Bezoar

A bezoar is a consumable magic item, similar to a potion, and you must swallow it whole to gain its effects. When you swallow it, you take 1d6 + 1 acid damage, and your hit point maximum is reduced by an equal amount for the bezoar’s duration. The bezoar remains active in your belly for a number of days equal to the damage taken. After that time, you automatically regurgitate the used-up bezoar, for which you take another 1d6 + 1 acid damage, but your hit point maximum returns to normal. A used-up bezoar has no power and soon crumbles away.

A bezoar can be removed prior to its full duration with a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check but still deals the secondary damage as you regurgitate it. A partially used bezoar recharges itself after being out of a body for 24 hours. Swallowing it again after that allows a new roll for duration. You can only have one bezoar active at a time, and while one is active, you do not gain any benefit from other consumable magic items, such as potions. While uncomfortable, this doesn’t impact your ability to eat and drink though.

Owlbears are not picky eaters and wind up devouring all sorts of nastiness: carrion, furry creatures, fey river stones, feathery things, nut shells, fish bones, and shadow-fused bone. As such, any bezoar has a 50% chance of being cursed. You can’t remove a cursed bezoar before its full duration (when you will regurgitate it as normal) unless you are first targeted by a remove curse spell. However, if the bezoar is not removed before your next short or long rest after the spell’s casting, the curse returns. The curse ends automatically once the bezoar is regurgitated.

Examples

Bezoar of the Bespectacled Owlbear

Consumable, rare

When you swallow this bezoar, you gain advantage on saving throws against poison and immunity to the poisoned condition. You can’t be surprised.

Curse. Voices constantly tell you terrible things, maybe true and maybe not but certainly off-putting. The first time a creature damages you, you must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of that creature until it or you falls unconscious or until the creature is no longer within line of sight for 1 minute.

Bezoar of the Dire Owlbear

Consumable, very rare

When you swallow this bezoar, you gain immunity to exhaustion and curses (except a curse tied to this bezoar). Whenever you make an opportunity attack, you make two attacks.

Curse. Your bloodlust gets the most of you. Once you enter melee, you won’t willingly stop fighting the creature until one of you is dead or you’re both somehow physically separated for three or more rounds.

Bezoar of the Great Horned Owlbear

Consumable, rare

When you swallow this bezoar, you gain immunity to being charmed or frightened. Creatures must be at least two sizes larger than you to grapple you.

Curse. You’re being unreasonable and insulting to everyone. All creatures are immediately hostile toward you, and the first attack from any creature against you is at advantage.

Bezoar of the Hoary Owlbear

Consumable, rare

When you swallow this bezoar, you gain resistance to cold damage and suffer no ill effects from extreme cold weather conditions. Your speed increases by 5 feet.

Curse. The bezoar is not sitting well with you and triggers intense heartburn and nausea. You only receive half of the hit points from any healing magic or rest.

Bezoar of the Screech Owlbear

Consumable, rare

When you swallow this bezoar, you gain immunity to being blinded or deafened. You can communicate with beasts (as the speak with animals spell).

Curse. The animals—and even the forest spirits that you can now see floating and cavorting all around—are chattier and more distracting than would be ideal. Wisdom (Perception) checks are made at disadvantage.

The harmonic wave inverters are finally calibrated. I’m ready to try again. It turns out the mishap with the incorrect recipe for essence of melancholy did not damage the vibratory fluid viewer, after all. (C. is lucky I don’t flay him alive for that.)