Bear Knight (5e Class)

Bear Knight

The bear knight is a warrior who wears the hide of a bear as a token of power and protection, channeling the power of a bear trough the hide, allowing them to manifest some of the beast powers, such as strength, instincts and resilience. The path to become a bear knight involves defeating a bear by himself in a individual fight, and skinning his body to create the mantle used to channel the power contained in its essence.

Bear knights are spiritualistic by nature, although they may vary in relation to were the power of the bear they manifest really come. Some use the hide as a way to contact the spiritual world, connecting to a spiritual bear that guides and protects them. Others use the skin to gain the protection and favors of a powerful or divine entity, gaining powers trough worship and devotion. Some can even use the skin to channel the primal powers of the bear, becoming giant primitive versions of this animal, or letting the instincts and ferocity of these creatures to take control over them.

Creating a Bear Knight

[1] by Justin Tang

When creating your Bear Knight, ask yourself a few questions: Why did you decided to become a bear knight? Did you survive a fight with a terrible bear by himself, gaining its powers afterwards, or have you first become devoted to a powerful bear entity, such as the Archfey Bear King or the God Torngarsuk? How do you employ your powers, for what purpose? To protect wild-lands, to gain power to win battles or do you have the might as a end in and of itself?

Quick Build

You can make a Bear knight quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution and Wisdom. Choose the Hermit or the Outlander background.

Class Features

As a Bear Knight you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per Bear Knight level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Bear Knight level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons (melee only)
Tools: Leatherworker’s tools
Saving Throws: Constitution, Strength
Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception and Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a greataxe or (b) any martial weapon
• (a) an explorer's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack
• a leather armor, a spear and a hunting trap

Table: The Bear Knight

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Bear Hide,Invoke Bear Spirit
2nd	+2	Nature's Honing, Pathway to Bearhood
3rd	+2	Essence of the Bear
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Essence of the Bear Improvement
6th	+3	Path Feature
7th	+3	Natural Fighter
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Bear Roar
10th	+4	Path Feature
11th	+4	Multiattack, Essence of the Bear Improvement
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Might of Torngarsuk, Superior Essence of the Bear
14th	+5	Path Feature
15th	+5	Skin Recovery
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Essence of the Bear Improvement
18th	+6	Vitality of Torngarsuk
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Blessing of Torngarsuk

Bear Hide

You have a specially crafted hide armor made out of bear skin. While wearing this hide armor, you can add your Constitution modifier, instead of Dexterity, to your AC following all of the same dexterity restrictions. You can also wear this hide over a suit of armor, increasing your AC in +1 with it.

If you ever lose or have your hide destroyed, you must craft another. You must hunt and kill a bear, removing its skin, and crafting the armor can be done over the course of a short or a long rest.

Invoke Bear Spirit

At 1st level, while wearing your bear hide, you can summon the spirit of the bear you have killed to assume the form of a hybrid between bear and man. As a bonus action, you assume this bear form. While in the bear form, you gain the following benefits:

• Your hybrid form have a pool of hit points equal to your proficiency bonus + 3 x your level in this class. Whenever you take damage, you can choose if you lose your hit points or hit points from the pool. If this pool is reduced to 0 hit points, the bear hide is destroyed.

• You gain advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on smell.

• As a reaction, you harden your skin, and can reduce acid, bludgeoning, cold, fire, piercing, poison and slashing by an amount equal to 1d10.

• You can use your bonus action to either take the Dash or Search actions.

You can return to your normal form as a bonus action on your turn. While in your normal form, you can spend your hit dice to restore the hit points from your hybrid pool, rolling the die and adding your Constitution modifier to it.

Spending hit dice to recover hit points during a short rest also recover your hybrid form. You don't add your Constitution modifier to the amount of hit points regained in the hybrid form. In addition, your hybrid form recover all hit points during a long rest.

Pathway to Bearhood

At 2nd level, you get to chose a path on which you will chose to pursue a path of bearhood, channeling the power of the bear in different ways. These paths are detailed at the end of the description, and grants you features at 2nd level, and again at 6th, 10th and 14th levels.

Nature's Honing

Starting at 2nd level, you can move trough natural terrain as a bear would. You gain climbing speed equal to your movement speed, and ignore non-magical difficult terrain while in forests.

In addition, you gain advantage on all Wisdom checks relying on smell, even when you are not on your bear form, and not restricted to Perception checks. You also gain advantage on Wisdom and Charisma checks made against bears.

Essence of the Bear

Starting at 3rd level, you can invoke the power of a bear to gain natural attacks. Whenever you are on your hybrid form, your unarmed strikes now deal 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the regular damage for that attack.

in addition to this when you use take the attack action on your turn, you can use your bonus action to make an additional unarmed strike

The damage type depends on the natural weapon used: bite (piercing) or claws (slashing).

At 5th level, this unarmed strike is considered magical, and you add +1 to attacks and damage rolls with it. This magical bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

At 5th level, you attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Natural Fighter

Having been a fighter for so long, especially one from the forest, and have developed techniques to fight in the wilderness or with the wilderness. At 7th level, you gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) while in forests and woodlands.

You also gain the ability to pounce on a target. As an action you may pounce at a creature within 10 feet of you and make a melee attack roll against that creature. On a hit, you additional damage equal to twice your Strength modifier.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to Strength modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses of this feature when you finish a long rest.

Bear Roar

At 9th level, your voice turns into a much more rough version of your own voice, awakening fear on your enemies hearts. As a bonus action, you can unleash your roar, causing all creatures in a 30-foot radius to become frightened unless they succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. The effect lasts for 1 minute, and the target can make the saving throw again at the start of each of its turns to end the effect. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw can't be affected by this effect again for the next 24 hours.

You have advantage on melee weapon attacks made using Strength against any creature frightened by this feature. You can use this feature twice, and regain your uses of it after finishing a long rest.

In addition, you can spend one use of your Bear Roar, to become able to speak with animals (as the homonym spell), or to grant this ability to another creature you touch, for the next 24 hours.

Multiattack

Starting at 11th level, whenever you use your bonus action to attack with your natural weapons, you can attack twice, instead of once.

Superior Essence of the Bear

Also at 13th level, you can forgo this additional attack to, instead, harden your bear hide and fortify your defenses. As a bonus action, you strengthen your bear hide. If you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to add +2 to your AC, potentially causing the attack to miss.

In addition, you also gain a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d4 + your Constitution modifier, that last until the start of your next turn.

The AC bonus increase to +3 at 17th level.

Might of Torngarsuk

You have by this point have proven that you are a force to reckoned with on the battlefield. Starting at 13th level, whenever you fail a Strength check, saving throw or strength based melee weapon attack, while in the hybrid form, you can choose to succeed instead. Once you use this feature, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

You can use this feature twice at 17th level.

Skin Recovery

Starting at 15th level, while in your hybrid form , you can use your bonus action and spend one hit die to regain hit points as if you had completed a short rest. Both you and the hybrid form hit points pool are recovered.

Vitality of Torngarsuk

Your connection to Torngarsuk is suddenly stronger as you have proven yourself as a warrior in his eyes. At 18th level, your hit point maximum increases by 2 per level you have in this class.

Blessing of Torngarsuk

At 20th level, your Strength and Constitution increase in 4, up to a maximum of 24.

Paths of Bearhood

Bear King

You embody the power of the feywild, assuming the aspect of the bear king.

Magical Honeypot

Starting at 2nd level, when you adopt this path, you gain a magical pot filled with magical honey, able to empower creatures and heal wounds.

You can cause this magical pot to fill with honey. Your honey pot can feed up to eight creatures for a full day, and the first time a creature eats honey from the honey pot, it regains 1d4 hit points. You can use this feature twice, and regain your uses when you finish a long rest.

At 10th level, You can also feed a creature honey from the pot to mimic the effects of heroism and cure wounds (Casting the spell at first level) on a creature. Doing so spend one use (or eight doses) of your magical honeypot.

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Spiritual Honeybees

Starting at 2nd level, a cloud of honeybees permanently surrounds you and accompanies you, producing your magical honeypot and protecting you. You can cast the infestation spell, using your Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.

Whenever you are in your hybrid form and suffer an attack from a target within 5 feet, the bees attack your enemy, causing 1 piercing damage and 1 poison damage to it.

At 6th level, you can command a spiritual queen bee, that works as a familiar summoned by the find familiar spell (use the statistics of a hawk). You can cast this spell once, being unable to do it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

At 14th level, whenever a creature attacks you, you can use your reaction to cause the swarm to flies towards it. The creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or take 1d8 piercing damage and 1d12 poison damage. You must spend one use of your honeypot feature to do so.

Bear Companion

Starting at 6th level, you become accompanied by a black bear. These black bear acts immediately after your turn and follows all your commands. They also are considered fey, instead of beast, and have a Intelligence score of 6.

if your bear is killed it returns to life when you finish a long rest.

Bee Carriage

At 10th level, you can command the bee hive that accompanies you to allow you to fly up to 30 feet. You must end your movement in the ground, or else you fall. .

Bear King

Starting at 14th level, you can use your command over nature to summon spiritual bears to come to your aid. You can cast conjure animals, but to summon only bears, without requiring components once, being able to do it again when you complete a long rest.

In addition your bear companions now use the statistics of a black bear, brown bear or polar bear (your choice). You can change the bear type of your companions whenever you finish a long rest.

Bear Skin

You learn how to assume the form of a bear. As you grow stronger, your bear form becomes more primal and larger.

Dire Bear Form

Starting at 2nd level, whenever you assume your hybrid form, you gain the following benefits:

• Your hybrid form has your proficiency bonus + 5 x your level in this class, instead of the regular amount.
• You gain advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks when pulling, lifting or carrying while in the hybrid form.

Giant Bear

At 6th level, whenever you assume your hybrid form, you become a giant bear. You gain the following benefits:

• Your size becomes large, if it is lower.
• You gain +2 to your AC while transformed.
• You add half your proficiency bonus in all Strength, Constitution and Wisdom checks you don't already add your proficiency while in the hybrid form.
• You are unable to speak and gain advantage on all your Intimidation checks.

In addition, you gain all the previous benefits and detriments.

Giant Bear Improved

At 10th level, whenever you assume your hybrid form, you gain the following benefits:

• Your size becomes huge, if it is lower.
• Your natural attacks gain reach.
• Whenever you score a critical hit, you roll the dice three times, instead of two.

In addition, you gain all the previous benefits.

Giant Bear Enhanced

At 14th level, you can use your action to become a terrifying gargantuan bear. You must be on your hybrid form to use this feature. You gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• Your size becomes gargantuan, if it is lower.
• You gain resistance to all damage types
• You gain advantage on all Strength checks and saving throws.
• You add + 1d8 to the damage of all your attacks.

In addition, you gain all the previous benefits.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest. You can also use this feature again after completing a short rest, but doing so cause you to suffer 1 level of exhaustion when the effect end.

Spirit Walker

You develop a connection with the bear spirit, allowing you to gain powers related to the spiritual plane.

Ghostly Form

Starting at 2nd level, you gain a deep connection with the spiritual world. When you assume your hybrid form, you summon the image of a spectral bear that is superimposed to yours. While in this form, you can see trough normal and magical darkness up to a range of 30 feet, and can see into the ethereal plane for the same distance while you are in the material plane (and vice versa).

While in the Ghostly Form, you can use your Wisdom, instead of Strength, for attack rolls. You can also use your reaction to reduce force, necrotic and psychic damage.

In addition, you gain proficiency in Perception and Insight. You add twice your proficiency bonus in checks with those skills if you are already proficient with it.

Spirit Walker

Starting at 6th level, you can use your bonus action to cast etherealness as a bonus action on your turn, without spending a spell slot, lasting until the end of your turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Spectral Claws

Starting at 10th level, while you are in your Ghostly Form, your natural attacks gain reach of 15 feet. At reach your attacks deal force damage, instead of the normal damage.

In addition, if the target is under half its maximum amount of hit points, you deal additional 1d4 necrotic damage with your natural attacks.

Life Controller

Starting at 14th level, while in the Ghostly Form, you become immune to necrotic and force damage.

In addition, when you hit a creature with your spectral claws, you can choose to either drain or grant vitality to it. You can generate one of the following effects:

• Drain: Choose one creature within range and make an attack roll. The creature takes 3d6 necrotic damage, and you regain the same amount of hit points. You can only use drain a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining your uses after finishing a long rest.
• Concede: Choose one creature within range and roll 1d4 + your Wisdom modifier. You lose this amount of hit points and the target regains the same amount. You can't avoid this hit point loss by any means.

Berserker

You are a warrior that draws your power from the bear skin of a bear you have killed, embodying the strength of the mighty beast.

Bear Armor

At 2nd level, when wearing your bear hide armor, you can add your full Constitution modifier, instead of +2. In addition, you also gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Savage Strikes

Starting at 2st level, you can perform vicious strikes with your weapons. As a bonus action, you can give yourself advantage on your next Strength based attack roll you make.

In addition, whenever you have advantage on an attack roll with a melee weapon, you can forgo your advantage to roll the weapon damage dice twice and choose the highest.

Bear Charge

At 6th level, while your hybrid form have at least 1 hit point on the pool, you can add your Wisdom modifier to your initiative rolls.

In addition, on your first turn of combat, you can use your reaction to move towards a creature and make a melee weapon attack against a creature within 5 feet. This attack is made at advantage.

Indomitable Warrior

At 10th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) and regain your uses of this feature after finishing a long rest.

Frightening Combatant

At 14th level, you gain one additional use of your bear roar feature. In addition, whenever you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you can use your Bear Roar without spending an action.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the bear knight class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Strength and 13 Constitution.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the bear knight class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, medium armor, simple weapons, leatherworker's tools.

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