In the distant north of Alyf, the Frozen Plateau — far above the slopes where trees grow and where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl — dwell the reclusive Warbears. Few folk can claim to have seen a Warbear, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Warbears wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their thick white fur and chunky bodies look as if they are born from icy mountains and give them great physical power. Their hearts are infused with the cold regard of their frigid realm, leaving each Warbear with the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying.
Driven Competitors
Every day brings a new challenge to a Warbears. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival.
Warbears thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Warbears love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their skills.
This dedication to competition has a dark side. Warbears are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. Few Warbear adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.
Fair Play
For Warbears, competition exists only when it is supported by a level playing field. Competition measures talent, dedication, and effort. Those factors determine survival in their home territory, not reliance on magic items, money, or other elements that can tip the balance one way or the other. Warbears happily rely on such benefits, but they are careful to remember that such an advantage can always be lost. A Warbear who relies too much on them can grow complacent, a recipe for disaster in the Frozen Plateau.
This trait manifests most strongly when Warbears interact with other folk. The relationship between peasants and nobles puzzles Warbears. If a king lacks the intelligence or leadership to lead, then clearly the most talented person in the kingdom should take his place. Warbears rarely keep such opinions to themselves, and mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power.
Survival of the Fittest
A permanently injured Warbear is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a Warbear dies attempting to keep up, or the Warbear slips away in the night to seek the cold will of fate.
In some ways, the Warbears drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A Warbear would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk have ever meet an elderly Warbear, and even those Warbears who have left their people grapple with the urge to give up their lives as their physical skills decay.
Because of their risk-taking, Warbear tribes suffer from a chronic lack of the experience offered by long- term leaders. They hope for innate wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age.
Warbear Clans
There are two major warbear clans that are at war with each other since at least a century, the Neesomin Clan in the western half of the Frozen Plateau and the Nevermelt Clan on the eastern side.
Warbear Traits
Warbears share a number of traits in common with each other.Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Warbears have lifespans comparable to humans. They enter adulthood in their late teens and usually live less than a century.
Alignment
Warbear society, with its clear roles and tasks, has a strong lawful bent. The Warbear sense of fairness, balanced with an emphasis on self- sufficiency and personal accountability, pushes them toward neutrality.
Size
Warbears are between 7 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 280 and 340 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Natural Athlete
You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Stone’s Endurance
You can focus yourself to occasionally shrug off injury. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that total. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Mountain Born
You have resistance to cold damage. You’re also acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common.