Dire Bear (Basic Lore)

Dire Bear (Heavy; CR 9)
Neutral - Large - Animal
This creature possesses the Heavy role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure. This monster frequently has the Heavy role, but may be set to different roles if desired. Dire Bears are BIG. They seem much larger than simply 'Large', with their squat, powerful builds, massive jaws and claws, and that massively thick coat of fur. Dire Bears are fairly simple foes, although magicians tend to hate them, as their massive coats render them highly resistant to all the best sorts of energy damage. Granted, melee combatants don't like them either, as they attack with deadly power and skill. When they take the time to deliver full power attacks, staying on your feet can be a real challenge with five tons of angry bear smashing you. Even worse, if it knocks an enemy down, Dire Bears immediately begin mauling the hapless victim, while its other attacks do not even slow down. Dire Bears are great favorites of the large and powerful, and it has been speculated that there are more Dire Bears living as pets and attack beasts of the various Giant clans than live in all the wild. In the wild, Dire Bears are more than able to hold their own against such magical terrors as Drakes and Owlbears, although Bulettes.... Bulettes are in their own weight class. Dire Bears are huge black and brown bears which can be encountered in almost any wilderness, mountain, hilly, barren, it doesn't matter. Dire Bears do amazingly well in swamps, of all places. Domesticated dire bears can be found anywhere their masters take them, where their durability in fights and keen noses make them valued pets and guards. Dire Bears are often encountered in pairs, and it is common for such pairs to have a fully grown third or even fourth bear attached as well.