"Large, hairy, overgrown goblins with a strange, shuffling gait" is how I've seen the Bugbear described, but you don't hear much about the "strange gait" anymore in later editions of D&D. Originally, the Bugbear is shown to look like this character, but that got changed when AD&D hit the market. While the original does strike my whimsy in a fond way, I still end up describing Bugbears in my games mostly as above. Except, maybe, with less armpit hair...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Evolution of the Bugbear
"Large, hairy, overgrown goblins with a strange, shuffling gait" is how I've seen the Bugbear described, but you don't hear much about the "strange gait" anymore in later editions of D&D. Originally, the Bugbear is shown to look like this character, but that got changed when AD&D hit the market. While the original does strike my whimsy in a fond way, I still end up describing Bugbears in my games mostly as above. Except, maybe, with less armpit hair...
I like the 4th edition bugbear. They include them as goblins (shocked me for a sec, as they were not in the "Bs" - "No bugbears?!?" I thought!) They are more elusive, and there is an "assassin" type called a "Strangler".
ReplyDeleteI like your picture. I still think of bugbears with the big Erol Otus style noggin on them though :-D
I also like Otus' bugbears. I tried to draw something slightly different than that, but without wandering too far off.
ReplyDeleteI like this rendition of the bugbear. Although I do still like the current version too, they seem more savage, but less goblinoid.
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ReplyDeleteThis will always be how a bugbear should look to me. Badass, hairy, and goblinoid.
ReplyDeletehttp://webspace.webring.com/people/ui/i_ate_breakfast/bugbear.jpg
Forgot to add the link in the first comment >_>