Bugbear

Bugbears are imposing goblinoids with a muscular build and long arms. Bugbears are covered in dense fur with colors ranging from browns, blacks and whites. They have protruding tusks that are thick and on average smaller than an orcs, small pointed ears and bearlike noses. While often featured in tales about bogeymen and monsters that steal children in their sleep, bugbears generally keep to themselves and only wander into beastfolk and feyborn territory when they absolutely have to.

Like other goblinoids, bugbears live in or near forebear ruins, and have been taught since birth how to survive in the hostile environments of their homeland. This has created a hardy, survivalist species who is not afraid of throwing their weight around to get what they want.

Goblinoids
Bugbears are often found in the company of their cousins, hobgoblins and goblins. These three races have a symbiotic relationship, with the bugbears using their superior strength and size to protect the smaller goblins, while the hobgoblin’s advanced intellect and strategy helps them map safe hunting grounds and the goblin’s small size allow them to scout ahead and locate valuable treasure.

Venal Ambushers
Despite their intimidating builds, bugbears move with surprising stealth. They are fond of setting ambushes and traps and rarely engage in fights they don’t think they can win. They are dependable mercenaries as long as they are supplied food, drink, and treasure, but a bugbear’s first instinct is always self-preservation.

Bugbears are a private people, and regard other races with as must distrust and enmity as is afforded them. While the largest concentrations of bugbears make their homes in the ruins, many have migrated closer to the rich land of the feyborn and the beastfolk in hope of an easier life. Instead of contending dark horrors and unstable magic, these bugbears are instead forced to survive against territorial villagers and cruel superstitions.

This unfortunately drives many bugbears to become hostile and fight back, reinforcing the rumors and dark fairytales the villagers spin about them.

The Deep Slumber
Young and fierce bands of bugbears living near human settlements and Feyborn cities can seem dangerous and unpredictable as they contend with territorial common folk and anti-goblin superstitions. They tend to lose the cultural practices of their ancestors to adapt to contention with hostile neighbors. Deeper into the Forebear ruins, however, where the oldest of the bugbear houses control great swathes of territory, bugbears act in a contemplative, almost peaceful manner entirely alien to those who live closer to “civilization.” These bugbears have deeply-rooted spiritual beliefs and are one with alien landscapes of their ancestral homes.

The bugbears believe that the Forebear ruins are filled with dormant spirits who will aid and protect those who take the time to connect with them. To do so, a bugbear must hibernate for three months every couple of years to commune with the spirits through dreams. This slumber also serves to refresh and restore a bugbear’s body, mind, and spirit. Those who have communed with the spirits may carry around a trinket from the forebear ruins to symbolize their connection to the spirits.

Bugbear Characteristics
When creating a Bugbear character, you can use the suggested ability score increases or, as detailed in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, you can instead increase one ability score of your choice by 1 and one different ability score of your choice by 2.

(Str. +2; Dex. +1)

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.

Sneaky. You are proficient in the Stealth skill.

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.

Languages. You can speak Common and Goblin.