Warriors are the tribe's elite, the headman's inner-circle, and are often bound together by blood ritual. In battle, warriors fight ferociously and show no mercy, as their invariably large collections of heads attest.

In the long before, there was a young bugbear who thought himself the wisest, quickest, and quietest hunter in the forest. He spurned his totem, saying for all to hear that he was superior to all birds and beasts; even the great grey owl. In his arrogance, he said he would kill the next owl he saw.

That very night, he saw the great grey owl and shot at him with his bow. The owl had heard him, of course, and took flight. With the wind of his silent wings, he transformed the bugbear. Now, instead of wise, he was ignorant. Instead of quick, he was lumbering.

Instead of quiet, he crashed and roared in the night.

Now, those of the wolf outsmart him, those of the deer outrun him, and those of the cat he does not see at all.

Bugbears are born for battle and mayhem. Surviving by raiding and hunting, they bully the weak and despise being bossed around, but their love of carnage means they will fight for powerful masters if bloodshed and treasure are assured.

Goblinoids

Bugbears are often found in the company of their cousins, hobgoblins and goblins. Bugbears usually enslave goblins they encounter, and they bully hobgoblins into giving them gold and food in return for serving as scouts and shock troops. Even when paid, bugbears are at best unreliable allies, yet goblins and hobgoblins understand that no matter how much bugbears might drain a tribe of resources, these creatures are a potent force.

Followers of Hruggek

Bugbears worship Hruggek, a lesser god who dwells on the plane of Acheron. In the absence of their goblinoid kin, bugbears form loose war bands, each one led by its fiercest member. Bugbears believe that when they die, their spirits have a chance to fight at Hruggek's side. They try to prove themselves worthy by defeating as many foes as possible.

Venal Ambushers

Despite their intimidating builds, bugbears move with surprising stealth. They are fond of setting ambushes and flee when outmatched. They are dependable mercenaries as long as they are supplied food, drink, and treasure, but a bugbear forgets any bond when its life is on the line. A wounded member of a bugbear band might be left behind to help the rest of the band escape. Afterward, that bugbear might help pursuers track down its former companions if doing so saves its life.

Huge, hairy goblins standing about 6 feet tall with darkish brown eyes

Bugbears look like huge, hairy goblins, standing about 6 feet tall. Their eyes are usually a darkish brown color and they move very quietly. They are wild and relatively fearless, and bully smaller humanoids whenever possible. Bugbears prefer to ambush opponents if they can. When hunting, they often send scouts ahead of the main group. Bugbear attacks are coordinated, and their tactics are sound if not brilliant. They are able to move in nearly complete silence, surprising opponents on 1-3 on 1d6. In order to remain silent, they must wear only leather or hide armor, as indicated in the Armor Class scores above. Bugbears receive a +1 bonus on damage due to their great Strength. As with most goblinoid monsters, they have Darkvision with a 30' range.

Large, hairy goblins with an ungainly gait. Favour attacking by surprise.

Huge, hairy goblins standing about 6 feet tall with darkish brown eyes

Bugbears tend to form bands and live near goblins, a distant relative. Although bugbears have 60-ft infravision, they can live both above and below ground. Bugbears are quite stealthy and surprise at 50%; and a "hear noise" roll will not detect them. Bugbears use a variety of weapons usually gathered from fallen opponents. These include axes, morning stars, hammers, swords, spears and missile weapons. Bugbears speak hobgoblin and goblin as well as chaotic evil and their own cursed speech.