Many martial artists base their training, and their ways of life, on the lessons they can learn from animals. Monkeys are limber and dexterous, panthers are lithe and stealthy, and bears use their size to overpower their opponents. There are many different martial arts styles based on animals, and in the world of Faerûn, these martial arts are amongst the most popular, and the most personal. There is no singular "Way of the Beast"; instead, each martial artist must choose a specific beast to study and learn from, as their own personal guide. These martial artists travel the world to various temples dedicated to their specific beasts, to pray, train, and attempt to commune with their chosen spirit. Eventually, with enough training and mental tranquility, a beast spirit may even appear before the monks and journey alongside them.

By selecting this subclass, you have chosen to follow the Way of the Bear Spirit, and base your martial arts on the teachings of the Bear. Bears are known for using their size to intimidate and overpower the creatures who threaten them. Their massive claws and arms can slash, grapple, and pin opponents.

**For the purpose of balancing this subclass, your monk does not gain its Extra Attack feature at 5th level.**

 

Bear Companion

At 3rd level, you gain a bear companion that will travel and fight alongside you. This bear uses the stats block listed for a Black Bear in the Player's Handbook, but with the following changes:

• The bear's Charisma score is 10, and its proficiency bonus is always the same as yours.
• The bear obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls its own initiative in battle, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.
• The bear loses its Multiattack action until specified otherwise.
• The bear uses its proficiency bonus for its attack rolls, damage rolls, and skills in which it is proficient, but uses your save DC for abilities that require a target to make a saving throw.
• The bear also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC.
• The bear gains the Slow Fall, Stunning Strike (using your Ki points), Ki-Empowered Strikes, Stillness Of Mind, Purity Of Body, and Timeless Body features at the same levels as your monk.
• For each level you gain after 3rd, your bear gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.
• Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your bear's abilities also improve. Your bear can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your bear can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

If your bear is ever slain, its body disappears instantly and it cannot be resurrected until after you complete a long rest. At the end of a long rest, you can call forth your companion's spirit again, and it reappears alongside you.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 3rd level, both you and your bear gain proficiencies in the Athletics and Intimidation skills, and you both have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Bear Hug

Additionally at 3rd level, you have learned how to crush your enemies with intense bear hugs.

Whenever you or your bear successfully grapple a creature, that creature and the grappler are both considered restrained until the grapple ends. While the creature is grappled, the grappler can use its action to automatically maintain the grapple, and its bonus action to make one unarmed strike against the creature with advantage.

At 17th level, you and your bear gain the ability to make one unarmed strike as part of the action to maintain a grapple. While grappling, your bear can also choose to replace any of its unarmed strikes with bite attacks.

Frightening Roar

At 6th level, your bear can use its action on the first round of combat to stand up on its hind legs and make a fierce roar. Each hostile creature within 60 ft. must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or become frightened. A frightened creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on a success.

Your bear can only use this ability once per combat, and only during the first round. It can't use this ability if it was surprised.

Multiattack

Beginning at 11th level, your bear can use its Multiattack action.

Large Body

At 11th level, whenever you and your bear are within 5 ft. of each other, you both gain bonuses to your Constitution saving throws equal to your bear's CON modifier.

Additionally, when your bear is within 5 ft. of you and a creature attacks you, your bear can use its reaction to redirect the attack to itself instead. It must do so before knowing whether the attack hits or misses.

Protective Bodies

Beginning at 17th level, you and non-hostile creatures gain a +1 bonus to their ACs whenever they are within 5 ft. of your bear.

Additionally, your bear can use its reaction listed in the Large Body feature to protect any creature of its choice, not just yourself, and you gain the ability to use this reaction to protect any creature of your choice, as well.