The Long Night Bear-Warrior

We’re getting ready for another winter storm here. Such things always make for memorable morning commutes. Joy. Well, before I hit the sack I thought I would post the working draft for the Bear-Warrior, a Warrior subclass for the Long Night Campaign. My last post looked at the Hægtesse. Now it’s super-duper-bear-power time! I think my toddler’s stuffed teddy bear is subconsciously influencing my tired mind.

Possessed they were! Without mail and as loud as the Thunder God, they gnawed their shields and roared mightily. They slew man after man, and it seemed as if fire nor iron touched them. They were not men. They were bears!

Byrne’s Song

Parent Class: Warrior
Requirements: Min. STR 13 & CON 9
Change/Remove:
• Shield & Hides Only
• No Inspiring Ability
• No Warrior Stronghold

Bear-warriors are fierce and powerful warriors intimately connected with bear-spirits that have been ritually bound in the bear-skins they wear. They tend to shun mail armor since the iron disrupts the ability to commune with the bound spirit.

Bear-warriors are known for their great strength, battle prowess, and almost supernatural ability to sustain terrible blows that would kill another warrior. Over time, bear-warriors can become so deeply connected with the spirit of the bear that they are able to take on the form of an actual bear.

Unlike wolf-warriors known for pack-hunting and teamwork, a bear-warrior’s preferred tactics are more that of a solitary opportunist. This may be for the best, as bear-warriors sometimes are unable to distinguish friend from foe in the heat of battle.

Social Restrictions

Wild: Bear-warriors are perceived as wild and animalistic by many, and over time they take on some of the distinctive characteristics of a bear.

Bear-warriors suffer a -2 penalty to reaction rolls with other humans. However, they get a +2 bonus to reaction rolls when encountering wild bears. Consult the following table for a list of acquired distinctive features:

Self-Reliant: While bear-warriors often do well with small intimate groups (sometimes even becoming leaders of a warband), they tend to prefer their own company and do not utilize hirelings.

Bear-warriors do not use hirelings since the Spirit of the Bear instills a strong sense of independence that leads bear-warriors to rely on themselves to accomplish tasks.

Combat

Spirit of the Bear: Bear-warriors are able to call upon the powerful Spirit of the Bear. Such spirit-filled warriors are sometimes call werebears (“man-bears”).

Calling upon the Spirit of the Bear is only possible while the character is wearing the bear-skin that houses the spirit. Bear-warriors may invite the Spirit of the Bear into their bodies once per day. For every five levels of character experience, increase the number of times per day by one (e.g., two times per day at 5^th level, three times per day at 10^th level, etc.). Bear-warriors are instilled with the Spirit of the Bear for the duration of one combat encounter.

Bear-warriors may risk calling upon the Spirit of the Bear more than the allotted times per day; however, they do so at risk of losing themselves to the Spirit of the Bear and must make a roll to determine whether the spirit returns to the bear-skin or whether it asserts control over the warrior (see below).

The Spirit of the Bear grants the following abilities:

• Hit Point Surge: Like the powerful bear with its thick pelt and muscle, the bear-warrior is able to sustain blows that would normally slay another warrior.

The character’s hit points are immediately increased to the maximum possible value. For example, a 2^nd-level bear-warrior calling upon the Spirit of the Bear would increase his hit points to 14 plus his CON ability modifier since a 2^nd-level warrior has 2d6+2 hit dice.

Once the warrior is no longer filled with the Spirit of Bear, the character’s hit points will be reduced to the normal value. If the remaining number of hit points are already below the maximum normal value, then the hit points will remain at that value until normally recovered.

• Damage Bonus: Bear-warriors are filled with the great strength of the bear that makes them capable of delivering devastating blows.

Bear-warrior characters filled with the Spirit of the Bear add a damage bonus to all successful attacks equal to the character’s current level (e.g., a 5^th-level bear-warrior would add 5 to all damage rolls). Additionally, any time an attacking bear-warrior character rolls a natural 20, the bear-warrior may opt to wrap the opponent up in a crushing “bearhug” for double damage.

Spirit of the Bear: Potential Dangers & Side Effects

Frequently calling upon the Spirit of the Bear is dangerous since the bear-warrior risks losing his sense of self, thus becoming more bear than human. Only the strong of body, mind, and spirit can continually harness the Spirit of the Bear without losing themselves.

Anytime a bear-warrior calls upon the Spirit of the Bear more than the normally allotted times per day, it is not guaranteed that the Spirit of Bear will depart the warrior. Therefore, the warrior will need to re-bind the Spirit of the Bear to the bear-skin by means of a spiritual battle. This contest involves the warrior’s experience, physical strength, ability to recall his sense of identity (i.e., remember himself), and his ability to discern the difference between his spirit and the bear’s spirit. Mechanically, the player must roll equal-to-or-under the total value of character’s STR + INT + WIS + 5-per-level on a d100 roll.

Example: A 3^rd-level bear-warrior with a strength of 16, an intelligence of 9, and a wisdom of 11 will be required to roll a 51 or less on d100 (e.g., 16+9+11+15) anytime the warrior calls upon the Spirit of Bear more than once per day.

Should the character fail this roll, the bear-warrior will be under the Spirit of the Bear. Once under control, there is a 25% chance that the bear-warrior will be overcome with rage and begin attacking the nearest person (this may include friends and allies). Otherwise, the bear-warrior will flee to the wilderness with the mentality of a bear. The character is under the control of the Referee during this time.

Option: Referees may optionally decide that bear-warriors in a rage also flee after sustaining a 50% loss of their hit points.

Bear-warriors overcome by the Spirit of the Bear are also at risk of losing themselves permanently, and the length of time the character is under the control of the Spirit of the Bear depends on how many times the character has failed this roll previously (i.e., the more the player succumbs to the Spirit of the Bear, the more difficult it becomes to reassert one’s human identity). Players are expected to keep track of this number. Consult the below table to determine how long the character is under the influence of the Spirit of the Bear.

Lastly, a bear-warrior that has called upon the Spirit of the Bear will be required to consume double amount of food and drink for that day.

Shapeshift: Heroic bear-warriors gain the ability to temporarily merge with the Spirit of the Bear in a way that allows them to transform themselves into a bear.

Beginning at fourth level, a bear-warrior may shapeshift into an actual brown bear once per day. Bear-warriors may maintain control of this form for 10 minutes per level of experience. In addition to the above abilities granted by the Spirit of the Bear, the bear-warrior also gains the following:

• Increased Movement: +1” movement
• Keen Sense of Smell: 4-in-6 chance of smelling food, blood, etc. up to a mile away. This distance is doubled if downwind of scent. Particularly strong scents may increase the distance even more. Can only be surprised on 1-in-6.
• Thick Hide: AC 6

Note: The Referee may allow other minor abilities normally associated with a bear depending on the context and circumstances.

Each time a bear-warrior assumes the form of a bear, the character will be required to undergo a spiritual contest with the Spirit of the Bear using the same rules described above. Failed rolls are cumulative with any failures accrued from assuming the Spirit of the Bear too many times.

Warden

Instead of becoming a Lord at 9^th level as other warriors, a bear-warrior may opt to become a Warden of a particular area of wilderness. In protecting the land, the Warden may summon 2d6 + CHA modifier number of brown bears to assist against threats. Having sensed the Warden’s needs ahead of time, these bears will arrive in 2d6 combat rounds. 

Bear-Warrior Exceptional Talents & Traits

Instead of selecting from the warrior list of talents & traits, the bear-warrior player may opt for one of the following:

• Terrifying Roar: With terrible war cries, all 1 HD enemies must immediately make a morale check at -1
• Solidary Warrior: +1 to attack rolls when engaging more than one opponent at a time without assistance
• Climber: +1 to Climb checks.
• Shield-Breaker: May opt to destroy opponents non-magical shield whenever the bear-warrior exceeds attack roll by a margin of 3.
• Reckless Charger: +2 to attack and damage every time an opponent is engaged in melee with a charge (first round of melee only). The player must then make a saving throw (apply DEX modifier); failure results in the bear-warrior being knocked to the ground.
• Winter Warrior: +4 to saving throws involving cold-based attacks
• Thick-Skinned: +1 AC
• Keen-Hearing: +1 to Hear checks.
• Honey-Lover: Immune to the effects of mead
• In Tune with the Wild: +2 to Reaction checks when encountering any wild/natural animal, not just bears