Owlbear (Basic Lore)

Owlbear (CR 5)
Neutral - Large - Magical Beast
Owlbears are maddened creations of lunatic wizards and alchemists who have Gone Too Far. They escaped into the wild many millennia ago, and have prospered greatly, their supernatural strength serving them well against more modest natural predators. The specimen described here is a 'common' or 'typical' owlbear, but they come in many, many other varieties, such as dire owlbears, cave owlbears, legendary and kodiak owlbears, snowy owlbears, raven owlbears, eagle owlbears, and more varieties besides, every one more terrible than the last. Of them all, the 'common' owlbear is the most widespread and most often seen. An owlbear's coat ranges in color from brown-black to yellowish brown; its beak is a dull ivory color. Their plumage on their fore-wings is brown-mottled as well. A full-grown male can stand as tall as 8 feet and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Adventurers who have survived encounters with the creature often speak of the bestial madness they glimpsed in its red-rimmed eyes, and many have noted that despite their brutish mien, owlbears have an indefinable majesty to them that makes them more striking to see than their drab coloration might suggest.