THE RIGHT REVEREND DOCTOR F.X. BUCKLAND, D.D. F.R.S.

Geologist, geographer-cartographer, astronomer, arcanologist, divinologist, historian, explorer, zoologist, pornographist,* natural philosopher, author of Buckland's Bestiary of the Incredible, gourmet chef, and raconteur, the Rev. Dr. Francis Xavier Buckland holds the Korian Varculum Chair in Divination and the Gustatory Arts at the University of Wardenclyffe. He is one of the world's foremost authorities on... well, more or less everything interesting, and a good many things that aren't. If the world of Khered had ever experienced a Renaissance, he would easily qualify for the title of Renaissance man, if he were a man.

Mind you, Dr. Buckland was a man once, and indeed for much of his early career. A phantasmotype of what he used to look like still survives in the printed copies of his first major book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Unnatural Selection, or the Engineering of Favored Races by the Arcane Beastmakers of Antiquity, blinking owlishly out from the About the Author page as if its subject hadn't quite been ready for the flash: a heavyset man of about thirty, with a truly spectacular pair of bushy black sideburns and an epic monobrow to match. But, of course, that was before the curse.

Dr. Buckland's problem is that he is one of the world's great eccentrics, which is no mean feat in a kingdom that is ruled by a king who managed to become an immortally undead tyrant** entirely by accident. One of his stated ambitions at the start of his career as a natural philosopher was to eat of all the world's creatures. He had made a substantial start on that goal, and nearly killed himself several times, when he happened to be touring Tsakkus Cathedral in the Westlands in his capacity of divinologist (which is what his original degree is in). There he was shown a box containing the Tsakkian faith's holiest relic, reputed to be a piece of the eternally incorruptible heart of the long-expired mortal vessel of the Divinely Ascended Tsakkus Himself.

"I have eaten of many things," said Dr. Buckland, "but never have I eaten the heart of a god before!" At which point, before any of the astonished onlookers could think to stop him, he scarfed the relic down.

Tsakkus was not amused.

Or maybe He was! It's hard to tell with the whims of gods. Maybe the Divinely Ascended turned Buckland into an owlbear as a way of helping him out with his "eat all the animals" project. After all, they're known for being extremely capable and versatile carnivores.

Either way, he's banned for life from the Westlands. And he's an owlbear. Neither of which has dampened his zest for life, his voracious academic curiosity, or his appetite for the flesh of strange beasts in the slightest (although being banned from the Westlands is inconvenient for purposes of certain expeditions).

Persons encountering the Rev. Dr. Buckland, whether on the Wardenclyffe campus or in the field (where he spends a good 60% or more of his time), will find themselves confronted by exactly the same spectacle: a fully bipedal brown owlbear, around nine feet tall, wearing a full academic gown, mortarboard, and gold-rimmed pince-bec.† On formal occasions he will also add all the cords, sashes, and hoods his various degrees and honors entitle him to, which is quite a lot of regalia.

Buckland was big, loud, and hard to miss before being turned into an owlbear. Now that he's nine feet tall and equipped with a screech intended to ward off other apex predators as well as his thunderous voice (which is unhampered by the fact that he's now speaking through a beak—proof, some say, that Tsakkus didn't mean the transformation as a punishment) and knack for blustery declamations, he's pretty much the most arresting figure one is ever likely to encounter at any university that does not employ a dragon, and even perhaps a few that do.

He's a polarizing figure; both students and colleagues tend either to adore him for his brilliance, his zaniness, and his absurdly colorful background, or deplore him as at best a buffoon, at worst a circus freak lowering the tone of several entire fields of academia at once (note: this was not an unknown attitude before he was an owlbear). Buckland himself doesn't seem to care about his detractors. He's having too much fun delving into the unknown, writing books about more or less anything that comes to mind, and eating stuff.

THE RT. REV. DR. F.X. BUCKLAND
owlbear (Large monstrosity), chaotic good
cleric level 5

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points (7d10 + 5d8 + 36)
Speed 40 ft.

STR 20 (+5)
DEX 12 (+1)
CON 17 (+3)
INT 18 (+4)
WIS 8 (-1)
CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Wisdom +2, Charisma +6
Skills Arcana +10, History +7, Nature +10, Religion +7, Perception +2
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages many
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Keen Sight and Smell. The Rev. Dr. Buckland has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell.

Cleric Class Features Knowledge Domain

Domain Spells augury, command, identify, suggestion

Cantrips guidance, light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy

Spells Prepared detect magic, purify food and drink, find traps, remove curse

Note: Dr. Buckland is not very good at divine spellcasting, since it relies on Wisdom, which is by far his worst ability score. He's only got the cleric levels because you had to be a cleric to graduate from the diviniology program at Wardenclyffe back in his student days.

Equipment Explorer's pack, holy symbol

Meta-note: Dr. Buckland is voiced by Brian Blessed.

--G.
* A pornographist is one who engages in the scholarly study of pornography, as opposed to a pornographer, who creates it. Most serious pornographists in the Kingdom of Ostvia are members of the Royal Pornographic Society, one of the ten Ostvian learnèd societies to enjoy the imprimatur of the Crown.
** "Tyrant" is used here in its strictest sense, that of a monarch who, at least on paper, holds the power of rule by absolute fiat. No judgment on King Tmolus's moral or ethical standing is expressed or implied.
† Well, he hasn't got a nez, has he.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.