Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 13 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 59 (7d10+21)
Speed 40 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +4 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 12 (+1) | 17 (+3) | 3 (-4) | 12 (+1) | 7 (-2) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Str +7, Con +5
Skills Perception +3
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Bear Hug (suggested). If both claws hit the owlbear can also hug the target as a bonus action and automatically inflicts 19 (2d8+10) bludgeoning damage. The owlbear also grapples the target (escape DC 15). The owlbear can attack a grappled target with its beak and gains advantage on its hit rolls.
Keen Sight and Smell. The owlbear has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell.
Relentless (suggested). An owlbear reduced to less than 0 hit points gains a +2 bonus to all damage rolls. An owlbear who drops to -17 hit points dies immediately.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The owlbear makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its claws.
- Multiattack (suggested). The owlbear makes three attacks, one with its beak and two with its claws.
- Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage.
- Beak (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage.
- Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage.
- Claws (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
An owlbear is a fearsome creature that combines the features of a giant owl and a bear. It is probably the crossbred creation of a demented wizard; given the lethality of this creation, it is quite likely that the wizard who created them is no longer alive. An owlbear has a thick coat of brown or black fur, a hooked beak, and large yellow eyes that can see in the dark. Its powerful claws and jaws can tear apart prey with ease. An owlbear can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 1,500 pounds . The 8-foot-tall males, which weigh between 1,300 and 1,500 pounds, are darker colored. The beaks of these creatures are yellow to ivory and their terrifying eyes are red-rimmed. Owlbears speak their own language, which consists of very loud screeches of varying length and pitch.
COMBAT
An owlbear is a savage and territorial hunter that attacks anything that enters its domain. It relies on its keen sight and smell to locate prey, and then charges with a loud screech. It uses its multiattack to strike with its beak and claws, inflicting piercing and slashing damage. An owlbear can also use its beak attack on victims caught in its grasp, but cannot use its claws. An owlbear is not very intelligent, but it is cunning enough to retreat if it is outnumbered or wounded . An owlbear’s main weakness is also its greatest strength – its ferocity. Because owlbears are so bad-tempered, they stop at nothing to kill a target. It is not difficult to trick an owlbear into hurling itself off a cliff or into a trap, provided you can find one.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
An owlbear prefers to live in forested areas, where it can find shelter in caves or hollow trees. It is mostly nocturnal, hunting at night and sleeping during the day. An owlbear is a solitary creature, except during the mating season, when it seeks out a mate of the opposite sex . A female owlbear lays one or two eggs, which hatch after six weeks. The young owlbears stay with their mother for about a year, learning how to hunt and survive . An owlbear pair claims a territory of one or two square miles and will vigorously defend this territory against all intruders. Owlbears inhabit the depths of tangled forests in temperate climes, as well as subterranean labyrinths, living in caves or hollow stumps. If encountered in their lair there is a 25% chance that there will be 1-6 eggs (20%) or young (80%) in addition to the adults. The offspring will be 40% to 70% grown and fight as creatures with three or four Hit Dice, depending on their growth.
ECOLOGY
An owlbear is an apex predator that feeds on a variety of animals, such as deer, boar, rabbits, rodents, trolls, and snakes. It also scavenges carrion and raids the nests of other birds for eggs. An owlbear has few natural enemies, except for dragons, giants, and other powerful creatures . Some adventurers and collectors seek out owlbears for their fur, feathers, claws, and beaks, which are valued for their rarity and usefulness . An owlbear does not actively seek treasure but the remains of victims may be found buried in shallow holes around an owlbear lair. Owlbear eggs are worth 2,000 silver pieces and hatchlings are worth 5,000 silver pieces on the open market. These are typically bought by wizards; while they are impossible to domesticate, they make formidable guardians and wizards sometimes place them in locations of strategic importance (it has been said that an owlbear is a less subtle version of a “keep out” sign). Owlbears have a lifespan of 20 years. They are warm-blooded mammals, but lay eggs. They prefer temperate climates, but some thrive in subarctic environments. As a hybrid of two animals, one diurnal and the other nocturnal, they have an unusual active time, waking at noon, hunting animals active during the day, then hunting nocturnal creatures before going to sleep at midnight. Owlbears are active in the summer months and hibernate during the cold season. There are rumors of white arctic owlbears, a cross between arctic owls and polar bears, but no specimens have ever been captured.
Owlbear is employed as material component to empower the following spells: