General Rules: Monsters - Vyšotek (Hobgoblin)

Vyšotek (Goblin) (adapted from the Monster Manual)
Medium Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hit points)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 feet (base speed 30 feet)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 Dexterity, +3 chitin armor, +2 large shield, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 17
BAB/Grapple: +1/+2

Attack: Scimitar +2 melee (1d8+1, slashing, 18-20 x2) or pilum +2 ranged (1d6+1, piercing, 20 x2, 30 feet x5) or weighted pilum +2 ranged (1d6+2, piercing, 20 feet x5)

Full Attack: Scimitar +2 melee (1d8+1, slashing, 18-20 x2) or pilum +2 ranged (1d6+1, piercing, 20 x2, 30 feet x5) or weighted pilum +2 ranged (1d6+2, piercing, 20 x2, 20 feet x5)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, vermin affinity
Saves: Fortitude +4, Reflex +1, Will -1
Abilities: Str 13, Int 10, Wis 9, Dex 13, Con 14, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +3, Listen +2, Ride +5, Spot +2
Feats: Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot)
Environment: Temperate

Organization: Gang (4 - 9), band (10 - 100 plus 1 3^rd level serjeant per 20 adults and 1 leader of 4^th - 6^th level), warband (10 - 24), or hive (40 - 400 plus 1 3^rd level serjeant per 20 adults, 1 or 2 lieutenants of 4^th or 5^th level, 1 leader of 6^th - 8^th level, 2 -4 Large monstrous vermin, and 1 -2 obříšotek)

Challenge Rating: ½
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

Vyšotek are larger sisters of the prašotek. They are far more aggressive and warlike than their smaller relatives and wage perpetual war with other humanoids on behalf of their hive mothers.

Vyšotek have dark orange or red-orange skin, and many have blue or red noses. Vyšotek eyes are multifaceted and run from yellowish to dark brown, while the chitinous ridges of their mouths are yellow. Like other šotek, vyšotek shun clothing save for utilitarian purposes, but when they do wear clothing, it is often brightly colored, so as to be more visible on the battlefield. Vyšotek warriors keep their weapons highly polished and in good repair. Like most other šotek, the vyšotek are sterile females all born of the same hive mother.

Vyšotek speak Karstish; those with Intelligence scores of 12 or higher often speak Rhadynnic or Sorglish as well,

The vyšotek are mostly warriors, as they make up the fighting forces of a šotek hive. Most vyšotek encountered outside their homes are warriors; the information in the statistics block is for one of 1^st level.

Combat
These creatures have a strong grasp of strategy and tactics and are capable of carrying out sophisticated battle plans. Under the leadership of a skilled strategist or tactician, their discipline can prove a deciding factor. Vyšotek hate alvari and chitine, and attack them first in preference to other opponents.

Vermin Affinity: Vyšotek treat monstrous vermin as animals for all purposes including a druid's Wild Empathy and Animal Companion abilities, and Handle Animal checks. Vyšotek are frequently found with a variety of monstrous vermin that they keep as pets, mounts, and war beasts. Prašotek can be found with almost any type of monstrous vermin, although most hives affiliate with only one kind. The lone exception are monstrous spiders, who šotek generally despise and refuse to affiliate with.

Skills: Vyšotek have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Ride checks. Vyšotek cavalry (typically mounted on Large monstrous vermin) usually select the Mounted Combat feat in place of the Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot) feat, which reduces their Listen and Spot check modifiers from +2 to +0. Vyšotek also frequently select the Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Vardatch feat in place of the Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot) feat, which reduces their Listen and Spot checks from +2 to +0, and wield a vardatch in place of a scimitar giving melee weapon damage of (1d8+1, slashing, 18-20 x2). Vyšotek war leaders and elite warriors often wield crafted vardatches.

Vyšotek Society
Vyšotek live in hives, usually alongside other šotek, most commonly prašotek (goblin) and khezotek (bugbears), under the direction of a ruling kralovna hive queen. They are a military breed: They live for war and believe strongly in strength and martial prowess as the most desirable qualities for individuals and leaders alike. A vyšotek war leader is likely to be the biggest and strongest in the group, maintaining authority by enforcing strict discipline in the name of the hive queen.

Vyšotek society is organized into war bands, each intensely jealous of its reputation and status. meetings between bands of different hives are likely to erupt in violence if the troops are not restrained. Only an exceptionally powerful leader can force the warbands of multiple hives to cooperate for any length of time. Each band has a distinctive battle standard that it carries into combat to inspire, rally,and signal the troops. Vyšotek warbands are made up exclusively of sterile females all born of the same hive queen.

These creatures typically fortify their hive's lair either by pushing their queen to select a location with natural defenses, or by organizing their prašotek sisters to fortify the place. Cavern complexes, dungeons, ruins, and forests are among their favorites. Typical lair defenses include ditches, fences, gates, guard towers, pit traps, and crude catapults or ballistae.

Once in a great while, a band of renegade vyšotek leave their hive and enter the service of wealthy evil humanoids as mercenaries, but because they are all sterile females, such mercenary forces are usually short-lived. In these cases, instead of a hive queen, they follow the biggest, strongest, or sometimes the smartest of the group.

Vyšotek as Characters
Exceptional vyšotek tend to be fighters, fighter/rogues, or voják. Vyšotek clerics worship Ninkurra, although there are few vyšotek who take up this profession, as the khezotek handle most religious matters for a šotek hive. A vyšotek cleric has access to two of the following domains: Corruption, Endurance, Goblin, Pain, or Rulership. Most vyšotek spellcasters are adepts. Vyšotek spellcasters favor spells that deal damage.

Vyšotek characters possess the following racial traits:

• Type: Vyšotek are humanoids with the goblinoid subtype.


• Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution.


• Size: Medium.


• Speed: Vyšotek have a base land speed of 30 feet.


• Darkvision: A vyšotek can see in the dark out to 60 feet.


• Exoskeleton: A vyšotek's hard exoskeleton gives them a +2 natural armor bonus.


• Vermin Affinity: Vyšotek treat monstrous vermin as animals for all purposes including a druid's Wild Empathy and Animal Companion abilities, and Handle Animal checks.


• Vyšotek gain a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Ride checks.


• Automatic Languages: Vyšotek speak Karstish.


• Bonus Languages: Eurozoic, Infernal, Jattalaic, Rhadynnic, Sorglish, Sûlic, and Zwursprache


• Favored Class: Fighter.


• Additional Favored Class: Warrior.


• Exclusive Class: Voják (adapted from Complete Warrior).

The vyšotek warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.

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