Keen Sight and Smell. The owlbear has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell.
Actions
Multiattack. The owlbear makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its claws.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage.
How owlbears fight
An owlbear is a Large, furious predator with no tricks at all. Each turn it bites with its beak (1d10 + 5) and slashes with its claws (2d8 + 5): about 25 damage a round if both hit, with a +7 to hit. It has 59 hit points, moves 40 feet, and sees in the dark.
That’s why it’s so feared at low levels. A 3rd-level wizard can go from full to unconscious in one turn, and there’s no saving throw or special defense that stops it, just Armor Class and hit points. It’s not smart, doesn’t flee and doesn’t plan: it runs at the closest threat and tears it apart.
Running an owlbear at the table
Signal it first. Torn-open deer carcasses, huge clawed trees and hooting screeches in the dark let players decide whether to fight or avoid it.
Charge the nearest target. With Intelligence 3 it doesn’t pick out the wizard; it goes for whoever is closest, or whoever hurt it last.
Use its senses. Keen Sight and Smell give it advantage on Perception checks to notice sneaking characters, so it’s hard to sneak past.
One is enough. A lone owlbear is a strong fight for a 2nd- or 3rd-level party. Two is a very dangerous one.
Common questions
How dangerous is an owlbear?
It’s CR 3 (700 XP). For four characters, the Dungeon Master’s Guide’s encounter math makes one owlbear Deadly at 1st level, Hard at 2nd and Medium at 3rd. Its damage is the real danger: about 25 a round if both attacks hit.
Can a druid Wild Shape into an owlbear?
No. An owlbear is a monstrosity, not a beast, so it isn’t a legal form for Wild Shape or Polymorph. The closest beast is a brown bear, CR 1.
Can you tame an owlbear?
Not with the usual tools: Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals work only on beasts. Raising one from an egg is a story the DM can allow, but the rules don’t cover it.
Does an owlbear have Multiattack?
Yes: one beak attack and one claws attack each turn.
Can an owlbear see in the dark?
Yes, it has darkvision out to 60 feet, and advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight or smell.
CR 3. The same challenge, with a charging gore and a greataxe.
How many owlbears for a fight?
An owlbear is worth 700 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many owlbears fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.
Party level
Low
Moderate
High
2nd
—
—
1
3rd
—
1
2
4th
1
2
2
5th
2
4
6
6th
3
5
8
7th
4
7
9
8th
5
9
12
9th
7
11
12+
10th
9
12+
12+
11th
10
12+
12+
12th
12
12+
12+
Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.
How the owlbear compares at CR 3
Against the 21 other challenge 3 monsters in the SRD 5.1, the owlbear has more hit points than 14 of them, which makes it tougher than most at its CR. See every CR 3 monster.
Statistic
Owlbear
CR 3 average
Armor Class
13
14.1
Hit points
59
59
Best attack bonus
+7
+5
Owlbear 2024 stat block
The 2024 Monster Manual revised the owlbear, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:
Speed: 40 ft. → 40 ft., climb 40 ft..
New in its stat block: Rend.
Gone from it: Keen Sight and Smell, Beak and Claws.
