Bear Warrior (Prestige Class)

Certain people in the lands of Fenar revere bears as symbols of the warrior’s strength and battle prowess. By adopting the bear as a totem animal, warriors of these people hope to tap some of the bear’s strength. Bear warriors, through a special relationship with bear spirits, literally adopt a bear’s strength in the rage of battle, actually transforming into bears while they fight. Only characters who can already tap into a spiritual power of rage or frenzy can heighten that power to become bear warriors. Most bear warriors are barbarians, and druids sometimes become bear warriors. NPC bear warriors are usually the champions of barbarian tribes, rustic villages, or warlike temples. They lead other warriors, not through discipline and order, but by the inspiring example they present.

#### Requirements

* **Feats**: Power Attack
* **Spellcasting**: Able to cast spells
* **Special**: Moment of Clarity rage power.

#### Class Skill

The Bear Warrior's class skills are Acrobatics, Climb, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Ride , Swim and Survival.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

#### Class Features

**Weapon and Armor Proficiency:** Bear warriors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They do not gain any additional proficiency with armor or shields.

**Spells per Day/Spells Known**: When a new bear warrior level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class granted her access to the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus metamagic or item creation feats, bard or assassin abilities, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. This essentially means that she adds the level of bear warrior to the level of whatever other spellcasting class granted her access, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

If a character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a bear warrior, she must decide to which class she adds each level of bear warrior for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

**Bear Form (Sp):** A bear warrior can transform into a bear while in a rage, fury, or *ki* frenzy. At 1st level, a bear warrior can assume the form of a black bear for the entire duration of one of his rages each day. This ability is similar to *polymorph self*, except that the bear warrior becomes an exceptional bear. His Strength score increases by +8, his Dexterity score by +2, and his Constitution score by +4 (these bonuses replace the normal raging bonuses). He gains temporary hit points from his new Constitution score as if raging and a +2 natural AC bonus. He still gains a +2 bonus on Will saves and suffers a -2 penalty to AC while raging. He can make two claw attacks at his full normal base attack bonus, each dealing 1d4 points of damage plus his (new) Strength bonus, and one bite attack at his base attack bonus -5, dealing 1d6 points of damage plus one-half his (new) Strength bonus. As with polymorph self, his weapons, armor, and other equipment merge into his bear form, becoming nonfunctional for the duration of the change (except for items specifically designed to supercede this limitation).

At 4th level, the bear warrior can assume bear form twice each day (while in a rage, fury, or *ki* frenzy) and can choose between black and brown bear forms. In brown bear form, the bear warrior's Strength increases by +16, his Dexterity by +2, and his Constitution by +8 . He gains a +5 natural AC bonus, and becomes size Large (suffering a -1 penalty to AC and attacks). His claw attacks deal ids points of damage plus his Strength bonus, and his bite attack deals 2d8 points of damage plus one-half his Strength bonus. He gains the improved grab exceptional ability, which he can use when he hits with a claw attack. His face becomes 5 feet by 10 feet.

At 8th level, the bear warrior can assume bear form three times each day (while in a rage, fury, or *ki* frenzy) and can choose between black, brown, and dire bear forms. In dire bear form, the bear warrior's Strength increases by +20, his Dexterity by +2, and his Constitution by +8. He gains a +7 natural AC bonus, and becomes size Large. His claw attacks deal 2d4 points of damage plus his Strength bonus, and his bite attack deals 2d8 points of damage plus one-half his Strength bonus. He gains the improved grab exceptional ability, which he can use when he hits with a claw attack. His face becomes 10 feet by 20 feet, and his reach is 10 feet.

**Ragecaster (Su)**: Starting at 2nd level, a bear warrior’s spells grow more potent when he rages. When using moment of clarity, he adds his barbarian level to his caster level. At 7th level, he adds his Constitution bonus to the save DC of any spells cast while raging.

**Scent (Ex):** At 3rd level, a bear warrior gains the scent special ability. This allows the character to detect opponents by sense of smell as a free action, generally within 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is 60 feet. If it is downwind, the range is 15 feet. The bear warrior can detect strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, at twice these ranges. The bear warrior can detect overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, at three times these ranges.

The bear warrior detects another creature's presence but not its specific location. Noting the direction of the scent is a move equivalent action. If he moves within 5 feet of the scent's source, the bear warrior can pinpoint that source.

The bear warrior can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10. The DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Track feat. Bear warriors tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

Bear warriors can identify familiar odors just as normal humans do familiar sights. Water, particularly running water, ruins a trail.

False, powerful odors can easily mask other scents. The presence of such an odor completely spoils the ability to properly detect or identify creatures, and the base Wilderness Lore DC to track becomes 20 rather than 10.

**Extra Raging:** At 5th level, and again at 10th level, the number of times per day that a bear warrior can enter a state of rage, fury, or *ki* frenzy increases by one. For example, a 7th-level barbarian/5th-level bear warrior can rage three times per day, while a 7th-level barbarian/10th-level bear warrior can rage four times per day. If that same character were to advance one barbarian level, he could rage five times per day.

**Raging Bear Prophet (Su)**: At 6th level, a bear warrior is able to cast spells with a range of “personal” on himself while raging, without having to use clarity of mind.