Bugbear Traits In D&D

Back in Issue 10 of d12 Monthly, which is all about monsters, I wrote an article that gave many of the low-level humanoids (orcs, goblins, ogre, etc) a series of traits that you can roll for to give either individuals or clans of humanoids a unique ability.

I have used these many times in my solo and group campaigns, and I was asked by a Patron if I had done one of these for Bugbears – which I have not.

The Bugbear Traits Table

So, with that all in mind, here are the traits for the Bugbear.

D12	Bugbear Trait
1	Ambush Predator: On the first round after surprising an opponent, gain +1 to hit.
2	Silent Stalker: Gain a +1 bonus on surprising opponents when in forests, hills, ruins, or underground.
3	Long Arms: May attack from the second rank with melee weapons that normally cannot.
4	Powerful Build: Once per combat, reroll a melee damage roll and keep the new result.
5	Terrifying Roar: Once per combat, NPCs with fewer Hit Dice than you must make a Morale check or retreat on their next turn.
6	Dark Hunter: Ignore any movement penalties caused by darkness or low light.
7	Brutal Grappler: Gain +2 bonus on Strength checks made to force open doors, bend bars, or grapple an opponent.
8	Thick Hide: The first hit suffered each combat deals 1 point less damage (minimum 1).
9	Iron Frame: +1 AC against missile attacks.
10	Night Eyes: See twice as far as humans in torchlight, moonlight, or similar dim conditions.
11	Cunning Escape: Once per combat, after making a melee attack, move up to half your movement in addition to any other move.
12	Cruel Hunter: If you reduce an opponent to 0 hit points, all allied bugbears gain +1 to attack rolls until the end of the following round.

As mentioned previously, this could be used for a leader (or other unique individual), or for a whole clan based on how they train their warriors.

Most of these are based around combat and ambushing – which bugbears are known for – but you could easily substitute a few non-combat related bonuses.

One that just can to mind is:

Thick Skull: +2 on saves versus mind-affecting magic (Charm, Sleep, Fear, etc.).

Issue 10 can be found in this website to download for free.