Hippogriff

Large monstrosity, neutral

Armor Class 11 (natural armor)
Hit Points 59 (7d10 + 21)
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.

Skills Perception +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Keen Sight. The hippogriff has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Multiattack. The hippogriff makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its talons.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.

Flyby. The hippogriff doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

Actions

Dive Attack. The hippogriff makes a dive attack, if it is flying and dives at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a melee weapon attack, the attack deals an extra 9 (2d8) damage to the target.

Eagle Eyes (Recharge 5-6). The hippogriff scans the battlefield, granting advantage on attack rolls for itself and its allies for one round.

This large, brown, horse-like creature has a hawk’s wings, talons, and hooked beak.

Hippogriff CR 2

XP 600
N Large magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +9

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural, –1 size)
hp 22 (3d10+6)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average)
Melee bite +4 (1d6+2), 2 claws +4 (1d4+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

STATISTICS

Str 15, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 19
Feats Dodge, Wingover
Skills Fly +5, Perception +9; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate hills or plains
Organization solitary, pair, or flight (7–12)
Treasure none

The hippogriff bears the wings, forelegs, and head of a great raptor bird and the tail and body of a magnificent horse. As horses are a preferred meal for griffons, sages claim some flesh-warping wizard with an ironic sense of humor long ago created this unfortunate fusion of horse and hawk as a joke. A hippogriff’s feathers bear coloration similar to those of a hawk or an eagle; however, some breeders have managed to produce specimens with stark white or coal black feathers. A hippogriff’s torso and hind end are most often bay, chestnut, or gray, with some coats bearing pinto or even palomino coloration. Hippogriffs measure 11 feet long and weigh upward of 1,500 pounds.

Territorial, hippogriffs fiercely protect the lands under their domain. Hippogriffs must also watch the skies for other predators, as they are a preferred meal of griffons, wyverns, and young dragons. Hippogriffs nest in sweeping grasslands, rugged hills, and flowing prairies. Exceptionally hardy hippogriffs make their home nestled into niches on canyon walls, from which they comb the rocky deserts for coyotes, deer, and the occasional humanoid. Hippogriffs prefer mammalian prey, yet they graze after every meal of flesh to aid their digestion. Their dietary habits can be dangerous to both ranchers and their livestock, so ranching communities often set bounties on them. Victims of these hunts are often taxidermied, and preserved hippogriffs frequently decorate frontier taverns and remote outposts.

Far easier to train than griffons, yet easily as intelligent as horses, hippogriffs are trained as mounts by some elite companies of mounted soldiers, patrolling the skies and swooping down on unsuspecting enemies. Although they are magical beasts, if captured young, hippogriffs can be trained using Handle Animal as if they were animals. An adult hippogriff is more difficult to train, and attempts to do so follow the normal rules for training magical beasts using the skill. A hippogriff saddle must be specially crafted so as to not impact the movement of the creature’s wings—these saddles are always exotic saddles.

Hippogriffs lay eggs rather than birthing live young—as a general rule, a hippogriff nest only contains one egg at a time. A hippogriff’s egg is worth 200 gp, but a healthy young hippogriff is worth 500 gp. A fully trained hippogriff mount can command prices of up to 5,000 gp or more. A hippogriff can carry 198 pounds as a light load, 399 pounds as a medium load, and 600 pounds as a heavy load.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.