As I was writing my previous post about Warhammer, I dug out a couple of old Citadel bugbear miniatures, which had been cast as part of Citadel’s brief but much loved AD&D line. These figures had been stuck in a display case for almost 40 years, and pulling them out I was struck by how well they held up. The sculptor, Jes Goodwin, was able to capture many fine little details, including the minute stitching around the pointed leather cap on one bugbear.

I was also reminded that these bugbears were probably the last miniatures I had worked on during my initial burst of painting—and that they were never quite finished. I vaguely remember that at the time my paints had started to run out or go dry, and my brushes were all trashed, making working on all the small bugbeary details extremely frustrating. I’m pretty sure I got them to a “close enough” stage and then set my painting aside for what ended up being a very long hiatus.

As I looked more closely at these old miniatures, I began to think they could finished off without too much trouble. I also began to wonder what some modern paints and tone washes would be able to do for them. Rather than strip these miniatures down to the metal, I just started painting on top of my old work. Like Rip Van Winkle, these great little miniatures slowly began to come back to life. I can’t explain why it feels so satisfying to complete these long-neglected figures, but it does.

Bugbears of the Great Dungeon

BUGBEARS are giant shaggy goblins hailing from the ancient Boundary Mountains. Unlike their goblin and hobgoblin kin, the bugbears were never subjugated by the elves of old Norumbega. Today they live in small, fiercely independent bands scattered across the North. In the Great Dungeon, one particularly ornery clan forms a notable faction on the middle levels.

I use a standard stat block to describe different factions in the Great Dungeon, like so:

Bugbears of the Boundary Mountains CE

A clan of treacherous bugbears ready to exploit allies and ambush enemies.

Allies Dungmarket goblins

Enemies Orcs of the Shattered Bone, The Reapers

Locations Grumlug’s Lair (6th), The Back Landing (4th, outpost), The Whispering Halls (5th, lair), The Bleak Rotunda (5th, outpost)

Names

Names Barggut, Bedrut, Bruztig, Garyag, Hruguyed, Khotgub, Meraog, Rudgul, Rudlub, Rudorb, Sudurb, Sudya

Roster

Leader Chief Grumlug (CE male bugbear rogue 5/fighter 2)

Population 37 bugbears plus 15 noncombatant adults and 18 young

Roster List

9th (7,200 xp)—Chief Grumlug (U)

7th (3,600 xp)—bugbear leader

5th (1,800 xp)—bugbear scout, bugbear shaman

3rd (900 xp)—bugbear sergeant

2nd (600 xp)—bugbear

Below are 3.5e and 5e stat blocks for members of the Bugbears of the Boundary Mountains faction. The following text is Open Game Content.

3.5e

The following table can be used to generate random bugbear encounters:

Bugbear Encounters

d%	Encounter	Average EL
01–33	1d3+1 bugbears	5
34–41	1d2 bugbear leaders	8
42–58	1d3 bugbear scouts	7
59–83	1d3+1 bugbear sergeants	6
84–00	1d2 bugbear shamans	6

Individual statblocks follow. These use an abbreviated format: feats that are already incorporated into the statblock such as Toughness are not enumerated in the Feats line. Likewise skills that appear elsewhere, such as Listen and Spot, are not repeated in the Skill line.

Bugbear CR 2

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +4, Spot +4

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16

hp 16 (3 HD)

Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Climb +3

Melee morningstar +5 (1d8+2)

Ranged javelin +3 (1d6+2)

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 9

Base Atk +2; Grp +4

Skills Hide +4, Move Silently +6

Gear leather armor, light wooden shield, morningstar, 2 javelins

Bugbear Chief CR 9

Male bugbear fighter 2/rogue 5

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +8, Spot +8

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20

hp 85 (10 HD)

Fort +10, Ref +12, Will +4

Defensive Abilities evasion, uncanny dodge, trap sense +1

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Balance +11, Climb +10, Jump +6, Tumble +9

Melee +1 longsword +13/+8 (1d8+5/19–20)

Ranged +1 throwing axe +12 (1d6+5)

Special Attacks sneak attack +3d6

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8

Base Atk +7; Grp +11

Feats Combat Reflexes, Deadly Precision*, Dodge, Mobility

Skills Hide +14, Move Silently +23, Search +8, Survival +1 (+3 following tracks)

SQ trapfinding

Combat Gear potion of haste; Gear +1 studded leather armor, +1 light wooden shield, +1 longsword, +1 throwing axe, amulet of natural armor +1, boots of elvenkind, cloak of resistance +1

Abilities

Deadly Precision: With this feat the bugbear chief can reroll any result of 1 on his sneak attack’s extra damage dice. The chief must keep the result of the reroll, even if it is another 1.

Bugbear Leader CR 7

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +4, Spot +4

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17

hp 76 (8 HD)

Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +4

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Climb +10

Melee +1 morningstar +13/+8 (1d8+7)

Ranged mwk javelin +8 (1d6+4)

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10

Base Atk +7; Grp +11

Feats Blind-Fight, Improved Shield Bash

Skills Hide +6, Intimidate +6, Move Silently +8

Combat Gear potions of cure moderate wounds and heroism; Gear leather armor, +1 light wooden shield, +1 morningstar, 2 masterwork javelins

Bugbear Scout CR 5

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +8, Spot +8

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 17

hp 45 (6 HD)

Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +3

Defensive Abilities evasion

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Balance +7, Climb +8, Tumble +7

Melee morningstar +9 (1d8+4)

Ranged javelin +7 (1d6+4)

Special Attacks sneak attack +2d6

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +4; Grp +8

Skills Hide +9, Move Silently +11

SQ trapfinding, trap sense +1

Combat Gear javelin of lightning, potion of heroism; Gear +1 leather armor, light shield, morningstar, 2 javelins

Bugbear Sergeant CR 3

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +3, Spot +3

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16

hp 32 (5 HD)

Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +0

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Climb +3

Melee longsword +8 (1d8+3/19–20)

Ranged throwing axe +6 (1d6+3)

Statistics

Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6

Base Atk +4; Grp +7

Skills Hide +5, Intimidate +2, Move Silently +7

Gear leather armor, light wooden shield, longsword, 2 throwing axes

Bugbear Shaman CR 5

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +7, Spot +7

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18

hp 58 (8 HD)

Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +8

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Climb +2

Melee mwk shortspear +6 (1d6+1)

Ranged dart +5 (1d4+1)

Typical Adept Spells Prepared (CL 5th, Concentration +8)

2nd—darkness, web (DC 15)

1st—cause fear (DC 14), cure light wounds, protection from good

0—detect magic, ghost sound (DC 13), touch of fatigue (+5 melee touch, DC 13)

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10

Base Atk +4; Grp +5

Skills Hide +8, Move Silently +10, Spellcraft +7, Survival +7

SQ summon familiar

Combat Gear javelin of lightning, wand of burning hands; Gear +1 studded leather armor, light wooden shield, masterwork shortspear, 2 darts

Noncombatant Bugbear CR 2

CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +5, Spot +5

Languages Goblin, Common

Defense

AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13

hp 19 (3 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Climb +3,

Melee dagger +3 (1d4+1/19–20)

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 7

Base Atk +2; Grp +3

Skills Hide +7, Move Silently +9

Gear dagger

5e

The roster of the bugbear faction:

• Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)—bugbear chief (Unique)
• Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)—bugbear leader
• Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)—bugbear scout, bugbear shaman
• Challenge 2 (450 XP)—bugbear sergeant
• Challenge 1 (200 XP)—bugbear

Bugbear encounters can be generated using the following table:

Bugbear Encounters

d%	Encounter	Average Challenge
01–33	1d3+1 bugbears	4
34–41	1d2 bugbear leaders	8
42–58	1d3 bugbear scouts	7
59–83	1d3+1 bugbear sergeants	6
84–00	1d2 bugbear shamans	6

Statblocks for individuals follow.

Bugbear

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (hide armor, shield)
Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
15 (+2)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	8 (-1)	11 (+0)	9 (-1)
Skills Stealth +6, Survival +2
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Goblin
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bugbear hits with it (included in the attack).
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 from the attack.
Actions
Javelin (Melee). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Javelin (Ranged). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Bugbear Chief

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 18 (+1 studded leather armor)
Hit Points 127 (15d8 + 60)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
18 (+4)	20 (+5)	18 (+4)	8 (-1)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)
Saving Throws Dex +8, Will +4
Skills Acrobatics +8, Perception +4, Stealth +11, Survival +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Goblin, Common
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bugbear chief hits with it (included in the attack).
Evasion. If the bugbear chief is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the chief instead takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if he fails.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The bugbear chief deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the chief that isn’t incapacitated and the chief doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Actions
Multiattack. The bugbear chief makes two melee attacks. Alternatively, he can make two ranged attacks with his handaxes.
Handaxe (Melee). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Handaxe (Ranged). Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage .
+1 Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage.

Bugbear Leader

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 17 (breastplate, shield)
Hit Points 90 (12d8 + 48)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
18 (+4)	12 (+1)	18 (+4)	8 (-1)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)
Skills Stealth +7, Survival +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Goblin, Common
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bugbear leader hits with it (included in the attack).
Surprise Attack. If the bugbear leader surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Actions
Javelin (Melee). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Javelin (Ranged). Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.

Bugbear Scout

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (studded leather armor)
Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
18 (+4)	19 (+4)	16 (+3)	8 (-1)	12 (+1)	6 (-2)
Skills Stealth +8, Survival +3
Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +1
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Goblin, Common
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bugbear scout hits with it (included in the attack).
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The bugbear scout deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the scout that isn’t incapacitated and the scout doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Actions
Javelin (Melee). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Javelin (Ranged). Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.

Bugbear Sergeant

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (leather armor, shield)
Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
17 (+3)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	8 (-1)	9 (-1)	6 (-2)
Skills Stealth +7, Survival +1
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages Goblin, Common
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bugbear sergeant hits with it (included in the attack).
Surprise Attack. If the bugbear sergeant surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Actions
Handaxe (Melee). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Handaxe (Ranged). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage.

Bugbear Shaman

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (studded leather)
Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
12 (+1)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)
Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +5
Skills Stealth +8, Survival +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Goblin, Common
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the shaman hits with it (included in the attack).
Surprise Attack. If the shaman surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Spellcasting. The bugbear shaman is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The shaman has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will)—guidance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy 1st level (4 slots)—bane, healing word, shield of faith 2nd level (3 slots)—hold person, silence 3rd level (2 slots)—bestow curse, mass healing word
Actions
Javelin (Melee). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 1) piercing damage.
Javelin (Ranged). Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.

Noncombatant Bugbear

Medium humanoid (goblinoid), chaotic evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 26 (4d8 + 8)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
12 (+1)	12 (+2)	15 (+2)	9 (-1)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)
Skills Stealth +6, Survival +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Goblin, Common
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
    
    • Open Game License v 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
    • System Reference Document, Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
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    • Bugbears of the Great Dungeon, Copyright 2023, R. Dorman.