I have it set up that the two players chase an owlbear to its lair after it snatches a kid that looked like it would make a nice dinner. The owlbear's movement is 40 and the players is 30, so it should ne able to break away. It happens in a forest, so once it gets far enough away the trees should prohibit any ranged attack.
I could use some descriptive details about the owlbear's lair. Also, even though I suped up the owlbear, it seems like one owlbear for two players might be too easy.
There is also a small pond inside the cave that doesn't serve any purpose as of yet. Maybe the owlbear could be sharing it's lair with some other creature?
To highlight the most relevant part to what you are looking for
An owlbear makes its den in a cave or ruin littered with the bones of its prey. It drags partially devoured kills back to its den, storing portions of the carcass among the surrounding rocks, bushes, and trees. The scent of blood and rotting flesh hangs heavy near an owlbear’s lair, attracting scavengers and thus luring more prey.
Owlbears hunt alone or in mated pairs. If quarry is plentiful, a family of owlbears might remain together for longer than is required to rear offspring. Otherwise, they part ways as soon as the young are ready to hunt.
Already we have a pretty good descriptor of the owlbear's lair, littered with the bones and half devoured corpses of prey animals (and if the owlbear has made a habit of hunting people a few humanoid skeletons as well) and the stench of rotting meat as the players get closer to the entrance. If you think a single owlbear lacks sufficient challenge then it could always be a mated pair with offspring, I guess that is pretty much all you really need for a simple encounter, if you wanted to include some sort of loot reward in the cave itself then perhaps there is the half devoured remains of an unfortunate adventurer with some interesting gear, a severed finger with a signet ring or perhaps the cave was being used by smugglers to stash illegal goods before the owlbear took up residence.
Beyond that I guess it really depends on the circumstances of the adventure? What lead up to the child being snatched by the owlbear? Has the owlbear made a habit of hunting people in the area (and if so why? Lack of prey in the area due to something more sinister that the players will be tasked to investigate? Something in the water that is causing predators to behave more aggressively?) or is it merely a freak occurrence that the players just happened to witness while traveling the area?
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I have it set up that the two players chase an owlbear to its lair after it snatches a kid that looked like it would make a nice dinner. The owlbear's movement is 40 and the players is 30, so it should ne able to break away. It happens in a forest, so once it gets far enough away the trees should prohibit any ranged attack.
I could use some descriptive details about the owlbear's lair. Also, even though I suped up the owlbear, it seems like one owlbear for two players might be too easy.
There is also a small pond inside the cave that doesn't serve any purpose as of yet. Maybe the owlbear could be sharing it's lair with some other creature?
Suggestions?
I mean, the only reason why it would be dragging it back and not just swallowing it right there and running off is to take it back to feed babies.
These are actual baby owls, so a swarm of hungry owl bear babies coming out of the darkness would probably be pretty terrifying
In my game, owlbears have wings and can fly. It's lair might might be a nest high in the trees, presenting a considerable home field advantage.....
Feels like most of the information you are looking for is already in the Owlbear description in the monster manual
https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16975-owlbear
To highlight the most relevant part to what you are looking for
An owlbear makes its den in a cave or ruin littered with the bones of its prey. It drags partially devoured kills back to its den, storing portions of the carcass among the surrounding rocks, bushes, and trees. The scent of blood and rotting flesh hangs heavy near an owlbear’s lair, attracting scavengers and thus luring more prey.
Owlbears hunt alone or in mated pairs. If quarry is plentiful, a family of owlbears might remain together for longer than is required to rear offspring. Otherwise, they part ways as soon as the young are ready to hunt.
Already we have a pretty good descriptor of the owlbear's lair, littered with the bones and half devoured corpses of prey animals (and if the owlbear has made a habit of hunting people a few humanoid skeletons as well) and the stench of rotting meat as the players get closer to the entrance. If you think a single owlbear lacks sufficient challenge then it could always be a mated pair with offspring, I guess that is pretty much all you really need for a simple encounter, if you wanted to include some sort of loot reward in the cave itself then perhaps there is the half devoured remains of an unfortunate adventurer with some interesting gear, a severed finger with a signet ring or perhaps the cave was being used by smugglers to stash illegal goods before the owlbear took up residence.
Beyond that I guess it really depends on the circumstances of the adventure? What lead up to the child being snatched by the owlbear? Has the owlbear made a habit of hunting people in the area (and if so why? Lack of prey in the area due to something more sinister that the players will be tasked to investigate? Something in the water that is causing predators to behave more aggressively?) or is it merely a freak occurrence that the players just happened to witness while traveling the area?