Monster Monday: The Bugbear

Lumped in with the Bogey’s, Boogeyman, and Bugaboos the Bugbear is thought to have popped up around Medieval times finding its way in folklore as a creepy bear that had nothing better to do than lurk in the woods waiting to scare children.

But, my introduction to the Bugbear didn’t come from Grazzini’s La Spiritatta from 1561. No, like most of you reading this mine came from Roleplaying games. Most notably Dungeons and Dragons, where the Bugbear is seen as a much bigger and smarter version of Hobgoblins.

First introduced to the game in 1975, in the Greyhawk supplement and has remained a staple in the game ever since. Mostly as cannon fodder and humanoid playable race.

Bugbears in Dungeons and Dragons are sound tacticians and provide heavy muscle on the battlefield. Which is why they are often in charge of Hobgoblin and goblin bands. They are also carnivores that will eat anything they deem editable. Which can range from intruders to lazy members of their own group.

They take their name from their ears and noses which resemble that of bears. An adult Bugbear resembles a hairy goblin and stands up to 7 ft tall. They can see and the dark and have amazing hearing and sense of smell, making them hard to sneak up on. When it wants to a Bugbear can move with amazing stealth making them a very dangerous foe to face after dark.

The Bugbear has and always will be one of my favorite creatures to pit players against in roleplaying games. Ever since I first laid eyes on one wielding a massive mace in the 2nd edition Monster Compendium when a friend’s older cousin first taught us how to play.

More on the Bugbear:
Monster Manual 5e
La Spiritatta by Grazzini
Greyhawk (1975)
Classic Monsters Revisited Paizo