Environment

Special abilities

Magic vision 5 | Legs 4 | Flying 20

The griffin is a large bird-like creature with mighty wings, a beak and a body covered in brown fur. It nests on rocks in the middle of forests or high in the mountains. It lives in pairs, but sometimes several pairs settle in a single colony.

Griffins are predators; they hunt deer, chamois or boars and, in need, inconspicuously carry off animals from herds. They are very clever and prefer to avoid conflicts with people. They communicate with one another by thought, and when threatened they summon griffins from far and wide. They cannot speak themselves, but they can learn human speech or answer telepathy (they cannot initiate it with people themselves).

They give birth to live young, one or two every few years; an egg found in a nest is food for the young. They live to about a hundred years. Forest griffins can befriend elves and carry them on their backs on journeys and into battle.

Combat

The griffin attacks with its beak and talons. It is much more confident in the air, but it can also fight on the ground, for example when defending its nest. Rare individuals command magic, both nature and wizardly.