For much of Dungeons & Dragons' history, bugbears were the boogeymen. Their long limbs would reach out from the shadows, revealing a monstrous visage that seemed apt to eat anything it managed to grasp in its fetid claws. But these days, bugbears are trying to rehabilitate their image. Some even want to be contributing members of an adventuring party.

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Now, you can harness the powers of the bugbear to be a true adventurer, fighting for a cause! Or you can be a skulking assassin, using your fey ancestry to surprise opponents from the cover of darkness. However you want to play it, we've got tips on making a successful bugbear adventurer.

For this guide, we're using the latest information from Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.

History Of The Bugbears

Bugbear Roars and Wields Wooden Mace
Bugbear by Stever Prescott - Monster Manual

They may not look it, but bugbears are actually related to goblins and hobgoblins, whose roots can be traced back to the Feywild. Bugbears arrived on the Material Plane long ago thanks to the conquering god Maglubiyet, where bugbears served as the warrior god's shock troops. Over time, however, many bugbears parted ways with their warlike ancestors as they stopped worshipping Maglubiyet, although some still hold to the old ways.

Bugbears can have a fearsome appearance, with their long limbs, coarse hair, long pointy ears, and long pointy teeth. Bugbears are also very quiet thanks to the lingering remnants of fey magic that conceals them despite their 🐈brutish size.

Bugbears are medium-sized creatures with a walking speed of 30 feet. They are considered both humanoid and goblinoid for any prerequisite effects or spells. When you choose bugbear for your character, increase one ability score by two points and another by one point.

Bugbear Features

Bugbear in Dungeons & Dragons 4e and 3.5
  • Darkvision

  • You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colo𓆏rs in that darkness only as shades of gray.

A common trait among goblinoids. Darkvision is always nice to have, whether you're adventuring at night or in the bowels of a deep dungeon. It'll save you a cantrip if you plan to play as a spellcaster, or it'll save you the cost of a few torches throughout your campaign.

  • Fey Ancestry

  • You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charme🔯d condition on yourself.

Another common feature for any species that can trace its ancestry back to the Feywild, advantage against charm effects can be really helpful if you decide to play as a Fighter or other martial-type classes.

  • Long-Limbed

  • When yoꦓu make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is five feet greater than normal.

Another big advantage when playing as a bugbear is an additional five feet of reach. This is an excellent trait to ha♐ve for any class that utilizes melee weapons.

Arm your bugbear with a pike (or any other weapon with reach), and you'll be able to strike enemies up to 15 feet away!

  • Powerful Build

  • You count a൩s one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Not having to worry about carrying a full backpack of loot can be handy, although most par꧅ties will look at getting a Bag🐈 of Holding to solve this particular problem.

  • Sneaky

  • You are proficient in th🍸e Stealth skill. In addition, without squeezing, you can move through and stop in a space large enough for a Small creature.

Proficiency in Stealth is always nice to have, but particularly useful for Rogues. This frees Rogues up ♛to get pro꧅ficiency in another skill.

  • Surprise Attack

  • If you hit𒅌 a creature with an att🐎ack roll, the creature takes an extra 2d6 damage if it hasn’t taken a turn yet in the current combat.

Here's where bugbears can be surprisingly potent. An extra 2d6 of damage against any creature that hasn't already gone in the turn order is huge, especially at first level.

Combine this with any class that can gain advantage or bonuses to initiative rolls, and you've got a damage-dealing monster.

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Best Bugbear Class Options

Hulking Bugbear by Filip Burburan
Hulking Bugbear by Filip Burburan

Pretty much any melee-based class will benefit from the bugbear’s Long-Limbed feature, but there are a few classes and subc💛lasses that will synergize especially well.

Barbarian

  • Feral Instinct provides Barbarian players with advantage on initiative rolls, which pairs well with Surprise Attack.

Fighter - Battle Master or Gunslinger

  • The Battle Master's Ambush maneuver allows you to add superiority die rolls to your initiative, which works well with Surprise Attack.
  • Gunslinger's Quickdraw feature adds proficiency to initiative rolls, and also works well with Surprise Attack.

Paladin - Oath of Vengeance

  • The Aura of the Sentinel feature adds proficiency bonus to initiative rolls, pairing well with Surprise Attack.

Ranger - Gloom Stalker

  • The Dread Ambusher feature allows you to add your Wisdom bonus to your initiative rolls, again pairing well with Surprise Attack.
  • An extra 30 meters onto your Darkvision also helps.

Rogue

  • Stealth proficiency is excellent for all Rogues.
  • Scout, Assassin, and Swashbuckler subclasses all get bonuses to initiative rolls, which pairs well with Surprise Attack.

Bard

  • Jack of All Trades allows bards to add half their proficiency bonus to their initiative rolls. This means Bards are often going earlier in the turn order, and pairs well with Surprise Attack.

Cleric - Twilight Domain

  • Vigilant Blessing provides advantage on initiative rolls, potentially activating Surprise Attack.

Wizard - Chronurgy Magic or War Magic

  • The Chronurgy Wizard's Temporal Awareness feature and the War Magic Wizard's Tactical Wit both add your Intelligence modifier to initiative rolls, pairing well with Surprise Attack.
  • Yes, Surprise Attack works with magical attacks as well.

Artificer

  • Artificers are eventually able to use one of their Infusions to create a Helm of Awareness, which provides advantage on initiative rolls. Surprise Attack likes that.

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