D&D (2024) Seeking input re: Dwarves Riding Bears.

[overgeeked]

Dwarfs riding bears is awesome. Go for it. Break whatever rules you need to so you can make the dream come true. They're specially bred riding bears of large size or screw it, the rules don't matter because that's just awesome.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

It's not exactly clear as to what sort of input you are seeking. How to stat them up? Random bear-riding ideas?

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Anyway: You can have bears average any size you want in your own game, really. Brown bears IRL can likely reach size large. Plenty of already built game options that would work as far as stats: Ranger with beast companion, paladin with called mount, even just plain fighter (cavalier or otherwise) with a generically trained mount.

If you're going to be using bears in battle, you're probably going to want to give them the option to bite or claw enemies in combat though, even when serving as a mount.

 

[Maxperson]

These minis look like Medium bears, but they'd have to be Large bears, am I right?

Black Bears are medium.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No need to restrict yourself to a subclass wrapped around a mount, perfectly fine to just buy one, be given one or train one yourself.

I'm not fond of 5E's mount rules and depending on the level of the PCs, giving the mounts a Reaction to reduce damage, Evasion and possibly more HP or AC bonuses (possibly via barding) might be warranted.

I would use the Tasha's sidekick rules.

 

[Richards]

But are those in fact bears...or werebears in animal form?

Johnathan

 

[Stormonu]

But are those in fact bears...or werebears in animal form?

Johnathan

Or druids ...

On the size - in a lot of fantasy, we've seen dwarves on ponies more often that Arabian stallions. Likewise, I'd imagine the bears they'd ride would be on the smaller size. Still a Large creature, but more brown bear than Grizzly.

Also, besides bears, there's a wide variety that could be used and PCs might have a mix so each could be distinct as well. I imagine that Giant Badgers, Giant Wolverines, Auromvorax, Bears, Pygmy Elephants, Giant Falcons, Ostriches/Clubneks, Giant Mastiffs, Smiladons, Musk Oxes, Giant Striders, Dieonychus, quadraped Earth Elementals and very young Dragons would all make fascinating mounts.

The bigger question I have, is what sort of one-shot are you considering and how big a part are the mounts going to play to the adventure?

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Dwarves riding bears is awesome.

I can't help with rules suggestions but at some point, preferably the climax, they must charge en masse at the BBEG.

 

[GMMichael]

Dwarfs riding bears is awesome. Go for it. Break whatever rules you need to so you can make the dream come true. They're specially bred riding bears of large size or screw it, the rules don't matter because that's just awesome.

You'd have to break more than rules. At least two things come to mind about riding bears:

• Bears are much more capable (and probably willing) to roll on the ground than horses. Which would be helpful for removing annoying riders.
• Failing some rolling, I've also seen bears rub their backs against trees to scratch an itch. Or . . . a dwarf-rider?

Fortunately, "fantasy" resolves those issues well. Might as well have an apparatus that hangs above each bear's head, and when the dwarf-rider pulls a cord, it delivers a dose of honey to the bear for good behavior. Like not squashing the rider.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I would assume the bears are friends with the dwarves, not slaves.