Black Bear
Medium Beast · · CR 1/2
- Beast
- Medium
- Tier 1
Black Bear, CR 1/2, fills the medium beast role with unaligned disposition. Encounter regions: forest. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 1/2
- Type
- Beast
- Size
- Medium
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Forest
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Black Bears are widespread temperate-forest omnivores, smaller cousins of brown and polar bears. Adults weigh 200–400 lbs and roam home ranges of 5–50 square miles. Diet is mostly berries, nuts, fish, carrion, and the occasional young deer. Cubs stay with mothers for 18 months, then disperse. Black bears coexist with most forest fauna by avoidance: they fear larger bears, wolves in packs, and humans with fire.
Behaviour
Black Bears are **cautious bluffers**. Most encounters end with the bear retreating once it senses a person. When provoked — defending cubs, surprised at close range, or starving in lean years — they fight viciously but briefly, often disengaging once the threat moves away. They climb well, swim, and have keen smell. They respond to **noise and slow retreat** more reliably than to aggression.
Origin
Black bears are simply natural fauna, no magical lineage. But druidic traditions revere them as **forest negotiators** — symbols of peaceable strength. A few rangers train as 'bear-friends', practicing rituals to communicate with local bear populations and to pass safely through their territory. In some old kingdoms, killing a black bear out of season requires expensive penance to a forest-spirit.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Black Bear
- What is the challenge rating of Black Bear?
- Black Bear's challenge rating is 1/2. A party in this band fits a tier-1 party (levels 1-4).
- What type of creature is Black Bear?
- Black Bear is classified as a beast in D&D 5e, medium size.
- Where does Black Bear live?
- The bestiary places Black Bear in Forest.