Bears, Dire

Dire bears are animals.

An animal is a living, nonhuman creature, usually a vertebrate with no magical abilities and no innate capacity for language or culture.

Animals have low-light vision.

Animals breathe, eat, and sleep.

Larger, more aggressive, and far more deadly than its lesser cousins, the dire bear (known to barbarian tribes variously as the cave bear or the short-faced bear) is a primeval menace indeed. This behemoth avoids more civilized reaches of the world, preferring to dwell in remote wilderness locations. A dire bear is a rare and terrifying sight – especially to those not used to normal bears.

A dire bear can detect approaching enemies, sniff our hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Dire bears can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.

A dire bear can detect opponents by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases; if downwind, it drops. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at longer ranges. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at even longer ranges.

When a dire bear detects a scent, it doesn’t know the exact location of the source – only its presence somewhere within range. A dire bear can note the direction of the scent though. When the dire bear is next to the source, it pinpoints the source’s location.

A dire bear can follow tracks by smell. The difficulty increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. Dire bears tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

Unlike most bears, a dire bear is short-tempered and swift to anger when confronted with intruders in its territory. Like a grizzly, a dire bear attempts to subdue or kill with its claws. However, a dire bear is far more likely (and willing) to begin biting a grabbed foe.

If a dire bear hits with its claws, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple without provoking an attack of opportunity. Grab can only be used against targets of a size equal to or smaller than the dire bear. A dire bear can conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its claws to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it’s harder to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. Each successful grapple check it makes automatically deals damage.

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