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The description of the Rod of Rulership says:

You can use an action to present the rod and command obedience from each creature of your choice that you can see within 120 feet of you. Each target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for 8 hours. While charmed in this way, the creature regards you as its trusted leader. If harmed by you or your companions, or commanded to do something contrary to its nature, a target ceases to be charmed in this way.

The description of the Charmed condition states:

  • A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects.
  • The charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature.

Per the "Military Might" section in the description of hobgoblins in the MM, hobgoblins are used to following the chain of command:

In their martial society, every hobgoblin has a rank, from the powerful leaders and champions, to the rank-and-file foot soldiers (...)

Assume the player characters have successfully charmed a tribe of Hobgoblins by presenting and activating the Rod, but the hobgoblins' leader succeeds on the save and is not charmed.

What happens if the characters demand obedience from these Hobgoblins (e.g. commanding the hobgoblins to follow them), but their leader objects?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'm voting to close, "what would X alignment do" falls into the "opinion based" category of alignment questions, see this meta for more discussion: Are questions about alignment on topic? This seems like a good question for Role-playing Games Chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 20:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ With regrets, I'm voting to close. As discussed in this meta, alignment is a difficult topic, and most questions about what actions correspond to what alignments are too rooted in opinion to be answered by RPG.SE. \$\endgroup\$
    – screamline
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 20:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ThomasMarkov Dang it, pardner, you're quick on the draw. \$\endgroup\$
    – screamline
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 20:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ How if I reformulate and remove the alignment part? Question is still if the Charm overrides the established leadership struture? \$\endgroup\$
    – Nobody the Hobgoblin
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 20:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ @GroodytheHobgoblin That's probably prima facie on-topic, but read through this meta discussion first: Does "Ask the DM / GM" equate to "Primarily opinion based?" \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 21:03

1 Answer 1

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It's up to the DM.

Ultimately, the DM controls the NPCs, but we can give an examination of the factors at play here to provide some guidance for how a DM might rule on this situation. Consider the effect of the Rod of Rulership:

While charmed in this way, the creature regards you as its trusted leader.

So you now have a group of hobgoblins that regard you as their trusted leader. However, the rod does not say that you supplant any trusted leaders they already have. To me, it seems like now the hobgoblins have two trusted leaders, and how they respond to the conflicting commands from those leaders is up to the DM.

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    \$\begingroup\$ "To me, it seems like now the hobgoblins have two trusted leaders, and how they respond to the conflicting commands from those leaders is up to the DM." I like this idea. Particularly I see them flipping back and forth between the latest order given by either. "Bring me that barrel." "Put down that barrel." "I need that barrel, bring it to me." "Why do you have that barrel again? I said put it down." \$\endgroup\$
    – J. A. Streich
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 21:24

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