Dungeons and Dragons Lore : Bugbear

Largest and arguably the most beastial of the Goblinoids, Bugbears are powerful, predatory and hardy hunters with a mean streak a mile long.
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[@That80sGuy1972]

As a player in my friend's campaign, I had fun playing a half-orc rogue who specialized in ambushing. He was killed halfway through an adventure. Not knocked down, like fell into a pit occupied by a Black Pudding. The other rogue in our group had a scroll with Reincarnation on it. It was either create a new character and wait for the next adventure or some kind of introduction opportunity, or take a chance on that scroll. He successfully used the scroll, reincarnating me as a Bugbear. Our DM converted the Bugbear stats to a playable version, a bolstered version of my "happily ugly brutish thief" guy. I played that bugbear rogue the rest of the campaign and had a blast. The other players were perplexed for a while at my not even wanting to "restore" my original race. The only problems were social, armor/clothes fitting, ravenous carnivore appetite... the rest was role-playing and tactical fun.

[@davidhernando353]

What makes bugbers such good antagonists is that they are the complete opposite of the big, strong monster. They never fight fair, they never charge head-on, they are cunning and cruel enough to perform tactics of terror and intimidation. Tension builds slowly during the stalking like in a horror movie until the moment of combat arrives that could well be a deadly ambush.

[@pliny1449]

Like in the movie predator. Or worse if its a hunting group or a clan...

[@willrogers3793]

The more I hear about these guys, the more I’m reminded of the “Brutes” from the Halo universe.

[@a15godzilla]

Okay so my plan to homebrew a faction based on the Covenant wasn't far off at all

[@That80sGuy1972]

As a near-life-long AD&D player, I saw the Brutes as Halo's Bugbears. ;)

[@mrdinohunter9220]

I see both Bugbear and Jiralhanae as Monke B)

[@khamulthewack4732]

I see all as monke 8)

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

A good idea for an early challenge for a low level party: Bugbear fight club. The party comes upon 3-6 bugbears beating the crap out of each other in a cave or some section of woods, the party can decide to stay and watch or try to sneak around, either way something happens that alerts the bugbears to the parties presence, and they attack. They should be at no higher than half health, maybe the alpha in the group is at 50% and the rest are gradually weaker with the runt/weakling in the group having only 25% or 10%. If this still seems too hard you could make them a group of teenagers honing their combat skills/goofing off in the way all teenage bugbear boys do, that way their strength stats and overall hp are lower than normal. This makes it survivable but still an “Oh Shit” moment when the encounter first pops off and the party thinks they’re about to be murdered to death by pack of super goblins, only to find out it’s a bunch of punch drunk youngsters.

[@isitnotwrittenthat1680]

No, then you get the one charismatic character with bugbear minions.

[@MrKago1]

I've yet to find a group that will let me play my bugbear concept. I want to run a bugbear wizard. His staff is a tree that he ripped out of the ground, roots and all, and tied a rock that he drew a "glyph" on to it. Because he's a bug bear people assume he is stupid so he uses pretentious and obscure words. He doesn't say resurrection, he says anabiosis. If he was with a group and the dwarf gets slapped for a terrible pick up line he would say, "your paraphilemia is flagitious" I actually have a book that lists a bunch of extremely pretentious words and put the useful ones in a notebook I have for him.

[@woodslore8537]

I played as a bugbear rogue this year. I know bugbear rogue, rather common idea. Though I centered him around the idea of being a sort of hero. He was raised by a human that ran a thieves guild of sorts. So he is not a mindless killer. He is a thinker and a cunning one. I like the idea you got.

[@TheTrueMorningStar]

As a DM I would let you play the least effective wizard ever conceived but I completely understand why the party would not want the dead weight.

[@nvfury13]

I can see doing this, but he is actually a Sorcerer or Warlock, that is just *convinced* that they are a Wizard...maybe Pact of the Tome Warlock.

[@greatgoblin3065]

I'm doing a bugbear barbarian. He WAS a half elf who lived alone in a cabin in the woods. One day he killed a wild bear that was being a nuisance. Turns out it was the best friend of a powerful druid. She particularly didn't like seeing her bear friend's head on a wall. She killed him and reincarnated him as a bugbear out of spite. Now, he seeks a way to restore his humanity, while the Path of the Beast calls him to embrace his new nature, and he isn't too sure he dislikes his new form.

[@blackguard5883]

I REALLY want to do a Barbarian/Circle of Blood Druid (Grimhollow) that uses a massive ax, made from a monster's shoulder blade bound to a stout branch. Maybe flint tipped javelins for range. Make him have left Maglubiyet in favor of Uthgar, favoring an even mix of strength and cunning ("Cause cunnin' is jus' bein' strong in yer 'ead.") I think it's a believable character, especially if he was raised by human Circle of Blood druids since childhood. I want to toss this at a campaign now, really bad.

[@banzaikoowaid9301]

I just imagine that if Bugbears fight dirty, say, throwing sand in someone's eyes, a scenario where a Bugbear yells, *"Pocket Sand,"* and bitch slaps a Paladin in the face with a huge clump of sand!

[@JoeBradley151]

You missed the opportunity to say “a wee bit Wookiee”

[@MeGaShaHeS]

How much bugs could a bugbear bare if a bug could bug bugbears?

[@AJPickett]

Bugbear vs Ankheg, round one, FIGHT!

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

i think baby bug bears should be called bugaboos

[@AAllen-br8it]

As many bugs as bugbears would bear if bugs did bug bugbears.

[@jprp999]

3

[@doobiesmoke15]

@@AJPickett A bugbear would bugger that bug!

[@Seriously_Unserious]

Given what you were saying about bugbears, I'd say they'd make the most terrifying archers in the realms. With all that strength, they could pull a bow no one else could, other then maybe giants. Imagine a bow with a weight other races, like elves for example, could only use as a crossbow, but it's a standard bow, shooting arrows the size of a small javalin, at a distance and force no one else cold ever match, and they're strong enough they won't get shaky drawing the bow back even at weights heavier then the most powerful longbow! Bugbear archers vs elven archers? My money'd be on the bugbears! Elves can't hit what they can't reach and the bugbears would pincushion the elves before the elves would even be in range to take a shot! In case you're wondering, D&D got it wrong with the primary stat for archery. It's really strength. If you cant pull the bow back, how well can you aim it? Your average longbow requires ~100 pounds of force to fully draw. They can even range up to about 140 pounds. Regular war bows you're still looking at about 80 pounds. Archery's definitely not a job for weaklings, or the easily fatigued.

[@lonewolf209]

Shadiversity has a whole series on his channel about what weapons would be best for monsters and he makes this point a lot. We often see skinny elves and humans using bows in fantasy but Orcs, giants and other large, powerful, creatures would be devastating with a bow.

[@Seriously_Unserious]

@@lonewolf209 "MACHICOLATIONS-AH!!!!!!!!!!" ... but ... what about dragons!

[@gerald2508]

The best thing would be to use dexterity to hit and strength for damage.

[@lordhogwash8393]

I imagine a bugbear barbarian to be similar to Sabertooth from X-Men- vicious, merciless and enjoys killing.

[@noweltorres9464]

My favorite mutant!

[@ProjectRedfoot]

2:37 I love that image

[@elrond3737]

2:40 I love that picture. Perfect

[@TubaHorse]

Take a shot every time he says "Left to their own devices"

[@AnonymousAlcoholic772]

Legends tell of an extremely rare type of bugbear found exclusively in the lands in the east. They differ from normal bugbears in that they are exclusively vegetarian and they seem to lack the aggression of normal bugbears, although their black fur is definitely more striking. In fact, they seem to be characterized by sloth, laziness and gluttony. They use their rareness as their only survival tool and they are frequently kept as slaves by wealthy individuals who show off their riches by keeping such unusual and useless slaves in their stable, spending many years and many many gold pieces trying to convince these creatures to mate in order to perpetuate their species. Save this, bugpandabears would have died off long ago.

[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

Great vid sir. They are a fascinating race to me. The Monk in our campaign (Playing the Slaver Series from the 80's) caught; subdued, shaved and trained a Bugbear as his own student. It was a very strange situation; definitely not something I'd ever experienced in 30 years of gaming. But, our DM allowed it, and in time the Bugbear (named "Puck") eventually took to the training, and went on to train other goblinoids.

[@AJPickett]

I love how Bugbears have just as much potential as most civilised humanoids, they just have a culture that fully embraces being lazy, violent brutes :)

[@florenmage]

In my custom setting, the goblins used to be really really intelligent in ancient history.They have since degenerated for the most part, however they with their vast knowledge of alchemy created all the other goblinoid races.Bugbears were their super soldier elite.

[@sea_triscuit7980]

Kinda Falmer like (Elder Scrolls

[@florenmage]

@@sea_triscuit7980I suppose there are parallels but in my setting the goblins are not solely barbaric. They are a player character race. Some of them wear fine suits and fancy dresses and taste wine and cheese at parties. They often talk shit about their barbaric cousins.

[@patrick5270]

@@florenmage I wanna play that campaign, bugbear spore druid maybe dual class into ranger for some more guerrilla warfare shenanigans

[@benthomason3307]

in 5e, a PC bugbear battlemaster with a glaive and lunging attack can slap someone from 20ft away.

[@jonathanthomas8736]

Aj, the Blue nose on dominant male buggers and Hobgoblins derives from the largest member of the Baboon Family: the mandrill. Demogorgon is often portrayed with Mandrill heads. Given Bugbears' extraordinary size and senses, I might base their dominant male features off the Drill, which has the same nasal structure as a mandrels, but more dominant males have darker noses. Alternately, the cheek plates of mature male orangutans might be a way to go. Good stuff, though.

[@easygrin1127]

Mandrill are not baboons

[@jonathanthomas8736]

@@easygrin1127 From Wikipedia: "[Drills and Mandrills] were traditionally thought to be baboons, but further evidence has shown that they are more closely related to white-eyelid mangabeys. " Huh. You're right. Alas, most of my old world monkey phylogeny is from the 1970s. I learned something new. Thanks.

[@jonathanthomas8736]

Although, they're still in the same Tribe as Baboons, Papionini, which takes its name Papio, the baboon genus. So closely related, just not identical any more.

[@Radagast49230]

Bugbear, the original manbearpig! When I've used bugbears in my campaigns I've used stories of bigfoot and wildmen as inspiration, and describe them as looking almost like a bear-ape cross. Primitive hunter gatherers with stone tools, that will often harass you for days without ever giving you a glimpse of them.

[@Deltamedic68w]

Had a Bugbear for an amazing NPC. Owned a butcher block and had fresh meat daily from the animals he hunted in the nearby forest and mountains. Never had fish though. His small tribe had been conquered by neighboring bugbears and he had escaped as a child. Learned to fend for himself and eventually returned to slaughter his conquerors and their families (its own elaborate story) Against his nature or perhaps seeking a higher purpose he eventually found a village of humans, dwarves, and elves and became a productive member. Turned to Pelor and vowed never to harm anything other than prey animals. He originally voiced his desire to help our party hunt down the coven of hags stealing kids from the village, but said that he was intent on keeping his vow for fear of returning to his more destructive nature. Hell of a chef too!

[@Wolfphototech]

They are blunt and to the point ( talking ) . I'm the same way . Except i talk a lot and over explain things .

[@jprp999]

D&D body weights are such bull, 7ft 6 and 400 pounds? There are wrestlers/strongmen at 6ft 6 that weigh more than that, just look at the size of the skull, hands and feet on these things they would be 50 to 100% more heavy than that, think of an actual bear, a 9-10 foot bear (on 2 feet) can be 2000 pounds.

[@AJPickett]

Perhaps Toril has lighter gravity.

[@budderhoe5732]

Bears also have tons of more fur and constantly eat to gain that fat on top, that weight wouldn’t function well on a bipedal creature

[@MrKago1]

@@budderhoe5732 Still, muscle weighs more than fat. Andre the giant, who was physically less muscled, but about the right height, 7'4", weighed 520 lbs. The Undertaker is 6'9" and still weighs 306 lbs.

[@elrond3737]

Yes. the giants are even more messed up when it comes to weight

[@lordhogwash8393]

I put the weight of something like an orc or bugbear weighing that is closer to like a chimpanzee, in that a 200 lb chimp is 10x stronger than a 200 lb man

[@flibbernodgets7018]

you make even previously lame-sounding monsters sound really cool. thank you

[@hypocriticaltroll9471]

Wonderful video, per usual. I’m about to play a Bugbear pc and was looking for some added inspiration. You never disappoint!

[@destonlee2838]

"Bugbears will sometimes attempt to subdue opponents by reigning non lethal blows down on them with their own severed heads...." Is what I thought I heard.

[@BigDictator5335]

Could I have a starship full of hobgoblin crew and bugbear space marines in power armor?

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

If goblinoids ever got a spelljammer, that's exactly what it would look like

[@stevenpeterson8582]

@@johntheherbalistg8756 That was the whole premise of the Unhuman Wars... goblinkind in spelljammers were taking over the universe until the elves finally decided to kick them back to the stone age.

[@CarrowMind]

I'm currently playing a Bugbear Barbarian (try saying that quickly ten times!) who used to be a corrupt human guard but was cursed by a powerful wizard due to him helping the wizard's daughter get framed for murder and hanged by looking the other way. Like your other videos, this one is just as fantastic and has given me tons of fluff material to use with my character! Unknowingly I gave him a maul and so far I have been very lucky with crits and when we where attacked by palace guards during our first session I narrated him brutally crushing a guards skull with his maul and I've been keeping up with that theme ever since, what a happy coincidence! I'll be sure to play up on that more from now on as instinctually following along with his race's traits.

[@merek5380]

I just ordered bugbear mini's to paint up not 5 minutes ago and then discovered this video was released!

[@AJPickett]

serendipitous!

[@teamnorth1184]

I’d play a Bugbearian who struggles to keep his base nature in check

[@sea_triscuit7980]

I was running a homebrew for My brother. He and his new friend escaped the city's dungeon just to get captured by a tribe of goblins and bugbears. He was able to convince them attacking the town would be more lucrative than eating him so he snuck into the town and let the gates down. To sum it up, he gained vengeance on the town that wrongfully locked him up with the help of a goblin army. Haha idk just a fun little bit

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

Bugbear Wizard That is probably the scariest thing I can think of

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

So I recently got my hands on all of the old school 3rd Edition books all of them every book printed for 3rd and 3.5 by the way that's quite a few bucks I just need the dragon magazines that cover that time frame and I'll be set I catch a lot of s*** for it but I really like the Mechanics for 3rd Edition and besides second edition it's the one I have the most experience playing and let's be honest the only reason I have so much experience playing second edition well that's kind of obvious it 2nd edition 2nd edition ad&d probably has the most books published for it if I'm not mistaken I would love to get my hands on the old planescape books and the old spelljammer supplement material but that I probably have to go with reprints as originals are kind of hard to find in good condition and even harder to find at a reasonable price And all use the lure from second edition but it can keep its game mechanics there is no way in hell I'm going to use the saving system there is no way in hell I'm going to use THAC0 if I worked for that company back in the day when it came time to make Cuts around the office yeah the dude who came up with the idea for THAC0 would be the first one to go if I'm not mistaken though Third Edition 5th edition and Pathfinder all use the D20 system which is similar to GURPS or the r20 system Which almost every RPG video game uses nowadays with the exception of the games that probably should use it like Skyrim and Fallout 4 everything before that uses it but this means pretty much everyone is familiar with it and at least one form or another which makes it super easy to explain which makes it super easy to get into

[@kevinchristiansen4348]

yay bugbear, one of my favorites, my favorite encounter with bugbears is a group running down a cave chasing the party

[@ChazTheYouthful]

Bugbear polearm master. 15' reach on their turn, stealth combined with hard hitting and zone control.

[@deandhadwal6636]

You should do a series on the gods

[@destonlee2838]

"Hyeereek talked himself blue in the face..." "... sigh. Giggle...He's so cool..."

[@budahbaba7856]

Hint: Bugbears have been my big character thing the last few years. I've played them in AD&D 1e, 2e, & 5e. I would have to say though, that my 1E Bugbears were the most fun -i worked out a custom generation system for them that i really liked. OMFW... i love that pic at 11:40!!! FTW!!! :)

[@deandhadwal6636]

I love the detail of your videos and no one else gives enough info. Food for thought

[@assassinviii6477]

Bugbears always kinda remind me of Beast from XMen

[@budahbaba7856]

Mr. Picket, something that i have recently started to suspect about the Bugbear, is that they have a relationship to the horrific Skin Walkers/Wendigo. I am not sure what this relationship would be exactly but i see it there potentially, in that all these beings thrive on stealthily creating horror. All i can say for sure is that Skin Walkers and Wendigo (if they are even separate things) even scare the Bugbears. Perhaps they are ancient shamans that have dealt so far into darkness that they have become quasi-immortal, and don't even interact with their kin any more, except to feed off their flesh and their fear. Whatever it is, i suspect that once upon a time, the Bugbears dabbled into something that was even too far beyond the pale for their own wickedness to assimilate. This may even have contributed to to the rise in the worship of Hruggekk -because they were seeking protection from the Wendigo. Conversely, perhaps Hruggekk was empowering the Wendigo, and this led to Hruggekk being superseded by Maglubiyet of the Goblin pantheon. It can potentially work either way. But i don't see the Goblins and Hobgoblins having the same ancestral fear of the Skin Walkers the way that the Bugbears do. Something happened that specifically gave the Bugbear a terrible fright of the Skin Walkers and Wendigo. Perhaps what set off this curse was that an old Bugbear ancestor made the mistake of replying to a Skin Walker that tempted it to speak to it, and passed this on to all of their kind afterwards. I always hear that Skinwalker/Wendigo will say inane things to trick you into engaging in conversation with them -but if you do, it is a certain doom.

[@flapjakhatstak]

Skinwalkers are basically lycanthropes. Wendigos are berserker demons with deer skulls for heads that form when people resort to cannibalism.

[@marcusblacknell-andrews1783]

Crazy Question: What if this race was given the boon of “Werebear” Lycanthropy?

[@daikaijugamer6967]

Aj. I watched this video a year ago and I took inspiration from it and from warhammer 4k, I basically made bugbears who act and grow like the greenskins (Orcs) they even speak in the same manner and bully goblins the same way. They grow larger in the same ways and also make things happen by collectively believing it to be so. My players have had great times and entertaining fights thanks to the portrayals. I hope you enjoy this idea and maybe incorporate the idea in some way. Thanks for the lore.

[@konradcurze394]

They do fit nicely in a hybrid spelljammer/ Dark heresy style campaign.

[@SonicSanctuary]

Makes me wonder how they interact with orcs

[@spikegilfer1997]

I have a friend who plays a Bugbear Ranger. Career Pirate, used to be a right bastard but leveled out somewhat and became chaotic neutral opposed to chaotic evil.

[@jasonpatino]

I've been playing in a gestalt campaign since 2021, before the bugbear rewrite. My bugbears Frost Giant slave name is Hvítr Mús which means bright and colorless mouse in Jotunise (giant speak). Mús pronounced "Meus" is an albino bugbear Yeti (Bear) totem barbarian and Runic Knight. I play the tank/ front line control in my party with glaive/polearm master/sentinnel. When I giant size I stand 16 feet tall and occupy 4 squares. With 15' reach. My favorite surprise attack is called Mús in a box. This is where I hide in a small giftwrapped box that only a small creature could get into and wait to be unwrapped. It's gained so much notariety that the famous minstrel Justin Limbertake wrote diddy of it as a warning to opening gifts with unknown contents. My 37 page backstory can not express how much I love Mús, but my tattoo of him will. Bugbear 4 life people! All of my future character will be from purposefull breeding with Mús lineage. You know the saying, once you go bugbear...

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

00:13. Still my first thought of a bugbear

[@arandomperson8336]

The way you describe bugbears makes them sound more or less interchangeable with your standard murder hobo PC.

[@AJPickett]

Yup

[@samuelsmith3781]

I've lurned allot from your vids

[@xdonthave1xx]

I remember my party's first bugbear kill. It was a named enemy that was an idiot. We accidentally alerted him of our presence, and lured him and his minions to a cave entrance where we controlled the choke point.

[@UCSPanther20]

"I crush da tiny bugs!" - Bugbear from ADOM

[@angrygardengnome8383]

You are the first person I've encountered who has played ancient domains of mystery besides myself. Assuming that ADOM means to you what it means to me of course. Props for your patrician taste in old school roguelikes if so.

[@angrygardengnome8383]

@Michael Fox if I'd known of it you can bet I would have. Still remember rolling up a troll barbarian and slaughtering my way deep into that cave in the north though. Played it in the early noughties and loved it.

[@thewanderingguru4097]

Care Bugbear.

[@michaelkelligan7931]

Drizzts' first encounter with intelligent surface dwellers were bugbears,not good for the bugbears lol nice vid mate as low to mid lvl encounters go theyre not bad 😎

[@TheMarg0r]

I'm quite looking forward to the hobgoblin video, they're my favourite kind of goblinoid

[@AJPickett]

I often react to star trek klingon culture by thinking of them as star faring Hobgoblins :)

[@Dar2Jee]

man if it werent for the fondness of big weapons a bugbear might aswell make a fitting way of the shadow subclass monk xD

[@AJPickett]

I don't think I have met a Bugbear that doesn't have a close personal relationship with a knife and a very reliable club.

[@davidfletcher6703]

So, them being that they are so straightforward and direct, if a female Bugbear takes a liking to a human, she'd be like, you cute human, give me snu-snu, lol

[@AJPickett]

Bugbears are not attracted to humans in my learned opinion. You do you.

[@davidfletcher6703]

@@AJPickett,lol, I know they aren't, I was just giving an example, lol

[@AJPickett]

@@davidfletcher6703 😂

[@OakenTome]

Hobgoblins having an AC of 18 at such a low level is no joke. They don’t hit very hard, but good luck hitting them.

[@krispalermo8133]

Bugbears, irrational fear and night terrors till you have a mental break down. My first RPG shop playing AD&D. Random player, " Thats not D&D bugbears despite the movie Grim." I pull out the Complete Humanoid handbook, " Bugbears can multiclass as rogue/clerics and can gain a high enough cleric level to cast Emotion and fudge the rules to cast the wizard spell Nightmare." Then massive table debate argument if Nightmare spell will overpower the bugbear N/PC. Then one player PCing as wizard used Polymorph Self and stalked a few other players' PCs for DM terror sport. 2.) Then WotC 3e turn bugbears into multiclass terrors. With 3e CR for killing vermin it was not difficult to map out five years of hunting small game to build up a 7th-level character. So it was easy for me to explain away a 12th-level multiclass spellcasting bugbear to challenge the party with. For AD&D that just put someone as a 2nd-level fighter or wizard and maybe a 3rd or 4th-level rogue. Spellcasting works better as a Theme. Bugbears don't take people down at a distance with Fire Ball or Lightning Bolt, when they club someone it hits like a Lightning Bolt. Or swing against a shield wall and releases a thunder sonic burst that damages like a Fire Ball. Low level PC has to make Fort save against 2nd-level spell Alter Self or Shrink/ Reduce DC:12 +ability modifier and be made half their size and get shoved into the bugbear's leather sack and carry away. Works best against rogue, wizards, and bards due to their low Fort saves. Alter Self will turn a 7ft bugbear into a 10ft tall ogre, or a 3.5ft tall dwarf. Well maybe that dwarf pick pock street thief isn't a dwarf after all .... Bugbears like to eat and scare others, so spellcasting bugbears all like to play terror pranks. Remember in AD&D bugbears could Throw morning stars/ great clubs as a range attack. Also on 1d6 any rolls of 2 or below gave them Surprise from their stealth. So they knew how to cover themselves with undergrowth even in light forests cover.

[@angetalelbari2196]

How do the goblinoids stand in the Underdark in relation with other races like the dark elves or gray dwarves?

[@AJPickett]

Goblinoids don't venture down that far in sufficient numbers to be any kind of threat to the deep races, Drow and Duergar consider goblinoids to be vermin, though Drow have been known to enslave and experiment on them, Duergar will just kill or drive off any settlements that they encounter. As always, solitary goblinoids can be found just about anywhere, so who knows, you might even encounter a Bugbear bouncer outside a building entrance in Menzoberranzan.

[@mikegould6590]

You mentioned a blue bugbear and my mind went immediately to Sully from Monster's Inc.

[@YOYlS]

i really like the book version of the game with a table of friends

[@SD-zb3so]

At 2:13 i sounded like TMG said they they are use to making their own shit.

[@AJPickett]

Heh, I very nearly did.

[@GameClips808]

I have a barbarian bugbear that has 19 strength at level 1

[@TheKing-qz9wd]

Stealthy but large is a very complicated task.

[@zacharygadzinski3147]

I wonder would orcs and bugbears have kids together under any circumstances?

[@AJPickett]

Gruumsh demands that his children be fruitful, so, it seems like Orcs have an enhanced capacity to cross breed. Hobgoblins and Orcs probably pair up fairly well, Goblins and Bugbears, yeah, possible I think.

[@zacharygadzinski3147]

@@AJPickett Yeah, out of all the races it seems that orcs and humans tend to crossbreed the most. Yet it could be said that orcs are almost a dark reflection of humanity. Yet I don't think humans ever had the idea of crossbreeding with goblinoids yet. But it's fairly possible given that humans tend to intermingle with orcs, elves, and dwarves.

[@brightglory5734]

Dear Sir, should you happen to spot this maybe you could answer. When first I encountered this creature it was spelled "Bugbare" and I had to look up the pronunciation. Was that just a misprint?

[@AJPickett]

I think so.

[@doobiesmoke15]

11:40 Is that his concubine or his dinner?

[@ToxicCalvin]

Both

[@artrigus1515]

Ok, no joke, I didn’t know you were Australian. My bugbear monk is also Australian.

[@nimrodthewise836]

I don't play them as Goblinoid, they're in the "beastfolk" branch to me..

[@samuelsmith3781]

I really like this race I'm going to make a bugbear ranger can you tell how to make one

[@AJPickett]

Page 119 of Volos Guide to Monsters has the listing for Bugbear player characters. (Strength +2, Dexterity +1, +5ft reach on melee attacks, proficiency with Stealth, 60 ft darkvision, once per combat they can sneak attack if they surprise an opponent with their first attack, dealing an additional 2d6 damage, their movement speed is 30 ft and they could as large creatures for the purpose of determining lifting and carrying capacity.

[@samuelsmith3781]

Hay are there weretreants

[@animacrackers9171]

I love how y’all pronounce Chewbacca. 😆

[@neukworst]

I am on a mobile phone and cannot read your quote at the end what does it t

[@AJPickett]

Ruub Steen Braeunk vhos trolkh (means "if you die while I'm gone, do it quietly") traditional goblin farewell phrase.

[@juggalox1000]

I thought Kobolds were the only ones that had the Die Screaming feat whop wrong game.

[@joshuacaffey3518]

​@@AJPickett😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@anathema1828]

Bugbear video good!

[@BlackWingedSeraphX]

I have a Half-Nymph, Half-Bugbear DnD OC. She looks like a very cute/beautiful, pink-furred, tailless, Super Saiyan 4 xD

[@flibbernodgets7018]

13:45 What's the advantage of throwing an opponent in such a mismatched contest of strength? I was watching old superhero cartoons (well, mostly Batman Beyond so not that old) and I keep seeing these hulking giants grab the main character and then toss him across the room so he can recover. If you have a hold on him and you're that much stronger than him, why not just crush him in your grip or tear some limbs off?

[@AW-ln7us]

Everytime A.J. says "so yeah", drink

[@AJPickett]

Drink Responsibly.

[@Bl00dwerK]

My son started Curse of Strahd today, and I'm playing a Bugbear Ranger one of the group made for me. Getting familiar...

[@social3ngin33rin]

Bug bears are the creature version of the spell chill touch

[@randallbaumgardt3424]

Sorry AJ I do not share you fondness for bugbears. In 1st and 2nd edition they seemed to be the go to generic evil mid tier race so showed up in nearly every published adventure. Then in 3rd edition and onward they became 7 foot tall furry ninja commandos for some reason. I am hoping in some later edition my inner child can finally be satisfied with a bugbear that is a cockroach grizzly crossbreed like it says on the tin.

[@AJPickett]

Cockroach Grizzly is kind of stepping on the Hook Horror's toes though (a bit). In truth, I rarely use Bugbears in my games.

[@commanderbastard1993]

I'm so having a crime boss with bugbear enforcers.

[@baronvonkek8467]

I think maybe the in-universe reason why bugbears have gotten more furry and their ears have gotten more prominent is because of selective breeding. Bugbears like lots of fur and big ears.

[@catman2278]

A actually have a half Bugbear half elf named chase and he has a pirate orc for a wife, she's a fighter and chase is a bard

[@AJPickett]

Half-pirate, the race we didn't know we needed.

[@beryonderb8218]

I remember when I was playing advanced dungeons & dragons my prize how old games that I rolled up I had to subtract point from my that because the DM I was only allowing 111 points maximum of four steps by the best the best rolls I did for a characters so anyways I got stuck all by myself up again 8 bugbears it was a good fight

[@jackadeemus8847]

hay AJ, love your channel mate. hows about some indepth videos on the attributes STR DEX CON INT WIZ and CHR?

[@AJPickett]

Jack Savage I did one on dexterity and Dorks of Yore do great videos on the science of D&D, good channel to subscribe to!

[@jackadeemus8847]

+AJ Pickett (The Mighty Gluestick) you did one a long time ago i just watched it, very informative ad usual! cheers

[@CheetahFoxx]

11:40 "Boy, I think it's time i told ye the difference between a man and a lady. Ya see, a lady aint a lady unless she's pretty. And a man aint a man unless he's *ugly."* -Cpt. K'nuckles

[@DCdabest]

Panda Bugbear Monks? I like it.

[@AgentWebs]

Bugbear Grylls

[@kasharoseguild8823]

Bugbear fighter wearing full plate wielding the weapon I came up with a +5 Morningstar of soul crushing the weapon basically if it kills the enemy it sends their souls straight to the river styx for eternity

[@fonandoozmando5961]

Doesn't any goblinoids rever Maglubyet as their main god?

[@righthandymanandybrockamp3555]

Can you tell me where it says that they do an extra hit die of damage? I have never seen that.

[@AJPickett]

Then they don't for you I guess, problem solved.

[@samuelsmith3781]

How much does the valos gide to monsters cost

[@TheOxxido]

Is there any lore that connects the goblinoids to the feywild and that describes fey-touched bugbear?

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, fairytales. As for D&D, its kind of adding in the origin stuff to give a more player friendly option (ie, not evil) for 5th edition. The Fey origin is where the blue or red noses which change with the hobgoblin's mood came from, Bugbears being seriously sneaky, etc Goblins in Faerie tales are usually clever, obsessive and extremely greedy little bastards.

[@woodslore8537]

In your personal DM/GM view could it be possible for a Chaotic/Neutral or Chaotic/Good Bugbear if raised away from their own kind?

[@AJPickett]

Yes, certainly.

[@budahbaba7856]

I know the question wasn't directed to me, but it's a question i love, and think of often. In my games, the relations between monstrous races & fair races is a lot more blurry & nuanced. The fact is, there is a lot of trade & exchange that goes on between the fair races & the monsters. "The enemy of my enemy today is my friend today! Who knows where we stand tomorrow?" Especially among frontier settlements, rare goods stolen from one village are traded in another just miles away. This exchange of blood goods is a practice that is publicly condemned and denied, and usually strictly prohibited by law. But it is also universally practiced behind closed doors and dark thickets, because communities that don't trade with the monsters are the communities that wither and die! These are "don't ask, don't tell" transactions. Of course, if one side had the means to definitively wipe the other out, they likely would, at least that is the fear... but the reality is that neither side has that luxury on the frontier. The monsters & the fair folk, even while preying upon each other usually have an unspoken understanding that they need each other left in place to counterbalance competitors and invaders that may be an even greater threats. Settlements that can't negotiate this balancing act almost invariably fail. But specifically, can they be "not evil" as a racial group? I say absolutely, yes! In my version of things, Goblinoids have splinter groups with different value systems than the majority. They experience the same cultural influences as the others, but take them to very different conclusions For example, a small but numerically significant splinter of Bugbears have a very alternative cult surrounding Hruggek. To them, he protects the worlds by banishing himself to Pandemonium and guarding the entrance to a cave from which unspeakably ancient & alien evils seek to escape and corrupt all life. To them, Hruggek is a savage but selfless guardian of life, personifying the ideal of sacrifice. His savagery & bloodthirst rather than reflecting evil, reflect a virtue of strength. He has the strength to make absolutely any decision no matter how hard, in order to protect the people he serves. Perhaps a way to understand this is to liken him to Vlad the Impaler -both hero & villain; devil & saint; -possessing the moral courage to do absolutely anything to protect his people -no matter how revolting. Understandably, life is very grim for such factions, as they are persecuted from both sides. Their survival tends to become a real life reflection of their theology. While these Goblinoids indeed are savage -it is savagery born out of necessity, & not innate love of cruelty or murder for its own sake. These groups more than any one understand the necessity of family bonds, faithful alliances, & mutual cooperation. Their methods and habits may be abominable to the sensibilities of the fair folk, but their integrity as allies is actually quite impeccable. That's my version anyway :)

[@woodslore8537]

Goblintrain , the story line I was thinking on for the character in question was this. They, the bugbear, was being sold at a slave market in some cities more shady area. They were only a baby. A cleric could not allow this being to be sold into slavery. To be used as a gladiator or slave in a mine. So the cleric bought them to raise as their own. The bugbear was raised like a son to the young woman. She named him, cared for him. She taught him of her goddess (home brew). She raised him to help those in need and seek the goddess's favor through honourable and glorious battle. Being a bugbear and having that natural instinct, that hunger for battle it struck an accord with him.

[@budahbaba7856]

So, i guess the question i would ask is this. Is he Bugbear, or is he human? Part of his character challenge is going to be learning how to embrace his natural savagery, and yet channeling it as a force of good. If he is raised human, does he loathe his Bugbear self, vainly trying to be something which he is not? How does he deal with the fear, hostility, and prejudice against him? Very importantly, how does his human family deal with this? For openly adopting a Bugbear, they may have put themselves in a very precarious position. Think of it like this. Have you ever considered that in the old South, there were doubtless many slave-owning families that genuinely loved their "property", and privately were on very familiar terms with them as people? Yet in public, they always had to maintain appropriate separation, -their beloved servants become "property" again -because of the social consequences breaking that image would bring. They may have kept these slaves near & dear to them, while simultaneously treating them as second class persons. They may have felt, and perhaps with good reason, that they were protecting their slaves by not selling them to another owner. But...these people were still slaves. They were still property. And yet, in a sad way, that also may have been the safest place for them to be in that situation. Strange, isn't it? But that is the situation i am looking at with my newest Bugbear character. He is a lone survivor from one of those good factions i wrote of earlier, that were wiped out. He is currently "owned" by a very compassionate family who protect him, & promote him as a trusted servant. He has a ring and tattoos marking him as property of this family. Under the law, this gives him the protection of -a piece of property owned by this family. He has no legal standing or protection outside that designation of his relationship with that family. And yet, in this world, in these circumstances, he is actually very fortunate. All the rest of his bloodline that he is aware of are dead, or worse. Could he ever gain full legal standing as a citizen? Technically it is possible, but very hard, and very dangerous. And no amount of legal title can destroy the prejudice and hatred harbored against him as a Bugbear. And this too is understandable. The fair races here have suffered much loss to the hands of marauding Goblinoids and other monsters. In their reality, hatred is justified, and appropriate response. And here is the clincher... my character still "is" a Bugbear! No matter how he may be groomed, he is not just a big furry human, he is still savage, bloodthirsty, and terrifying as an enemy. And quite naturally, this is what outsiders see in him. They will be far less likely his loyalty, courage, and protectiveness of his fairfolk owners. While his owners may trust him completely, and command his loyalty and respect, they still can not parade him around as if he was one of their own. That would very quickly destroy any protection they can extend him, by turning them into social pariahs. Does this make any sense, & address your question at all?

[@woodslore8537]

Goblintrain the idea I have is that he is in a world that is torn so to speak. He knows what he is. He knows what many think of his kind. He has fought goblins, hobgoblin, bugbear, orc. He has heard them call him traitor. He has seen people call him a beast and a monster. He's fought beside them and once the fighting is over had them drive him away. He knows he is not human. He knows he is a bugbear. Yet as much as he is feared, mocked, etc. He holds to the promise he made. He fights for the promise he made to his mother. He fights in a similar manner to not allow his nature to fully take hold. Yet he does not shy from it when he needs to. I also have to say thank you for your help in his. Thank you for your input and offering your opinion. I think we shy from that to often. The act of discourse can truly help to flesh out an idea and grow it. Thank you.

[@samuelsmith3781]

Hay can you one over frost Giants

[@AJPickett]

I have a playlist of all the Giant races.

[@toast5802]

Did you buy the rusty dragon in booster pack too lol

[@cptnmandudeguy6270]

Where did you find those pics? I'll be playing a Bugbear soon and I liked that black Bugbear pic.

[@oopsiepoopsie2898]

How do you rolepay a bugbear for your party to fight, I am being a DM for a group of new people, and I am trying to make they game as fun for them as possible

[@thehillz726]

big and brutish, think scar from the lion king but like a thug

[@kharijordan6426]

How do they get used by hob goblins if they like being the boss?

[@AJPickett]

Because they like getting free food and beating the crap out of goblins.

[@kharijordan6426]

@@AJPickett 😦😦How......they are unbelievably easy to bribe....

[@jordanbarber6376]

Goodgod that intro tune was poppin lol

[@ceastin4935]

I'm planning on being the DM of my next campaign and the world the players are in is a world where the aboleth or a lord of the plane of water have flooded the material plane and the other planes of the elements. And there is still land above the water in the many islands, think the world of the windwaker. So how do you think the goblinoids would adapt to this world?

[@AJPickett]

Floating islands of junk all lashed together, big hamster wheel paddles turning with slaves running to keep them churning the water. Goblinoids would gravitate to a lifestyle devoted to pirating and black markets, slave trading and theft. While hated and feared by most, they would have a reputation as being dealers in any sort of drug, weapon, dark spell or exotic item, the goblinoids would garner trade deals into protection pacts with more powerful forces, such as high level mages and alchemists, nobles with dark addictions, etc.

[@ceastin4935]

AJ Pickett thanks I'll keep that in mind when I do the campaign, but I have a feeling because of legends of powerful lizards that breath powerful magic they would try and capture the ranger of the party of my friend which is a dragonborn

[@kasharoseguild8823]

Bugbear hexblade anyone

[@mrkojak-ci1zm]

Similar to or other version of the uruk hai ??

[@toast5802]

That's exactly what I was thinking.