Bearkin

Guardians of Wildlife

Bearkin live amongst small tribes scattered across the forests. Their tribes consisting of direct family and typically nothing more. Bearkin raise their young tempered with wisdom and rationality to prepare them for the world they will soon protect. When reaching maturity, a Bearkin is sent away from their small tribe to protect over a portion of the land as it’s sentinel. To attune with the other wildlife as the self-appointed alpha of their territory.
Bearkin are often nurturing and loving individuals however, they welcome new inhabitants to their forest with a watchful eye. Whenever a hostile invader attacks something a Bearkin cherishes or protects, a Bearkin will stop at nearly nothing to make sure the threat is neutralized. To prevent the threat from harming anything else and to make sure the protected stay unharmed.

Spiritual Protectors

Bearkin owe their creation to a small group of 5 bears. Ages ago, with the War of the Frozen Hells underway, dragons would rampage & scour the lands. However, with the lands being destroyed & bloodshed ever high, Karametra had had enough.
With Karametra being recently reincarnated by mortals, instead of looking to mortal humanoids to regard them as her champions, she looked towards wildlife itself. Giving advanced sentience to animalistic beasts to have them take up arms in the war.
Looking upon the fauna’s ancient protectors, she would seek out a group of animals with one of the most innate protective natures. These few bears would become some of the first Bearkin Warriors. Tasked to protect their land & and all those that inhabit it with their lives, these individuals & their descendants would be the reason why most forests have survived til this day. Spiritual protectors of the forests, Bearkin are often seen as protective wards across the lands to prevent any and all danger. To impede on a Bearkin’s land is normally never a problem, but to destroy or endanger anything within it would be a grave mistake. These spirit guardians embody the protective nature of Karametra but when angered, they invoke the fury of The Storm Father Keranos himself.

Features & Traits

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Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Alternatively, you may forgo these bonuses to instead gain your choice of:

• +2 to one ability score of your choice and a +1 to a different ability score of your choice.
• +1 to three different ability scores of your choice.

If you do so, you must edit the character's stats directly.


Age
Bearkin reach adulthood at age 10 and live slightly longer than humans.

Alignment
Bearkin typically tend towards Lawfulness due to their high regards to morals and tradition. Having strong solidarity, they take up a stance of neutrality.

Size
Bearkin stand between 6 feet tall and 8-feet tall and corded with powerful muscles, weighing up to 260 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Smell
Thanks to your sensitive nose, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Roar of the Protector
As a bonus action, you can let out an especially menacing roar at a creature within 5 feet of you that can hear you, forcing them to make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your choice of either your Constitution, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (choose when you select this species). On a failure it has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you for 1 minute. If the creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also frightened for the duration. An affected creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. You may use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Thick Hide
Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one language of your choice.


Bearkin on dndbeyond