Owlbears are a staple of low-level adventures. There is little as frightening for neophyte adventurers than facing down this mad mixture of bear and owl.

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Outside the Lair

A deep furrow in the ground leads from the nest, as if the owlbear only uses this path.
An abandoned cabin stands by the nest’s entrance.
A path of feathers leads to the nest, with only a scant few lying off the path.
Twigs line the entrance to the nest. (Hidden twigs are positioned to alert the owlbears within.)

What’s Going On?

The owlbear has a wounded live deer trapped in its nest.
The owlbear is watching over six eggs; the largest is in the process of hatching.
The owlbear stands over the corpse of its mate. Its mournful cries are a mixture of growls and shrieks.
The owlbear coughs, and the sound echoes through the lair, before the beast spits out a bone.

Major Lair Features

The nest surrounds a granite column reaching from floor to ceiling.
Several partially eaten corpses of wolves, deer and so on are strewn around the nest. The stench of blood and rot fills the air.
An old rope bridge connects two ledges above the nest.
Fissures crisscross the lair. A disused nest rests precariously at the edge of a steep drop.

Minor Lair Features

A discoloured door shape mars the rightmost wall, making it easy to discover the not-so-secret door hidden therein. Beyond lies a deep network of caves.
The half-shredded remains of a table and four matching chairs lie in this chamber’s corner.
Egg fragments line this filthy nest. (The eggs hatched four weeks ago, but the young are nowhere in evidence.)
Bones from different creatures are arranged on the floor in a rough approximation of an owlbear skeleton.

Owlbear’s Appearance

A scar runs down the left side of this owlbear’s face and across its left eye, rendering it blind in that eye (this does not affect the owlbear in combat).
The owlbear has a pale, heart-shaped owl’s head and is missing the ear tufts common to its kind. Its thick but ragged fur is jet black.
The owlbear is missing all its feathers, giving it bald patches on its head and upper body. It almost looks like a (homicidal) partially plucked chicken.
This elderly owlbear has grey and white fur. It is missing a talon, from its right claw.

Treasure

Tucked in a corner is a neat pile of smooth, shiny rocks. One of the rocks is a small translucent green gemstone (a bloodstone worth 50 gp).
A severed, rotting left hand buried in the nest bears a golden ring (worth 20 gp) on its index finger.
Three brown eggs surround a white egg. (The white egg contains a cockatrice.)
A blue speckled egg sits among the brown and white owlbear eggs. On close inspection, the speckles reveal themselves to be tiny sapphires.

Trinkets & Trash

A bloody scarf with a distinctive red and yellow angular pattern is part of the nest.
A few broken beehives litter the nest’s floor. One hive contains a small amount of honey.
The nest contains a wide selection of neckties, which are surprisingly unmarred.
A bear trap holds tufts of the owlbear’s fur in its teeth. It seems the creature pried it open to escape.

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from Monstrous Lair #01: Owlbear’s Nest by Mike Welham.

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