D&D 5E D&D Next Art Column: June! And July!
- Thread starter Klaus
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I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
Make that quadruped's head a little more eerily blank (something like the barn owl's), maybe give it some huge eyes -- give it a thousand-yard stare and a look of sutble disdain -- and we have a winner.
The quadruped body is THE BEST ONE. I can smell the thing. It looks like it could come crashing out of the dark forest at you. It's not reminiscent of its origins very much, but it's better.
An owl's beak is small because its face is basically a sound-receiving dish that lets it hear things like mice rooting around in grass. And it's eyes are comparatively huge. So I imagine this colossal bear-thing as a nocturnal hunter, keeping the owl's keen hearing and low-light vision, and perhaps even keeping camouflage that lets it blend into the forest surroundings, and an owl's propensity for stealth.
Imagine this ghostly thing moving silently, nearly unseen, through the forest. It is monstrous in size, but its movements are subtle...a tilt of the head, a slight twitch of the ear-feathers...until it opens its beak wide, issues a horrible roar-screech, and crashes through the underbrush at its prey.
Yeah. Grizzowl 01.
The quadruped body is THE BEST ONE. I can smell the thing. It looks like it could come crashing out of the dark forest at you. It's not reminiscent of its origins very much, but it's better.
An owl's beak is small because its face is basically a sound-receiving dish that lets it hear things like mice rooting around in grass. And it's eyes are comparatively huge. So I imagine this colossal bear-thing as a nocturnal hunter, keeping the owl's keen hearing and low-light vision, and perhaps even keeping camouflage that lets it blend into the forest surroundings, and an owl's propensity for stealth.
Imagine this ghostly thing moving silently, nearly unseen, through the forest. It is monstrous in size, but its movements are subtle...a tilt of the head, a slight twitch of the ear-feathers...until it opens its beak wide, issues a horrible roar-screech, and crashes through the underbrush at its prey.
Yeah. Grizzowl 01.
"The peaceful hooting of owls gets closer and louder through the course of the night.
Immediately following a particularly loud hooting, you hear heavy breathing in the underbrush, and see a large figure moving with eerie silence..."
My owl bears don't roar-screech, they screech-roar!
Otherwise I like the cut of your jib sir...
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
One thing I think I should mention is that an owl's eyes are distinctive: they face forward. They have binocular vision. That's part of why the face of owls is adapted to be a big dish, and part of why they look...unnervingly human.
None of the examples (with the possible exception of Grizzowl) have that trait, and I think that is part of what they're lacking. The artist should be placing the eyes in the front of the head, just above the beak, not to the side. Giving us a front-on view of the face also helps establish the owlishness: the discs of the "track 2" owlbear make more sense in front of the face than to the side.
None of the examples (with the possible exception of Grizzowl) have that trait, and I think that is part of what they're lacking. The artist should be placing the eyes in the front of the head, just above the beak, not to the side. Giving us a front-on view of the face also helps establish the owlishness: the discs of the "track 2" owlbear make more sense in front of the face than to the side.
Klaus
First Post
I agree, the eyes need that blank stare.
As for owls having "small" beaks, it's because they, unlike eagles, don't use their beaks to carve their prey:
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My favorite rendition of the owlbear is the one in the Everquest games. For me, this is what an owlbear looks like, no matter what the Monster Manual says:
Female owlbear - EQ2i, the EverQuest 2 Wiki - Quests, guides, mobs, npcs, and more
Unfortunately, there aren't any big shots of owlbears that I've found.
Female owlbear - EQ2i, the EverQuest 2 Wiki - Quests, guides, mobs, npcs, and more
Unfortunately, there aren't any big shots of owlbears that I've found.
There is a picture in the Swords and Sorcery Luclin Bestiary I particularly like, although hunting down that book for one picture may be a mistake.
I actually have all the EQRPG books, but no scanner with which to digitize any of the images contained within.
I really wanted that Isles of Mist supplement, too.
edit: found it online somehow
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I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
One of my favorite owlbears:
Too humanoid, but they get the face right:
Cartoony, but I like the blend:
Just so you know: they're terrifying:
Too humanoid, but they get the face right:
Cartoony, but I like the blend:
Just so you know: they're terrifying:
Incenjucar
Legend
I did a few tweaks using paint to try and get a closer-to-origin idea across:
In general they just need to stop making the owlbears look like gorillas.
In general they just need to stop making the owlbears look like gorillas.
frankthedm
First Post
Plenty use their beak for cutting up prey. But the damned things can open their beaks disturbingly wide.I agree, the eyes need that blank stare.
As for owls having "small" beaks, it's because they, unlike eagles, don't use their beaks to carve their prey:
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Libramarian
Adventurer
Yeah I like the quadruped most I suppose. It is a bit too hunchbacked though. I like it mostly for the more owlish face; I don't mind a bipedal owlbear.
The thing I'm looking for now is the "red-rimmed eyes".
Something like this guy:
The thing I'm looking for now is the "red-rimmed eyes".
Something like this guy:
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Leatherhead
Possibly a Idiot.
It's not really hunchbacked. It's just bristling it's feathers.
And I just realized the thing that bugs me about these pictures the most. None of them are in the dark. Those giant glowy owl eyes would do allot to make the monster come alive.
Hussar
Legend
Well, the problem with in the dark is that you lose all the details about the creature. Sure, he's got big scary eyes. But, then again, just about EVERYTHING that wants to eat you has big scary eyes.
And, let's not forget, these are concept pieces, so, there's little or no context.
Lastly, would an Owlbear actually be a nocturnal predator? Did a bit of hunting and saw this in the 2e Monstrous Manual
So, it's not unusual to meet them during the day.
And, let's not forget, these are concept pieces, so, there's little or no context.
Lastly, would an Owlbear actually be a nocturnal predator? Did a bit of hunting and saw this in the 2e Monstrous Manual
So, it's not unusual to meet them during the day.
CAFRedblade
Explorer
I'd like to see a more head on shot to compare to the quadruped Grizzowl version. Although I don't mind some of the test ones, those angles don't seem to do them as much justice as the off kilter head on sketch of the Grizzowl.
Klaus
First Post
Hmm... wonder if the platypus is called duckbeaver in the D&D world, and if a wizard did it...
Gold Roger
First Post
Now there's a thought. Owlbears are just a carnivorous oversized kind of platypus. Just wait for the dire koala and fiendish echidna.Hmm... wonder if the platypus is called duckbeaver in the D&D world, and if a wizard did it...
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