There are few creatures as iconic to Pathfinder as the goblin. These creatures come in many varieties, but the simplest is the goblin warrior.
Basic Statistics
Taking a look at the goblin warrior’s stat line, they’re generally unimpressive across the board. Besides a decently high dexterity, there aren’t many stand outs to mention. This indicates they’re more suited for ambushing and skirmishing, especially with a respectable stealth modifier. also, worth noting, all goblins have darkvision. This means that they won’t be disadvantaged fighting in the dark. This means they’ll default to attacking at night or fighting in dark interiors whenever possible.
They don’t have much hp, almost guaranteed to go down in at most 2 hits, if not 1. Should they survive an attack and be left at 2 or less hp self preservation will kick in. Unless there is some greater presence, like a boss goblin that would convince them to fight to the death. All that said, they do have a decent armor class of 16 for a creature of this level. They’re generally unimpressive when it comes to saving throws but their reflex save is decent. This doesn’t make up for their very low will save which can be used against them.
Equipment
Looking at their equipment, the focus on ambushing is again reinforced. As a default, goblin warriors wield dogslicers, a special goblin weapon which has the backstabber trait. They also have shortbows and 10 arrows, which are fantastic for short to medium range, mobile fights. Finally they have leather armor equipped. This armor is nothing special but, if a small PC needs armor in a pinch, then it could be worth grabbing, just ignore the smell.
Tactics
The average turn for a goblin warrior will see them adopting one of two plans of attack. The preferred method will usually be staying at range. Keeping opponents further than 25 feet, but closer than 60 feet is the preferred range for engaging with their shortbows. If possible, they want to be firing from behind cover before moving to a new piece of cover. This will give them the chance to whittle down opponents hp as they try to close the gap. If the goblins don’t outnumber their opponents at least 2 to 1, they’ll stick with this method for as long as possible. When employing this strategy, they’ll switch to their dogslicers only as a last resort without a chance to escape.
If the goblins outnumber their opponents at least 2 to 1, then the goblins will try to overwhelm individual targets. Rushing in with their dogslicers and flanking whenever possible is their primary goal. By applying off-guard to opponents they both increase their chance to hit, and get extra damage from backstabber.
The goblins do have one other tool to help with this tactic in the Goblin Scuttle reaction. If a goblin ends its turn adjacent to another goblin, then they can take a free step action. Remember that adjacency counts if the creature’s squares share a side, or a corner, so it works diagonally as well.
If a pair of goblins have an opponent flanked, a third goblin striding up to their opponent will allow the original pair to freely step away without risking a reactive strike. This simple movement will force opponents to burn actions striding to follow them. This can also give the goblin the extra room they need to disengage and switch to their bows if they decide to switch to the ranged approach. This tactic does lose viability if an opponent is using a reach weapon, but the goblins are unlikely to realize this until one of them makes that mistake.
For most creatures, the third action is a great place to use combat maneuvers, not for goblin warriors. They have a paltry +2 to athletics and no notable bonus to intimidation or deception. Attempting these maneuvers is more likely than not going to result in failure, and a wasted action. Instead, this a situation where a second attack, or moving out of melee would be the optimal choice.
Generally, the goblin warrior is an uncomplicated creature, and a fantastic, not too threatening monster for low level adventurers. If encountered on even footing or small groups, they aren’t too threatening, but, if encountered on their terms, it’s a creature that can easily turn the tables on unprepared adventurers.
Goblins are a classic for a reason, and there are plenty more goblin variants in the core books. I plan on covering all the core goblins in the books, and using some homebrew to fill some gaps. If you have suggestions or a request please, leave a comment! I’ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.