Hearth Bears revisited

Hearth Bear
Medium-Size Animal
Hit Dice:  3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative:  +2 (Dex)
Speed:   40 ft.
AC:   15 (+2 Dex, +3 Natural)
Attacks:  2 claws +4 melee, bite -1 melee
Damage:  Claw 1d4 +2, bite 2d4 +1
Face/Reach:  5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved Grab
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves:   Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities:  Str 15, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills:   Listen +4, Spot +7
Climate/Terrain: Arctic to sub-tropical mountains and hills
Organization:  Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure:  None
Alignment:  Always Neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium)

 As humans have domesticated the dog, so too have the dwarves
domesticated the bear.  The hearth bear is the end result of countless
generations of selective breeding.  The dwarves have created about two
dozen different breeds of hearth bears, which can be just as varied as
domesticated dogs.  The dominant breeds are about three feet tall at the
shoulder, about as large as a large dog, though much stockier.  Hide
color ranges from black, blond, brown, white, and a host in-between.
 Hearth bears are omnivores and surprisingly gentle creatures.
Specialized breeds for hunting, guarding, and even racing were bred by
the dwarves.  Ever protective of their children, dwarves bred into the
hearth bears the instinct to protect dwarven children.  Legends of wild
hearth bears raising human children in the wilds are common in some
frontiers.

Combat
Hearth bears are trained to care and protect.  They can stand on their
hind legs to fight from as if they were bipedal creatures.  They cannot
wield weapons of any sort but fight with their claws and teeth.  Dwarves
unleash packs of heart bears to hunt down foes that attempt to escape
battle or otherwise protect dwarven ranks.

Bear Hug (Ex): When a Hearth Bear hits with both claws it can opt to
forgo its other attacks and put the opponent in a bear hug. It
automatically deals 1d8 +Strength Modifier points of damage for each
attack it had left. The victim may escape by successfully passing a
grapple check.  A Hearth Bear can only put creatures of small size into
a bear hug.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Hearth Bear must hit with
its bite attack. If it gets a hold it can attempt to use the bear hug on
the opponent.
Scent (Ex): The Hearth Bear has an uncanny sense of smell. They can differentiate
races and creatures with ease. They suffer only a -2 penalty attacking
invisible creatures due to their keen smell. Their range of smell is 60
feet.

Hearth Bear Breeds
Alpine Snowprowler
 One of the larger Hearth Bear breeds, the Alpine Snowprowler is about 3
½ feet at the shoulder and have a coat that is white like freshly
fallen snow.  Most Snowprowlers have brown to black paws.  Snowprowlers
are gentle and playful, enjoying playing "catch" and "keep away" with
their masters.  Some dwarves use them for riding purposes and a loyal
companion when traveling in the mountain or comet wilderness.  Their
coats are extremely thick for extra warmth and protection from harsh
elements.
 Due to their larger size, a Snowprowler's stats change to as follows:
HD 4d8 +12 (hp 30); attack 2 claws +5 melee, 1 bite +0 melee; damage
claw 1d4 +3, bite 2d4 +1; Str 16.

Cold Resistance (Ex): Snowprowlers have cold resistance 5, meaning that
any cold attack against them is reduced by 5 points, so a cold attack
that normally causes 12 points of damage does only 7 to the Snowprowler.
Any creature that is shielded by the Snowprowler gains this resistance
as well.  Children can curl up next to a Snowprowler to survive the
worst winter nights, even when caught in the deepest wilderness.

Diamondspace Solar
 The Solar hearth bear is truly a beautiful animal to behold.  It has a
coat of black fur, highlighted by an orange-pink snout, an orange
starburst on its chest, and reddish paws.  Though they are as tall as
normal hearth bears, they are lanky in build.  They are easily trainable
for simple tricks.  Solars have an excellent nose for finding gold
veins.  They are also magical creatures specially bred to tear burning
wounds into trolls that prevent regeneration.
 As magical creatures, a Solar's stats change to as follows: HD 4d10 +12
(hp 34); attacks 2 claws +6 melee, 1 bite +1 melee; damage claw 1d4+2,
bite 1d6+2, Str 14.

Fire Damage (Ex): The paws of a Solar hearth bear secrete a substance
that ignites into fire upon contact with troll flesh.  This substance
burns for 1d4 rounds after contact and causes 1d10 points of damage per
round it burns.  If the troll hit buy the Solar hearth bear makes a
reflex save (DC 12), it only suffers half fire damage for that round
only.  It must continue to make reflex saves for every round it is on
fire.

Fire Resistance (Ex): Solar hearth bears have fire resistance of 5,
meaning that all fire attacks do 5 less points of damage against them.

Russet Rustler
 The dwarves bred the russet rustler as a herding animal for tending
their stocks of rothe.  The animals are specially trained to control the
massive beasts.  The Russet Rustlers are amazingly gentle creatures and
skilled at their duties.  When not guarding rothe herds, the Rustlers
feel they must be the center of attention and affection.  If they feel
they're not getting enough attention, they have a habit of knocking a
dwarf down and then holding him down until they receive appropriate
affection.

Charm Attack (Ex): A Russet Rustler, on a successful hit with a claw,
can draw a small creature into a bear hug.  The Rustler will then
incessantly lick the creature.  The Rustler's saliva is somehow
soothing, causing the creature to become protective of the Rustler.
Treat this as a charm person spell cast by a 3rd level sorcerer, with a
will save to negate (DC 13).  Rustlers sometimes use this ability to
charm goblins and kobolds and keep them from rothe rustling.

Midnight Forgeshepherd 
 This breed of Hearth Bears is playful and mischievous.  They are of
standard size and weight.  They have a coat of fur that is midnight
black highlighted with white markings.  The dwarves created this breed
to help maintain forges in small ways, such as watching children while
they learn the art of forging, providing entertainment to weary dwarves,
and sniff out buildups of gases that could explode or otherwise be
harmful if left unattended.  Many a dwarf owes his life to a watchful
Foregeshepherd that warned him in time to escape a deadly buildup of
fouled air or a cloud of explosive gas.

Danger sense (Ex): Forgeshepherds are trained to identify smells and
sounds that precede accidents at forges.  To use this ability, the
Forgeshepherd makes a listen check (DC 10 to 20, depending on the
conditions) when danger is about to happen.  This ability gives the
dwarves 2d10 rounds of warning before an accident happens.

Gray Ursa
 With a creature as widespread and beloved as the hearth bears are with
dwarves, it was only a matter of time before the dwarves' most bitter
enemies, the duergar, found a way to steal it for themselves.  The Gray
Ursa is a breed of hearth bear created by the duergar for their own,
sinister purposes.
 The Gray Ursa has short fur and is very muscular.  It has four tusk-
like lower teeth that only heighten the creature's general mean-look.
All have gray or gray-brown fur.  They are known for their keen sense of
smell and viciousness.  The duergar use them as hunting animals to track
prey in the deep.  That prey is more often than not humanoid.

Tracking (Ex): Due to their skill as master trackers and keen sense of
smell, Gray Ursa have a +4 bonus when tracking by scent (see MM).

Spotted Sunrise
 This unusual Hearth Bear are normal Hearth Bears, but their coat of fur
resembles a sunrise.  Their paws are bright red, and their coats fade
through orange, yellow, green, and finally deep blue on their backs.
They have many white spots that somewhat resemble clouds.  These animals
are high-strung and energetic.  They can be quite destructive and
require constant attention.
 Spotted Sunrises are magical creatures.  They are able to emit light
that blinds many of the light-hating creatures of the Underdark.
Dwarves will bring many Spotted Sunrises with them if they are to do
battle with derro, drow, duergar, or illithids.  Because they are
magical beasts, their stats change to as follows: HD 3d10 +9 (hp 26);
attacks 2 claws +5 melee, 1 bite +0 melee; damage claw 1d4+2, bite
1d6+2, Str 14.

Sunlight (Su): Once per hour, the Spotted Sunrise can create light equal
to sunlight.  Light is shed in a radius of 100 feet.  If undead are
damaged by light, they will suffer damage by the light of a Spotted
Sunrise.

In the Spheres
 A typical dwarven citadel will have at least a pair of hearth bears for
every fifty dwarves, often more.  The dwarves are extremely protective
of their hearth bears, such that it is a hanging offense to sell a
hearth bear to anyone other than a dwarf.  Nevertheless, smugglers and
thieves have introduced the hearth bears to ports all over the Known
Spheres, though they remain rare beyond dwarven realms.