Towering pillars of fur and muscle, bugbears are powerful and ferocious creatures, almost always found side-by-side with goblins. In some eras and places, bugbears have long been considered little more than a pest; but this serves as a disservice and prejudice to a fully-fledged people.
With unusually long arms and an affinity for sinewy strength, bugbears are natural at surviving and thriving in combat and hostile environments. A bugbear with a long stick is notoriously difficult to approach. And, despite their girth, their soft fur pads the noise of their movements, allowing them to navigate silently when hunting or skulking. By appearance, some would say a bugbear resembles a wild bear, but whose nose has been flattened and ears elongated - thus the name, one assumes.
Bugbears are an exclusively female species, and compared to other humanoids, have a rather bizzare biology. Every bugbear is born as a goblin from a bugbear mother. When a mature goblin consumes enough energy, they undergo a permanent transformation into a bugbear. Following this metamorphosis, a bugbear who consumes enough energy will spontaneously become pregnant, resulting in the birth of additional goblins.
In this way, bugbears and goblins are able to thrive in even the most difficult environments. Indeed, it is easy to see how in some parts of the world hostile bugbears would be considered a menace, as even a single living member of the species could over a few decades produce a thriving tribe. Like most other living things, however, bugbears are limited in capacity by their environment: if too many bugbears gather in one spot, they will not have enough resources to go around, and thus the local goblins will be unable to transform into bugbears.
Most often bugbear settlements will adapt to this critical mass of population, allowing most of the goblins to live and defer to a much smaller group of bugbear elders.
Bugbears in the World
Due to the unique biology of the bugbear species, these folk spread far and wide across Des Forabis in variable number. However, in recent history (and still today in some cases) bugbears and goblins were considered by many to be a lesser species, resulting in a fractured and downtrodden people. One cannot say whether many bugbears across the land resort to banditry to survive due to the fact that they had been persecuted, or if they are persecuted due to the fact that they use banditry to survive.
Not all bugbears are hostile to civilization, however. Many live in scattered tribes who are able to survive on the borderlands of civilization. Many of these groups tend to keep to themselves, a desire perhaps for self-sufficience and independence.
Bugbear Player Characters
As a bugbear you are primarily defined by your upbringing, which would have started with life as a goblin and eventually allowed you to metamorph into a bugbear, which occurs over the span of a couple years as long as they have access to reliable bounty. You should decide what environment allowed you to thrive in this way, whether it was a peaceful wilderness overflowing with food and clean water, or a wealthy life in a city where one can buy anything they desire. A starving and destitute goblin cannot transform into a bugbear unless their situation changes.
Remember that all bugbears are female. Additionally, note that goblins can be aware of their metamorphosis into bugbear and choose to avoid undergoing it by certain means - so your existence as a bugbear most likely was a personal choice you made. Perhaps you desire to one day start a family of your own, wanted to grow strong to defend your siblings, or simply wished to see what it was like to be tall.
Goblins are born in litters of at least three. This means you most likely have at least a few siblings - twins. Consider what these siblings mean to you; do you still live with them and your mother? Have you chosen to leave them for some heroic purpose? Did all your siblings also become bugbears, or were you the only one? A bugbear who has no connection to any siblings is an anomaly.
Bugbears are a species commonly considered monstrous, but you do not need to be a monster. Nonetheless, keep in mind that some civilizations will thusly treat you as a monster based on their experiences with goblinoids in the past.
Bugbear Traits
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +2 to Strength and +1 to Dexterity.
Age. As bugbears grow out of mature goblins, there is no set age of maturity for a bugbear. Any mature goblin (age 8+) can undergo the metamorphosis, which takes about 2 years. A bugbear will live for a couple decades longer than a goblin, usually dying of old age around age 80, including their original goblin life.
Size. Your size is Medium. A fully-grown bugbear can be twice the size of a goblin - from 6 to 8 feet tall, and are extremely powerfully-built, weighing 250 to 350 pounds on average.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
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 can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Long-Limbed. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. Also, you require 50% more food than an average human to survive day to day. A goblin who eats as much as an average bugbear for an extended period will be able to undergo their metamorphosis.
Sneaky. You are proficient in the Stealth skill thanks to your soft fur, which cushions the sounds you make.
Surprise Attack. If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat.
