By Alan McCoy from Dungeons & Dragons: Fundamentals
How to build challenging encounters against an Owlbear
Note: This has been prepared utilizing only the 5E Core Rules. The Owlbear can be found in the Monster Manual page 249.
The Owlbear is a large monstrosity, the size and shape of a bear, whose body is covered with shaggy coat of thick feathers, usually in varying shades of brown, they have large round eyes that are reminiscent of a barn owl. Their mouth is a large serrated beak, and their paws have long sharp five-toed claws.
There are those who claim that the Owlbear is a created species, the result of magical experimentation, wherein a practitioner attempted to cross a giant owl and a bear. Others claim that the Owlbear is one of the creatures of the Feywild that somehow found its way to the prime material plane.
In the Wild
Owlbears tend to be solitary, or hunt as a mated pair. Exceptional parents, the Owlbears are cooperative caregivers, sharing the responsibility of defending and protecting the young. Once the young are capable of hunting for themselves, they are “evicted” from their parental nest and forced to find their own. If prey is plentiful, they may be allowed to find a lair near their that of their parents, but usually the parents drive them well out of their territory.
An Owlbear will usually make its den in a small cave or perhaps a giant hollow tree. This is a disgusting place that has the scattered bones of previous kills, leftover meat from more recent kills and partially devoured remains. The reek of blood, both old and new, is perceptible anywhere near the proximity to the lair.
The foulness of the den seems to be an instinctual method for drawing scavengers and other predators near the den where they will then become prey. Those with experience and knowledge of the natural world may notice an imbalance in the natural order of things when an Owlbear lairs near. Specifically, there will be a marked lack of scavenger and lesser predatory animals, without a corresponding increase in animals that are the prey of these animals.
While they exist in many environments, the Owlbears preferred habitat is heavy forest.
While capable of seeing in the daylight, the Owlbear prefers to hunt at night, using its Darkvision, excellent eyesight and keen sense of smell to find appropriate prey. It will let out occasional hoots while hunting to agitate the prey animals. When its nose and eyes tell it prey is close, it will let out a screech intended to startle the prey and cause it to flee. The Owlbear will then give chase and using its superior speed will swiftly overtake the prey. Given the ferocity and savagery of the sharp claws and serrated beak, the prey will soon be a meal to be consumed, the remains taken back to the lair.
Controlled Owlbears:
These fierce monstrosities have been captured as attractions in gladiatorial arenas, and there are tales of them being used as race animals, while these uses are possible, they are hardly the concern of the serious adventurer. There are tales of Hill Giants and Frost Giants that keep these creatures as pets. This may or may not be true, a wise adventurer going up against giants would do well to prepare for the eventuality.
There are tribes and bands of intelligent tree or cliff dwelling creatures that have encouraged Owlbears to lair on the ground below their communities as guardian beasts. While these beasts are considered controlled, they are just encouraged to remain in a certain area, otherwise they are fully wild.
Trained Owlbears:
While slightly more intelligent than most animals, the Owlbear is a difficult animal to tame. It takes talent, time, a plentiful supply of food, superior patience and a good bit of luck, but it can be done. The process is usually singular, with their trainer as friend and master while others of the same species would be considered food.
The two races that have had the greatest success with this process have been the Hobgoblin and Humanity. Most often these creatures are trained as unflinching guardians or as fast mounts that can be ridden hard and fast over very dangerous territory.
The most dangerous form of training for an Owlbear trainer is to train these monstrosities as scent trackers. Utilizing the superior nose and eyesight, and natural perception, these Owlbears are often raised in “Hunting Flocks” that can be taught to chase a specific scent until they run the source down. Like a pack of hunting dogs or bloodhounds, but more dangerous and far heartier.
Step 1) Let’s Review what we know about the Owlbear.
The Owlbear is exceptionally strong (+5) and extremely tough (+3), it has excellent balance and is very nimble for a creature of its size and is very stubborn (+1). It operates on an instinctual animal intelligence level. The owlbear lacks all subtlety in its attacks (-2 Charisma Modifier).
Because of its Large size and exceptional strength, the Owlbear can carry over four hundred pounds without being slowed. It can easily drag weights of up to 1200 pounds.
Owlbears are very fast movers, with a land speed of 40-feet each round.
Owlbears have Exceptionally Keen Senses of Sight and Smell, gaining Advantage on Perception Checks involving those senses, note they are proficient in the skill of Perception (+3). They have Darkvision (60) and a passive perception of 13.
Owlbears have no language, but if they are trained, they will understand the meaning of some words or commands that are given to it. Stubborn creatures, they may not be willing to respond to commands from anyone except their trainer.
Step 2) Determine the probable Strategy.
Wild and Controlled Owlbears are wild animals, they hunt, they mate, they raise young and so forth. Instinct tells the Owlbear that it is the alpha predator in any given area, if it encounters another predator it will attempt to kill and consume that competitor.
This is true even if the creature clearly over-matches the Owlbear. These competing predators have learned to avoid the Owlbear for the simple reason that while it might not lose, it will probably become injured and injury often means death in nature.
The Trained Owlbear is subject to the commands of its master. Commands to Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Ready or Search are all well within the realm of acceptable combat actions.
Step 3) Determine Tactics
Wild and Controlled Owlbears:
These animals are predators that hunt by night by using Darkvision to enhance its Keen eyesight and sense of smell, along with its natural proficiency in perception to locate prey. While on the hunt the make loud hooting noises, these are intended to wake and agitate potential prey animals. Fear can be scented by these creatures, and when they get close enough to a potential target, they will let out a loud screech that is intended to startle the prey and cause it to flee.
The Owlbear will then give chase, using its superior speed to rapidly close the remaining distance to its prey which it will then attack with its claws and serrated beak until it has incapacitated the creature. It will then begin to consume its meal.
Instinct tells the Owlbear that all other creatures and animals will be frightened off by screech and the attack. Any creature that does not flee, is attempting to usurp the Owlbears meal and must be destroyed.
Because of their great strength, it is reasonable to employ SHOVE attack (PHB page 195) to knock prey prone, then utilize the Grapple rules for Monsters (MM page 11) and allow the Owlbear to keep their prey prone while they attack, with both claws and their beak.
Trained Owlbears:
The Hobgoblin Race tends to train their Owlbears as hearty mounts, for hobgoblin soldiers that need to cross long distances in dangerous territory. The Owlbear performs this role well, their great strength and staying power allowing them to cover mile after mile heavily laden and still arrive fit enough to fight. So far, the military structure of the Hobgoblin Legion has prevented the formation of Owlbear bloodhound units.
Humans who have successfully trained Owlbears are still a very small element in any population. It would be an expensive proposition, but the formation of a bloodhound unit is possible for a elite military company, a powerful organization or a government to finance such an undertaking, but it would not be done lightly, nor would it be employed without sufficient force to back it up.
Step 4) DM Tips and Observations
I freely admit that none of the manuals refer to using trained Owlbear bloodhound units, I simply started thinking about the incredible expense necessary to train and maintain a force of very dangerous to trainer Owlbears and decided that there must be something extraordinary for an intelligent person to go through the trouble. Then I remembered my Great-Uncles coon hounds. They weren’t pets, they were working dogs in every sense of the word.
My imagination went wild as a considered the possibility of some villain or hero “Treed” by a hunting flock of 6-10 trained Owlbears.
On other Notes:
In my opinion the AC of an Owlbear at 13 is too low (Hide + DEX). I’d consider calling those thick feathers Scale and bring it up to 15 at the very least and might even allow a magical element (created creature) to move it up another notch to 16.
The Shove action is legal by RAW for the creature of its size, but the grapple attack is iffy, description doesn’t give any specific basis for it. It does make natural and historical sense however, bears attack by knocking things down and mauling them.