9.3.1.5 THE BEAR SPECIALIZATION (Totems)

Brother Bear, one of the Nature Totems of Ackleberry, is available to some members of the commune, and required for the druids there. Bear grants skills and abilities the Great Spirit is famous for. Druids practicing under Bear are known to be far more physically active than those from other communes.

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You have gained the following abilities in Bear:
Bearpelt            The mantle of Bear endures all.
Claws               Weapons are only an option to followers of Bear.
Hibernate           Brother Bear knows the value of a good nap.
Bonding             Bond with your commune's totem poles.
Honeycomb           A ceremony to feed the stomach and the mind.
Brilliance          Tae's power was in his charm.
Squirrel            A ceremony to go unnoticed.
Grouphug            Cuddles!
Smack               Topple enemies with a forceful swing of your paw.
Raccoon             A ceremony to speed the fingers.
Slam                A bone-crunching throw.
Den                 Every bear has its home.
Spiritwall          Tae's creations rise to corner your prey.
Pindown             Hold downed opponents still.
Mountain            A ceremony to harness the power of stone.
Awakening           Rise from the cold winter of death.
Bearform            The true power of Bear is yours.

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AB BEAR BEARPELT
Syntax: BEAR BEARPELT
Power: 5 (Elder Honeysap)

Donning the mantle of the bear, your skin grows thick fur and tough hide. You become more resistant to blunt and cutting damage, and in addition, you grow larger by two sizes.

AB BEAR CLAWS
Syntax: BEAR CLAWS
Power: 2 (Elder Honeysap)

Brother Bear sees no need for weapons other than those Tae gave him. You may now SWING and JAB bare-handed, your attacks doing 50% cutting, 50% blunt damage. In addition, all attacks that you (not your demesne) perform will cause deep wounding.

(Note: the weapon statistics of each hand are relative to your Strength, Dexterity, and Bear skill, with Strength modifying damage, Dexterity modifying speed, and accuracy modified by the average of the two.)

AB BEAR HIBERNATE

When sleeping, you will regenerate mana and ego. Your willpower and endurance also regenerate at a higher degree.

AB BEAR BONDING
Syntax: TOTEM BOND
        TOTEM RELEASE
Power: 8 (Elder Honeysap)

You may bond with a totem pole for a year and a day. You may also release the bond to your totem before that time.

AB BEAR HONEYCOMB
Syntax: PAINT FACE HONEYCOMB
Tints Required: yellowtint 2

Honey is the favored food of Brother Bear, and with this ritual the nourishing taste is with you. Your hunger and willpower will gradually refill while you wear the mark of the honeycomb on your cheeks.

AB BEAR BRILLIANCE
Syntax: BEAR BRILLIANCE (number)

Tae might not have been the brightest Elder around, but he was known for occasional flashes of insight. You can emulate Bear's creator to an extent, and directly convert ego to mana.

AB BEAR SQUIRREL
Syntax: PAINT FACE SQUIRREL
Tints Required: 2 redtint

Brother Bear not only looks after all of Tae's creations, but Bollikin's as well, and shares their gifts. Painting the markings of the squirrel on your cheeks grants you the speed of the squirrel, locking your size at 4 until removed, superceding all other effects.

AB BEAR GROUPHUG
Syntax: BEAR GROUPHUG

Sometimes everyone just needs a little comfort. When used, you and all your allies in the room regenerate health, mana, willpower, and endurance. The effects are broken on an individual if they move or take an aggressive action, or on the entire group if you move or take an aggressive action. Also, if you are the only one left in the hug, the benefits end.

(Grouphug-related messages:

You spread your arms wide and, with a rumbling grunt of pleasure, clutch your friends close to you in a warm embrace.
You blink as (Bear-user) spreads his/her arms wide, and drags you into a hug. Though faintly embarrassing, the embrace brings with it a certain amount of comfort.)

AB BEAR SMACK
Bodypart: Any
Minimum Wound State: Target at 50% or less of maximum health.
Manuever: Swing, any weapon class

With Bear's might behind you, your blows can send even the hardiest warriors reeling. This blow knocks an opponent to the ground and stuns them briefly. If the target has enough deep wounds (totalled over his entire body,) he will suffer an ill effect from being beaten so badly.

(Note: Ailments include confusion, hallucinations, stupidity, broken chest, broken nose, and in severe circumstances, void.)

AB BEAR RACCOON
Syntax: PAINT FACE RACCOON
Tints Required: 2 Purpletint

Marking your eyes with the mask of Raccoon, you take on his cunning. Confusion and other mind-altering effects have a 50% chance to fail against you while you wear it.

AB BEAR SLAM
Syntax: BEAR SLAM (target)
        BEAR HEAVE (target) (direction)
Power: 3 (Elder Honeysap)

In a spectacular display of power, you can physically lift and throw someone, either onto the ground or into an adjacent area. Victims suffer knockdown, stun, and deep wounds across the entire body (and if heaved, are moved.) If thrown from the trees or the sky, the victim will receive increased damage in addition to possible broken bones or concussion. Damage is influenced by the size differential between you and the target. Failure to lift the target results in no damage.

AB BEAR DEN
Syntax: BEAR DEN
Power: 2 (Elder Honeysap)

So long as you are on the same plane as your Bonded Totem, you may return with nothing more than a fervent desire.

AB BEAR SPIRITWALL
Syntax: BEAR SPIRITWALL
Power: 2 (Elder Honeysap)

Calling on the spirits of every bear ever created, you block off escape from the room. Bear spirits appear at up to four exits chosen at random in the room, and will keep people from moving in or out until you decide to leave.

AB BEAR PINDOWN
Syntax: BEAR PINDOWN (target)

Bear is big, heavy, and not afraid to use those two traits when the opportunity presents. Pinning a downed opponent will cause them to be unable to move as if entangled. The attempt to writhe free is easier for larger combatants, and more difficult for smaller. If you are 6 or more sizes larger than your opponent, you begin to crush them, and they suffer periodic damage while pinned.

AB BEAR MOUNTAIN
Syntax: PAINT FACE MOUNTAIN
Tints Required: 2 Goldtint

Only stone and ore are more enduring than Bear, and sometimes, not even then. With the aspect of the mountain painted across your entire face, your body becomes incredibly resilient, giving you the chance to shrug off any damaging attack.

AB BEAR AWAKENING
Syntax: TOTEM MARK
        TOTEM ERASE
Power: 8 (Elder Honeysap, for MARK)

Bears survive the harsh, cold winters by slipping into the long slumber of hibernation, coming back to life in the spring. You, too, can return in this manner. After dying on the Prime or Ethereal planes, if your bonded totem bears the mark of the slumbering bear, your soul will be pulled back to it. You will regain a fresh body, though you will wake with incredible hunger and reduced statistics until you sate yourself.

AB BEAR BEARFORM
Syntax: BEARFORM
        BEARHUG (target)
Power: 7 (Elder Honeysap)
Damage Type: 50% Blunt, 50% Asphixiation (for BEARHUG)

The full power of Bear is bestowed upon you at your bonded totem, requiring the sacrifice of a pelt to complete. In addition to the benefits of BEARPELT, you gain a +1 weighted bonus to Strength, level 1 mana regeneration, level 1 resistance to cold, the ability to SLAM and HEAVE for 1 power, and the ability to BEARHUG for great damage.

In addition to doing normal and deep wounding, BEARHUG has a chance to break arms and ribs, and drains endurance. If BEARHUG reduces the target's endurance to zero, they die as their insides are turned into so much jelly before your crushing arms.