With white fur and a sturdy ax, bearfolk chieftains use their size and appearance to threaten strangers. Those who show courage are often welcomed to join the tribe around a fire and feast on seal meat.
Balanced Strength. Ruling even a small clan of bearfolk requires patience, sagacity, and ferocity in equal measure, and chieftains who last more than a season display mastery of such a balance. What tales the skalds do not tell of their deeds can be read in their scars, which they display with pride. Always flanked by loyal guards willing to enforce their will, bearfolk chieftains must nonetheless remain ready to wade into battle at a moment’s notice against the horrors that lurk in their frozen wilderness or the challenges of their would-be successors.
Axe of Rulership. Each chieftain owns (and often wields) an axe of some kind as a totem of rulership. Stealing a bearfolk chieftain’s axe is a crime that usually results in death or exile.
Bearfolk Chieftain
Medium humanoid (bearfolk), chaotic goodArmor Class 17 (chain shirt, shield)
Hit Points 130 (20d8 + 40)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 9 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) |
Saving Throws Dex +4, Wis +5
Skills Athletics +11, Insight +5, Intimidation +7, Persuasion +4, Survival +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Giant
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage when the bearfolk cheiftain hits with it (included in the attack).
Frenzy (1/rest). As a bonus action, the bearfolk can trigger a berserk frenzy that lasts 1 minute. While in frenzy, it gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks and has advantage on attack rolls. Attack rolls made against a frenzied bearfolk have advantage.
Keen Smell. The bearfolk has advantage on Wisdom(Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Savage Charge. If the bearfolk moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a battleaxe attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the bearfolk can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
Actions
Multiattack. The bearfolk makes two attacks with its battleaxe and one with its bite.
Battleaxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage, or 16 (2d10 + 5) slashing damage if used two-handed.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage.
Leadership (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). For 1 minute, the bearfolk chieftain can, as a reaction, utter a special command or warning whenever a nonhostile creature that it can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll, provided it can hear and understand the bearfolk chieftain. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the bearfolk chieftain is incapacitated.