Hippogriff

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A Hippogriff

A Hippogriff, or Hippogryph,[3a] is a creature with the head and wings of a giant bird of prey, the forequarters of a big cat such as a lion, and the hindquarters and tail of a horse.[2b]

Appearance

Hippogriffs are large, about 10 feet long.[1a]

Ecology and Distribution

Hippogriffs are savage fighters and ravenous hunters. They possess a fierce hunger for raw flesh, and when hunting will wantonly slaughter every creature in their sights. When battling, they are not satisfied until their foe has been torn to ribbons.[2a][3a] Hippogriffs are also fiercely territorial, and battle intruders in their domains to the death. As such, they tend to avoid one another; confrontations between rival Hippogriffs are violent things that usually result in the death of one or both combatants, as they are too stubborn to retreat.[3a] Hippogriffs have an intense enmity with Griffons. When specimens of these two species encounter one another, they typically battle until one falls slain from the sky.[2a] They compete with Pegasi for eyries, but avoid confrontations with Great Eagles.[2b]

Hippogriffs prey on sheep and cattle, but will also hunt Humans, Orcs, and anything else that doesn't avoid them quickly enough. Hippogriffs do not have a strong sense of object permanence, and tend to assume that prey that vanishes from their sight has disappeared beyond retrieval. As such, they attempt to close the distance with their target and make a kill as quickly as possible. Prey that manages to hide from a Hippogriff is quickly forgotten as the beast gives up the hunt for lost and seeks out food elsewhere.[3a]

Some scholars believe Hippogriffs to have originated as Chaos mutants due to their chimeric nature.[2a]

In the Old World, Hippogriffs primarily inhabit the Grey Mountains and avoid the World's Edge Mountains where Griffons are predominant.[2a] Hippogriffs are also found in numbers in the Mountains of Mourn.[1a]

In Culture

Hippogriffs are very popular mountains among Bretonnian knights, particularly among those who want a fiercer and more powerful flying mount than a Pegasus. Knights procure their mounts by offering rewards to peasants who retrieve a Hippogriff egg for them.[2a] This egg must then be hatched and the chick reared to adulthood by the prospective rider, as the creature will afterwards not tolerate anyone else on its back. Hippogriff trainers cannot accept help from anyone else in this process without having the creature reject them. This process takes about a year to complete.[2a][4a]

Due to their ferocity, Hippogriffs are a popular choice of magically-bound beasts among wizards. Their bloodlust means that it does not matter very much if the binding spells on it fail once it is engaged, as the creature will simply continue to attack everything around it.[3a]

Gallery

Sources

Creatures
Creatures Abyssal Terror - Amphisbaena - Amaxon Swamp Python - Amoeba - Arachnarok Spider - Arcanadon - Basilisk - Bastiladon - Bat Swarm - Bear - Behemoth - Black Leviathan - Bloodwasp - Boar - Boar Centaur - Bog Octopus - Brood Horror - Carmine Dragon - Carnosaur - Carrion - Celestial Lion - Chameleoleech - Chasm Leech - Chasm Spawn - Chaos Steed - Chimera - Coatl - Cockatrice - Cold One - Colossal Squig - Culchan - Daggerfish - Dark Pegasus - Dark Steed - Demigryph - Dog - Doppelganger - Dracoleech - Dragon - Dragon Turtle - Dread Abyssal - Dread Maw - Dread Saurian - Elven Steed - Familiar - Fell Bat - Fen Worm - Fox - Frog - Frost Wyrm - Giant Bat - Giant Beetle - Giant Frog - Giant Owl - Giant Rat - Giant Scorpion - Giant Spider - Gigantic Spider - Gorger - Great Cave Squig - Great Eagle - Great Moon Bird - Great Pox Rat - Great Sabre-toothed Snow Leopard - Great Stag - Great Taurus - Great Wolf - Griffon - Gymmcrab - Helldrake - Hellsteed - Heomreth - Hippogriff - Hippogryph - Hixa - Horse - Hydra - Incarnate Elemental of Beasts - Incarnate Elemental of Death - Incarnate Elemental of Fire - Itxi Grub - Jabberslythe - Jabberwock - Jaguar - Jungle Swarm - Kharibdyss - Ki-rin - Kraken - Lammasu - Lashworm - Latch-Eel - Leviathan - Lion - Lurkerfish - Magma Dragon - Mammoth - Mangler Squig - Manticore - Megaladon - Monstrous Leech - Mourngul - Nightmare - Nightraven - Orb Leviathan - Otter - Pangolin - Pegasus - Phoenix - Pliodon - Preyton - Promethean - Rabbit - Rat Ogre - Raven - Razorbill - Razordon - Razorgor - Reik Eel - Rhinoxen - Ripperdactyl - Roc - Sabre-Toothed Tiger - Sabretusk - Salamander - Sand Clam - Scalemane Reptilion - Sea Dragon - Sea Elemental - Shard Dragon - Siren - Skeletal Steed - Slaughterbrute - Sphinx - Squig - Stegadon - Stirpike - Stoat - Stonehorn - Sunworm - Terradon - Terrorgheist - Theralind's Brood - Thunder Lizard - Tiguana - Toad Dragon - Thundertusk - Tregara - Troglodon - Unicorn - Varghulf - Warhawk - War Hydra - Warp Bat - Warpfire Dragon - Wild Cat - Wolf - Wolf-Rat - Wyvern
Notable Creatures Akholrak - Amanar - Angranir - Araugnir - Argaer - Ashtari - Balorith - Baudros - Big Red 'Un - Blackfang - Boneripper - Bracchus - Bruwor - Bubebolos - Caledair - Ceithin-Har - Cinderbreath - Crimson Scourge - Deathclaw - Deathfang - Draukhain - Drogo Le Mal - Frigustrex - Galrauch - Gargantuan - Ghoritch - Gobbla - Gordinar - Graug - Gribbleback - Grymloq - Hagdar - Indraugnir - Ithragar - Kalandrithir - Kalgalanos the Black - Lamoureux - Maedrethnir - Malgrimace - Mauldekorr - Mergaste - Minaithnir - Mordrak - Mournfang - Oblast Beast - Oriel - Seraphon - Silak - Silverhorn - Silver Wind - Skaladrak Incarnadine - Skoll - Sleenrippa - Spite - Stormwing - Theralind - Vranesh- Warghan - Wizzbang - Wulfag - Xltzhpctli - Ymwrath - Zlaaq - Zwup
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