Ruleset by Alexander Wilkinson

Art by Cassie Helwick

Ursaren
Strum looked across the waters of the still lake, staring past
his simple fishing pole hanging barely under the surface. The
sun gleamed down, warming his thick coat of fur and
emphasizing the colors of white and black. The serenity of
the area was broken only by the low gurgling of a hungry
belly. He reached his hand down to cradle his stomach like a
newborn baby. “Be calm my hunger. You will scare the fish
away.” He jests to himself with a chuckle. A few broken teeth
revealed themselves as his mouth cusped into a smile. He
scratched his belly fur and patted it for assurance. He gazed
back up to the lake, the scene still frozen like a beautiful
portrait and he simply continued to smile.
A few centuries ago, a deranged wizard became obsessed
with the magic of crossbreeding animals together to create
the perfect soldiers. In his experiments, many animal hybrids
were made, but none resulted in such power and intelligence
more than the ursarens. Pandas, of all creatures, were fused
with aspects from gorillas and elephants. Some speculate
even trolls or orcs were added to the mix to create the first
ursarens. Quite strong and smart, they were naturally
formidable warriors. With this, the wizard was ecstatic and
set to work creating an army. But, the ursaren soon realized
their own power and rebelled against the wizard’s rule.
Animals on Two Legs
When one looks at an ursaren, the initial description viewed
is a large panda wearing loose clothing and standing upon
two legs. They have fully articulate hands and intricate facial
expressions, which often holds a content smile. The fur on
their body is thick, soft, and colored with the classic black
and white patterns of any panda. Male ursarens prefer to
have longer hair over or under their mouth like a moustache
or beard. Some even weave jewelry into the hair to pronounce
these features. Female ursarens prefer to have longer hair
coming from the back and top of their heads to mimic curly
locks or the beautiful hairstyles of other races.
Peaceful and Powerful
Being a formidable creature and bred from one of the laziest
animals of the kingdom, the ursaren leads a simple and
peaceful life. Unconcerned with the complexity of politics,
they focus their efforts on their relationships with their
brethren. An ursaren settlement is like a large extended
family with every member caring for the wellbeing of all
around them. But, even with their carefree nature, provoking
an ursaren can be a devastating mistake. The ursarens unite
as a mighty force and will fight to the last breath.
Ursarens can be initially suspicious of other races due to
their history with mad wizards and being treated like exotic
animals by many. But, they will always try to impress others
with friendliness and respect. Though once a creature gains
the trust of an ursaren, that bond can be nigh unbreakable.
They will protect their friends to their full capabilities and
follow their lead to the edges of the world.
Tourists of the World
Even with their close knit communities, many ursarens have
a natural curiosity of the world. Wanting to explore and enjoy
what different lands have to offer. Like a tourist, they can be
excited to have new experiences and especially taste new
dishes. An ursaren can end up living a hermit’s life, never
feeling like they can call one place their home since they’re
always wondering what is beyond the next mountain. But,
this can also turn into a perfect adventuring life. Travelling to
new places and spreading their contentment to all they meet.
Ursaren Names
Ursarens are new to the concept of names for one another.
But, they are eager to have a label to call their fellow beings.
Ursarens tend to have simple names made from one or two
syllables. Though they have no concept of the separation of
families or clans, so all of them lack a surname.
Male Names: Amar, Arlo, Bumbo, Coff, Dundo, Estur, Fodd,
Fum, Lesto, Lumm, Nog, Oaka, Pug, Wampa
Female Names: Bell, Brin, Colo, Clussa, Fulla, Gorma,
Erma, Lulu, Jilla, Meel, Oas, Solum, Tine, Volla
Ursaren Traits
Your panda heritage and magical past gives you aspects of a
unique warrior.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by
2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Ursaren mature much faster than other races,
reaching adulthood around age 10. Unfortunately, their life
spans are short and rarely live longer than 60 years.
Alignment. Ursaren have a tendency to lead peaceful lives,
and in turn prefer neutral alignments. Rarely does an ursaren
turn to extreme natures.
Size. Ursaren stand anywhere from 6 feet to 8 feet tall and
averaging almost 300 pounds. Despite this, your size is
Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Ursarens can
also move on all four legs (provided both hands are empty)
which increases their speed to 40 feet, although they can’t
fight while on all fours. Standing up from all fours costs 15
feet of movement from your base walking speed.
Strong Back. You can carry a lot more weight than other
creatures. Your carrying capacity is your Strength multiplied
by 20. This is the weight you can carry and in turn changes
what you can push, drag, or lift.
Resilient Belly. You have advantage on saving throws
against poison, and you have resistance against poison
damage.
Favored Snack. You have advantage on attack rolls against
plants.
Claws. Using your bearlike claws, your unarmed strikes
deal 1d4 slashing damage.
Innate Suspicion. You have advantage on saving throws
against being charmed.
Native Tongue. Through sounds and gestures, you can
communicate simple ideas with Large or smaller beasts.
Ursaren were once normal pandas and can still communicate
to other animals in that manner.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.