Homebrew Owlbear Species Details

The owlbears of Kalendo are strong in body, dedication, and patience. They are at home on the wilds, able to use their more animalistic features to live as free individuals or small families. They combine their great strength in battle with keen senses and an understanding of their natural habitats, making them excellent scouts despite their large size.

Beak and Claw

Owlbears are hulking beasts with heads resembling those of owls. Their beaks range in size from about 3 inches long to large pointed weapons able of pecking enemies causing serious harm. They often paint their beaks with various patterns which signify an individual and group identity.

Multiple coverings of thick feathers cover the owlbears body, including distinctive and sometimes colourful plumage on the head. Owlbears are born with short stubby tails and their legs and arms end in wide, heavy, clawed paws, but families will often pull the claws of their infants as the claws often get in the way of handling tools and weapons. Other owlbears will continuously file down the nails instead.

Centered and Strong

Owlbears are often the natural apex predators in their regions, this coupled with their sentience has made Owlbears very self-assured and individualistic. Owlbears can often become self-sufficient hermits who enjoy their place in the wild, living in more naturally formed structures such as caves. But when the need arises are able to leverage their great strength to easily build and create homesteads and in rare instances small hamlets.

 

Because of the self-confidence owlbears, tend to be slow to anger but will not shy away from a fight. Other races that have encroached on owlbear territory have quickly found that just because owlbear tools and communities seem simple does not prevent them weapons with great strength and proficiency. Owlbears are stoic, but will love their friends and partners fiercely, their presence is a quiet but reassuring one.

History

Being a relatively young race to have developed sentience Owlbears do not have much history, individually they have spoken history going back generations. Because of this Owlbears can be perplexingly hostile or friendly to other races due encounters that might have happened over a century ago. Owlbears have a fascination with the plumage of other tribes and families. There is an unspoken understanding and respect for feathers and colours of a certain type although it is seen as a private matter that is understood amongst owlbears but never discussed with other races. Since each family line has their own plumage, owlbears don’t usually find it helpful to connect the name of the line to their personal names; therefore owlbears will often adopt odd and unusual second names to adhere to common society if they should mix with it.

Owlbear Names

There are relatively few, famous owlbears and therefore few well known owlbear names, however myths of owlbear protectors of the land, are in existance. Names are often simple lending themselves to pronouncing with a beak and owlbers do not assign names based on gender.

Names: Buck, Berrak, Ara, Rak'k

Owlbear Traits

Your owlbear character has the following racial traits. These traits are also suitable for owlbears in other D&D worlds where these people have also achieved sentience.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Alignment

Most owlbears are individualistic therefore leaning toward a neutral alignments, however many have a belief in the natural order of things and are therefore more lawful.

Size

Owlbears average over 6 feet in height, and they have stocky builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Beak & Claw

Your beak and claws are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Hunter's Smell

When completing a Wisdom (Perception) check that relies on smell you get advantage.

Powerful Build

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Imposing Presence

You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Intimidation or Persuasion.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.