire an arrow, hide, and then use they're movement.

hi