Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Maldroc_the_Mad 04-03-07, 04:09 PM	Would a bugbear make a good PC? any comments? i have a player wanting to play as one, seeing as how they arent that bad for a +1 LA, +4 STR, +2 CON, +2 DEX, -2 CHA! Plus a whole bunch of other things, the look pretty sweet! So again, any comments? Have any of you played one before?
unusualsuspect 04-03-07, 04:21 PM	3 Humanoid HD and LA +1, for ECL 4... +4 str, +2 dex, +2 con, -2 cha, and +3 natural armor with CRAP saves and bab 2 (you fight as good as a wizard... congrats. seriously). That's supposed to equal a fighter 4? *shudders* Humanoid HD is about as bad as it gets. Even Animal HD at least has a strong reflex save, or even a strong will save if Dire. Giant HD gives you martial weapon proficiency. Humanoid HD? Simple weapon proficiency, at best. Crap bab. Crap saves (Strong fort, weak reflex and will). Weaksauce skills.
Count Arioch the 28th 04-03-07, 04:28 PM	You'd make a somewhat tolerable warrior type class, but you'd still be strictly inferior to a human version of the same class. You gotta keep in mind that the system is set up to favor the standard races over non-standard races, that's the whole point of why the LA's were set up the way they were. To discourage people playing said races. (Personally, the idea that a bugbear fighter should be equal to a human fighter is balderdash. A bugbear is stronger, tougher, and more agile than a human, they should be superior fighters, not "equal")
Argaud 04-03-07, 04:51 PM	You'd make a somewhat tolerable warrior type class, but you'd still be strictly inferior to a human version of the same class. You gotta keep in mind that the system is set up to favor the standard races over non-standard races, that's the whole point of why the LA's were set up the way they were. To discourage people playing said races. (Personally, the idea that a bugbear fighter should be equal to a human fighter is balderdash. A bugbear is stronger, tougher, and more agile than a human, they should be superior fighters, not "equal") He is not that worse. He has only Bab +2, but he also gets +2 to hit from raw Str. So his base to hit is the same, and he causes more damage on melee. He gets 3d8 hp only, but since he has +2 Con those are basically 3d10. He is 1d10 behind the human fighter, and he has an AC 4 poins better because the NA and superior Dex. His skills are also better, because he has Spot and Listen as racial skills in exachange of 2 skill point less. The saves are okay. The bugbear is one level behind the fighter, but he gets a +1 to Ref and Fort from superior abilities. The bugbear main weaknesses compared to a level 4 fighter seem to be the hit points and 3 feats. In exchange: an AC 4 points better and Scent.
AMGriffin 04-03-07, 07:45 PM	The bugbear is a decent fighter, but overall expect him to be fairly mediocre. Removing a level of racial HD would be a nice and simple method to give the Bugbear a bit more oomph.
Finfreeze 04-03-07, 09:21 PM	The simplest bugbear fix available is the modern bugbear. It's only LA +2. You get hit dice, but they don't count against your ECL because they don't grant BAB, saves, feats, ability score bonuses, or skill points. BUGBEAR Size: Medium. Bugbears have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. Ability Modifiers: +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma. Extra Starting Hit Dice: A bugbear gains 3 Hit Dice (3d8 hit points). The bugbear’s Constitution modifier applies to each Hit Die when determining hit points. Base Speed: 30 feet. Natural Armor Bonus: Bugbears have tough hides and gain a +3 natural armor bonus to Defense. Attack Bonus: Bugbears gain a +2 species bonus on attack rolls. Darkvision: Bugbears can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and bugbears can function with no light at all. Scent: Bugbears may use their keen sense of smell to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Allegiance: Bugbears must begin play with an allegiance to chaos, evil, or both. Skill Bonus: Bugbears gain a +4 species bonus on Move Silently checks. Bonus Feat: Bugbears gain the bonus feat Simple Weapons Proficiency. Free Language Skills: Read/Write Goblin (or local language), Speak Goblin (or local language). Other Languages: Giant, Gnoll, Orc, Undertongue. Level Adjustment: +2. Also, consider this image: http://www.wizards.com/d20modern/images/ua_gallery/49994.jpg In the actual book, all the races with HD and half-dragons got their LAs chopped. While I'd question the placement of drow (LA +2), the planetouched (LA +1, we know how they are in general), and the ogre (LA +3?!), the other races seem about right.
runestar 04-03-07, 10:10 PM	Bugbears do have some nice class skills, like listen, search, move silently and spot. You will want an int score of at least 16 to be able to max those out consistently, but the problem comes when you start taking your 1st class lv, since you will have difficulty maxing those out.
Jaxgaret 04-03-07, 11:15 PM	Bugbears make excellent sneaky Rogues. They can make decent Rangers, too. And a Bugbear Monk isn't bad. Not so good at anything else, though.
Vva70 04-11-07, 06:48 PM	(Personally, the idea that a bugbear fighter should be equal to a human fighter is balderdash. A bugbear is stronger, tougher, and more agile than a human, they should be superior fighters, not "equal") A bugbear isn't supposed to be "equal" to a human fighter. That's actually what level adjustment and monster hit dice are supposed to reflect. A bugbear is superior, and thus he fits in with a higher level party than a human fighter of equal fighter level.