Critters III! Now also in 5e!

[Bhu]

Sage Buzzard
Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 5d10+5 (32 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), Fly 80 ft.(Good)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 Natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+6
Attack: Talon +6 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: 2 Talons +6 melee (1d6+1) and 1 Beak +1 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: RAWK!
Special Qualities: Low Light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft, Spell Like Abilities, Sage Knowledge, Scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 18
Skills: Bluff +8, Decipher Script +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (Arcana, Geography, History, Local, Nature) +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +2, Sense Motive +8, Spot +8, Survival +8
Feats: Fly-By Attack, Hover
Environment: Warm Desert
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Group (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: usually Neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: ---

"Will you hurry up and die? I'd like to eat before I expire of old age."

Sage Buzzards look more like vultures than buzzards, and are renowned for their knowledge of just about damn near everything. They're also pretty well known for lurking nearby as people and animals die, waiting to make them a free lunch despite possibly knowing how to save them. In their defense, food is mighty hard to come by where they live. But if you have food aplenty to bribe them with, they'll take care of you, and tell you what they know on any subject you care to hear them argue about (nothing is worse than a flock of know it all's). They speak Common, and whatever the local races speak (they have up to 4 additional languages). Their origin is unknown, but it is rumored that in a desert somewhere is the fabled Tower of Bib. Bib's tower is covered in mystical writings that bring Awareness to any animal reading them. The Sage Buzzards scoff at these rumors, and do their best to discourage people from going out in the desert to see if the Tower is real. They're even rumored to eat the stubborn ones who persist in going anyway...

RAWK! (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds the Buzzard can unleash an ear splitting screech. Any living creature within 60 ft. must make a DC 16 Willpower Save or be Shaken for 1d6 rounds. Save DC is Charisma Based. If the opponent Saves successfully it is immune to this Buzzard's RAWK! attack for 24 hours.

Sage Knowledge (Ex): This is identical to the Bardic Knowledge ability on page 28 of the Players Handbook, but instead of Bard levels the Sage Buzzard uses it's Hit Dice.

Spell Like Abilities (Sp): The Sage Buzzard can cast the following spells as Spell Like abilities: At will: Deathwatch, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Know Direction. 3/day: Death Knell, Delay Poison, Detect Animals or Plants, Hide from Animals, Locate Objects, Speak With Animals, Whispering Wind. 1/day: Clairvoyance, Commune With Nature, Locate Creature, Scrying. Caster level is equal to Hit Dice.

Combat: Sage Buzzards aren't great combatants. They usually use their spells to coordinate and arrange little traps for foes. They don't so much fight, as wage a campaign of harassment. Unless they know you're dying. Then it's on.




Sage Buzzard
"Good evening, and welcome to Mutual of Gnomeahaw's Wild Kingdom! As always, I'm your host Harlan Jergens! Today on Wild Kingdom Jim and I will be coming to you live from the Broken Wastes, where the local Orc nobles have granted us an audience with their advisers, the Vultur sapiens, known locally as the Sage Buzzards!"

Wisdom Does Not Preclude Sarcasm

"Your naming conventions are specious human."

"Do you have a name you prefer to be called"

"Lord Vultur sapiens."

Living Libraries

"We're told you know of many things."

"We do sir. Perhaps you would be interested in the story of your predecessor, Jim, Mad Barbarian of the North?"

"And that's all the time we have for today folks!"