Bugbear (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, a bugbear is a massive humanoid distantly related to goblins and hobgoblins. Named for the bugbear of legend, the bugbears of Dungeons & Dragons are goblinoid creatures, larger and stronger than hobgoblins. They speak Goblin.

Publication history

The bugbear was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

The bugbear was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk (1975). They are described as great hairy goblin-giants.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The bugbear appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a larger cousin of the goblin.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the bugbear, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The bugbear was featured as a player character race in the Orcs of Thar gazetteer (1989). Bugbears were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999 & 2000).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The bugbear appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The bugbear of the Dragonlance campaign setting appeared in the Tales of the Lance boxed set, in the "World Book of Ansalon" booklet (1992).

The bugbear is detailed as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993). The bugbear is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The bugbear appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

The reptilian bugbear appeared in Savage Species (2003).

Races of Faerûn (2003) presented the bugbear as a player character race for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. The chameleon bugbear appears in Underdark (2003).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The bugbear appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

The bugbear overseer and bugbear stonejack goblinoids appeared in Drow of the Underdark (2007).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The bugbear appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), under the goblin entry, including the bugbear warrior and the bugbear strangler.

Physical description

Bugbears resemble hairy, feral goblins standing seven feet 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. Bugbears tend to be Chaotic Evil in alignment, favoring the Rogue class.

Society

Bugbears have their own pantheon, led by Hruggek. They live a life based around survival and often become rogues. Bugbears also make excellent barbarians. They tend to be sound military tacticians and individuals are highly intelligent, though immoral.

Bugbears in other media

Bugbears were one of the monsters in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Temple of Elemental Evil, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale 2 as well as in Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone

A bugbear appears in the D&D Miniatures: Dragoneye set #46 (2004).

References