Lesser griffin
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The lesser griffin is a magnificent beast, as if designed by the gods to embody fierce and graceful predation. Its front legs, forebody, wings, and head are those of a great eagle, complete with large white feathers and aquiline beak. The rear half of the creature's body is that of a powerful lion, with short tawny fur and a long feline tail. Emphasized by its size, which is larger than a warhorse, the griffin's renowned majestic presence and great bravery have earned the creature a place on many nobles' coats-of-arms.
Hunting strategies
Lesser Griffins, being a flying creature, are sometimes out of reach for melee attacks, predominantly when they have just soared into a room (though they also sometimes use it as a form of retreat).
Therefore, melee hunters should wait until the griffin itself attempts a melee attack (either with its beak or claws) against an adventurer before advancing (they can melee attack the yeti while remaining at high altitude). Ranged weapons and magical attacks perform as usual, although many knockdown and nature type spells (for example, Tremors (909)) do not affect them as they are not on the ground. They are also immune to stuns. The best way to battle these avian monsters is to Web (118) them. This will give you some time to kill your prey and avoid some of their nasty maneuvers.
They also have various maneuver and spell style abilities which can cause roundtime, and can beat their wings for a Call Wind (912) style effect.
Other information
When using its claw attack, the lesser griffin attacks with two claws at once (similar to Two Weapon Combat).
When they spawn, they have an RT manuever with up to 20 seconds of RT:
A shrill screech pierces the air as a lesser griffin dives from above! A rush of fear rises in your stomach, and you freeze, struggling to regain your composure! Roundtime: 20 sec. The evanescent shield shrouding XXX flares to life and thickens to create a substantial buffer around him. XXX maintains his resolve, ignoring the terrible screech!
Like their older cousins, they can pick you up and drop you:
A lesser griffin dives down and hooks its claws into you! With a great flap of its wings the lesser griffin carries you into the air! Just as the griffin begins to surge upward, it suddenly loses its grip and lets you plummet toward the ground! You twist awkwardly as you try to break your fall with something other than your head! ... 15 points of damage! Nasty blow to your left leg! You are stunned for 1 round! A lesser griffin dives down and hooks its claws into you! With a great flap of its wings the lesser griffin carries you into the air! Within moments you find yourself soaring over the ground far below! >incant 118 You try, but the terrifying flight to certain death takes precedence. Accept your fate. >l All you see is the blur of the countryside as you soar along. The griffin quickly swoops down and releases you several feet above the ground, and you flail awkwardly before landing with a dull **THUD**! ... 24 points of damage! Strong blow breaks your neck! After what seems like an eternity, you feel the griffin's grip loosen and it drops your hapless corpse in an awkward heap. [Griffin's Keen, Giant Nest] This dark cave is almost completely filled with a great pile of broken and bent tree branches. You also see a lesser griffin (flying). Obvious exits: east Tilting its head for a moment, the great beast inspects its prize, then begins to feed. It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you... A lesser griffin appears in the mouth of the cave, dragging a battered morsel (also known as XXX) behind it! You feel an odd dragging sensation.
References
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