Illustration of a brown owlbear sitting in the back of a wagon. They have a feathered owl head and a furry bear body. A band of feathers encircles their waist. The owlbear has an intense, focused look on their face as they sit awkwardly on their tush with their hind legs splayed out. This adorable work of art was created by the amazing Meghan Dornbrock.
Appearance: These powerful predators look like combination of a bear and an owl. Their bodies are shaped like that of a bear with powerful hooked beaks where a bear’s snout would be and large disks of brown and white feathers around each large eye. Their ears, like those of an owl, are hidden in theie feathers. The rest of their body is covered in fur, except for a crest of feathers that runs from the top of their head all the way down their spine and band of feathers that goes around their bellies and hips (much like a feathery tutu).
Main Traits: Owlbears walk on all four legs like a bear, but can stand up on their hind legs when they need to. Their fur and feathers are thick, functioning much like armor. Like bears, they have strong arms with long claws and powerful jaws. Male and female owlbears have a similar appearance, with the females being slightly larger and darker in color. Owlbears are magical animals and, as such, have a natural resistance to magic. It is still possible to affect them with magic, but not as easy and magic will sometimes have unusual effects on them.
Magic Resistance: Anytime magic would directly affect an owlbear, roll a six-sided die. If the result is a 4, 5, or 6, the magic has no effect on them. This happens regardless of whether the magic is harmful or beneficial.
Habitat: Heavily vegetated mountainous areas.
Senses: Their large owl eyes give them excellent low light vision. The disk of feathers around each eye acts as a sound catcher which gives them excellent hearing. Because one of their ears is higher than the other, they can easily tell where sounds are coming from. Inside their large snout is the same olfactory organs that bears have, giving them a keen sense of smell.
Diet: Owlbears are aggressive and intelligent carnivores. They are primarily hunters, but will also scavenge. Owlbears are good at keeping populations of various magical pests under control. Zombies are among their favorite prey. Owlbears are most active at dawn and dusk. Each mated pair will defend a large hunting territory together. They typically hunt individually, but when prey is scarce they will engage in cooperative hunting with their mates. Historically, owlbears have been a major threat to livestock. Owlbears can be overwhelmed by zombies.
Reproduction: Owlbears reach sexual maturity at about four to five years, at which point they find and bond with a mate. Same sex pairings are regular occurrences in this species. Mating involves elaborate courtship dances that focus on displaying their feather crests. With their mates they build large nests of dry leaves in caves or dens that they dig out. They lay their eggs in February (a typical clutch is 2-4 eggs) and take turns incubating them by curling around them and tucking their eggs into the brooding patch on their bellies, which is a section of bare skin surrounded by a band of feathers (the skin of the brooding patch is only bare during the nesting season). The eggs hatch two months later in April. Owlbears are devoted parents that raise their chicks over the course of several years. In fact, the parenting drive is so strong that owlbear pairs that have either lost their eggs to nest raiders or that were unable to lay their own eggs, will try to steal eggs from other owlbears. If the egg theft is successful, they take the eggs back to their own nest to raise as their own.
Interactions with Sapient Peoples: Although owlbears don’t usually hunt people, they react aggressively when someone gets between them and food, when startled, or when protecting their young. When they are upset, they will stand up on their hind legs, puff up their feathers (making themselves appear bigger), and screech threateningly. They attack with their massive clawed paws and their powerful beaks.
Large predators like owlbears have been a significant threat to people and livestock for a long time. In the period called the Organized Monster Slaying, the leaders of Crossroads put significant effort into eradicating these large predators from all populated areas. Since then, many unexpected problems have arisen. Several of the animals that these predators were eating have gotten out of control and are causing great hardship by destroying crops and forests. Attempts to directly control the populations of these animals have been met with mixed success.
Now the focus is on discovering methods to allow people and these large predators to live safely side by side. The recent development of the fast-growing Stinky Pricklebushes, which produce a pungent aroma that owlbears hate, has been the turning point that allowed owlbears and people to safely coexist. These bushes grow tall and can easily be sculpted into fences to protect homes and livestock.
Now that an effect method for coexistence exists, the first stage of the Owlbear Reintroduction Program is underway.
Owlbears are part of the Crossroads Setting for the tabletop role-playing game, Magic Goes Awry. Click here to go to a list of the other strange and wonderful magical creatures from the Land of Crossroads.
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