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Morality and roleplaying are a big part ofBaldur’s Gate 3, and few quests have decisions that quite challenge a roleplayer like the owlbear encounter in the cave just beyond the Blighted Village. With a high-value egg, a potential companion, and a rare piece of armor on the line, the choices you make and the strategies you make will be put to the test.
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What would you be willing to do for the sake of a piece of clothing? Would you make the hard decisions or leave those choices up to others? Whatever you choose to do, this guide will help provide the answers and perhaps smoothen out some of the torment these choices can inflict.
How To Find The Owlbears
“A monstrous cross between giant owl and bear, an owlbear’s reputation for ferocity and aggression makes it one of the most feared predators of the wild. - Basic Rules, pg. 147”
Afterpassing the Blighted Village, you’ll come across agroup of travelers,including a man who has been inflicted by one of the Mind Flayer worms currently stuck inside your brain. They’ll tell you he wasmortally wounded by a nearby owlbear.
You can choose to be honest with these adventurers and end up in a battle with them, chase them off, or evenrecruit them in a fight against the owlbear.If you choose the latter, you’llhave to take the violent approach, but at least you’ll have two people for cannon-fodder who can reward you for helping them achieve revenge for their brother.
Continue west and down the embankmentto a flowing stream. Cross it tofind a cave on the other side(coordinates: X:37, Y:446).
If you succeed on apassive Survival check, you’ll notice the tracks of an owlbear leading into the cave. This is a separate area, so ensure you have Group-Mode toggled for everyone to enter in your party to enter at the same time.
Sneaking Up On The Bears
There aremultiple branching pathsin this cave. You can stay to theright side and round a corner to encounter the owlbear head-on. This is good for those who might want to try amore peaceful approach.
If you’d prefer asneaky approach, you can attemptjumping down a ledge on the left sidenear an arcane, booby-trapped chest you’ll need Dispel Magic to open. From here, you canclimb up onto a ledge overlooking the owlbear(for those wishing to do combat)or take one of the two narrow corridorson the side. Your Stealth will be important here.
If you don’t want any encounter with the owlbear, you can try taking theunique armor on the right side of the nest bycasting Invisibility.Be warned, however, thattaking it will drop your invisibility,so you should use a sneaky character and good timing to grab the armor and leave.
Don’t take the owlbear egg if you wish to leave unnoticed or unharmed.The smell of the owlbear egg will attract the owlbear to you, and you’ll force an instance of combat if you fail your saves (which comes with disadvantage if she notices you took the egg).
There aremultiple dialogue optionsto take against the owlbear. These options expand and become more unique if you are aDruid or have “Speak with Animals” currently active.On asuccessful checkagainst the owlbear, you’ll only bethreatened and asked to leavethe cave. If you do any of the following actions after you’ve been warned,the owlbear will attack:
If you fail your saves, the owlbear will attack you, and you’ll be in a world of hurt.
Sparing The Owlbear Mother
If you don’t want to fight the owlbear mother and choose to leave the cave on her request or stealthily take her items, you’re able to leave and return later to find that a goblin raid has come and killed the owlbear mother and stolen the cub. This is best for those who might be paladins, druids, or wishing to take a more passive approach to the owlbear’s death.
Either way, however,there is no current method of sparing both creatures in this cave in the long run.
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29
13
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18m
9m
20 (+5)
12 (+1)
17 (+3)
3 (-4)
7 (-2)
10 (0)
11 (0)
See in the dark up to 12m
Owlbear’s Rage
Increases Strength by 2 when enraged and allows the use of Multiattack.
Easily Frightened
When this creature is hit and badly damaged, it will flee for 2 turns.
Cub’s Attacks
Multiattack
When raging, can use both a beak and a claw attack.
+1-3 to hit, 5ft; deals d10 + 1 Piercing damage.
Crushing Flight (Bonus Action)
Can jump and crush enemies within melee range. Range 40ft up or across.
Claws
+7 to hit, 5ft; deals 2d8 + 5 Slashing damage.
The owlbear is a tanky, hard-hitting enemy thatbecomes more difficult if you’ve activated her rage ability.This can happen if:
You need to be particularly aware of herCrushing Flight, a bonus action that allows her to take amassive jump and crushall those that she lands on. If crushed, your characterstake damageand can,on a failed Strength saving throw, be knocked Prone.
While fighting the owlbear mother, theowl bear cub will also make attacks.However, youdo not need to kill the owlbear cubto finish this encounter. This leaves the option of killing the owlbear cub up to you. If you’d like to spare it, you may either ignore it or hit it enough for it to flee.
Theowlbear mother,on the other hand, is best dealt with byusing all four of your charactersagainst her.Encircle her with your tankiest unitsand try to whittle down her health quickly; the longer the fight goes on, the more danger you’re in.
As they have no resistances, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to damage types. Just attempt togive your ranged characters the high groundwhere possible andkeep your melee characters in her faceto guard your squishier supports.
If you’re up above on the ledge, use Hidingas themother can jump up to the ledgeand fight you up there. If you wish to fight from above, it might be best to leave one tanky melee character like Lae’zel to keep her attention below and invoke any Opportunity Attacks if she tries to leave.
“A single strike will end its suffering…”
Once the owlbear mother is defeated, combat ends.If you chose to spare the owlbear cub during the fight, you’ll be given theoption to end its life here or spare it again.
If the owlbear cub is spared, it will begin devouring its own mother. Itcan be encountered again laterat the goblin camp and can, depending on your choices there, be spared a third and final time when it can join your camp as a companion.
If you’re playing a Paladin, unless you wish to become an Oathbreaker, you should not choose to kill the owlbear cub. This is a morality check question.
The Oakfather’s Embrace Armor
If you haven’t yet taken it,The Oakfather’s Embraceison the skeleton to the right of the owlbear’s nest.
Embroidered with a simple maxim - ‘Nature is the True State of the World’ - this armour radiates a faint divine power.
Medium Armor
Special Effects
Order of Nature- Undead creatures that strike the wearer are dealt 1d6 Radiant damage. If the wearer is struck by a beast, the wearer is dealt 1d6 Radiant damage instead.
This armor is an interesting piece of equipment that rewards the wearer fordealing with the legions of undeadandpunishes you in fights against beasts. It’s theperfect Druid’s armor,and its AC isn’t bad either.
With the armor in-hand, you can choose to take the owlbear egg with you as you leave the cave, and if you’ve defeated the owlbear mother, you’ll also be rewarded with thehead of a broken spearthat can be reforged into the lance known as the"Vision of the Absolute.“Not bad, right?
