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| Art by Dave C Sutherland from AD&D Monster Manual |
According to the Moldvay Basic Rules the entry for bugbears does not mention any leaders. This of course is not the same as there should not be leaders, and the module that came with the Moldvay Basic rules, B2: The Keep on the Borderlands, includes a bugbear lair among the Caves of Chaos which has a bugbear leader among normal bugbears, given stats approximately those of a normal ogre.
The AD&D Monster Manual entry for bugbears certainly has bugbear leaders mentioned in the text although they do not get their own stat blocks.
In a previous post I proposed rules for different humanoid races to have their own leaders that can advance as NPCs, with classes (warrior or shaman), levels and spell progression for shamans or ability progression for warriors. The basic monster stats for kobolds, orcs, goblins and hobgoblins represent a typical 1st level warrior for that race.
Although I could have a go at doing a similar thing for bugbears, I personally feel that once a creature’s normal hit dice is at 2 or more (and bugbears have 3+1 HD), the idea of starting at 1st level breaks down - essentially a basic bugbear from the Moldvay rules starts at 3rd level. So instead I’m going with the approach I have taken with minotaurs and ogres, and presenting bugbear leaders as monsters having their own stat blocks.
Bugbear Leaders
These are the bigger, tougher members of a tribe who have become leaders through a combination of brute force, guile and personality (at least among bugbears - more civilised races may not find them so charismatic). Such leaders are generally better equipped than most of their tribe as they get first pick of any loot. DMs should feel free to modify the stats to allow for magic weapons, armour and other items the bugbear recognises as useful. Bugbears tend not to ride animals as they always want to be able to sneak around if they sense enemies nearby, and mounts might give their presence away.
Bugbear flingers are normal bugbears who have become skilful at throwing weapons such as throwing axes, javelins, large knives and the like. This is borrowed from AD&D where most bugbears are assumed to carry throwable weapons. At the DM’s discretion any number of normal bugbears may be equipped with 1d4 throwable weapons such as javelins or hand-axes that have 10ft short/30ft medium/50ft long range and do 1d6 damage each. In melee bugbears use large weapons that do 2d4 damage, such as bastard swords, morning stars (large spiked maces) and unusually heavy battleaxes (doing 2d4 not 1d8 damage). Leaders, chiefs and warlords get bonuses to damage due to their greater strength. Bugbears have an unarmoured AC 8 but generally wear some sort of armour, such as reinforced leather, scale mail, a chainmail shirt or some sort of brigandine that gives normal bugbears AC 5. Chiefs and warlords will wear better armour that may not look smart but gives the equivalent protection of plate mail.
All bugbears not wearing heavy armour can be stealthy, surprising opponents on 1-3 on 1d6. Bugbears will try to incorporate this advantage into their tactics, usually by setting an ambush. Note that as bugbear chiefs and bugbear warlords are wearing heavy metal armour they cannot be stealthy unless they take it off (unarmoured AC 8).
Bugbear Young are generally considered non-combatants, but stats are given here if something (such as an adventuring party) is trying to wipe out the whole tribe.
Bugbear Leaders are found in groups of 10 or more bugbears.
Bugbear chiefs are found in tribes of 40 or more bugbears and will have 1d4 bugbear leaders acting as their personal bodyguard and buddies as well as other bugbear leaders as lieutenants and squad commanders.
Bugbear warlords are rare, and are usually found leading the largest tribes (200 or more bugbears). They can command up to a dozen bugbear chiefs and scores of bugbear leaders, and may well have other races as slaves, mercenaries, allies and the like.
Although bugbears more powerful than warlords might exist, they are unique creatures that do not fit any template, and are extremely rare. Huggrek (see below) was one of these.
Bugbear Shamans
Bugbear shamans have made spiritual contact with something beyond this world that can grant them spells. Bugbear shamans are nearly always chaotic, and since bugbear culture in general is chaotic, any neutral bugbear shamans would probably be exiled hermit. Lawful bugbear shamans are unheard of. Some bugbear shamans worship Chaos itself, and draw power from the cosmic force of Chaos that is opposed to Law. Others will worship immortals with a little more personality, including ascended Chaos Princes. Although they appreciate sneakiness and stealth, bugbears are not clever enough to understand deep philosophies, so most of the immortals they worship appeal to more brutal humanoids. A few of the more predatory ones have started to follow the Ravening Maw, while the Arvorian Scion of the Outer Dark known as Mohosskith appeals to bugbear shamans who focus on stealth and surprise.
One of the most popular deities is an ascended bugbear known as Huggrek, now a chaos prince. A mighty bugbear warlord and leader of bugbear nations, Huggrek exemplified what a bugbear should aspire to be - cunning, brutal, deadly in close combat and capable of commanding great loyalty and tribal cohesion. Despite having ascended many centuries ago, his cult among bugbears has endured and spread. Huggrek always used a morning star (a two-handed spiked mace doing 2d4 damage) and as such many followers of his will use morning stars in melee. There have been other ascended bugbears but these tend to be more local and their worship tends not to persist for more than a few generations.
Bugbear shamans can use any melee weapon but tend not to use missiles. Bugbear shamans, like other humanoid shamans, can wear leather, chainmail or scale armour or its equivalent (AC 5 like most bugbears) but not banded armour or plate mail - this has the advantage that they can still use their stealth. They can use magic items that a cleric can use and make saving throws as clerics of appropriate level. They can cast clerical and druid spells. The prepared spells listed below are suggestions, not prescriptive. Clerical spell progression is borrowed from the Rules Cyclopedia, not Cook's Expert set which seems a little uneven.
Bugbears in Mystara
The biggest population of bugbears in Mystara is in the Broken Lands, with a whole realm, Bugburbia, dominated by them. However, like other goblinoids they are widespread, and can be found from the tundra wastes of Norwold to the humid jungles of Davania as well as deep underground in all sorts of dungeons and caverns. There were rumours of bugbears around the Marilenev Estate in Karameikos but they no longer seem to be there. The tribe actually migrated eastwards decades ago and now lurks near the Rugalov River, alongside the goblins of the Dymrak Forest.
Bugbears have their own dialect that is based on Goblinish, and can live and fight along side both goblins and hobgoblins. They are much larger and tougher and as such bugbears have a tendency to boss around and bully goblins and hobgoblins though this rarely deteriorates into outright violence. Bugbears may well have goblins servants in their lairs, or else act as mercenaries for a powerful hobgoblin chief. Similarly bugbears may be found as servants, mercenaries or footsoldiers of more powerful creatures such as dragons, the aranea of Davania and even slave-trading pirates.
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| Art by Dave C Sutherland from AD&D Monster Manual |
Exactly what the bugbear monster entry needed. Though you may remember the expert set 6 mile hex map places bugbears in the hills southwest of the black eagle.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lance, nice to hear. Though I believe the bugbears on the Expert map of Karameikos were to the southeast not southwest of the Black Eagle Barony, which means they were in the Marilenev estate, which are the ones I was referring to.
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