Bugbear

Bugbears

Bugbears are a massive humanoid race distantly related to, but larger and stronger than, goblins and hobgoblins. Like many goblinoids, bugbears speak the Goblin language.

Description

Bugbears resemble hairy, feral goblins standing 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall. They take their name from their noses and claws, which are similar to those of bears. Their claws are not long and sharp enough to be used as weapons, so bugbears often armor and arm themselves with a variety of purloined gear. Most often, this gear is second-rate and in poor repair. Many bugbears are chaotic evil in alignment, favoring stealth and surprising their opponents.

Personality

Bugbears, like other goblinoids, have a reputation for being dim-witted and brutish. This claim is not unfounded and, like their kin, bugbears have easily provoked tempers and are prone to rages. Few bugbears are able to overcome this flaw and their culture's brutal nature. Bugbear heroes, though rare, are heard of and can acquire significant renown if successful. Often, the motivation for this change of heart comes from the rewards earned from virtue, which in the long term are more satisfying than the short-lasting pleasures of evil.

Combat

Unlike most creatures, bugbears are particularly susceptible to the effects of Bowen's flowers, which can knock them out within minutes.

Society

Bugbears are often found in the company of other goblinoids, particularly goblins, since tribes made up mostly of hobgoblins and bugbears tend to be wiped out quickly by other races as a precaution. Some bugbears also operate independently, though tribes ruled by hobgoblins are better organized and less savage. This is in part because bugbears have little patience for diplomacy or negotiation, preferring violent solutions to conflicts unless obviously overpowered.

Religion

Bugbears once had their own pantheon, led by Hruggek. Bugbears often decapitate their enemies as a way to honor Hruggek, who is said to do the same. From the SpellPlague to the Second Sundering, the power of Hruggek was diminished and the god served as an exarch of Bane, the god of tyranny. However, after the Second Sundering, bugbears began to follow bugbear-specific deities such as Hruggek once again.
Other bugbear deities included Grankhul, the bugbear deity of hunting, senses, stealth, and surprise and Skiggaret. Local pantheons often include a god of earth, a god of fertility, and a god of death.

History

Many scholars of the late 14th century DR believed that bugbears and goblins were both bred by the hobgoblins as slave races, with bugbears serving as elite soldiers. 

Notable Bugbears

• Bolgus and Bulkar - Two bugbears who acted as guards at the entrance of a Xanathar Guild level on the Arcane Chambers level of Undermountain
• Grol - The leader of the Cragmaw tribe in the late-15th century DR