Polarwere
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Polarwere, Dire Polar Bear Form
Huge Magical Beast (Cold, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 18d8+108 (189 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (-2 size, +13 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+35
Attack: Claw +25 melee (2d6+14)
Full Attack: 2 claws +25 melee (2d6+14) and bite +20 melee (3d8+7)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Alternate form, battle frenzy, curse of the polarwere, improved grab
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron, darkvision 60 ft., faster healing, immunity to cold, low-light vision, polar bear empathy, scent, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +11, Will +12
Abilities: Str 39, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +20, Hide -2*, Intimidate +6, Jump +28, Listen +11, Spot +11, Swim +26
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Endurance, Power Attack, Run, Track (B), Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Cold plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 14
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often neutral evil
Advancement: 19-36 HD (Huge); 37-45 HD (Gargantuan) or by character class
Level Adjustment: —
Polarwere, Hybrid Form
Huge Magical Beast (Cold, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 18d8+108 (189 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (-2 size, +13 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+35
Attack: Claw +25 melee (2d6+14)
Full Attack: 2 claws +25 melee (2d6+14) and bite +20 melee (3d8+7)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Alternate form, battle frenzy, curse of the polarwere, improved grab, rend 4d6+14
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron, darkvision 60 ft., faster healing, immunity to cold, low-light vision, polar bear empathy, scent, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +11, Will +12
Abilities: Str 39, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +20, Hide -2*, Intimidate +6, Jump +24, Listen +11, Spot +11, Swim +26
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Endurance, Power Attack, Run, Track (B), Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Cold plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 14
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often neutral evil
Advancement: 19-36 HD (Huge); 37-45 HD (Gargantuan) or by character class
Level Adjustment: —
Polarwere, Frost Giant Form
Large Magical Beast (Cold, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 18d8+108 (189 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +11 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+35
Attack: Huge greataxe +22 melee (3d6+15/x3) or slam +22 melee (1d4+10) or rock +13 ranged (2d6+10)
Full Attack: Huge greataxe +22/+17 melee (3d6+15/x3) or 2 slams +22 melee (1d4+10) or rock +13 ranged (2d6+10)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Alternate form, rock throwing
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., faster healing, immunity to cold, low-light vision, polar bear empathy, rock catching, scent, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +12, Will +12
Abilities: Str 31, Dex 13, Con 23, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +16, Hide -1, Intimidate +6, Jump +20, Listen +11, Spot +11, Swim +22
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Great Cleave, Endurance, Power Attack, Run, Track (B), Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Cold plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 14
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often neutral evil
Advancement: 19-36 HD (Huge); 37-45 HD (Gargantuan) or by character class
Level Adjustment: —
This massive white bear is over twenty feet long, with vicious black claws. Its form begins to shift, taking on a more bipedal form.
Polarweres are a unique form of shapechanger somewhat akin to therianthropes and wereseals. These massive, magical bears each have a specific frost giant form, and may also take a hybrid shape of their other two forms.
Polarweres are bitter and selfish, preferring to live a solitary existence in huge caverns of remote arctic mountain ranges. They occasionally mingle with frost giant tribes, usually only for short times, although a small number choose to live their whole lives among the giants.
The territory of a single polarwere often covers many miles, since it takes a large amount of food to feed them. They are almost always at the top of the food chain in these regions, although white dragons and other large arctic creatures occasionally expand into their territories. Frost giants actually pose the greatest threat to polarweres, for they covet the polarwere's pelts and fear the curse spread by polarweres to their kind.
Polarweres mate hapharzardly, and their unions always produce exactly one cub. The mother cares for the young cub only until it can fend for itself. Although polarweres can create others of their kind by passing along their "curse" to frost giants, this usually only occurs accidentally, as polarweres see little benefit in having more of their kind roaming about similar territory.
In bear form, polarweres are over 20 feet in length and weigh over 15,000 pounds. In frost giant form, polarweres are about 15 feet tall and weigh about 2,800 pounds. In hybrid form, polarweres are about 17 feet tall and weigh about 8,900 pounds.
A polarwere speaks Giant.
COMBAT
Polarweres dislike combat, attacking only when hungry or provoked, or to drive intruders far from their lairs. In bear or hybrid form, a polarwere rips opponents apart with its claws and fangs. In giant form, it usually wields a massive greataxe or throws boulders.
Alternate Form (Su): A polarwere's natural form is that of a dire polar bear. It can assume the form of a specific frost giant (as indicated in its entry). It does not assume the ability scores of the giant (but does apply a size penalty to Str and size bonus to Dex to account for its smaller size in this form). A polarwere also can assume a bipedal hybrid form with prehensile hands and animalistic features.
Equipment carried by the polarwere in giant or hybrid form shifts with it and is absorbed into its polar bear form. Magic items do not function while in this form. When a polarwere shifts back into giant or hybrid form, equipment (including magic items) returns to normal and function normally.
In frost giant form, a polarwere cannot use its natural weapons or any extraordinary special attacks. It can wield weapons and wear armor however.
In hybrid form, the polarwere retains its natural attacks and extraordinary special attacks and can also wield weapons or wear armor.
Changing to or from animal or hybrid form is a standard action. A slain polarwere reverts to its polar bear form, although it remains dead. Separated body parts retain their animal form, however.
Battle Frenzy (Ex): This special attack functions only when the polarwere is in bear or hybrid form. It does not stack with any other rage or frenzy ability. Once per day, the polarwere can work itself into a battle frenzy similar to the barbarian’s rage (+4 Str, +4 Con, +2 morale bonus on Will saves, -2 AC penalty). The frenzy lasts for a number of rounds equal to the polarwere's HD, and the polarwere suffers no ill effects afterwards.
Curse of the Polarwere (Su): Any frost giant hit by a polarwere's bite attack must succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or become a polarwere. The frost giant loses all abilities it possessed prior to transformation except for those due to levels in character classes, but does retain any equipment it carried. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Faster Healing (Ex): A polarwere recovers hit points or ability score points (lost to ability damage) at twice the normal rate: 2 hit points per HD for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 hit points per HD for each full day of complete rest; 2 ability score points for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 ability score points for each full day of complete rest.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a polarwere in bear or hybrid form must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Polar Bear Empathy (Ex): In any form, polarweres can communicate and empathize with normal or dire polar bears. This gives them a +4 racial bonus on checks when influencing the animal’s attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend," "foe," "flee," and "attack."
Rend (Ex): If a polarwere in hybrid form hits with both claw attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 4d6+14 points of damage.
Rock Catching (Ex): A polarwere in giant form can catch Small, Medium, or Large rocks (or projectiles of similar shape). Once per round, a polarwere that would normally be hit by a rock can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for a Medium one, and 25 for a Large one. (If the projectile provides a magical bonus on attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount.) The polarwere must be ready for and aware of the attack in order to make a rock catching attempt.
Rock Throwing (Ex): In giant form, polarweres are accomplished rock throwers and receive a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls when throwing rocks. A polarwere can hurl rocks weighing 60 to 80 pounds each (Medium objects) up to five range increments. The range increment is 120 feet for a polarwere's thrown rocks.
Skills: A polarwere has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
*In bear or hybrid form, a polarwere's white coat bestows a +12 racial bonus on Hide checks in snowy areas.
Originally appeared in Dragon #266 (1991).
