WereBear racial levels [Archive] - Wizards Community

WereBear racial levels [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Tenadros
10-30-07, 12:12 PM So I've got a campaign starting at some undefined point in the future. Its a continuation of an earlier campaign involving the children and student of the earlier campaign. All characters are prebuilt and who plays what will be decided on by drawing from a hat. (Its an experiment in roleplaying. Also fun to see what "billy" does with "bobbys" son.)

So my problem is that one of the prebuilt characters is half-bear/half-Dwarf.

Don't think about it. I repeat DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT. IT IS NOT SAFE!

I know, lots of rules being violated here etc. But heres the backstory:

Half-Fey Druid chick gets access to awaken spell and the leadership feat. Creates awakened animal followers. She likes the idea of buffing her followers and augments some of them. One of these is a Brown Bear Barbarian. (seemed appropriate for a bear.)

So the bear is used as a courier between the guild of adventurers this is based on and a Dwarven Nation they are helping in a war against the Minotaur Nation. (Yes I know, but this world had a minor problem with a guild of transmuters that turned into world war I and they are still feeling the effects.)

So the Bear is running messages into the lines, meets a female dwarven cleric and war being what it is they bond (I repeat this is a fully awakened bear, sentient with a personality just like anyone else.) The bond grows and nature takes its course. So a few months later a dwarven cleric shows up at the guilds compound pregnant. She has the baby, but has to return to the war, duty, dwarven honor, etc. She plans to return but realizes that she can't raise a half-bear in a dwarven community or ever admit to its existence. She plans on returning to her true love after the war but tragically dies during the course of the war. Her child is raised by his very doting bear father and is raised at the compund and in the wooded valley surrounding it. He grows and becomes a barbarian like his dad.

So theres the character. Now I have a few options here. I could do it as a straight cross breed. Tall Dwarf with natural armor (furry) and huge str bonus. Probably an even bigger cha penalty. And lose most of the dwarven bonuses from training like stonecraft and weapons etc.

The more funnner option (to me) is to make it a werebear. My problem is they have like a +3 LA last I checked and I am startig these people at about level 3. I could just make him a lev 4 character and call it good. But wheres the challenge in that. I know that there is (somewhere) races that gain abilities as they level. I would prefer that kind of idea. Of him developing abilities as he grows in skill or ability. Now the problem is I'm not entirely sure how this would be done as I don't want to unbalance his barbarian levels.

I know that unearthed arcana has a way for racial bonuses and at certain levels you simply take a level say at level 3, 6, and 9 you take a level of werebear and then at all other levels you take bonuses.

Any ideas from those more mechanically minded?
Legdiwena
10-30-07, 01:40 PM Design a racial class progression and dole out the bonuses gradually.
BowenSilverclaw1986
10-30-07, 01:59 PM It's already been done for you ;)
Several racial progressions can be found on the main site, including one for the werebear template.

Enjoy,
Bowen
Tenadros
10-30-07, 02:08 PM It's already been done for you ;)
Several racial progressions can be found on the main site, including one for the werebear template.

Enjoy,
Bowen

Ya know what I hate? When you have this great fabulous super cool idea and then you find out someone stole your idea like years before you even thought of it. I hate it when people steal my ideas before I have a chance to think them up.

Next thing you know you'll be telling me that someone has already put victorian era flavor into a faantasy world. I gotta write that up before someone puts that one out.... (checks google).... CURSE YOU RED BARONNNNNN!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tenadros 10-30-07, 12:12 PM	So I've got a campaign starting at some undefined point in the future. Its a continuation of an earlier campaign involving the children and student of the earlier campaign. All characters are prebuilt and who plays what will be decided on by drawing from a hat. (Its an experiment in roleplaying. Also fun to see what "billy" does with "bobbys" son.) So my problem is that one of the prebuilt characters is half-bear/half-Dwarf. Don't think about it. I repeat DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT. IT IS NOT SAFE! I know, lots of rules being violated here etc. But heres the backstory: Half-Fey Druid chick gets access to awaken spell and the leadership feat. Creates awakened animal followers. She likes the idea of buffing her followers and augments some of them. One of these is a Brown Bear Barbarian. (seemed appropriate for a bear.) So the bear is used as a courier between the guild of adventurers this is based on and a Dwarven Nation they are helping in a war against the Minotaur Nation. (Yes I know, but this world had a minor problem with a guild of transmuters that turned into world war I and they are still feeling the effects.) So the Bear is running messages into the lines, meets a female dwarven cleric and war being what it is they bond (I repeat this is a fully awakened bear, sentient with a personality just like anyone else.) The bond grows and nature takes its course. So a few months later a dwarven cleric shows up at the guilds compound pregnant. She has the baby, but has to return to the war, duty, dwarven honor, etc. She plans to return but realizes that she can't raise a half-bear in a dwarven community or ever admit to its existence. She plans on returning to her true love after the war but tragically dies during the course of the war. Her child is raised by his very doting bear father and is raised at the compund and in the wooded valley surrounding it. He grows and becomes a barbarian like his dad. So theres the character. Now I have a few options here. I could do it as a straight cross breed. Tall Dwarf with natural armor (furry) and huge str bonus. Probably an even bigger cha penalty. And lose most of the dwarven bonuses from training like stonecraft and weapons etc. The more funnner option (to me) is to make it a werebear. My problem is they have like a +3 LA last I checked and I am startig these people at about level 3. I could just make him a lev 4 character and call it good. But wheres the challenge in that. I know that there is (somewhere) races that gain abilities as they level. I would prefer that kind of idea. Of him developing abilities as he grows in skill or ability. Now the problem is I'm not entirely sure how this would be done as I don't want to unbalance his barbarian levels. I know that unearthed arcana has a way for racial bonuses and at certain levels you simply take a level say at level 3, 6, and 9 you take a level of werebear and then at all other levels you take bonuses. Any ideas from those more mechanically minded?
Legdiwena 10-30-07, 01:40 PM	Design a racial class progression and dole out the bonuses gradually.
BowenSilverclaw1986 10-30-07, 01:59 PM	It's already been done for you ;) Several racial progressions can be found on the main site, including one for the werebear template. Enjoy, Bowen
Tenadros 10-30-07, 02:08 PM	It's already been done for you ;) Several racial progressions can be found on the main site, including one for the werebear template. Enjoy, Bowen Ya know what I hate? When you have this great fabulous super cool idea and then you find out someone stole your idea like years before you even thought of it. I hate it when people steal my ideas before I have a chance to think them up. Next thing you know you'll be telling me that someone has already put victorian era flavor into a faantasy world. I gotta write that up before someone puts that one out.... (checks google).... CURSE YOU RED BARONNNNNN!