BX Monsters A to Z: Griffon

 Crawling up out of the slime and taking to the skies! The griffon is next on our alphabetical exploration of the monster lists.

Griffons have a pretty extensive pedigree in real-world mythology, having roots all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia. The monster is usually depicted as having the body, tail, and hind legs of a lion and the head, forelegs, and sometimes wings of an eagle. (Wings, of course, are a vital feature of the D&D iteration of the beast.) At least one scholar wrote of griffons that they are "enemies of horses", a tidbit enthusiastically seized upon by D&D's authors.

The D&D griffon is a pretty formidable creature. The rulebook entry describes it as a voracious predator, and it has the stats to fill that role quite admirably. Its AC is a medium-tough 5 and its 7 Hit Dice make it bigger and tougher than the lion from which it derives (pardon the word play) the lion's share of its physical form. It can dish out an impressive amount of damage, with three attacks per round for 1-4/1-4/2-16, a potential maximum of 24 per round. (Equal to the maximum output of the giant crab, I feel compelled to point out, though much more justified than in the case of that sand-scuttler.) On the ground, it moves at a respectable 120' (40'), slower than all the great cats, perhaps owing to the awkwardness of having avian forelegs. In the air, though, its speed is impressive, 360' (120'). The monster's Morale is a steady 8, roughly on par with other predatory creatures.

Griffons are noted to favor horses as prey, and must make a morale check when within 120' of them or attack immediately. This instinct is so strong, it applies even to griffons tamed and trained from birth as mounts. Griffons may utilize the "swoop" attack, similar to a charge, but only doubling damage if the target is surprised, and you'd better hope that's not you or your horses. On an attack roll of 18 or better, the griffon can seize and carry away creatures of man-size or smaller. Horses, alas, must be killed and consumed on the spot, as they are too heavy to be carried away. 

As alluded to above, it is possible to train captured griffin cubs (chicks?) to be fierce and loyal mounts. A high-level party all mounted on griffons would be a formidable force indeed, and able to travel with unparalleled swiftness across the campaign map. Finding accommodations for their mounts in any settlement where horses are common will be an issue, but that's likely small potatoes to a band of heroes mighty enough to have that problem in the first place.

Overall the griffon is a well-designed monster, tough enough to fit the billing of its mythological roots, but not overpowered. I've never had any qualms about including it in my campaign worlds exactly as written.

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