Descendants of the now extinct Blue Bear, Owlbear tribe members today live among and as part of the Tree Ghost tribe in the High Forest, serving as keepers of the Grandfather Tree. They are a people whose culture is built upon the principles of the strength and righteousness of the bear and the wisdom and clear sight of the owl. Though they now range within the High Forest, their spirit mound is located within the Neverwinter Wood, their historic home. When electing a new great chief, the Owlbear migrate to their Owlbear Mound to complete the ceremony. As tradition goes, they elect a shaman as their chief, selecting the one that best blends wisdom with power.
Your people have always tried to hold to the old ways of the Owlbear, and you are no different. Tradition, ceremony and dedication to their ancestors have kept the Owlbear strong, resilient and peaceful while other Uthgardt tribes have disappeared or turned to violence and intertribal war. You might have grown up within the tribe and now find yourself a messenger of their values or a messenger of peace within the wider land. Or you might serve as protector of the tribe's shrinking population, keeping watch over their spirit mound and keeping the area of their migration safe for travel. Or you might seek to bring glory to your tribe by achieving great things as a formidable adventurer.
- Skill Proficiencies: Athletics. Insight or Perception
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument, herbalism kit, or brewer's supplies
- Languages: Bothii, choose one
- Equipment: A hunting trap, a totemic token or set of tattoos marking your loyalty to the Owlbear, a set of traveler’s clothes, a Sealed Vessel of Siiġñaq-alukkam, and a pouch containing 5 gp
You have an excellent knowledge of not only your tribe’s territory, but also the terrain and natural resources of the rest of the North. You are familiar enough with any wilderness area that you find twice as much food and water as you normally would when you forage there.
Additionally, as a downtime activity, if you are proficient in brewer's supplies, you may spend one workweek and 10 gp to brew one Sealed Vessel of Siiġñaq-alukkam. If you are located within 10 miles of forest or hills you can ignore the cost in gp and forage the supplies that you need.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables for the outlander background (somewhat modified) below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a member of the Owlbear tribe.
Even if you have left your tribe behind (at least for now), you hold to the traditions of your people. You will never cut down a still-living tree, and you may not countenance such an act being done in your presence. The Owlbear ancestral mound—a great hill where the totem spirits were defeated by the Owlbear and where the heroes of the tribes are interred—are sacred to you.
Your bond is undoubtedly associated with your tribe or some aspect of Owlbear philosophy or culture (perhaps even Uthgar himself). Your ideal is a personal choice that probably hews closely to the ethos of your people and certainly doesn’t contradict or compromise what being an Owlbear stands for (righteousness and wisdom).
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home. |
| 2 | I watch over my friends as if they were a litter of newborn pups. |
| 3 | I once ran twenty-five miles without stopping to warn to my clan of an approaching orc horde. I’d do it again if I had to. |
| 4 | I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature. |
| 5 | I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear. |
| 6 | I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them. |
| 7 | I feel far more comfortable around animals than people. |
| 8 | I was, in fact, raised by wolves. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | Ancestral Teaching. I take my direction from the stories and teachings of my ancestors. (Lawful) |
| 3 | Righteousness. I walk the just path and do my part to further the good of my people. (Good) |
| 4 | Force. The bear takes what it wants, and so do I. (Evil) |
| 5 | Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Clear Site. I see the world clearly for what it is and so I steer my actions in reverence to that truth. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me. |
| 2 | An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me. |
| 3 | I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland. |
| 4 | I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend. |
| 5 | I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it. |
| 6 | It is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I require intoxicants in order to make a decision. |
| 2 | There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest. |
| 3 | I remember every insult I’ve witnessed and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who’s do another wrong. |
| 4 | I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies. |
| 5 | Violence is my answer to almost any challenge. |
| 6 | Don’t expect me to save those who can’t save themselves. It is nature’s way that the strong thrive and the weak perish. |
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