Kralin Thornberry
Explorer
Use a bear, give it a scaly hide (or maybe a shell of some kind). Kind of like a shark being made into a silt shark.
The "Monstrous Compendium Appendix II Terrors Beyond Tyr" 2E book had an Athasian bear called a Klar.
Its basically the Armadillo plated psionic bear mentioned earlier

(Dungeons & Dragons)
Rulebook featuring "high magic" options, including a host of new spells.