Homebrew Bearkin Species Details

Protective Nature

Bearkin have strong parental instincts and are willing to fight to protect their clans and families. To a bearkin blood is thicker than water, and few situations would result in a bearkin abandoning their clan and joining a life of adventure. Powerful and protective, they tend to be wary of outsiders but make very loyal allies, though they rarely side with large kingdoms or armies due to their disinterest in politics. 

As strong in heart as in muscle, bearkin have a strong natural parental instinct. In their families, both parents are expected to provide and care for their children (known as 'cubs') as best they can.

Uncertain Origins

While bearkin have only been around for a few generations their origin is surrounded in mystery. Most believe that they are the result of malevolent druidic rituals; The bearkin, it is said, upon achieving true sentience did not obey, killed their masters and escaped.

In bearkin families gathered around campfires, they tell scary tales of evil druid pacts and monsters that will come to take children who do not perform simple chores or behave, though no bearkin truly knows where they came from.

Other theories of bearkin origins are less credible, such as their role as native guardians in the Feywilds, escaped to the Material Plane after a war, or that they owe their creation to a pact made by an army of great warriors, given the bodies and strength of bears to dominate their enemies. Intelligent or scholarly bearkin often to wish to discover this detail.

Blood Ties

A traditional bearkin tribe consists of ones alpha male, the strongest, as a leader with several females. Young bearkin who wish to become alpha must battle in honourable unarmed combat to claim the throne - otherwise the youth of the clan usually show great respect to their elders.

Bearkin clans tend to have tough, intimidating names like First Tooth, Furious Swipes, and Bloody Roar, and often use simple symbols that they scratch into tree trunks to designate their territory. Veteran travellers who recognise these symbols when travelling know to deviate their course to avoid getting attacked by aggressive tribes.

Most often, a bearkin leaves as a result of disgracing their family in battle or breaking code, through many bearkin found in cities credit their abandonment to a family massacre, being lost, forest fires or other causes that physically ejected them from their home. Bearkin away from their homes often drawn to a life of adventure as a result of their natural instinct and origin in the wilds.

Tradition and Honor

Traditionally, Bearkin tend to not be religious creatures, though all owe faith to Grizzus, their patron god of Bears. While clans differ vastly in beliefs and ideals, all owe allegiance to Grizzus and his ideals of clan law and leadership.

Tribes and families of bearkin are often found fighting and feuding, although complex politics and many of the concepts of ownership, such as money, are unfamiliar customs to them.

Grizzus, who bearkin believes watches and guides the, through play and battle, often contacts Elders or shaman within tribes as well as particularly righteous or powerful warriors. They claim to have seen visions of their god in their sleep designating them a specific task, and it is not uncommon for a member of the tribe to leave in pursuit of this mission, which is a sign of honour.

Bearkin Traits

Strong, stubborn and powerful, bearkin are a race of fierce tribal warriors.

Ability Score Increase

Your strength score increases by 2.

Keen Smell

You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Animal Instincts

You have proficiency in the survival skill.

Claws

Using your bear claws to attack, your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 slashing damage.

Languages

Bearic is a primitive language of growls and barks most often used to quickly convey details while hunting and to intimidate. It has no written form.