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<blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 7405630" data-attributes="member: 6669384">After some discussion with my group we appear to have come to a consensus. The Bard-Bear-ian will be an Awakened Brown Bear.I'd originally misunderstood the Awaken spell.&nbsp; I thought it added two to the creature's CR.&nbsp; It doesn't.&nbsp; It adds two full hit dice, with all that entails.Our version won't get those.&nbsp; He'll have to earn those levels.We are working on a compromise where his claws will do less damage, but he'll be able to handle things.We already rolled his Int and CHA. Awaken grants the target an INT score of 3D6, and a D3 bonus to Charisma. He rolled (in front of the group) an Intelligence of 14 and a Charisma bonus of 3, meaning that he starts with the maximum foir a bear:&nbsp; 9.When he hits 8th level he'll add one to the Charisma, giving him a 10.&nbsp; At that point he'll be able to use Cantrips, and odds are that's as far as his magical abilities will ever go.Gear for him, as a Large creature who isn't humanoid in form will be a problem.&nbsp; Armor and clothes will all have to be custom made.Odd thing:&nbsp; The bear, as listed, has Tracking and Scent as feat and natural ability.&nbsp; It has no ranks in Survival, which makes it a very poor tracker.Bears get a +8 racial modifier on Swim checks.&nbsp; Swim is a Strength based skill and he has strength to spare already, so he ends up with a +16 to Swim.&nbsp; That's better than some aquatic character's I've seen.&nbsp; Most aquatic races or templates get a substantial bonus to Swim, but only for special maneuvers and the like.&nbsp; When it comes to routine movement they come with nothing. Another odd thing:&nbsp; Bears don't get any form of Rage.&nbsp; They are literally the inspiration for berserkers, but they themselves can't go berserk.&nbsp; (The word &quot;Berserk&quot; is a Scandinavian term for an article of clothing.&nbsp; To &quot;put on the bear shirt&quot;, or &quot;bear serken&quot; was to try and invoke the rage of the bear by wearing a shirt made from woven bear fur.)Anyway, the bear's name will be Ed'vard, and his first class level will be as a Barbarian.&nbsp; Then a level of Bard, when his Charisma gets to a break-even level, then probably Barbarian from there on up.He'll join out 11th through 14th party as a cohort, so at 6th level he'll be severely underpowered.&nbsp; His melee offense will be okay, damage wise, but with a total of +11 to hit he'll be way behind the power curve.Once we get him some armor he'll be more survivable.&nbsp; Get him a magic weapon and a few levels and he'll be a ripper-tearer once again.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Greenfield, post: 7405630, member: 6669384"] After some discussion with my group we appear to have come to a consensus. The Bard-Bear-ian will be an Awakened Brown Bear. I'd originally misunderstood the Awaken spell. I thought it added two to the creature's CR. It doesn't. It adds two full hit dice, with all that entails. Our version won't get those. He'll have to earn those levels. We are working on a compromise where his claws will do less damage, but he'll be able to handle things. We already rolled his Int and CHA. Awaken grants the target an INT score of 3D6, and a D3 bonus to Charisma. He rolled (in front of the group) an Intelligence of 14 and a Charisma bonus of 3, meaning that he starts with the maximum foir a bear: 9. When he hits 8th level he'll add one to the Charisma, giving him a 10. At that point he'll be able to use Cantrips, and odds are that's as far as his magical abilities will ever go. Gear for him, as a Large creature who isn't humanoid in form will be a problem. Armor and clothes will all have to be custom made. Odd thing: The bear, as listed, has Tracking and Scent as feat and natural ability. It has no ranks in Survival, which makes it a very poor tracker. Bears get a +8 racial modifier on Swim checks. Swim is a Strength based skill and he has strength to spare already, so he ends up with a +16 to Swim. That's better than some aquatic character's I've seen. Most aquatic races or templates get a substantial bonus to Swim, but only for special maneuvers and the like. When it comes to routine movement they come with nothing. Another odd thing: Bears don't get any form of Rage. They are literally the inspiration for berserkers, but they themselves can't go berserk. (The word "Berserk" is a Scandinavian term for an article of clothing. To "put on the bear shirt", or "bear serken" was to try and invoke the rage of the bear by wearing a shirt made from woven bear fur.) Anyway, the bear's name will be Ed'vard, and his first class level will be as a Barbarian. Then a level of Bard, when his Charisma gets to a break-even level, then probably Barbarian from there on up. He'll join out 11th through 14th party as a cohort, so at 6th level he'll be severely underpowered. His melee offense will be okay, damage wise, but with a total of +11 to hit he'll be way behind the power curve. Once we get him some armor he'll be more survivable. Get him a magic weapon and a few levels and he'll be a ripper-tearer once again. [/QUOTE]

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