Fury of the Small 5E: Perks of Goblinhood
Over the years, Wizards of the Coast has added several playable races that were previously only monsters. The goblin is one option that does not get much attention, but it can be a lot of fun to play! By far, the highlight of this race is a trait known as fury of the small. Learn more about it with our Fury of the Small 5E Guide.
Table of Contents
How Much Damage Does Fury of the Small Do?
Fury of the Small is one of the traits the goblin race in 5E gets upon character creation. At any point where you damage another creature with an attack or a spell, you could tack on additional damage equal to your level. The kicker here is that this option is only available if the target is a larger size than you. Since goblins are small, that makes up the majority of enemies you might face.
This isn’t overwhelming damage, especially at lower levels. For a first-level, you get a chance to tack on a single point of damage following a successful attack. As you level, the damage increases to the point that the damage is at least not meaningless. What’s more, you deal a guaranteed amount of damage that does not require an attack roll and is not subject to any saving throws. At the right moment, this burst of damage could turn the tide of battle.
How Does Fury of the Small Work with Magic Missile?
Magic Missile is a spell that deals damage, so Fury of the Small can be used when casting it. However, many players have wondered whether Fury of the Small increases the damage deal with each dart or only a single dart. Thankfully, Jeremy Crawford’s twitter answered this question directly. Jeremy points out that the language of Fury of the Small is clear: you can add damage based on your level. Once you do, you can’t use Fury of the Small again until you take a short rest. That means after you deal Fury of the Small damage on a Magic Missile dart, the trait is not available to you for the additional darts. You could use it on a future casting following a short or long rest.
Does Fury of the Small Work on AoE Spells?
You can only use Fury of the Small once, even with AoE spells that damage multiple targets. For the same reason it does not have multiple uses with Magic Missile, Fury of the Small doesn’t do more for AoE spells either. No matter how many creatures you target or damage, you only have one use of Fury of the Small before you must take a short or long rest. When you cast an AoE spell, and it damages multiple targets, you can choose any of the targets to apply that damage to. Once you do so, Fury of the Small is not available again until a short or long rest. This includes using Fury of the Small with fireball, which is only possible on one target regardless of how many people you hit.
How Many Times Can You Use Fury of the Small?
Your ability to use Fury of the Small hinges on how frequently you rest. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you complete either a short or long rest.
Concluding our Fury of the Small 5E Guide
Fury of the Small is a unique trait that really makes the goblin playable race stand out. The damage you are dealing is not tremendous, especially at low levels. However, once you reach tier three, dealing double-digit damage after a successful attack without having to roll or giving your target a chance to defend themselves isn’t bad. You get the use of Fury of the Small each time you take a short rest, so you will likely have this available once in every major fight.
That wraps up our Fury of the Small guide. Have any big feelings about this one either way? I, for one, am a fan. Let us know how you feel about it in our comment section below. If you want more resources for character creation, be sure to check out our Starting Gold 5E Guide.
