Questions tagged [bugbear]

For questions about bugbears, either as a monster/NPC or a playable race in D&D and related RPGs. In D&D, they are typically depicted as massive humanoids distantly related to goblins and hobgoblins but covered in fur. They first appeared in OD&D and were first playable in AD&D 2e, and have appeared in every edition of D&D so far. Bugbears are based on creatures of the same name from English folklore that were historically used to frighten children.

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8 votes
2 answers
769 views

Does a bugbear's reach revert to normal between multiple consecutive attacks?

A bugbear's long-limbed trait says When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal. Suppose the bugbear has multiple attacks on its attack actions and ...
14 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does the Bugbears "Sneaky" trait always apply? Fitting into small places when larger than medium

We are playing a homebrew campaign based on the 5e core rulebooks, only allowing monster races (Monsters of the Multiverse). One of my players chose to play a bugbear rune knight. The bugbear states: &...
18 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is a turn considered "taken" at its start or the end? (re: Assassinate and new bugbear PC features)

Looking at the rules for the 5e Assassin subclass (and similarly for the PC Bugbear Surprise Attack feature), Assassinate Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on ...
  • 183
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

Do the Bugbear's Long-Limbed trait and the Way of the Astral Self's astral arms stack for reach?

The Bugbear has a trait called Long-Limbed that states: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal. The Way of the Astral Self monk has a feature ...
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

How much damage does an unarmed bugbear deal?

The 5th edition Monster Manual gives Bugbear stats for morning star and javelin attacks, but not for unarmed attacks. I improvised 1d4 +2, but how much damage can an unarmed bugbear actually deal?
65 votes
2 answers
12k views

Do Bugbears' arms literally get longer when it's their turn?

The Bugbear's Long-Limbed trait (VGtM, p. 119) says: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal. This means that when it is not a Bugbear's turn, ...
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10 votes
2 answers
26k views

At what distance can a bugbear, holding a reach weapon, with the Polearm Master feat, get their Opportunity Attack?

I have crafted a Barbarian bugbear that uses a halberd weapon, and will take Polearm Mastery as a feat. Bugbears have the Long-Limbed trait: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach ...
  • 36k
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

What are the practical Opportunity Attack values for a bugbear, holding a reach weapon, with the Polearm Master feat?

I have crafted a Barbarian bugbear that uses a halberd weapon, and will take Polearm Master as a feat. Bugbears have the Long-Limbed trait: When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach ...
  • 36k
5 votes
2 answers
6k views

Are bugbears a playable PC race in Adventurers League?

I am a new D&D player and my DM wants to know if bugbears are playable in Adventurers League. We only have the core rule books. Before this point my DM hadn't even heard of a bugbear PC. The only ...
10 votes
1 answer
3k views

Is a Bugbear's Long Limbed reach also applied to shoves and grapples?

In this question, I have been told the difference between a "melee attack" (which, if I understand correctly, Shoves and Grapples are) and a "melee weapon attack" (which they are not). A Bugbear's ...
  • 28.2k
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

How has the relative combat prowess of Bugbears as opposed to Goblins changed over time?

Bugbears are the big bad goblinoids. A single average bugbear has always been more than a match for a single average goblin, in a straight up fight (which sort of fighting neither generally employs). ...
8 votes
1 answer
5k views

How often does a bugbear's Surprise Attack trait trigger?

Bugbears have the Surprise Attack trait: Surprise Attack. If the bugbear surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage ...
  • 231
16 votes
3 answers
3k views

Are opportunity attacks considered my turn?

In Volo's Guide to Monsters the playable Bugbear has an attribute called Long-Limbed which reads When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal. The ...
  • 1,306
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Brutal Weapon Property and the Bugbear's Oversized Weapons ability

So I was playing around in the D&D character builder and made a bugbear barbarian that used an execution axe. The Execution axe has a normal damage die of 1d12 but the bugbear racial ability bumps ...
  • 5,423