Owlbear Tipping - cavesandcreatures/the-goblins-of-whismywood GitHub Wiki
Triggers
If the players are captured by the goblins or make a deal with them, they might be tasked with some good old fashioned owlbear tipping.
Scene
There's a clearing just beyond the Forest which sometimes has a small herd of owlbears. The goblins have seen them here, and maybe even lost a few friends to them. Being inebriated on a regular basis, the goblins occasionally make a sport out of attempting to tip over an owlbear in the field, and avoid being ripped to shreds.
Outcomes
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Reason with the Owlbear. If a player has animal-speaking, they can communicate with the owlbear. In doing so, they can calm the owlbear and eventually learn that the goblins have been sending people (and sometimes goblins) to try and tip over the owlbear, and that it always ends with the owlbear sleepily smushing them into the ground. The owlbear openingly ponders on why it is so sleepy all the time, and the players will have a chance to figure out why with the Owlbear Quest.
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Attempt to put the owlbear to sleep or incapacitate it somehow to successfully tip it over. Since the owlbear is so sleepy to begin with, it won't be as hard as expected. The players don't know this without the help of an insight check, or similar. Doing so will entertain the goblins, allowing the players to escape, or continue working with them on the Goblin Quest.
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Fight and kill the owlbear. The owlbear will be tough, despite being a bit sleepy. Killing the owlbear will entertain the goblins, and result in a chance to complete the Goblin Quest.
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Get killed by the owlbear. It shouldn't be too hard for the owlbear to kill a party of four unless the players pull out some serious stops to fight back, such as a scroll or two.