Cleon
Legend
Anyhow, we might as well do the arctic owlbear while preparing ourselves to confront the horror that is the duckbunny.
I actually did a homebrewed conversion of the Arctic Owlbear last year, based on the info in the Dragon magazine Ecology of the Owlbear article. It'd be interesting to see how the enworld/MCA3 take differs from what I came up with.
The writeup is practically identical:
From "The Ecology of the Owlbear" by Johnathan M Richard in Dragon Magazine #214 (February 1995)
Arctic Owlbear
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any arctic
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1 (2-8)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 12, SW 9
HIT DICE: 8+2
THAC0: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: l-10/1-10/2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hug, surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immunity to cold-based attacks
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (12’ tall)
MORALE: Steady (11-12) + Special
XP VALUE: 2,000
Arctic owlbears are the polar cousins of the normal owlbear; they resemble a cross between a snowy owl and a polar bear. Both fur and feathers are a snowy white, while the claws and beak are both black. Yellow, glowing eyes look forward from a rounded head. Arctic owlbears speak the owlbear language, made up of loud screeches.
Combat: Arctic owlbears are as foul-tempered as their forest-dwelling cousins, immediately attacking prey with their front claws and wicked beak. They hug for 2-16 points of damage per round after scoring a claw hit with a roll of 18 or better. Once engaged in a hugging attack, the arctic owlbear cannot use its claws, but uses its beak to full advantage. A single attempt to break free from a hug is allowed; use the chance to bend bars/lift gates to determine success.
The arctic owlbear’s fur and feathers are all multi-layered, protecting it from the coldest temperatures, even when wet. For this reason, the beasts are immune to all cold-based attacks. Additionally, due to their ability to blend into the arctic environment, they are 75% likely to surprise their prey.
Habitat/Society: Arctic owlbears live in the coldest areas of the arctic, often making their lairs in pre-existing caves or carving their own dens in banks of snow. However, they tend to be wanderers, constantly on the move in search of prey, and so do not settle in one place for very long. If encountered in their lair, a mated pair of arctic owlbears may have 1-6 eggs (20%) or young (80%) with them; there is only a 25% chance of one or the other. The young will be from 40% to 70% grown, fighting as creatures with 5 or 6 Hit Dice. Damage from an immature arctic owlbear is l-6/1-6/2-8, and characters get a bonus of +20% to their bend bars/lift gates roll when trying to escape from a hug.
Ecology: Arctic owlbears live for about 20 years. They will prey on anything, but prefer seal meat above all else. Unlike normal owlbears, the arctic variety hunt primarily in the day, and, being good swimmers, will pursue their prey into the frigid waters without hesitation. They are well-equipped for their environment — rough, leathery pads on the bottom of their paws help them maintain stability over icy surfaces. The local inhabitants of arctic regions say that there’s nothing worse than having an arctic owlbear on your trail, because of their stubborn determination, nasty disposition, and constant hunger.
I actually did a homebrewed conversion of the Arctic Owlbear last year, based on the info in the Dragon magazine Ecology of the Owlbear article. It'd be interesting to see how the enworld/MCA3 take differs from what I came up with.
The writeup is practically identical:
From "The Ecology of the Owlbear" by Johnathan M Richard in Dragon Magazine #214 (February 1995)
Arctic Owlbear
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any arctic
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1 (2-8)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 12, SW 9
HIT DICE: 8+2
THAC0: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: l-10/1-10/2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hug, surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immunity to cold-based attacks
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (12’ tall)
MORALE: Steady (11-12) + Special
XP VALUE: 2,000
Arctic owlbears are the polar cousins of the normal owlbear; they resemble a cross between a snowy owl and a polar bear. Both fur and feathers are a snowy white, while the claws and beak are both black. Yellow, glowing eyes look forward from a rounded head. Arctic owlbears speak the owlbear language, made up of loud screeches.
Combat: Arctic owlbears are as foul-tempered as their forest-dwelling cousins, immediately attacking prey with their front claws and wicked beak. They hug for 2-16 points of damage per round after scoring a claw hit with a roll of 18 or better. Once engaged in a hugging attack, the arctic owlbear cannot use its claws, but uses its beak to full advantage. A single attempt to break free from a hug is allowed; use the chance to bend bars/lift gates to determine success.
The arctic owlbear’s fur and feathers are all multi-layered, protecting it from the coldest temperatures, even when wet. For this reason, the beasts are immune to all cold-based attacks. Additionally, due to their ability to blend into the arctic environment, they are 75% likely to surprise their prey.
Habitat/Society: Arctic owlbears live in the coldest areas of the arctic, often making their lairs in pre-existing caves or carving their own dens in banks of snow. However, they tend to be wanderers, constantly on the move in search of prey, and so do not settle in one place for very long. If encountered in their lair, a mated pair of arctic owlbears may have 1-6 eggs (20%) or young (80%) with them; there is only a 25% chance of one or the other. The young will be from 40% to 70% grown, fighting as creatures with 5 or 6 Hit Dice. Damage from an immature arctic owlbear is l-6/1-6/2-8, and characters get a bonus of +20% to their bend bars/lift gates roll when trying to escape from a hug.
Ecology: Arctic owlbears live for about 20 years. They will prey on anything, but prefer seal meat above all else. Unlike normal owlbears, the arctic variety hunt primarily in the day, and, being good swimmers, will pursue their prey into the frigid waters without hesitation. They are well-equipped for their environment — rough, leathery pads on the bottom of their paws help them maintain stability over icy surfaces. The local inhabitants of arctic regions say that there’s nothing worse than having an arctic owlbear on your trail, because of their stubborn determination, nasty disposition, and constant hunger.
