Hobgoblin Worg Riders

[SamL]

Heyo all,
So I'm Doing a fairly new campaign (three sessions in, PCs are at Level 3 and should level up next session) and I left the last session with a pair of hobgoblin worg riders spotting the party and leaving to get reinforcements. Now, these riders represent only a small scouting force, rather than a full legion, so there's no chance the hobgoblins will come back in Massed Numbers, but looking at the stats of worgs and hobgoblins, they seem like a pretty brutal pairing! If the worg attacks first, it can knock a character over, then the hobgoblin can attack it with advantage and +2d6 damage on a hit! Pretty impressive when facing off against a low-level party!

Anyways, my question is how many worg riders do you think would pose enough of a threat to a level 3 party (who knows they're coming!) without seriously risking a TPK?

P.S. the hobgoblin scouts spotted the PCs by their fire as they were bedding down for the night, so the PCs left the area and have thus not had a long rest.

[Orc_Lord]

Assuming 4 players.

2 worgs and 2 hobgoblins is a medium encounter
3 worgs and 3 hobgolbins is a hard one

The combo is good, and I have used it, to make it worse they also had the higher ground and the PCs didn't see them so they got surprised.

It's a fun fight.

If you feel that 3 each might be too much you can have one of them join the fight on round 2 or 3.

Alternatively one of them can leave mid combat to get reinforcements.

I am not a fan of changing the world so characters do not die..unless I as the GM messed up, like the PC fight a monster that only gets damaged by magic weapons...and I have not given them any..and they can't escape...oops

But if the fight is fair, which this one is, if they die, they die.

[SamL]

I knew I was leaving something out! It's a 5 player group.

I was honestly thinking that two worg riders would bring back a second pair, but would that be too much? Since they're just scouts I wouldn't see them fighting to the death if they could avoid it, though (need to get that intelligence back to command!)

[Tanarii]

If you're using the mounted combat rules, the (controlled) Worgs aren't attacking. They just changing the movement of the Goblin or Hobgoblin on them, until they dismount. Or are killed.

They're intelligent enough they can act as independent mounts though, if that's what you want.

Regardless, in open terrain it could be a brutal encounter. Hobgoblins are effective archers, and mounted ones are going to be very effective long range skirmishers due to the Worg's 50ft movement.

[Samayu]

Have the characters seen the worgs yet? If not, pretend they don't exist and put the hobgoblins on foot.

Our 3rd and 4th level team went after seven of them, yesterday. We spent two turns racing across open ground against the archers. When we engaged, we had 1 on 2, 1 on 2 and 1 on 3 the first round. The character that faced three of them went down. But the hobgoblin leader rolled two crits against him.

[Kadesh]

I love Hobgoblins. 2 on Worgs is pretty lethal and very swingy - they instantly get the ability to attack with their Martial Advantage simply by being mounted, and Prone goving them Advantage for a potential Crit is even more deadly. If they skirmish appropriately (using their 300 ft range and 50ft speed) or attack from a position they can ambush from, they can quite easily put a 3rd level character making dead saves in the first round.

If you find the party are doing well, consider adhocing mid fight the Zariel cultist ability to 1/short rest automatically Crit. This is something Mordenkainens specifically mentioned was potentially available for a Hobgoblin freed from the influences of Maglubiyet: at the risk of having Iron Shadows sent to hunt him down from those loyal to the Goblin Deity.

A rogue Warlord with an attendent Devastator using Crusader's Mantle can be utter filth: Guaranteed Crit for something ridiculous with Martial Advantage, especially when the Warlord can choose the attacking order. Let it ride a Giant Vulture as a symbol of its authority, perhaps throw in a pet Ape or two into the fight, and you have an awesome little set piece. Perhaps a caged pet cockatrice kept hooded until the fight turns against the Warlord. Perhaps a Silver Horn of Valhalla to summon some low level fighters.

Also, do you assist the Cultist of Zariel with making him the Warlord of the Legion he is scouting for and use your influence with him to turn aside (after fighting off a large assassination force of Iron Shadows and Bugbears) and save your homeland, or do you kill everything?

But if he then becomes a Warlord, what is to stop him trying to bring Zariel's unience into the world? When he is rocking about with a pair of grossly swollen Giant Apes, or perhaps they have been transformed into Cadaver Collectors, and his Giant Vulture is more akin to a Roc in size, and he has gained some of the Samurai or Battle Master class features. His Silver Horn has now morphed into an Iron Horn.

But to the mechanics of the fight: Hobgoblins are not afraid of dying if that is what it calls for, so it depends on the needs of their missions: the Martial Advantage isn't limited to melee, so a couple of Hobgoblin Archers sat on their Worgs, keeping an eye on proceedings next to the Captain watching from afar could provide cover for the retreating melee fighters (simply seeking to test the adventurers, or claim easy loot).

I like to depict Hobgoblins as either a Legion, Hoplite, or Samurai type ideal.

Hobgoblins are noted as having a large usage for ravens, so perhaps having all the party see a raven released mid fight could be enough lf a hook to get them to investigate further in that direction.