Grizzly Bear (4e Race)
Grizzly Bear
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| By Jim Nelson |
You are a bear. In fact, a smarter than average bear.
| Racial Traits |
| Average Height: 5-6.50 ft |
| Average Weight: 290–440 lb |
| Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Charisma |
| Size: Medium |
| Speed: 5 (7 On All Fours) squares |
| Vision: Normal |
| Languages: Bear (see Human Mimicry) |
| Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 Intimidate |
| Human Mimicry: You gain a racial bonus of +10 to all Bluff checks determining whether or not your disguise is blown and your true ursine identity is revealed. In addition, you may fool a character into believing you are talking to them in any of the following languages through gestures and growls: Common, Elven |
| Ursine Wrath: When an attack roll is made against your Fortitude defense, you gain 2 temporary hit points. The value increases to 5 at level 11 and again to 8 at level 21. |
| On All Fours: A bear is more agile on four paws than it is on two. You gain +2 to your speed while you are not holding anything in your hands. |
| Bear Hug | Grizzly Bear Racial Power |
| You wrap your huge arms around your foe, lifting them up and squeezing them against your chest, crushing bone and leaving them weakened. | |
| 4e Power Usage::Encounter | |
| 4e Power Action Type::Standard Action | Melee 1 |
| Primary Target: One creature | |
| Attack: Strength + 2 Vs. Fortitude | |
| Hit: You grab the target. Make a secondary attack. | |
| Secondary Target: The creature you grabbed | |
| Secondary Attack: Strength + 2 Vs. Fortitude. | |
| Hit: 1d10 + Strength modifier damage, and the target is weakened. | |
11th Level: Strength + 4; 2d10 + Strength modifier damage 21st Level: Strength + 6; 3d10 + Strength modifier damage. | |
(life span is about 50 years)
It is highly unlikely for a bear to grow intelligence, not to mention to become accepted as a part of humankind. But, amazingly, and possibly through magical influence, this has happened: many bears live amongst people without anyone ever noticing that they are bears. Even though you may not be able to speak their language, seeing as you lack the required face structure, you've learned to mimic their behaviour and fool them into thinking that you are actually conversing with them. Amazingly enough, it works, and you are seen as nothing else but a large (albeit hairy) human. Although, the wittiest of men may be able to see through your ruse and reveal your true identity, but there is no way anyone would believe them, right? Right?
Play a Grizzly Bear if you want...
- To be a bear. Simple as that.
- To feel close to nature and the primal spirits.
- To cause hilarity as you bluff your way through life, fooling everyone you ever meet.
- To be a member of a race that favors the Rogue, Barbarian and Warlord classes.
Physical Qualities
Normally, Grizzly Bears are quite large and bulky, and you are no exception. Although, this does not necessarily mean you cannot be agile, in fact quite the contrary: your formidable girth is no fat, but muscle. You are covered in fur, which varies from the more common brown to dark, grey and even black and white, although such variants are known as Pandas or Polar Bears.
Playing a Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bears are naturally strong, and are therefore well suited for the Bloodrage Barbarian and Brawler Fighter builds. Their natural ability of bluffing, as well as their fluffy appearance and brawn, also make them excellent Ruthless Ruffian and Brawny Rogues. Their On All Fours feature also makes them excellent frontline warriors, as they can dash into battle faster than most races. A Grizzly Bear will attempt to emulate human behaviour as well as possible, although at times their wild nature may peek through their ruse, such as a fondness of honey, salmon or long naps. Loyalty is common amongst Grizzly Bear adventurers, and they rarely leave a friend behind. Grizzly Bears are quite fitting in the Darksun campaign, as a comic relief: perhaps natural animals foresaw their extinction and decided to merge into the human population? It is also adviceable to write down a "Passive Bluff" score to determine whether or not your disguise is blown at all times. It will make playing a Grizzly Bear much easier.
Grizzly Bear Characteristics: Unpredictable, gentle, tolerant, empathetic, brave, fierce
Male Names: Beorn, Rupert, Lars, Ted
Female Names: Po, Sooty, Nassur, Sonya
Grizzly Bear Adventurers
Three sample Grizzly Bear adventurers are described below.
Bjorn is a Barbarian, proud of his grizzly origins. He keeps in close touch to his feral nature, lending power from the primal spirits and his own feral nature to mow down foes with his trusty axe. But not all about him is savage: he is normally a kind and gentle person, even overly soft at times. But if his or his friends' life is threatened (or the life of a bottle of honey mead), he will go berserk to shield his allies from harm.
One born to the streets, Ted has learned the ways of the city as a Rogue. His club has met the skulls of many men, travellers and thieves alike. He's learned to eat before he is eaten, but he would never betray the few he holds dear to him. Sadly, they are to never know of what he truly is, and due to this he feels alienated at times. Even though he has lived his entire life in the city, providing food for his family, he remembers his mother's stories of the wild, feeling a strange longing in the back of his head.
He was once a normal bear, until he faced an adventurer whilst looking for food in the wilds. Little did the young cub know that he was to be a legendary hero, a Warlord, one of his kind. The hero used great, ancient magic against him, sending him flying: something strange happened to the bear, who barely managed to get a hold of the hero's horned helmet before flying off into the distance. Years have passed since then, and the bear is now a known hero, a dragonslayer. Now, he is known by the name... Dovahbear.
Grizzly Bear Feats
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Feral Might | As a bear, you favor weapons that compliment your brutal nature. |
| Improved Bear Hug | Your size is notable, and that aids you greatly whilst wrestling your foes. |
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| Name | Description |
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Grizzly Bear Utility Powers
When your Grizzly Bear character gains a class utility power after 1st level, you can forgo taking a power granted to you by your class. Instead you gain a Grizzly Bear utility power of the same level or lower.
| Furry Coat | Grizzly Bear Utility 2 |
| As a bear, you have grown accustomed to long, cold winters, relying on your fur and a generous layer of fat for survival. This is no exception. | |
| 4e Power Usage::Daily | |
| 4e Power Action Type::Minor Action | Personal |
| Effect: Until the end of the encounter, or for up to three hours, you gain resistance 5 against attacks with the Cold keyword and gain a +5 bonus to Endurance checks against cold climates. | |
| Increase resistance to +7 at 11th level and to +10 at 21st level. | |
| Expert Survivalist | Grizzly Bear Utility 6 |
| You put your honed senses to a good use, your nose telling you the nearest location of food with pinpoint accuracy. | |
| 4e Power Usage::Daily | |
| 4e Power Action Type::Free Action | Personal |
| Trigger: You make a Nature, Streetwise or Dungeoneering check to find food and/or drinking water. | |
| Effect: You roll the check twice, taking the better of the two rolls. | |
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