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Background:
My question would be: which bear would be the most useful for a necromancer who raises one from the dead. Since the bear is dead, temperature, stamina, injuries, aggression, all of that would be rendered moot. So a setting where most of their typical flaws are not factored in.

  • Would the polar bear come out on top then, seeing as it is larger and heavier? And could work well as a swimmer, dragging enemies down in the water?
  • Would the Kodiak come out on top due to its more defensive build, its thicker layers of padding and longer claws?
  • Would the Kodiak come out on top due to its larger size?

Characteristics:
The story I am writing is about a Necromancer/Smith combination. He can take dead creatures (Bears for this example) and turn them into his servants. (More akin to an automaton).

  • They do not rot.

  • They do not require food, water, air.

  • He can repair them completely over the course of a few hours/days, depending on the damage.

  • They are smart enough to follow complex commands and orders.

  • Think of them as a living weapon that he forged. More like a sword or armor, then a living creature or the undead.

  • They can be temporarily destroyed. Just like a normal bear. Instead of losing HP, they would lose durability. Decapitation will instantly kill it. Cutting it enough will also kill it, etc.

He would be mostly using them to fight other monsters: from wolves, to goblins, to trolls. Possibly also other humans that have bows/arrows/swords or even rifles.

Question:
I would be most interested in their combat capabilities. Defense, offence. Possible specialties (Such as swimming of the polar). In that area, pound for pound, which would be the best bear for the necromancer.

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    $\begingroup$ Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking. $\endgroup$
    – Community Bot
    Apr 4, 2022 at 6:48
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    $\begingroup$ Who is the enemy? That is, against what are the bears supposed to fight? $\endgroup$
    – AlexP
    Apr 4, 2022 at 7:31
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    $\begingroup$ You may have to define what you think is "best"? For example does the amount of food they require still count? The speed at which the population grows to replenish your troops? Is it just about pure murder capabilities? Do you value speed more than the weight to crush something? $\endgroup$
    – Demigan
    Apr 4, 2022 at 8:00
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks for the pointers! Added more information. Hope this helps. $\endgroup$
    – OsiriumWrites
    Apr 4, 2022 at 8:52
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    $\begingroup$ I personally believe that any of the bears would be fine. In the right conditions, any of the three could beat hte other. $\endgroup$
    – Wyvern123
    Apr 18, 2022 at 23:28

5 Answers 5

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You know, Polar bears are far too popular. Think the golden compass. After Pantalaimon an undead polar bear would seem a bad rip off. I'd say go with something a bit different. I would choose the Kodiak because it doesn't appear that much in media (documentaries notwithstanding), is really big and can be pretty intimidating. If you want something that is in great numbers, is big enough that could do heavy damage if commanded and plus can swim exceptionally well I'd suggest the black bear! It's not enormous like other Ursinae but has a beautiful black coat and can pack a punch. Also there are like 500.000+ individuals in America so even with dead ones you could build quite an army.

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  • $\begingroup$ That is a good one. Yeah, I wanted his first to be special (sounds weird). Like the commander of the bear forces. Kodiak or Polar would be the logical choice due to size. $\endgroup$
    – OsiriumWrites
    Apr 17, 2022 at 5:34
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Both?

You give no reason the necromancer has to choose only one type of bear. Bears are rare since they are big and have large territories. If you want many bears you need to diversify.

HOWEVER! If the necromancer is going on a journey and only has one spare seat in his car, then which type of bear should he choose?

Polar bears seem the biggest. Wikipedia says adult males are in the range 7' 10'' – 9' 10'' long. While the average male Kodiak is only 8'.

They can also swim better. So they are better suited for different environments.

They are also used to killing large animals like Beluga Whales. So it is easier to get them to fight large trolls. Less so for the Kodiak.

As for defensive build, I am not sure what you mean. Both animals have thick coats. Both can be given immense levels of fat armor before slaughter due to their hibernation strategy.

big fat polar bear

Did somebody say my name?

Kodiaks have longer claws. But bears do not claw things to death (the long claws are good for opening clams) so this is not an immediate plus. For small things like wolves and people you just swat them. For big things you grapple them and wrestle them to the ground. If anything the smaller claws are better for this job.

However if you must only choose one species for your army I suggest the common brown bear. They are smaller but there are more of them. They have smaller territories than Polar bears since they live in the woods and not the frozen wastes.

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    $\begingroup$ Solid points! The necromancer would no doubt end up with several of them. But story wise, I need to start off with one. The first one gets quite a bit of attention, so I wanted to chose most impressive/capable one to start off. $\endgroup$
    – OsiriumWrites
    Apr 4, 2022 at 13:32
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    $\begingroup$ If I wanted to display my power and skill as a necromancer by being the first one to reanimate a bear, I would choose the largest most exotic looking bear I could find. I'd go with the polar bear. $\endgroup$
    – Daron
    Apr 4, 2022 at 13:36
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    $\begingroup$ A possible outside option is a grolar bear. They're the offspring of a grizzly and a polar bear. Pretty vicious creatures and strange looking, almost as big as a polar bear and with the nasty temperament of a grizzly. $\endgroup$
    – user86462
    Apr 5, 2022 at 8:18
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Panda. If someone attacks one, the Chinese military shows up. Defense, offence, they have it covered, except for arguably a blue water navy. They are also unrivalled for defense against monsters that resemble bamboo shoots.

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    $\begingroup$ So what prevents the military from showing up when you try to "find" some dead panda corpses? And wouldnt it be easier to make a cloth Golem out of Winney the Pooh and make it say "I was made by <your enemy> " when asked? $\endgroup$
    – Demigan
    Apr 4, 2022 at 10:45
  • $\begingroup$ Pandas aren't awesome at staying alive...but staying undead, now that's something they can do. $\endgroup$
    – user86462
    Apr 5, 2022 at 8:19
  • $\begingroup$ Let's just say that sometimes people feel awkward when the living symbol of their country that they received millions of dollars in funding to maintain dies. They might just arrange for some pandas to get 'lost' in the forest. $\endgroup$
    – user86462
    Apr 5, 2022 at 8:22
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A grolar bear?

How about a grolar bear? They are the offspring of a polar and a grizzly. As big as a polar bear, found further south, and have the nasty temperament of a grizzly. Plus,they have as much of an interesting 'back story' as an animal can have.

Thought I'd try to contribute something more helpful than a panda.

Extreme outside option: A cave bear. Extinct a few thousand years ago, they were about 10 feet tall. A necromancer who found a fossilised one would have a superweapon!

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Lava bear.

lava bear and Tim

Lava bears are the best bears for this application because they are small and light, especially when they are dead and dried out, and so can easily be carried by the spellcaster in a backpack. Then the spellcaster can hurl the bear at enemies!

The bear will not be hurt because it cannot be hurt. It is reusable too.

GO LAVA BEARS!

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