IF SSG had any marketing sense.... there would be a druid wildshape to an owlbear!

[spifflove]

#2, OP, you're basing this on the movie, which is not a WotC sanctioned game.

Keep hearing this line of thought but if it appeared in the movie it was sanctioned by wotc and therefore officially part of dnd and thus ddo. In legal speak, the movie is precedent.

[LightBear]

Man, the naysayers in this thread should see what all these live DnD tabletop groups come up with.
And every thought given words in those groups is auto-canon.

[Captain_Wizbang]

therefore officially part of dnd and thus ddo. In legal speak, the movie is precedent.

And every thought given words in those groups is auto-canon.

[Arkat]

Not required. Lynnabel has many times said they have a free hand on what they could develop. The only permission they need is when they add new worlds - such as Forgotten realms.

"Many" times?

Link?

[shmagmhar]

word

[Magnus_Arcanis]

Would we settle for a cosmetic owlbear item? Ideally the whole form, but perhaps Aspect of the Wildhunt-style owl head?

Just figure something like that would be easier to implement than an actual druid form. Both legally and coding wise.

[Artos_Fabril]

SSG would need to go through the WOTC approval process before they could add it to the game.

You think WotC approves every change from 3.5e RAW to DDO?

I have a bridge you might be interested in.

[Artos_Fabril]

Neither you, nor I, nor most any player has the slightest idea what is and is not "homebrew" in DDO. For all we know, every last non-3.5 canon tweak has been officially approved. (I personally doubt every one has, but fact is we just don't know.)

That said, I think it'd be a lot of fun, BUT it would add yet another piece to the "balancing act". And on that point, it become less attractive.

Oh come on. You at least should know better. The process is either a rubber stamp (reaper trees, AP trees, epic commoner levels, epic destinies, shifter implementation, filigrees, epic destinies and their associated trees, variant archetypes, et cetra, et cetra) or only certain types of changes require approvals (IPs outside the existing license, specific copyrighted named characters)

DDO has the rights to use owlbears, it is exceptionally unlikely that they require specific WotC approval to make changes to classes, races, non-iconic monsters, or similar system or mechanic changes. It's far more reasonable to assume that cost:benefit is the deciding factor than that WotC would deny the option. It's even more likely, however, that SSG simply didn't get any heads up about the content of the movie in time to do anything to capitalize on it.

[Drunkendex]

OP, that's "fiscally irresponsible"...

[ChaosBuddha]

they didt even push Vecna when it was all over Stranger things. it was a lay up

[TPICKRELL]

You think WotC approves every change from 3.5e RAW to DDO?

I have a bridge you might be interested in.

No, I think they had an approved by WOTC specification for Druid and they would need to run changes to that spec by WOTC.

[Saekee]

OR have Sophia Lillis narrate a tiefling-themed pack?

[boredGamer]

No, I think they had an approved by WOTC specification for Druid and they would need to run changes to that spec by WOTC.

Crazy if true.

Finally just got around to seeing this movie today , and my wife who has zero dungeons and dragons blood in her, upon seeing the owl bear, said “is that really in the game?” With wide, interested eyes.

Having a char at first level that can become an owl bear seems like such a good idea. And how different can an owl bear model and bear model be?

Anyway , huge win if put in, I seriously might be able to get her to play an owl bear.

[Bjond]

how different can an owl bear model and bear model be?

Seriously. If they only want to do the minimum, they could simply add "Owlbear" as a selector for bear-form. Keep all other bear effects as-is in game and make it a pure cosmetic skin choice. If they want to make extra money off it, add an "owlbear skin" to the store that fits in one of the cosmetic slots and only takes effect when you use wild-shape bear.

BTW, the owlbear is my favorite D&D critter by a fair margin.

[dunklezhan]

Yes, and WOTC approved the implementation we have today. WOTC may well approve Owlbear, but I don't think SSG can implement Owlbear on their own.

Whilst it would be amazing (if lore-breaking for the sake of a movie tie in that probably only got it's way in the first place because Studio = bigger than hasbro cares to fight on such an obscure point) to see a full owlbear form with it's own tree and all that good stuff...

...could we not just have wildshape cosmetics which can only apply to certain forms? E.g. need to be in dire bear before any Large magical beast cosmetics would kick in e.g. Owlbear or Umber Hulk, and for Winter Wolf maybe there could be medium Magical beast like Hellhound or Tharaskh hound or something. Standard bear might be able to have some kind of Young-but-not-baby Triceratops (lore-wise they are a bog standard beast like a Bear and I'm struggling to think of another beastie in this size category that's already in game!), and Wolf might be able to have a panther form?

Whilst we're at it, can we have pet cosmetics?

I have waited super-patiently for my artificer to get a wiki-wiki-wah wiki-wah wiki-wah-wild west metal spider or for my druid to get a badger-badger-badger-badger-MUSHROOM-MUSHROOM (you can tell just how long I have patiently waited by my ever-crumbling references) and I will genuinely at this point settle for them just looking like I want....

[mpetrarca]

SSG SHOULD quickly capitalize on the popularity of the new movie.... and add a wildshape of Owlbear to druids of some form.

Umm, what popularity? As of today, April 23 2023, the movie has made $177,987,245 worldwide, sounds good, right? However, just to break even, this movie needs to make $300,000,000, it will go down as another D&D movie flop.

[Bjond]

another D&D movie flop.

Wait 'till it hits streaming. It's gotta be something truly special to make a profit in real theatres these days.

D&D does have brand recognition, but outside of it's adherents it's all negative. From a high level standpoint, they need to pull a marketing stunt like new/coke classic/coke to rebuild under a different brand if they want to become mainstream.

[voxson5]

Whilst it would be amazing (if lore-breaking for the sake of a movie tie in that probably only got it's way in the first place because Studio = bigger than hasbro cares to fight on such an obscure point) to see a full owlbear form with it's own tree and all that good stuff...

...could we not just have wildshape cosmetics which can only apply to certain forms? E.g. need to be in dire bear before any Large magical beast cosmetics would kick in e.g. Owlbear or Umber Hulk, and for Winter Wolf maybe there could be medium Magical beast like Hellhound or Tharaskh hound or something. Standard bear might be able to have some kind of Young-but-not-baby Triceratops (lore-wise they are a bog standard beast like a Bear and I'm struggling to think of another beastie in this size category that's already in game!), and Wolf might be able to have a panther form?

Whilst we're at it, can we have pet cosmetics?

I have waited super-patiently for my artificer to get a wiki-wiki-wah wiki-wah wiki-wah-wild west metal spider or for my druid to get a badger-badger-badger-badger-MUSHROOM-MUSHROOM (you can tell just how long I have patiently waited by my ever-crumbling references) and I will genuinely at this point settle for them just looking like I want....

SSG just needs to be able to sell (decent) cosmetic skins in the market (rather than the in game store), ez money for them.

[LightBear]

Umm, what popularity? As of today, April 23 2023, the movie has made $177,987,245 worldwide, sounds good, right? However, just to break even, this movie needs to make $300,000,000, it will go down as another D&D movie flop.

Word is that its a $150m production.

[Oxarhamar]

Word is that its a $150m production.

the film carried a reported $150 million budget before marketing expenses

Unlike DDO $0 marketing