Hippogriff

This beast has the torso and hindquarters of a horse and the forelegs, wings, and head of a giant eagle.

Hippogriffs are aggressive flying creatures that combine features of horses and giant eagles. Voracious omnivores, hippogriffs will hunt humanoids as readily as any other meal.

These beasts are very territorial, defending their preferred hunting and grazing areas against intruders with unusual ferocity. Their range usually extends about 5d10 miles from their nest, in which the young remain while the adults hunt. Hippogriffs never leave their young undefended, however: Discovering a hippogriff nest always means encountering adult creatures.

A typical hippogriff is 9 feet long, has a wingspan of 20 feet, and weighs 1,000 pounds.

Combat

Hippogriffs dive at their prey and strike with their clawed forelegs. When they cannot dive, they slash with claws and beak.

Mated pairs and flights of these creatures attack in concert, diving repeatedly to drive away or kill intruders. Hippogriffs fight to the death to defend their nests and their hatchlings, which are prized as aerial mounts and fetch a handsome price in many civilized areas.

Skills: Hippogriffs have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.

Training a Hippogriff

A hippogriff requires training before it can bear a rider in combat. Training a hippogriff requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding a hippogriff requires an exotic saddle. A hippogriff can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.

Hippogriff eggs are worth 2,000 gp apiece on the open market, while young are worth 3,000 gp each. Professional trainers charge 1,000 gp to rear or train a hippogriff.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a hippogriff is up to 300 pounds; a medium load, 301–600 pounds; and a heavy load, 601–900 pounds.

Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 152.