Call of the Wild Bear
Spell — see Magic and Spellcasting for the rules and the Spell Index for the full list.
Divine 3 Type: summoning (call)
Range: special Duration: 1 day
| Type of Bear | Native Terrain |
|---|---|
| Black Bear | River |
| Brown Bear | Woods, Hills |
| Cave Bear | Mountains, Barrens |
This spell calls a bear to the caster to serve as a companion. The adjoining table shows the types of bears that can be called and the native terrain for each type. The caster can freely choose the type of bear called, but the time required for it to arrive will be greater if the spell is cast outside of its native terrain because the bear will have further to travel.
When the spell is cast, the bear begins to travel to the caster’s destination at its expedition speed. If the spell is cast in an unsettled hex of its native terrain, the bear will take 1d6 turns to arrive. If the spell is cast in any other type of hex, the time to arrive is increased by 12 turns per 6-mile hex between the caster’s hex and the nearest unsettled hex of native terrain. The time to arrival may be much shorter if the Judge has determined that a bear den is nearby. If called while the caster is unreachable (deep in a dungeon, for example), the bear will travel as close as it can to the caster and then wait in that vicinity.
For the duration of the spell, the bear will understand the caster’s speech and serve as if it were the caster’s henchman. It can be ridden as a mount or war mounts as if trained in that role. The spell persists until the bear is slain, the spell is dispelled, or one day passes (at which time the bear departs). If the spell is cast again when the bear is about to depart, it will remain for another day. Call of the wild bear can only be cast once per day.
A prayerful caster who uses a call with ill intent towards the creatures called immediately becomes disfavored. He cannot cast the spell again until he has restored himself to favor. A studious caster or ceremonialist who uses a call with ill intent immediately loses the spell or ceremony from his repertoire. (He can re-learn it if he has the formula.) In neither case do the called animals arrive.