Ursans It is said that bears can appreciate natural beauty. There is something so deeply profound in that sentiment, that a creature so far removed from ourselves could see the world as we do. One can only wonder what they would have to say about our world, could they ever articulate such a thought. Someday, my friend. - Dr Antonio Delsan, The Natural World. Guided by Starlight Mother Nature gave every animal she awakened a purpose. The Cervidaens were the ambassadors, bravely venturing to make peace with the humanoid nations. The Lobanos were soldiers, bred to exact her vengance against those who have wronged nature. The Ursans were given none. Born into a world without any guiding light, the Ursans found their own: the stars. Guided by their radiance, the Ursans began on their journey of self-realization, understanding, and empathy. Every Ursan reads the stars, but they do not all interpret their words identically.
Reading The Stars While many different readings of the stars have been created over the years, two ideals seem to emerge more than any others: Strength and Empathy. These ideals fuel the Ursans, pushing them to do great things. It is not uncommon to see Ursans adventuring, wandering the lands for something to put their ideals to the test. Arboreal Aegis The Ursans, as well as adventuring, tend to one very specific task: Protecting the forest. Ursans do not live in packs, but they are abundant in the forests that Mother Nature created. They use their immense strength and understanding to resolve any conflicts that would harm their woodland homes. No matter the situation, the Ursans strive to reach a mutual understanding, even if that understanding must be imposed. Ursan Traits As an Ursan, the ideals the stars taught you fuel you to become something greater. You have the following traits. Ability Score Increase: Increase one ability score of your choice by 2, and one different score by 1. Alternatively, increase three different ability scores by 1. Age: Ursans are long-lived, with many of the first Ursans still wandering the forests. The average lifespan of Ursans is 500 years. Size: Every Ursan is different. Your size is Small or Medium. Speed: Your walking speed is 30 feet. Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan, and one other language of your choice. Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Hibernation: Ursans have an innate understanding of the value of a good night’s rest. Whenever you complete a long rest, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level. Additionally, you gain an extra hit die equal to the size of your largest hit die for the purpose of healing during short rests. Environmental Awareness: You gain proficiency in the Perception skill. Ancestral Weapons: Your beastial ancestry grants you natural weapons. Your maw and claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal piercing/slashing damage (your choice) equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. Readings: All Ursans are guided by their readings of the stars. Choose a reading from the list below.
Major The Major reading of the stars informs Ursans that their mission is to become powerful. It is intentionally vague, as the reading can attact many different kinds of people. Whether an Ursan finds strength in the heat of battle, manual labour, or something more emotionally taxing is up to them. All they know for certain is to achieve their purpose, they must be strong. Major Traits No matter how they find their strength, Major Ursans are capable of using that great strength against their enemies. You gain the following traits. Powerful Build: You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag or lift. Bear Hug: You know how to leverage your ancestral strength in combat. Whenever you succeed on an Athletics check to grapple an enemy, or to maintain a grapple, you deal damage to the enemy you are grappling equal to your proficiency bonus.
Minor The Minor reading of the stars preaches empathy as the core trait one must pursue. Minor Ursans will follow this ideal to sometimes extreme conclusions, getting into strange bouts of mischief and tomfoolery. Others may take this reading in a more spiritual route, choosing to help other in a less direct, potentially annoying way. No matter how they choose to do it, Minor Ursans will always strive to find the best solution possible. Minor Traits No matter how they find their empathy manifests, Minor Ursans can be counted upon to be helpful, or at least try. You gain the following traits: Minor Understanding: A Minor Ursans is a beacon of guidance and helpfulness to all animals, no matter their creed. Beasts always understand what you’re saying as if you share a language. Additionally, beasts can communicate simple concepts to you as if you shared a language. A Solid Attempt: You give supernaturally good advice, even when that advice is about something you know nothing about. You learn the guidance cantrip. When you cast guidance, the target rolls 1d6 instead of 1d4.
Notes Thank you for reading! I tried to make this as balanced as I could, but I don’t have many people to bounce ideas off of. Please feel free to give me any and all feedback. My work will hopefully only get better from here. If you’ve read the Cervidaen or Lobanos homebrew I wrote, it has also been updated! Link to Cervidaens v2 - https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/7VSFYGA0 9b_d Link to Lobanos v2 - https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/3fvr4ZCO9 Qwy This ancestry is more simple than some of my other stuff! I wanted a really simple, basic ancestry for bears. I wanted something that represented their fantasy (big strong bear people or literally paddington) and to give people a fun option for both. Hopefully they’re not terribly underpowered. Let me know if there are any abilites you’re dying to see on these Bear folk! Have a lovely day:) (All AI Art used in post is marked as such. If I ever get enough money, I’d love to remake this with proper art. Alas, until then the “bear warrior” market is not very saturated. ) Credits Created using Homebrewery - https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/ Watercolour Stains by /u/flamableconcrete - https://imgur.com/a/OZt2m Ursun Hunter (AI Generated) - https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xJGNAW source unknown Ursun Hunter (AI Generated) - https://www.artstation.com/artwork/X1RK03 Thank you for reading! I’d appreciate any feedback you have in the comments:) I have more ancestries already written, but I want to get this one nice and balanced before I go about formatting the others.