Flying Owlbears. Wait, WHAT?

Dated: 04 Apr, 2023

So, following on from a recent discussion on Facebook I got to wondering about Owlbears and gliding. I saw some publicity vaguely related to the new movie (more about that in a mo) and there was a pic with it that had an Owlbear with more feathers than normal (which I can’t find now but if I do I will add a link here). It set me thinking about Flying Squirrels and I posted the idea for comment.

Some people were quite engaged by the idea and I got some thought provoking comments. Others took issue with the concept and claimed Owlbears would be too heavy, which is a perfectly reasonable response too.

But Gravity doesn’t work quite the same way on Barnaynia.

Being a non-spherical world, Barnaynia has an edge and there are already some cultures and species taking advantage of this. When you jump off the edge of the planet, if you go horizontally, you just drift off into space. The World Guide to Barnaynia details explorers using this to go to the Planets and the Outer Shell.  The Wizards of Rimland use the varying gravitational field for a lethal sport and the xenophobic Far Elves once used it to put a colony in the northern Rim Jungles.

So why not Owlbears?

Just imagine!  The huge beasts launch themselves off the Rim and then glide out to a few miles. Then they skilfully loop around at a high altitude and use their rudimentary wings to glide around looking for prey as they lose altitude.  It adds a whole new dimension to a wandering monster attack…

          “You are attacked by an Owlbear,”

          “Fighters to the front, Magic-User preparing Magic Missile.”

          “The Owlbear landed on the Magic-User. Take (huge crushing damage).”

          “Wait, what?  Landed? WTF, dude?”

Glorious.

It also allows Owlbears and beasts like them access out to the Necklace and the wide variety of sky castles and Dragon lairs out there.  Lots of possibilities for wonder and silliness…

And on to the Movie!

I’ve not seen it yet so no risk of spoilers here, but I do intend to and I am really looking forward to it. No, my comments come from a different angle.

I have three kids, all teenagers.  Despite my best efforts NONE of them are even remotely interested in D&D or Role-Playing; even the youngest who still loves Power-Rangers and Goosebumps.  Go figure.

Anyway, as I type this my daughter and her friends are in the local flix watching the film!!!  Wuh?

Cool girls who don't play D&D are wanting to watch the D&D movie?!  Contrast this to my school experience of girls in the eighties and D&D which was, at best, “boys will be boys” and, at worst, treating it like some kind of disease.  This HAS to be good for the hobby!