games, the owlbear usually serves as a "monster". Within the context of RPGs, "monster" is a generic term to describe potentially hostile beings and obstacles for the players to overcome. This role is also the one the owlbear was originally designed for. Publication history The owlbear is among the earliest monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, and, like the bulette and the rust monster, was inspired by a Hong Kong–made plastic toy purchased by Gary Gygax for use as a miniature in a Chainmail game. Dungeons & Dragons The owl bear was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk (1975). It is described as a "horrid creature" which "hugs" like a bear, and deals damage with its beak. The owlbear is also listed on random encounter tables in Eldritch Wizardry, the third supplement. The illustration shows a bear-like creature on all fours, and bears no resemblance to the plastic toy that had given Gygax his original inspiration. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition The owlbear appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a "horrible creature that inhabits tangled forest regions, and attacks with its great claws and snapping beak". The illustration of the owlbear shown in the Monster Manual was done by Dave Sutherland, and closely correlates to Gygax's original plastic toy. Basic Dungeons & Dragons This edition of the D&D game included its own owl bear, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1981 and 1983). The owl bear was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition The owlbear appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). The owlbear appeared in the Dark Sun setting in the adventure Black Spine (1994). The owlbear was detailed in Dragon #214 (February 1995), in "The Ecology of the Owlbear", which also included the arctic owlbear and the winged owlbear. These variants were later reprinted in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996). The greater owlbear appeared in an adventure in Dungeon #63 (July 1997). Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition The owlbear appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000). The owlbear appeared on the Wizards of the Coast website for the