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Owlbear Nest
“That stench... dead owlbear prey, no doubt.„
Entrance[edit | edit source]
There are two ways to enter the cave encompassing the Owlbear Nest.
The obvious one is the cave entrance at X: 82 Y: 450. When approaching it, a 
DC 0 Survival check is triggered, which, if passed, allows the party to recognize the owlbear tracks - pawprints and feathers in the mud. If Andrick and Brynna are convinced to avenge the death of their brother-in-faith Edowin, both wait for the party near the cave mouth.
The other way to get access to the nest is available only for Small and Tiny characters or creatures, including those 
and 
. Summons of this size also have this option. To use it, the party must first find the rocky crevice at X: 53 Y: 460, which requires a DC 5 Perception check. The entering creature emerges on a rocky shelf above the owlbear den, approximately at X: -364 Y: -124. In this case, the way back outside is through the cragged rock nearby and still requires the appropriate size.
If Andrick and Brynna are convinced to kill the owlbear, regardless of how the party members enter the cave, both are now waiting inside to proceed together with the party.
Overview[edit | edit source]
The cave is a vaguely ring-shaped area, with a water stream dividing it approximately in two. From the main entrance, two paths start. The north-western one leads down the slope, crosses the stream and leads straight to the owlbear den. The south-western path ends shortly with a cragged rock, which allows the party to descend to a shrine of 
with several gifts to the goddess and a magically sealed chest (see below). Past the rock where the gifts are placed, the path continues slightly steeping up, leading again to the owlbear den from the other side.
In the middle of the cave, right before the owlbear den, the ground steeps up to the west, eventually leading to a rocky shelf above the den. The shelf is divided in two in the narrowest place, so that exploring the farmost part requires a jump. Several fissured stalactites hanging from the shelf can be shot down to damage whatever stands under them.
Owlbear Den[edit | edit source]
The den is located in the northwestern section of the cavern. The Owlbear Mother and her cub are wandering around. In the farmost corner, an 
Owlbear Egg lies in a nest.
Approximately at X: -338 Y: -106 (or X: -344 Y: -133 when coming from the shrine of Selûne), unless the party members use any means of stealth, a dialogue with the Owlbear Mother is triggered. She can be pacified through various ability checks; if successful she lets the party leave and explore the rest of the cavern, except her nest.
Any means to 
are useful in the initial dialogue, as all ability checks without it require DC 15 rolls, while using it lowers the DC to 10 (or even to 5 for some Classes like 
). If no party members have this ability (or spell), a 
Potion of Animal Speaking can be taken from the offerings to the shrine of Selûne in the cavern (see below). Details on possible interactions and tactics when dealing with Mother Owlbear can be found on the Owlbear's page.
Attacking the Owlbear Mother, the Owlbear Cub, or moving close enough to the cub or the egg (the imaginary line lies in approximately 12 m from the egg), results in both the mother and the cub becoming hostile to the party. If Andrick and Brynna are convinced to avenge Edowin, they join the fight on the first turn as the party's allies. In Honour mode, the Owlbear mother uses Legendary Action: Call Consort to summon her Owlbear Mate in the battle.
If any party member picks up the Owlbear Egg throughout the fight, they immediately gain the 
condition, which makes them the primary target for the Owlbear Mother (and Owlbear Mate, in Honour mode).
Defeating the Owlbear Mother or convincing her to stand down grants the 
inspiration to party members with the 
background.
A headless skeleton by the nest can be looted for 
The Oak Father's Embrace. A backpack at X: -336 Y: -121 contains a 
Supply Pack, a 
Potion of Healing, and some gold. Also, the corpse of an eviscerated goblin near the entrance can be looted for gold, and a buried chest in the end of the stone shelf at X: -360 Y: -100 contains a 
Grease Bottle and a random arrow; a DC 15 Survival check is required to detect it.
The dead Owlbear Mother can be looted for the 
Head of a Broken Spear and can be combined with the 
Shaft of a Broken Spear (found on Edowin's body) to reassemble the 
Vision of the Absolute. Doing this grants the inspiration to characters with 
background.
The Owlbear Egg is worth 750 gold, provides 40 Camp Supplies[1] and can be used in 
quest. Further in the cavern the party can find more shells from already hatched eggs, on which the party members may comment.
Obtaining the Owlbear Cub as a camp follower[edit | edit source]
If the Owlbear Cub survives, the player character is immediately engaged in another dialogue, where they can choose to spare or kill it.
Sparing the cub is a required initial step if wanting to recruit it as a Camp Follower; the actual taming of the cub requires several specific choices further along the walkthrough.
If attacking the Owlbear from stealth without activating the initial cutscene, the option to spare the cub is not triggered; and the cub continues to attack the party. In this case, if the party wish to save the cub, they must kill the Owlbear Mother (and the Owlbear Mate as well in Honour mode) and flee from combat without killing the cub. If attacked, downing the cub by any means (even non-lethal) permanently locks the party out from recruiting it as a camp follower.
If the cub survives and is spared by the party afterwards, it disappears from the cavern once they leave it. After a long rest, the cub appears in the Goblin Camp, where goblins use it in their makeshift sport of "chicken-chasing".
Another way to obtain the cub as a camp follower is to avoid the fight with the mother after talking to her and retreating. Following the next long rest and returning to the cave, the Owlbear Mother is killed by goblins, providing easy access to the Owlbear Egg and the Head of a Broken Spear. The cub later appears at the goblin camp.
Killing the Owlbear Cub after defeating its mother is considered an oathbreaking action for 
.
Selûnite Shrine[edit | edit source]
This small shrine can be found by taking the path to the southwest and moving down a cragged rock. A DC 15 Religion check is required to recognize the deity it is dedicated to.
The shrine has a collection of offerings, including a Potion of Animal Speaking. Among other gifts a gilded chest stands distinctive, surrounded by a magical aura (which requires DC 15 Arcana check to detect). The chest unleashes a burst of magic upon every interaction, as long as its magical aura is intact. A DC 14 
Dexterity saving throw is required to avoid taking 4d6
damage.
Opening the gilded chest requires exploring the shrine whereabouts. Jumping behind the statue of Selûne and succeeding a passive DC 10 Perception check check reveals a 
Selûnite Prayer Sheet. Its contents can be identified by passing a DC 15 Religion check.
Reading the prayer next while standing to the chest successfully dispels the magical seal.[2] Alternative methods to open the chest without the prayer includes using the 
spell or opening it by a 
of Selûne. The chest contains the 
Moondrop Pendant, a 
note describing an ancient Selûnite rite, a silver necklace, a bloodstone, and an 
Idol of Selûne. Two books which can be found nearby shed some light onto the enmity between the goddesses and 
and, by extension, between the worshippers of both.
Successful dispelling the magical aura with the prayer rewards the inspiration for the characters with the 
background.
If Shadowheart is recruited and present while exploring the shrine, she tries to prevent the player character from looting the chest once the protective aura on it is removed. However, she can be convinced to relent through various ability checks. If the player character is still unaware of her worshipping Shar, this is one of pivotal points in a walkthrough where they can discover the truth, progressing Shadowheart's .
The player character can agree with Shadowheart, convince her, or loot the chest despite her objections. However, if they agree with her and then try to take the items from the chest anyway, they must pass a DC 15 Sleight of Hand check. If another party member picks up the chest and attempts to retrieve the contents while near Shadowheart, a DC 15 Sleight of Hand check is still needed to avoid loss of approval with her. The check can be avoided by having the other party member open the chest in a completely different area than where Shadowheart is.
Related locations[edit | edit source]
Characters[edit | edit source]
Creatures[edit | edit source]
- Owlbear
- Owlbear Cub
- Owlbear Mate - in Honour mode only
Loot[edit | edit source]
Hidden treasures[edit | edit source]
- Buried wooden chest on the upper platform at X: -360 Y: -100
Related literature[edit | edit source]
Selûnite Prayer Sheet
Selûnite Rite
Sightings Record
The Genesis of Selûne and Shar
The War between Selûne and Shar
Related quests[edit | edit source]
- ↑ As the egg provides exactly the amount of Camp Supplies that is needed for a full long rest in the Explorer and Balanced difficulty modes, it could easily be eaten as likely as a single supply pack. As of game version 4.1.1.6897358, the egg is still shown among possible camp supplies in the Long Rest menu, but is much less likely to be chosen by the game Auto-Select function. A special mod available on NexusMods prevents the party from accidentally including the egg in their menu.[Needs Verification]
- ↑ The prayer should be read by any party member except Shadowheart, even if the player character does not know yet about her true worship