Panserbjorn

Look up how Dark Heresy balances things out.

In a typical Dark Heresy game, you'll have scum that only know how to shank people and how to steal things, archivists who are really good at reading things and techpriests that are more like armoured tanks on legs than human beings.

>>51182151
And how are they balanced out?

Dungeon world runs them fine. If you want to run a character whose problems are 100% never going to be 'this enemy is too tough to fight',it fits with the current class balance in that game; paladins for example can't die ever. You'd focus on other problems they have, like being arrogant fucks.

If you're trying to play a totally op thing in an OSR game, do what you'd do if a player wanted to play a dragon: say no, or only allow it if the party was already high enough level to be fighting arch demons. At that point you can stat them however you like, and due to the op threats the party faces, there's still your lovely OSR sense of peril.

Finally, you could go the LOTFP route of fighter balance, and make everyone else weaker to compensate. It's fine having an 8 ft tall bear with -2 AC, if the default AC is like 3 points easier to hit. If your tank is tanker, make the rest of party into jelly. This is a horrible suggestion.

>>51182078
Kryptonite Rule
specific weaknesses to devalue the character that just so happens to pop up in play.
Weak against poison, Weak against magic (specific or in general), There is a time limit or move restrictions (bear needs to eat so often, bear needs to sleep so often, whatevah), There are enemies specifically designed to counter bear.
You got options, go nuts.

oh cool i can be sir bearington

What a shame the movie was such shit. Never going to get sequels now.

Have them start off weak but grow powerful eventually. The first few levels are a juvenile state and allow them to gain powers every few levels. Start them off with allowing them to wear any armor and possibly smithing proficiencies if you're using those. Maybe natural weapons that increase in damage, at level 7 they can cast Detect Lie a few times per day, then at name level they can start learning to use flamethrowers. Increasing required experience per level can also work.

>>51183230
>wear any armor
But that's antithetical to their whole spirit... Iorek Byrnison is appalled and revolted when Lyra suggests he forget about his stolen armor and get a new suit, even a better one. He compares it to trading her daemon (which in that setting, is literally her soul in the form of an animal) for a straw filled puppet.

I think that from the moment a panserbjorne forges their armor they shouldn't be allowed any kind besides it (and probably lose their class levels or something if they ever lose it, until it's recovered), but that it should improve as they go up levels, effectively getting magical traits powered by their honor and devotion and eventually becoming an extremely powerful item that works only for them.

>>51182078
They're not a good fit for an OSR game. At no time do you get the feeling that the girl and the bear are operating on an equal playing field, because they're not. Party balance with a panzerbjorn is only possible in a more narrative system that isn't designed around combat encounters.

If you really want to have one as a PC in an OSR game, you'll have to accept that the power levels are going to be skewed.

>>51184367
They're unbalanced against a small girl from Oxford, not magic-users, elves and fighting-men.

>>51184776
I think they're unbalanced against those all the same.

>>51182078
Look up the War Bear from Hill Cantons and adapt from there.

>>51184237
What about having them start off without their armour?
As in it's been stolen and they're with the party to try and retrieve it.
And at lower levels the shame of having lost their armour creates a mental limiter on their power reducing their stats and abilities and as they find their armour (maybe as part of leveling up or through a story) they become more powerful.

>>51182078

Panzer john are the best, I remember reading that book when I was a kid and Pullmans description of the bear fight stayed with me ever since. As for making a character, no idea. They are sort of OP and are really only threatened by large numbers of enemies with guns.