Saturday, October 19, 2019

An Adorable Infestation


So I came to D&D late in the game and therefore have huge holes in my knowledge about it's lore. This means that for longer than I prefer, I thought that a Bug Bear was literally a huge hairy bug and not the weirdly quiet goblinoid creature that looks more like a huge goblin than a bear or a bug. I like my version better btw. The point is that once I realized my mistake, it kicked some things off in my head about other misconceptions I had relating to what is commonly used from the various D&D Monster Manuals. I'm now in the process of reading through AD&D 2nd editions Monster Manual as it offers the most in-depth entries on those classic monsters. It's been a good read so far.



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Bear Bug (An Encounter)
These are small 3" tall bears. They feed on skin flakes and blood. They often move in packs, riding the coat tails & luggage of travelers. They are the scourge of taverns and inns. Some wiley entertainers have taken to catching and taming these creatures and can often be found traveling the world, putting on Bear Bug Circuses where they perform tricks for the amusement and confusion of children and adults everywhere.

Use: When renting a room in a popular inn, the player has a 1-in-6 chance of a Bear Bug infestation. 1-in-10 during the winter as they often will be hibernating.
Effect: Sleeping in a Bear Bug infestation site often results in tiny bites and scratches. Most people are highly allergic to the bear bug. -2 for all Mental checks for 24 hours from incessant itching. Duration resets if issue is not taken care of and they stay in the same room again.
Notes: If group is sharing a room, only roll once and it affects everyone sharing the room.
There are ways to avoid bites such as not sleeping on anything with fabric where the bear bugs might be sleeping. Or fire. Fire always works.

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