There are two statblocks in the Monster Manual that have grievous errors and require correction. One of them is so surprisingly that most people are shocked to learn it, the other is a choice that unnecessarily detracts from the fun.
Cats have darkvision. How on earth did they miss this? Real world cats have the closest thing to darkvision most of us will ever encounter. I’m honestly confused how this hasn’t been changed in an erratum and newer printings. DMs: cats have darkvision. It simply do be like that.
Owlbears are beasts. They are listed as Monstrosities, and the only weak justification appears to be in the last paragraph of its description:
Scholars have long debated the origins of the owlbear. The most common theory is that a demented wizard created the first specimen by crossing a giant owl with a bear. However, venerable elves claim to have known these creatures for thousands of years, and some fey insist that owlbears have always existed in the Feywild.
Monster Manual, p249 (Emphasis added.)
This “theory” is immediately contradicted by evidence that they are natural creatures.
The ignoble mischaracterization of the owlbear is not just a travesty of natural science, but plain un-fun. Let the druid wild shape into an owlbear! Let speak with animals and beast sense and all the other animalian magic work on owlbears! You can even let a hunter tame one as a companion—it won’t break anything and it’s cool as hell! And—considering how much of the description is dedicated to describing people who tame them—it just makes sense.
James DM 