I understand wanting to change encounters, but see changing monsters as an usually inferior solution.
Surprising players and challenging our expectations keeps things fresh and keeps us on our toes. Still... if you create a goblin encounter and then give all of them much more health and better attacks, but still label them like every other 'goblin'. That's just false advertising, confusing tabletop players and lets them feel pathetic.
It also sets the expectation of what a 'Larian goblin' is. This moves the goalposts and resolves nothing.
As a DM I would expect a some flak from the players regarding wholesale increase in goblin health. In a homebrew campaign, that's ok, in Faerun not.
After all, solutions that address lore, expectations and player challenge are readily available.
For example.
Larian wants to create a fight with four goblins. It turns out that the goblins pose no challenge at all. Someone doesn't like this and decides to give the basic goblin more hitpoints.... Don't do that.
There are many alternative solutions, that keep the 'goblin^' what it is and make the fight more memorable.
1. Let it be. Easy encounters have their place. (It sets an easy precedent to subvert late on.)
2. Let the goblins flee. Goblins are craven. Fair fights are for honourable folk.
3. Let the goblins have the high ground/stealth/surprise. Let them only be there/attack in the dark.
4. Add more goblins in the initial group. (This, so much this. Faerun goblins love numerical superiority.)
5. Add more goblins that reinforce the first few goblins.
6. If you really want four tough goblins, make them clearly different from the standard goblin and call them something appropriate like 'Chosen of Maglubiyet'. This change should be visually obvious and be reflected in their name.
7. Give them better equipment. This must be obvious and have a place. Like 'vault guardians' that use wands and scrolls from the 'treasure vault' that they guard.
8. Smarter goblins >> Make the AI work better. >> Targeted/injured goblins use the dodge action to give disadvantage on attacks against them.
9. Give the goblins a box full of potions, for their use. The players can destroy the box or kill the goblins quickly and loot it or steal the box beforehand. >> This is very rewarding, when cunning/lucky players get to collect the unused potions.
10. Add different monsters that support the goblins. Like wolfs, that the goblins ride on.
11. Let the dead goblins attract a different monster, like rabid vultures, carrion devourers or others.
12. Traps. Let the four goblins run around and try to activate traps. The players try to kill them fast enough, but probably only kill 2-3 before the first trap triggers.
13. Transform the 'goblins'. For example let the players obliterate a bunch of goblins in the entryway of a crypt and when returning to the exit encounter them again as much tougher 'Zombie goblins.' (Applause if you gave the player an easy option to bribe or circumvent this group altogether).
Most importantly:
Orks. Why use goblins if you handle them like orks?
If your moster fights like an ork, use an ork. If your bugbear fights like a super velociraptor, call it a super velociraptor.
