Would you give up 5 character levels to play a MM bugbear?

[No brains]

A Bugbear has 5 d8 RHD and its Brute feature roughly mimics and could stack with extra attack. Class features and an optimal front line hit die would be lost, but would it be worth it?

If choosing Bugbear also precluded your choice of background, would it still be a worthy choice?

If you have an side points about how 5e tried to discourage this kind of thinking or something, be my guest.

[thoroughlyS]

The bugbear statblock is rather lacking for a 5th level character. Being a monster doesn't come with proficiencies, so you'd have to use hide armor, a morningstar, a shield, and javelins until next level when you could multiclass into barbarian, fighter, or rogue. Sure, you get brute, but that's not even as good as sneak attack at that level. The only other features you'd get are darkvision, expertise in stealth, and surprise attack. You would have the number of skills a background gets you, and no tools or languages to speak of. You don't even get saving throws!

If you want to recreate the bugbear statblock, be a bugbear with a level each in fighter and rogue. You'll be superior in every regard except hit points.

[Grod_The_Giant]

No, and doubly no since Volo's has stats for Bugbear as a normal race. The only thing they get is Brute, and it's pathetically weak compared to five levels of class features.

[Occasional Sage]

This kind of racial offset was used in 3e. It was consistently poorly implemented and led to inequitable play experiences. Seeing its conspicuous absence from 5e surprises me absolutely not at all.

[Gastronomie]

I'd just use the player race from Volo's.

Besides, MM entries are much simpler and thus boring to play compared to player character sheets.

[Maelynn]

Volo's made it a playable race, and judging by the character one of my players made from it, it works just fine. I don't get the 'losing 5 char levels' bit.

Depending on how you play it out, not every background in feasible, true. But doesn't the same go for other choices? I can't see a burly Barbarian with low int pick Sage, for example. There are plenty of ways to make a Bugbear work, if you're creative enough.

[Lalliman]

If you insist on using a monster as a player character, don't look at the hit dice. They're arbitrary and don't mean anything. A bugbear is CR 1, which makes it roughly equivalent to a 3rd level character. Treating it as such will work ok, I think, but there will be some odd discrepancies between you and the other players. You'll also have to arbitrate its weapon and armour proficiencies, since they're not stated.

[MaxWilson]

A Bugbear has 5 d8 RHD and its Brute feature roughly mimics and could stack with extra attack. Class features and an optimal front line hit die would be lost, but would it be worth it?

If choosing Bugbear also precluded your choice of background, would it still be a worthy choice?

If you have an side points about how 5e tried to discourage this kind of thinking or something, be my guest.

The game designer in me says, "Hey... that's an interesting approach, charging levels for a monster stat block. I think I like it. How would you handle stat rolling?"

The roleplayer in me says, "I don't love bugbears, but I find hobgoblins quite interesting, and I'd be tempted to spring for one of them on similar terms."

The power gamer in me says "Hmmm, extra melee damage and Stealth expertise in exchange for five levels? Probably not strictly worth it but not terrible. If the roleplayer in me liked bugbears I'd encourage him to try a bugbear Polearm Master Cavalier."