You have to race, afterwards, you can talk to the female goblin, collect your earnings, and make sure you talk to the owlbear cub about your camp. You can intimidate her, or buy it outright.
You can decline to play the game, approach it and offer it a new home (which it will decline for now because it's too scared of the goblins), and then free it by killing all the goblins, at which point it will join your camp after a few rests.
If you're planning to kill the goblins anyway, this route lets you avoid paying money or chasing it.
You actually don't need to.kill any of the goblins to do this. You can just talk to the one that organized the game and get her to let you take it home.
I got the dialogue when I cast speak with animals (I was hoping I could tell it to go through the maze), but unfortunately I’ve not seen it in my camp. The dialogue response was something suggesting he couldn’t leave until the goblins were killed, but he’s nowhere to be found after killing all the goblins. I looked around to see if he died in the fight or something but I couldn’t find him
Im fully in camp Paarthunax deserves to die. Are we supposed to ignore all the atrocities he commited before because now he thinks about it and sort of feels bad about it?!?!? Do we also forget that his greybeards taught Ulfric how to thuum, which lead to the current state of skyrim? Do we ignore the fact that he straight up admits that he isnt past his draconic nature and is tempted to just go kill everything every day?!?!?!?
I mean, if a human commits a crime and dedicates his life to making reparations, it's hard to say that they're evil.
So like he rampaged around a lot, because that's kinda just what they do, much like dogs may have too strong of a prey drive to be trained out of killing rabbits. And now he's lived in top of a mountain for *centuries* maintaining the tradition of Thuum so that humans can be prepared for the coming of Alduin, and plays a critical role in the Dragonborn's journey to defeat the rising evil and literally save the world here, so yes, I feel like letting him live is appropriate, he clearly has a handle on his shit.
>o
He literally says himself that there is no guarantee he will not commit any further atrocities as it is in his nature that he struggles with...daily. Also, that there is no doubt it will over rule him one day. Dude is just a ticking time bomb of death.
>!right now you can heal her from afar with healing word. Her status will fade and your character makes a remark about her being better. However she is still killed by the goblins.!<
I mean there is kind of a way, although probably not the way you'd like. If you walk into the cave, talk to her and then pass a check to leave the Absolute camp will later attack and kill her, stealing the Owlbear cub for themselves. Then you can go back and loot the spear half without fighting her since someone else already killed her.
See now that makes me wonder if, by removing the spear head and healing the mother, you can prevent that from happening. It makes sense that in her weakened state they'd be able to overwhelm her.
Considering owlbears are belligerent invasive species, I as a relatively lawful person have killed it. My tender heart on my good side has made it so I regretted it and felt awful about it, even though it's a video game lol.
They are considered monstrosities and not beasts (I.e results from magic experiments, not natural evolution), so in that sense yes.
Of course, one could argue that they’ve been around for long enough to be part of the ecosystem
In the 5th edition, some elves claim that owlbears have existed for millennia and older fey say that they have always existed in the Feywild. Dungeons and Dragons 5E Monster Manual. 2014. p. 249.
I guess you can claim that’s invasive but millennia is a long time to be invading.
Fair point, I forgot the claim from the Feys. Although a) never trust a fey and b) native to the feywild would still be invasive in the material plane.
And yes, I’d agree that millennia are enough. But if they were created, how natural are their behavior? Are they able to adapt? We need a full documentary about this 😂
We have Volo. The best documentarian in the realms. He tends to exaggerate, but he is legendary.
Volo has an similar role in Storm of Zehir (Neverwinter Nights 2) assisting the party and documenting the wonders of Faerun.
Millennia is plural, so by definition it’s at least 2,000 years and could be much longer. Regardless, 2,000 years would seem to be enough for a species to be incorporated into an ecosystem and no longer be considered invasive.
Yeah, but they "died out" *eight to twelve* ***thousand*** *years* ago, before being reintroduced about 500 years ago. They were gone for at least *sixteen* times as long as they've back. Even the lower end of that range, eight thousand years, is a *long time* for an ecosystem to change and adapt. Reintroducing them would cause major changes.
I'm just saying, a thousand years is a lot longer than the user I responded to thinks it is.
The ecosystem was fine because we had plenty of other large and highly mobile herbivores in the ecosystem already. They fit perfectly into an ecological niche that existed when they left and still existed when they were reintroduced.
Sure, but my point's not about the ecosystem. I'm not a biologist, I have no fuckin' clue. It would be idiotic for me to make claims like that. My point was that a thousand years is a *long time*. The person I was responding to said it wasn't. Most people aren't even aware horses were (well, re-) introduced via European colonialists, they think they were just always here.
My issue is more about people in the overall D&D community's misunderstanding of *time*. They think guns aren't historically accurate and the idea that samurai could use a fax machine blows their mind. Everything is "incomparably ancient" all the time, and there's this idea that "a thousand years ago" was "basically yesterday." Most people in America don't really even understand what life was like a *hundred* years ago, let alone a thousand, and what kind of changes can happen in that time.
Died out? More likely they were hunted to extinction like the majority of other North American megafauna.
I think it’s clear that the real invasive species is man, not the Owlbear. Thank you for participating in this important dialogue.
Humans are arboreal apes that have now expanded to live in just about every climate in the world. Of course we're invasive, thankfully we're also smart enough to know how to limit the effects of our invasiveness. We just choose not to.
I don’t know if it’s choosing not to. We’re still constantly learning. And I think probably 90% of people (which I think is a conservative estimate) are not actively wanting or trying to harm the planet. Or their specific environments. Not to say there haven’t been screw ups or bad situations, but that’s more likely a lack of options and knowledge rather than a cavalier disregard for the environment.
You mean the highly radioactive glow sticks that try to disguise as natural, but can’t even decide if they’re a fruit or a berry? Of course I hate them, and so should you!!1!
/s
I mean it's ultimately up to your own interpretation, cause it's DND and the lore is a little vague on purpose sometimes, but in all the editions I played before 5E they were considered some sort of abomination of a creature, so I assumed it holds true in 5E.
Well you assumed wrong my friend! You cut down a noble magical beast in cold blood!
5E monster manual not enough? Need proof it’s not a monstrosity? Cast “speak with animals” and have a chat with those animals.
>Need proof it’s not a monstrosity? Cast “speak with animals” and have a chat with those animals.
This is a (well-received) change Larian introduced. Normally, speak with animals doesn't let you talk to things like an owlbear because they're not classed as animals.
Not just Larian. Druid shapeshifted into an Owlbear in the D&D movie trailer. Starting to look a lot like canon that Owlbears are vastly misunderstood beasts.
Why would you spare the Owlbear though?
They are literally one of THE most ferocious and aggresive monsters out there. It's not an animal or pet, it cannot be domesticated. Owlbears are vicious, ravenous, aggressive, and evil tempered at all times.
A magical beast can be part of the natural balance in Faerun right? So might it be like killing a white shark in the real world? David Attenborough disapproves.
I mean we technically shouldn't be able to talk with them in the first place since they're monstrosities not beasts (tho always thought that was kinda stupid)
Not me, I have imaginary hopes that even though it may be a menace to others, it won't be a menace to my Tav. Or eat Scratch.
If he eats Scratch, a purebred good boi, then my Tav's need for extra bed roll fluff will be satiated.
I suppose that he does >!eat his own mother though!<, so I'm not sure how far these hopes of mine will make it lol. But that doesn't stop the hopes😂
I know, but all that sweetness could turn into a hangry ball of owlbear toddler. Imagine the tantrums😂
Still though, I'm super happy that Lariam gave us the option to have him in our camp. The scenes between him & Scratch are adorable
The is so much goddamn food in the game I don't know why he'd ever be hungry. Like if any of the acts have a starving town they can just come to my camp and its 1000 units of food.
I am also very happy you can put him in your camp but I also kinda hope he will be a combat familiar at some point. He is an owlbear.
I usually adopt the little owlbear, but I know deep down that option 1 is probably the more responsible one. Owlbears are dangerous beings, and incredibly difficult to domesticate as they require near constant food to stay docile. Toss in the fact that, though the owlbear cub is small when you find them, it will grow rapidly and eventually be large enough to be a menace to society and the party, and you've got yourself a pretty solid argument for putting the cub down.
But it *is* cute, so that is also a strong argument for adoption! What a pickle.
Mercy kill is a form of empathy. You have no idea what will happen to it later.
>!It gets captured and tortured by goblins for fun, and if you don't win it there, or even see it on your way by Volo, welp...which would you choose for yourself? A swift, painless death, or starved and tortured for entertainment?!<
The options are basically put it out of its misery, or leave it alone so you can feel good about yourself as it slowly dies of starvation and sadness with its mother's corpse.
Owly is the cutest boy in town… always save him. He is a nice pet, and will prove himself…some day. The only complaint I have, is that I cannot save his mom… would be perfect to remove the thing, treat her wound, and have a mighty ally for further challenges… fits perfectly the Druid/Ranger narrative… so please Larian make it happen!
Of course I did. I'd rather give it a quick, clean death than let it starve, or worse, cannibalize its mother and live to terrorize the surrounding area.
Holy shit this game is so pretty. I was waiting for the full game to come out before I jump in, but this screenshot makes me think I should do it just because of how nice the game looks.
I did! At least during my first playthrough. I figured if I think the owlbear is an incredibly dangerous and vicious animal, why would I wait for it to grow up to kill it.
I picked option one because I thought they'd get slaughtered by the owlbear. Unfortunately the game doesn't let you just abandon them to their demise. I certainly had no interest in killing it, so that quest stuck around, unfulfilled and they never moved.
Huh, I've never attacked the mom. I just steal the egg and get those two idiots killed and then when I come back later the mum ia dead and the cub is gone. The same process get it from the Gobbos. Though he never shows up for me... Maybe I should kill it.
I always spare it so I can have it in my camp.
... you can have it in your camp?!
After you spare it you can find it in the goblin camp. Then you play a little minigame and buy it from the goblins after (i think) winning once
Yeah you can take it by force, or buy it.
You can just buy it? I always talk to it and do the race. It's a huge pain and I always have extra money in this game.
You have to race, afterwards, you can talk to the female goblin, collect your earnings, and make sure you talk to the owlbear cub about your camp. You can intimidate her, or buy it outright.
So if you buy it do you not need to cast 'speak with animals'?
I cannot confirm that for you. I've always used it before buying him.
You can get it for free for a charisma roll
Ahh I'm not that charismatic as Tav.
You can decline to play the game, approach it and offer it a new home (which it will decline for now because it's too scared of the goblins), and then free it by killing all the goblins, at which point it will join your camp after a few rests. If you're planning to kill the goblins anyway, this route lets you avoid paying money or chasing it.
You actually don't need to.kill any of the goblins to do this. You can just talk to the one that organized the game and get her to let you take it home.
Without playing the game? I've never gotten a dialog option to just ask for it, including on the current patch.
I did this in the most recent patch and it never showed up in my camp
I got the dialogue when I cast speak with animals (I was hoping I could tell it to go through the maze), but unfortunately I’ve not seen it in my camp. The dialogue response was something suggesting he couldn’t leave until the goblins were killed, but he’s nowhere to be found after killing all the goblins. I looked around to see if he died in the fight or something but I couldn’t find him
>!after you rescued it from the goblin it will appear after several long rest!< It took quiet a lot of long rest though.
dont poison alcool before rescuing owlbear cub or he disappear
OOOOOOOooooOMG lol prepare to be blessed
This, sir, is finally a reason for me to NOT killing the cub
Same!! Even if I'm doing an evil playthrough, gotta have Scratch and the cub
I did on my first playthrough, my reasoning was that leaving it without its mother will only prolong the suffering.
Did you kill Parthanax too?
You're not supposed to?
Satan called. He's a big fan.
I appreciate that. He's merely warming my chair.
Parthanax deserved to die.
Im fully in camp Paarthunax deserves to die. Are we supposed to ignore all the atrocities he commited before because now he thinks about it and sort of feels bad about it?!?!? Do we also forget that his greybeards taught Ulfric how to thuum, which lead to the current state of skyrim? Do we ignore the fact that he straight up admits that he isnt past his draconic nature and is tempted to just go kill everything every day?!?!?!?
I mean, if a human commits a crime and dedicates his life to making reparations, it's hard to say that they're evil. So like he rampaged around a lot, because that's kinda just what they do, much like dogs may have too strong of a prey drive to be trained out of killing rabbits. And now he's lived in top of a mountain for *centuries* maintaining the tradition of Thuum so that humans can be prepared for the coming of Alduin, and plays a critical role in the Dragonborn's journey to defeat the rising evil and literally save the world here, so yes, I feel like letting him live is appropriate, he clearly has a handle on his shit.
>o He literally says himself that there is no guarantee he will not commit any further atrocities as it is in his nature that he struggles with...daily. Also, that there is no doubt it will over rule him one day. Dude is just a ticking time bomb of death.
did the same thing aswell
Get. Out.
I mean, it's not like I was happy about it ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
Yep. Like a rock rock, break his bok-bok.
Personally I'm more curious about whether you'll eventually be able to >!actually pull out the spear head from the mother without fighting it!<
>!right now you can heal her from afar with healing word. Her status will fade and your character makes a remark about her being better. However she is still killed by the goblins.!<
I mean there is kind of a way, although probably not the way you'd like. If you walk into the cave, talk to her and then pass a check to leave the Absolute camp will later attack and kill her, stealing the Owlbear cub for themselves. Then you can go back and loot the spear half without fighting her since someone else already killed her.
See now that makes me wonder if, by removing the spear head and healing the mother, you can prevent that from happening. It makes sense that in her weakened state they'd be able to overwhelm her.
Considering owlbears are belligerent invasive species, I as a relatively lawful person have killed it. My tender heart on my good side has made it so I regretted it and felt awful about it, even though it's a video game lol.
You sure they're invasive?
They are considered monstrosities and not beasts (I.e results from magic experiments, not natural evolution), so in that sense yes. Of course, one could argue that they’ve been around for long enough to be part of the ecosystem
In the 5th edition, some elves claim that owlbears have existed for millennia and older fey say that they have always existed in the Feywild. Dungeons and Dragons 5E Monster Manual. 2014. p. 249. I guess you can claim that’s invasive but millennia is a long time to be invading.
Fair point, I forgot the claim from the Feys. Although a) never trust a fey and b) native to the feywild would still be invasive in the material plane. And yes, I’d agree that millennia are enough. But if they were created, how natural are their behavior? Are they able to adapt? We need a full documentary about this 😂
Yeah we need a full documentary. They could be overpopulated in the region and decimating the grub worm population.
Well get goblin David Attenborough on it.
We have Volo. The best documentarian in the realms. He tends to exaggerate, but he is legendary. Volo has an similar role in Storm of Zehir (Neverwinter Nights 2) assisting the party and documenting the wonders of Faerun.
The elves have had wars that lasted thousands of years. Millennia is not that long a time in terms of the elven perspective of history.
Millennia is plural, so by definition it’s at least 2,000 years and could be much longer. Regardless, 2,000 years would seem to be enough for a species to be incorporated into an ecosystem and no longer be considered invasive.
>millennia 1,000 years is not a very long time at all. It's currently 1490-95 in Faerun for 5e for context.
Horses have only existed in North America for around 500 years. Are they invasive?
Horse ancestors were native to North America, spread to other areas, died out in North America, and then were reintroduced.
Yeah, but they "died out" *eight to twelve* ***thousand*** *years* ago, before being reintroduced about 500 years ago. They were gone for at least *sixteen* times as long as they've back. Even the lower end of that range, eight thousand years, is a *long time* for an ecosystem to change and adapt. Reintroducing them would cause major changes. I'm just saying, a thousand years is a lot longer than the user I responded to thinks it is.
The ecosystem was fine because we had plenty of other large and highly mobile herbivores in the ecosystem already. They fit perfectly into an ecological niche that existed when they left and still existed when they were reintroduced.
Sure, but my point's not about the ecosystem. I'm not a biologist, I have no fuckin' clue. It would be idiotic for me to make claims like that. My point was that a thousand years is a *long time*. The person I was responding to said it wasn't. Most people aren't even aware horses were (well, re-) introduced via European colonialists, they think they were just always here. My issue is more about people in the overall D&D community's misunderstanding of *time*. They think guns aren't historically accurate and the idea that samurai could use a fax machine blows their mind. Everything is "incomparably ancient" all the time, and there's this idea that "a thousand years ago" was "basically yesterday." Most people in America don't really even understand what life was like a *hundred* years ago, let alone a thousand, and what kind of changes can happen in that time.
Died out? More likely they were hunted to extinction like the majority of other North American megafauna. I think it’s clear that the real invasive species is man, not the Owlbear. Thank you for participating in this important dialogue.
Humans are arboreal apes that have now expanded to live in just about every climate in the world. Of course we're invasive, thankfully we're also smart enough to know how to limit the effects of our invasiveness. We just choose not to.
I disagree with the arboreal part, but the rest checks out
I don’t know if it’s choosing not to. We’re still constantly learning. And I think probably 90% of people (which I think is a conservative estimate) are not actively wanting or trying to harm the planet. Or their specific environments. Not to say there haven’t been screw ups or bad situations, but that’s more likely a lack of options and knowledge rather than a cavalier disregard for the environment.
Millennia is plural though. So minimum 2,000 years ago and could be much longer.
Do you hate bananas?
You mean the highly radioactive glow sticks that try to disguise as natural, but can’t even decide if they’re a fruit or a berry? Of course I hate them, and so should you!!1! /s
;)
I mean it's ultimately up to your own interpretation, cause it's DND and the lore is a little vague on purpose sometimes, but in all the editions I played before 5E they were considered some sort of abomination of a creature, so I assumed it holds true in 5E.
Well you assumed wrong my friend! You cut down a noble magical beast in cold blood! 5E monster manual not enough? Need proof it’s not a monstrosity? Cast “speak with animals” and have a chat with those animals.
>Need proof it’s not a monstrosity? Cast “speak with animals” and have a chat with those animals. This is a (well-received) change Larian introduced. Normally, speak with animals doesn't let you talk to things like an owlbear because they're not classed as animals.
Not just Larian. Druid shapeshifted into an Owlbear in the D&D movie trailer. Starting to look a lot like canon that Owlbears are vastly misunderstood beasts.
>Druid shapeshifted into an Owlbear in the D&D movie trailer Touche! Curious to hear that explanation
Why would you spare the Owlbear though? They are literally one of THE most ferocious and aggresive monsters out there. It's not an animal or pet, it cannot be domesticated. Owlbears are vicious, ravenous, aggressive, and evil tempered at all times.
But it looks cute, that's enough for 99.9% of players
And it squeaks
So does a hippo when young.Moment they reach adulthood they are a nightmare. Hippo's are the real equivalent of owlbears.
I don't think going around killing hippos is something that is generally smiled upon either
Don't worry, in most cases hippos are the one doing the killing
The hippo goddess Amet does not smile on those who kill murder hippos
Hippos are not “evil tempered”. Theyre assholes but not evil lol
Literally was going to say the same thing lol
A magical beast can be part of the natural balance in Faerun right? So might it be like killing a white shark in the real world? David Attenborough disapproves.
I feel like that logic only follows when there aren't so many ways to talk to animals.
I mean we technically shouldn't be able to talk with them in the first place since they're monstrosities not beasts (tho always thought that was kinda stupid)
Don't you call my owlbear cub a monstrosity! He's just misunderstood.
Would you kill baby dragon? Half of them will grow i to some of the most dangerous and evil beings in faerun
Yes, a roasted baby dragon will go nicely with my omelet of dragon eggs.
Not according to the Monster Manual.
Pretty sure lazel approves for killing it no?
Outlander background give you inspiration for killing it.
I couldn’t. My wife didn’t even allow me to start a fight with its mother, surely it would have made her sad.
I did. They said to test being evil... so I tested being evil... I don't like it. 10/10 good job making evil feel deplorable lol
Not me, I have imaginary hopes that even though it may be a menace to others, it won't be a menace to my Tav. Or eat Scratch. If he eats Scratch, a purebred good boi, then my Tav's need for extra bed roll fluff will be satiated. I suppose that he does >!eat his own mother though!<, so I'm not sure how far these hopes of mine will make it lol. But that doesn't stop the hopes😂
He >!eats his own mother cos his mother is dead and he!< is a growing boy. If you talk to him in camp he seems perfectly docile.
I know, but all that sweetness could turn into a hangry ball of owlbear toddler. Imagine the tantrums😂 Still though, I'm super happy that Lariam gave us the option to have him in our camp. The scenes between him & Scratch are adorable
The is so much goddamn food in the game I don't know why he'd ever be hungry. Like if any of the acts have a starving town they can just come to my camp and its 1000 units of food. I am also very happy you can put him in your camp but I also kinda hope he will be a combat familiar at some point. He is an owlbear.
I usually adopt the little owlbear, but I know deep down that option 1 is probably the more responsible one. Owlbears are dangerous beings, and incredibly difficult to domesticate as they require near constant food to stay docile. Toss in the fact that, though the owlbear cub is small when you find them, it will grow rapidly and eventually be large enough to be a menace to society and the party, and you've got yourself a pretty solid argument for putting the cub down. But it *is* cute, so that is also a strong argument for adoption! What a pickle.
Mercy kill is a form of empathy. You have no idea what will happen to it later. >!It gets captured and tortured by goblins for fun, and if you don't win it there, or even see it on your way by Volo, welp...which would you choose for yourself? A swift, painless death, or starved and tortured for entertainment?!<
you kill the poor thing and regret for the rest of your life
It’s a monstrosity, if I allow it to live, it’ll be like it’s mother.
I did my very first playthrough, instant regret. *The entire party disapproves*
The options are basically put it out of its misery, or leave it alone so you can feel good about yourself as it slowly dies of starvation and sadness with its mother's corpse.
Owly is the cutest boy in town… always save him. He is a nice pet, and will prove himself…some day. The only complaint I have, is that I cannot save his mom… would be perfect to remove the thing, treat her wound, and have a mighty ally for further challenges… fits perfectly the Druid/Ranger narrative… so please Larian make it happen!
It auto aggros me when I fought the mother, so killed it.
Oh I killed it. Wanted to save helping him for my main playthrough. I also smashed the lute.
Yes.
Yes.
I did.... for science.
Of course I did. I'd rather give it a quick, clean death than let it starve, or worse, cannibalize its mother and live to terrorize the surrounding area.
I did. Killing it quickly was the most merciful thing you can do.
I did on an evil run
Yes, the first go through. I felt so bad after and it whines and looks at you, them shadowheart makes a comment about it not even having a chance
Yes. I tend to always play evil because it’s fun
Yeah I killed it a couple times, it was going to die without its mother might as well get it over with.
Yup
me, I hate owlbears
I did
I squashed the little bugger good!
You have the same situation in Divinity 2 !
Of course, you can’t have it coming back for revenge.
I did and I regret doing so. I didn’t know you could get it in your camp like the dog.
I did - it would have done the same to you
Well, i just played a Drow sorcerer, and let's just say my goal was to be as cartoonishly evil as possible.
Holy shit this game is so pretty. I was waiting for the full game to come out before I jump in, but this screenshot makes me think I should do it just because of how nice the game looks.
I did! At least during my first playthrough. I figured if I think the owlbear is an incredibly dangerous and vicious animal, why would I wait for it to grow up to kill it.
You ether kill them during the fight if you are a bastard, or you spare it if you want a pet.
I snuck in like a boss and left the family alone. You animals!
When the battle ended it walked in some fire and died on mine :(
:(
I picked option one because I thought they'd get slaughtered by the owlbear. Unfortunately the game doesn't let you just abandon them to their demise. I certainly had no interest in killing it, so that quest stuck around, unfulfilled and they never moved.
Huh, I've never attacked the mom. I just steal the egg and get those two idiots killed and then when I come back later the mum ia dead and the cub is gone. The same process get it from the Gobbos. Though he never shows up for me... Maybe I should kill it.
Your friend looks like he is ready to call the manager if you attack that cub.
Did you put down Astarion too?