Send In The Clowns… (or, Converting the Oddballs)
- Thread starter BOZ
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Cleon
Legend
Well, those numbers seem fair enough. Cleon will be along with a good weight soon, I figure.
I'm thinking that "12 feet tall" is when they're rearing on their hind legs.
A large polar bear is about 10 feet long and 1500 pounds, and might be something like 7-8 feet tall standing on its hind paws.
Personally, I'd just make an owlbear the same size & weight as a polar bear, since they're both Large and have 8HD.
Failing that, upsizing that polar bear by 50% we get a beast 15 feet long and 5000 pounds, rearing to 12 feet tall on its hind paws. I'd cut the weight down to 4000 pounds (or 1200 pounds for the smaller version), based on the lightness of the avian half of its ancestry.
So:
A typical arctic owlbear is about 10 feet long and weighs 1200 pounds, when rearing on its hind paws it can stand up to 8 feet tall.
A huge arctic owlbear is about 15 feet long and weighs 4000 pounds, when rearing on its hind paws it can stand up to 12 feet tall.
Cleon
Legend
"Arctic owlbears live for ahout 20 years."?
Cleon
Legend
That was uh...intentional. Get it..."a hoot"...owlbear...
Don't think you can fool me with that excuse, everyone knows owlbears don't a-hoot, they growl-hoot.
Just for comparison, here's a conversion I did some time ago. (You may notice it lists Sylvan as a language, that's because my homebrew "Owlbear" can speak like the AD&D original did)
They're pretty close, which I guess isn't surprising.
Owlbear, Arctic
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 8d10+40 (84 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), Swim 20 ft.
Armour Class: 15 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+20
Attack: Claw +15 melee (1d8+8)
Full Attack: 2 claws +15 melee (1d8+8) and bite +13 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, rend & bite 2d8+12
Special Qualities: Immunity to cold, scent, superior low-light vision
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +3
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 15, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +1 (+13 against snow), Listen +12, Move Silently +10, Spot +8, Survival +3, Swim +16
Feats: Multiattack, Run, Track
Environment: Cold plains
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (3–8)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Goods (see below)
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9–12 HD (Large); 13–16 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Resembling a cross between a snowy owl and a polar bear, the huge quadruped has a bear-like body coated in pure white feathers and fur, ivory coloured claws and beak and great yellow eyes set in a rounded head.
Arctic owlbears are significantly larger and stronger than regular owlbears. A large male arctic owlbear can stretch 12 feet long and weigh over 2,500 pounds.
These rare monsters are often hunted for their fur and feathers, which provide the beast with their unnatural immunity to cold. Although its coat loses most of its insulation upon the arctic owlbear's death, a pelt in good condition is still worth half the standard treasure value of its Challenge Rating – 600 gp for an average Challenge Rating 4 specimen.
Arctic owlbears speak the same dialect of Sylvan as regular owlbears, which is nothing more than bestial screeches to the untutored ear. They never willingly talk to humanoids.
Combat
Arctic owlbears are horribly stealthy, their huge padded feet and snow-white forms mean they can move through the arctic wastes like ghosts, allowing them to often surprise their victims. Arctic owlbears attack prey—any creature bigger than a mouse—on sight, always fighting to the death. They slash with claws and beak, trying to grab their prey and rip it apart.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an arctic owlbear must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity and can proceed to Rend & Bite its opponent.
Rend & Bite (Ex): An arctic owlbear that is grappling a foe can use a full attack action to automatically claw its opponent for 2d8+12 points of damage and make a bite attack as a primary attack (at its full +15 attack bonus).
Superior Low-Light Vision (Ex): An arctic owlbear can see five times as far as a human can in dim light.
Skills: Arctic owlbears have a +8 racial bonus on Listen and Move Silently checks, and a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks. An arctic owlbear has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
*An arctic owlbear's white coat bestows a +12 racial bonus on Hide checks in snowy areas.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Is this one worthy of conversion?
Owlbear, Winged
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any nonarctic
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Dusk
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: Incidentai
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING:1 (2-5)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 12, Fl 18 (E)
HIT DICE: 5+2
THACO: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: ldlO/ld10/2d6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hug, surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: NiI
MAGIC RESISTANCE: NiI
SIZE: L (8’ tall)
MORALE: Steady (11-12)
XP VALUE: 975
The winged owlbear is a true synthesis of owl and bear; unlike other species of owlbears, this one has a large pair of feathered wings growing from its shoulders. However, the winged owlbear is just as nasty-tempered as its ground-dwelling cousin and communicates with the same screeching tones.
Combat: The flight of the winged owlbear is nearly silent due to the construction of its feathers-any prey has a penalty to its surprise roll of at least -2; in poor lighting, this might be high as -6. A winged owlbear fights as do other owlbears, using its front claws and sharp beak. A claw hit on a roll of 18 or better establishes a hug, which allows one chance to escape using the bend har/lift gate chances and otherwise allows the creature to inflict 2d8 points of damage per round.
Habitat/Society: The winged owlbear can be found in almost any non-arctic environment (though they art very scarce), but seems to prefer wooded forests or mountainous terrain. Their flying capabilities allow them to claim large areas as their territory-usually ten to twenty square miles.
Winged owlbears live as mated pairs. If encountered in their lairs, there is a 25% chance that ld3 eggs (20% chance) or the same number of young (80% chance) will be present with th adults. The young are the same as normal owlbear young, as their wings will not supprt them until they reach full size.
Ecology: A winged owlbear tends to live slightly longer than other varieties, an age of 25 years or so is common. These creatures are sought by wizards for various reasons, though there is no record of any one being successfully domesticated.
Originally appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).
Owlbear, Winged
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any nonarctic
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Dusk
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)
TREASURE: Incidentai
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING:1 (2-5)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 12, Fl 18 (E)
HIT DICE: 5+2
THACO: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: ldlO/ld10/2d6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hug, surprise
SPECIAL DEFENSES: NiI
MAGIC RESISTANCE: NiI
SIZE: L (8’ tall)
MORALE: Steady (11-12)
XP VALUE: 975
The winged owlbear is a true synthesis of owl and bear; unlike other species of owlbears, this one has a large pair of feathered wings growing from its shoulders. However, the winged owlbear is just as nasty-tempered as its ground-dwelling cousin and communicates with the same screeching tones.
Combat: The flight of the winged owlbear is nearly silent due to the construction of its feathers-any prey has a penalty to its surprise roll of at least -2; in poor lighting, this might be high as -6. A winged owlbear fights as do other owlbears, using its front claws and sharp beak. A claw hit on a roll of 18 or better establishes a hug, which allows one chance to escape using the bend har/lift gate chances and otherwise allows the creature to inflict 2d8 points of damage per round.
Habitat/Society: The winged owlbear can be found in almost any non-arctic environment (though they art very scarce), but seems to prefer wooded forests or mountainous terrain. Their flying capabilities allow them to claim large areas as their territory-usually ten to twenty square miles.
Winged owlbears live as mated pairs. If encountered in their lairs, there is a 25% chance that ld3 eggs (20% chance) or the same number of young (80% chance) will be present with th adults. The young are the same as normal owlbear young, as their wings will not supprt them until they reach full size.
Ecology: A winged owlbear tends to live slightly longer than other varieties, an age of 25 years or so is common. These creatures are sought by wizards for various reasons, though there is no record of any one being successfully domesticated.
Originally appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).
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