Domesticated Black Bear

If any bear species can be domesticated, it would be the black bear, as their are many examples of tamed bears in both the real and fantasy worlds.  In addition, all the other bear species are just too wild to be even tamed let alone domesticated through non-magical means.

Domesticated bears look very much like their wild cousins.  There are small differences:  A slightly shorter face, and slightly smaller body and paws.  Behaviorally, these bears are completely comfortable with their human companions.  Like dogs, these animals are wary of strangers, but become friendly once becoming familiar with their owners' human companions.  Domesticated bears attach themselves to one owner and his or her family, and are loyal, loving companions similar to some guard dog breeds.  These bears' intelligence allows their owners to train them to perform tasks more complex than most dogs are able to do.  Bears' sense of smell is better than a bloodhound, and their hearing is superior to any dog breed as well.  Unlike equines, bears have little fear of caves and enclosed spaces.  Along with their great strength (19 equivalent), domesticated bears make excellent companion and service animals, as long as their owners can afford to feed them.

Statistics:

Climate/Terrain:    Tropical to temperate land

Frequency:          Common

Organization:       Family

Diet:               Omnivore

Intelligence:       Semi- (2-4)

Treasure:           Nil

Alignment:          Neutral

No. Appearing:      1-2

Armor Class:        7

Movement:           14

Hit Dice:           3+1

THAC0:              16

No. of Attacks:     3 (claw/claw/bite)

Damage per Attack:  1-3/1-3/1-6

Special Attacks:    Hug for 2-8 hp

Special Defenses:   Nil

Magic Resistance:   Nil

Size:               M (4-6 ft. long)

Morale:             Average (8-10)

XP Value:           175

Combat:  Aside from the normal damage this bear can do, if it scores a hit of eighteen plus, it also hugs for an additional 2-8 hit points of damage.