An owlbear (also owl bear) is a fictional creature originally created for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

. An owlbear is depicted as a cross between a bear and an owl, which "hugs" like a bear and attacks with its beak. Inspired by a plastic toy made in Hong Kong, Greenwood, Ed, "Ecology of the Rust Monster." ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' #88 (TSR, 1984). Account was later re-printed in the ''Ecology of the Rust Monster'' article in issue #346. Gary Gygax created the owlbear and introduced the creature to the game in the 1975 '' Greyhawk'' supplement;

Gygax, Gary Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created a ...

and Robert Kuntz. '' Supplement I: Greyhawk'' (TSR, 1975) the creature has since appeared in every subsequent

edition Edition may refer to: * Edition (book), a bibliographical term for a substantially similar set of copies * Edition (printmaking), a publishing term for a set print run * Edition (textual criticism), a particular version of a text * Edition Recor ...

of the game. Owlbears, or similar beasts, also appear in several other fantasy role-playing games, video games and other media.

Creation

In the early 1970s, Gary Gygax was playing '' Chainmail'', a wargame that bore some precursors of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. In order to give his players as many different challenges as possible, Gygax was always on the look-out for new monsters. Although he was able to draw on pulp fiction and

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

stories for many of them, he also looked through

dime stores A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, automotive parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, home furnishings, and a selection of groceries. It us ...

for figurines that could be used in battle. On one of those occasions, he came across a bag of small plastic toys euphemistically labeled "prehistoric animals". Made in Hong Kong, the set included monsters from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese "

Kaiju is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monster ...

" films such as Ultraman and the Godzilla franchise. Several of these were odd enough to catch his eye, and he used them to represent several new monsters, including the owlbear, the

bulette A frikadelle is a rounded, flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatball of minced meat, often likened to the German and/or Danish version of meatballs. The origin of the dish is unknown. The term is German but the dish is associated with German, Scandina ...

and the

rust monster In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, "monsters" are generally the antagonists which players must fight and defeat to progress in the game. Since the game's first edition in 1974, a bestiary was included along other game man ...

Concept

The owlbear is depicted as an eight to ten foot (2.5–3 meter) tall cross between a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

and an owl. According to descriptions in '' Dungeons & Dragons'' source books, owlbears are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

creatures, famed for their aggression and ferocity;Owlbear in the d20 SRD
/ref> they live in mated pairs in caves and hunt any creature bigger than a

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

. They use a "hug" and their beak to attack. In the game's third edition, it was categorized as a " magical beast". The actual in-game origin of the owlbear has never been definitively revealed, but the various '' Monster Manual'' editions indicate that it is probably the product of a wizard's experiments. Within the franchise's mythology, the lich Thessalar claims to have created them, but his insanity and egomania put the accuracy of this claim in doubt. In the 5th edition, some elves claim that owlbears have existed for millennia and older fey say that they have always existed in the Feywild. Within the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' system and in other

s, the owlbear usually serves as a "monster". Within the context of

RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...

s, "monster" is a generic term to describe potentially hostile beings and obstacles for the players to overcome. This role is also the one the owlbear was originally designed for.

Publication history

The owlbear is among the earliest monsters in ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and, like the

and the

, was inspired by a Hong Kong–made plastic toy purchased by Gary Gygax for use as a miniature in a '' Chainmail'' game.

''Dungeons & Dragons''

The owl bear was introduced to the game in its first supplement, '' Greyhawk'' (1975). It is described as a "horrid creature" which "hugs" like a bear, and deals damage with its beak. The owlbear is also listed on random encounter tables in '' Eldritch Wizardry'', the third supplement. The illustration shows a bear-like creature on all fours, and bears no resemblance to the plastic toy that had given Gygax his original inspiration.

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition

The owlbear appears in the first edition ''Monster Manual'' (1977), where it is described as a "horrible creature that inhabits tangled forest regions, and attacks with its great claws and snapping beak". The illustration of the owlbear shown in the ''Monster Manual'' was done by Dave Sutherland, and closely correlates to Gygax's original plastic toy.

Basic ''Dungeons & Dragons''

This edition of the'' D&D'' game included its own owl bear, in the '' Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set'' (1981 and 1983). The owl bear was also later featured in the '' Dungeons & Dragons Game'' set (1991), the ''Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia'' (1991), the ''Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game'' set (1994), and the '' Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game'' set (1999).

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition

The owlbear appears first in the '' Monstrous Compendium Volume One'' (1989), and is reprinted in the ''

Monstrous Manual The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'' fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover D&D book and includ ...

'' (1993). The owlbear appeared in the '' Dark Sun'' setting in the adventure ''Black Spine'' (1994). The owlbear was detailed in ''

'' #214 (February 1995), in "The Ecology of the Owlbear", which also included the arctic owlbear and the winged owlbear. These variants were later reprinted in the ''Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three'' (1996). The greater owlbear appeared in an adventure in '' Dungeon'' #63 (July 1997).

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd edition

The owlbear appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2000). The owlbear appeared on the Wizards of the Coast website for the ''Chainmail'' game, in 2000. The winged owlbear in adult and juvenile form appeared in ''Dungeon'' #84 (January 2001). The supplemental book '' Unapproachable East'' features a feat, an ability that player characters can obtain, named "owlbear berserker" that allows a player character to use a ferocious owlbear-like fighting style.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5

The owlbear appears in the revised ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2003) as well as the owlbear skeleton under the

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

entry. The ancient owlbear appeared in ''Dungeon'' #107 (February 2004). The Ankholian owlbear appeared in the ''Dragonlance'', ''Bestiary of Krynn'' (2004) and the ''Revised Bestiary of Krynn'' (2007).

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition

The owlbear appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2008) along with the winterclaw owlbear. The flavor text mentions that owlbears can be tamed to serve as guards.

''Dungeons & Dragons Essentials''

The ''Monster Vault'' boxed set contains the owlbear as well as various subtypes like the young owlbear, trained owlbear, wind-claw owlbear and again the winterclaw owlbear. The cover of the monster book included in the box and the box itself feature an owlbear alongside other monsters.Wizards of the Coast official website
''Monster Vault – An Essential D&D Game Supplement''
at the Wizards of the Coast official website

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition

In May 2012, Wizards of the Coast employee Jon Schindehette announced that the inclusion and design of the owlbear for the upcoming fifth edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was being discussed. The monster was included in the "bestiary" of the ''D&D Next Playtest Package'', a compilation of files available for gamers interested in playtesting this ''Dungeons & Dragons'' version before its official release. The owlbear is included in the '' Monster Manual'' of the full release of the game, published in 2014. The flavor text states that remote settlements have used owlbears for racing, and it also states the fact that owlbears are more likely to attack their tamer, than actually begin the race.

In other role-playing games

''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game''

The owlbear is an official monster in the '' Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' that is based on ''Dungeons and Dragons'' 3.5 edition. It is included in the game's first bestiary, and elaborated on in ''Dungeon Denizens Revisited''. ''Dungeon Denizens Revisited'' also includes a variant named siege owlbear.Official Siege Owlbear entry on Pathfinder SRD
/ref> Furthermore, Paizo released a part of the series ''Behind the Monsters'' dedicated to the owlbear, which features the bearowl, the possibly "even stranger offspring" of an owlbear. Additional official ''Pathfinder'' variants of the owlbear are the arctic owlbear, Darklands owlbear, fruss owlbear, great hook-clawed owlbear, screaming owlbear, sleeyk owlbear,Official Sleeyk Owlbear entry on Pathfinder SRD
/ref> slime owlbear, sloth owlbear as well as the spectral owlbear.Official Owlbear entry on Pathfinder SRD
/ref> The adventure module ''Pathfinder #7 – Curse of the Crimson Throne Chapter 1: "Edge of Anarchy"'' originally published by Paizo Publishing for ''Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition'' under the OGLPathfinder #7 – Curse of the Crimson Throne Chapter 1: "Edge of Anarchy" at Paizo.com
/ref> contains a taxidermic owlbear. It is a regular owlbear with the skeleton template allowing the game master to turn a regular monster into an undead one.Official Owlbear Skeleton entry on Pathfinder SRD
/ref> A skeletal owlbear illustration was also done by

Goodman Games Goodman Games is an American game publisher best known for the ''Dungeon Crawl Classics'' series of adventure modules and role-playing game, the ''Dragonmech'' role-playing game, and the ''Etherscope'' role-playing games. The company produced l ...

artist Nick Greenwood.

Retro-clones and OSR RPGs

As only the design of a role-playing game, not the rules are protected by U.S. copyright law, it is possible for third-party publishers to release RPG systems based on the rules of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' without using the actual name or trademarks associated with the brand. These systems are referred to as "retro-clones" or "simulacra". Games not directly using rules of a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' edition but claiming to capture the style are often called Old School Renaissance (OSR) games. The following retro-clones and OSR systems feature the owlbear as an opponent: *''Swords & Wizardry'', modelled after the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' from 1974 and published by Mythmere Games. *''Labyrinth Lords'' by Goblinoid Games. *''Dark Dungeons'', ''Darker Dungeons'' and ''Darkest Dungeons'' (later renamed ''Blood, Guts and Glory'') by Gratis Games all include the owlbear in their bestiary. *'' OSRIC'', a system emulating ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''. *''Mazes & Perils'', inspired by the 1977 Holmes version of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. *''Adventurer Conqueror King'' by Autarch. *''Dungeon Crawl Classics'' by Goodman Games. *In '' Basic Fantasy'', the owlbear appears together with the fire-breathing owlbear. *''Microlite74 Basic'', ''Standard'' and ''Extended'' all have owlbears as monsters. *''For Gold & Glory'', emulating ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition. *''Castles & Crusades'' by Troll Lord Games. *''Burning THAC0'', a variation of ''

The Burning Wheel ''The Burning Wheel'' is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game independently written and published by Luke Crane. The game uses a dice pool mechanic (using only standard six-sided dice) for task resolution and a character generation system that ...

''.

Other systems

A male half-owlbear, half-blue dragon hybrid named Dragore is featured as an antagonist in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.0 supplement ''Foul Locales: Beyond the Walls'' by Mystic Eye Games. The ''Manual of Monsters'' for '' Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game'' suggest to use the owlbear as an opponent. A ''Warcraft''-exclusive owlbear-like creature named wildkin is included as well. Later on, ''Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game'' was renamed ''World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game''. This edition's ''Monster Guide'', equivalent to the ''Manual of Monsters'', includes the owlbear-like "wildkin" described as a benign creature and associated with the game's

Night Elf ''World of Warcraft'', or ''WoW'', is set in a fictional universe, its primary setting being the planet of Azeroth. The first expansion, ''The Burning Crusade'', introduced a second planet, Outland. ''Wrath of the Lich King'' and ''Cataclysm ...

faction. A larger and more ferocious subtype listed is the "owlbeast". A third-party ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition quick reference card for the owlbear has been published as part of a series of ''Monster Knowledge Cards''. The owlbears appears in the ''

HackMaster HackMaster is a fantasy role-playing game produced by Kenzer & Company. It began as a fictional game, a parody of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' played by the characters of the ''Knights of the Dinner Table'' comic strip by Jolly R. Blackburn. The c ...

4th edition Hacklopedia of Beasts Volume VI'' and the ''HackMaster 5th edition Hacklopedia of Beasts''. Variants included are the lesser owlbear, great horned owlbear and the spotted owlbear. The ''HackMaster'' adventure module ''Little Keep on the Borderlands'' features owlbears as enemies and an owlbear on the cover. ''Blood & Treasure'', modelled after ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition, features the owlbear as an opponent.

In video games

''Dungeons & Dragons''-licensed games

Several video games based on ''Dungeons & Dragons'' feature the owlbear: * The owlbear appears as a regular enemy in the arcade beat 'em up '' Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom''''Tower of Doom'' list of enemies at Arcade Quartermaster
/ref> as well as in its sequel '' Shadow over Mystara''.''Shadow over Mystara'' list of enemies at Arcade Quartermaster
/ref> The games were later re-released in a bundle for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

as the ''Dungeons & Dragons Collection''.''Dungeons & Dragons Collection'' at MobyGames
/ref> * As of update 19, the MMORPG ''

Dungeons & Dragons Online ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Turbine for Microsoft Windows and OS X. The game was originally marketed as ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach''. Upon switching to a h ...

'' (originally released as ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach'') contains owlbears as combat foes and hireling pets. * The owlbear makes an appearance in '' Dungeons & Dragons Tactics'' for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

. * Owlbears appear in ''

Curse of the Azure Bonds ''Curse of the Azure Bonds'' is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' Gold Box adventure comput ...

'', '' Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures'' and ''

Neverwinter Nights ''Neverwinter Nights'' is a series of video games developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, based on the ''Forgotten Realms'' campaign setting of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Aside from also being set in the Dungeons & Dra ...

'', which are all part of the so-called '' Gold Box'' series of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' video games by SSI. Some or all of these titles are also included in a number of collected editions of ''Gold Box'' games. * The owlbear is a regular opponent in '' Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun'', which was developed for the

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

Westwood Associates Westwood Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in 1985 as Brelous Software, but got changed after 2 months into Westwood Associates and was renamed to West ...

in 1992. * The owlbear is an epic rarity ridable mount in '' Neverwinter''.

''Warcraft'' franchise

Adaptations of the owlbear appear in the '' Warcraft'' universe in several forms: *

Non-player character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...

s known as "wildkin" appear in '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' and its expansion ''

The Frozen Throne ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne '' is the expansion pack for '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'', a real-time strategy video game by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released worldwide on July 1, 2003, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. ''The F ...

''. Variants are the ''enraged wildkin'' and ''berserk wildkin''. The actual term "owlbear" is only used in ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' and its manual, and not used in its expansion. * The

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

'' World of Warcraft'' contains a variety of owlbear-like creatures named "wildkin", mostly as NPCs. The alternative term "owlkin" is used of wildkin living in the fictional Ammen Vale. A variant is the mutated owlkin. A more powerful wildkin is the owlbeast, with deranged owlbeast and raging owlbeast being subtypes. Some wildkin are also called "moonkin", which is also a creature players of the

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

class can transform into. A

quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ever ...

for players with the druid class involves defeating a moonkin named Lunaclaw.

Other games

* Owlbears can be found in the roguelike computer games '' NetHack'', and ''

ADOM ''Ancient Domains of Mystery'' is a roguelike video game designed and developed by Thomas Biskup and released in 1994. The player's goal is to stop the forces of Chaos that invade the world of Ancardia. The game has been identified as one of the ...

''. It also appears in the text-based MMORPG ''

BatMUD ''BatMUD'' is a medieval fantasy MUD, established in 1990. ''BatMUD'' is Finland-based and operated and owned by a non-profit organization, Balanced Alternative Techniques ry ("B.A.T. ry"), officially registered 1994 in Helsinki, Finland. By 20 ...

''. * The owlbear is an opponent in the Famicom game ''

The Quest of Ki is a 1988 video game developed by Game Studio and published by Namco for the Family Computer. It is the third game in ''Babylonian Castle Saga'' series which started with the 1984 arcade game, ''The Tower of Druaga''. The game was ported to th ...

'', a puzzle-platformer from the ''

Babylonian Castle Saga The is a Japanese role-playing video game franchise developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco, for arcades and home video game platforms. Beginning in 1984 with the arcade title ''The Tower of Druaga'', the series wo ...

'' released exclusively in Japan. * In Wildtangent's ''FATE'', owlbears are enemies in the game's first version. However, they were replaced by a similar monster called a

shrike Shrikes () are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 34 species in four genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, ''Lanius'', is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also know ...

. * Owlbears appear as mobs in the

'' EverQuest: The Shadows of Luclin'' in nineteen variants.EverQuest Bestiary at EverQuest Allakhazam
/ref> They are also featured in its sequel ''

EverQuest II ''EverQuest II'' is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment for Microsoft Windows PCs and released in November 2004. It is the sequel to the original ...

''. Here, variants include the ash owlbear, cinder, pawcrusher and foulfeather as well as female and elder owlbears. * The online

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

'' Legends of Norrath'' based on ''EverQuest'' features an ash owlbear card.[ht tp://legendsofnorrath.station.sony.com/community.vm?Id=605 ''Hunt for Foulfeather Once Again in the Legends of Norrath February Retro-Replay Scenario!'' at the ''Legends of Norrath'' official website] * An enemy named "owl bear" appears early into the Master System game ''Phantasy Star''. It resembles an eyeball with bat wings, however, and is called "devil bat" in the original Japanese version. * The owlbear is a monster in the 1992 SNES game '' Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride'' by Enix (later

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

). The monster is also included in the later remakes for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

and the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

Additionally, the Nintendo DS version features a stronger, purple variant called ''growlbear''. * In the

game ''

Wild Arms 5 ''Wild Arms 5'', released in Japan as , is the fifth video game in the ''Wild Arms'' series of Japanese role-playing games. The game celebrates the series' 10th anniversary by featuring cameo appearances of characters from the previous games. It ...

'', the owlbear appears as a common enemy. * ''Tales of Destiny II'' for the

features owl bears (オウルベア in the Japanese original). * Owlbears appear as enemies in the game, ''Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis''. * There are also owlbears as enemies in '' Final Fantasy XII''. The Japanese original uses the term "owlbear", whereas the English localisation calls the creature "urstrix". * Owlbears are the protagonists of the 2011 browser game ''Owlbear Garden''. * The owlbear is featured on a "monster card", a gameplay element in the MMO ''Kingdom Conquest'' by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

. * The online game ''Kingdom Quest'' by Funzio features owlbears as opponents. * Another MMO, ''Lineage'', includes owlbears with various levels of strength as well as a variant named "valley owlbear". * In the PlayStation 3 game '' Dragon's Crown'', owlbears appear as a mob. *Owlbears appear in the roguelike game Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead as a dangerous enemy

In other media

* The ''Harbinger'' set, the first set of miniatures for the ''

Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game The ''Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game'' is a collectible miniatures game played with pre-painted, plastic miniature figures based on characters and monsters from the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game. The figures are 30mm in scale. Produced by W ...

'', a collectible miniatures game, has an owlbear miniature.Wizards of the Coast official website
Mini Galleries Archive: ''Harbinger''
at the Wizards of the Coast official website The ''Blood War'' set has monster named owlbear ranger. The ''Against the Giants'' set includes a furious owlbear.Wizards of the Coast official website
Mini Galleries Archive: ''Against the Giants''
at the Wizards of the Coast official website * In 2012, Wizards of the Coast released a new version of the 1975 adventure board game ''Dungeon!'' which features owlbears as opponents. * Also released in 2012 by Wizards of the Coast, the board game ''

Lords of Waterdeep ''Lords of Waterdeep'' is a German-style board game designed by Peter Lee and Rodney Thompson and published by Wizards of the Coast in 2012. The game is set in Waterdeep, a fictional city in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the ''Dung ...

'' features a quest card titled "Domesticate Owlbears". * The owlbear was depicted in the webcomic ''

The Order of the Stick ''The Order of the Stick'' (''OOTS'') is a comedic webcomic that satirizes tabletop role-playing games and medieval fantasy. The comic is written and drawn by Rich Burlew, who illustrates the comic in a stick figure style. Taking place in a mag ...

'', where it was presented as a pointless cross between an already dangerous creature (a bear) and a harmless animal (an owl). * A creature called a "nightripper" appears in '' Sagard the Barbarian #2: The Green Hydra'' game book by Gary Gygax. The nightripper is described and illustrated as a bear with an owl's head but with talons for forepaws. An illustration of it can be found prefacing section 12: The Kingdom Of Darkness. * An owlbear also appears in the Japanese light novel series ''

Banished from the Hero's Party is a Japanese light novel series written by Zappon and illustrated by Yasumo. It began serialization online in October 2017 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Kadokawa Shoten, who ...

''. * An owlbear appears in the film '' Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'', set to be released on March 3, 2023 by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Reception

Chris Sims of the on-line magazine ''Comics Alliance'' referred to the owlbear as "the second-greatest monster in the history of ''D&D''. Dave Chalker from Critical-Hits.com, a RPG blog which won the Ennie Gold 2011 Ennie Award for Best Blog, recommended the use of the owlbear as a monster. Rob Bricken from io9 named the owlbear as the sixth most memorable D&D monster.

References

{{D&D topics Dungeons & Dragons monsters Fictional bears Fictional owls