Hi there. I'm currently running a homebrew altered version of Carrion Crown. The game will run past the AP into level 20+, with the possibly of a few time jumps. My players have come across a Griffon egg and have decided to take care of and rear it. One of my players mentioned how in one of their previous games their party came across a Dragon egg, and the GM made some fun rules to allow the PCs to affect what type of dragon species it became.
Mythical Monsters Revisited describes Griffons as having several rare variants such as Alce Griffons or Griffons with different avian and lionide heritage. I've decided to play on this to allow my players to have a variant Griffon in which they can affect the variety of. Here are the rules I've come up with for expanding the rearing, and variants of the Griffon egg. Any thought or suggestions are most welcome ^_^.
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Griffon Rearing:
Hatching the Griffon Egg (female):
It takes a successful Handle Animal check to Rear A Wild Animal, taking 1 week, to take care of the egg and allow it to hatch. The egg must be kept warm and safe. If the egg is not hatched within 3 weeks, the egg spoils and the Griffon inside is lost.
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Raising the Griffon:
Unlike animals, the Griffon cannot be taught tricks during the rearing process with Handle Animal Checks. The rearing check to raise the griffon is made at the end of the rearing process which takes 6-9 months, after which it is considered a Young Griffon and can learn to fly. If failed, the baby Griffon runs away. If the child isn't properly cared for or motivated to stay with the party it will also flee. Convincing the Griffon to stay with you requires a series of Diplomacy checks or Handle Animal checks (Wild Empathy (Ex) cannot be used due to their high intelligence). Its disposition is unique towards each party member. Aid Another is not allowed for any checks involved with rearing or convincing the creature.
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Griffon Growth Chart:
It takes 4 years for the Griffon to reach maturity. Rearing stages include the following:
Infant: 0 - 2 months (small) (CR 1)
Very Young: 3 - 6 months (small) (CR 2)
Young: 7 - 11 months (small) (CR 3)
Juvenile: 1 year - 1 year, 11 months (medium) (CR 3)
Young Adult: 2 years - 3 years, 11 months (medium) (CR 4)
Adult: 4 Years (large) (CR 4)
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Upon Rearing Success:
If successfully reared, and if treated properly, the Griffon becomes a loyal travelling companion. If you can successfully rear, and convince the offspring to stay with you, it can act as a Mount for a small sized creatures once it reaches medium size, or a small sized creatures once it reaches medium size. However, it can leave at any time it wishes, since it is intelligent and free-willed. Party members eager to have the Griffon as a mount, however, should note that buying or forcibly domesticating intelligent creatures like Griffons is still recognized as slavery by most good deities, and winning a griffon’s allegiance of its own free will is no easy task. Reaching a mutually agreeable accord (or even a friendship) is a much more elegant and safe route to securing the Griffon for the party.
Before it can be ridden in combat, the Griffon requires practice bearing the weight of its rider. In order to be trained successfully, the Griffon must first be Helpful toward it's trainer (requiring a Diplomacy, or Handle Animal check). After that, 6 weeks of practice and a successful a Handle Animal check is sufficient for the beast to be comfortable with its burden, and due to its intelligence, the trained Griffon can be treated as knowing every trick listed in the Handle Animal skill description, possibly even responding to new, simple requests made in Common. An Exotic Riding or Exotic Military Saddle is required to ride the Griffon.
A mature Griffon can eat up to a whole Light Horse in meat per day, and can cost up to 75 gp in meat a day to fully feed; It costs 95 gp a day to feed their voracious young.
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Ustalavic Creatures for Griffon Variant
It will be assumed that this Griffon egg has a high potential for being a variant, unlike normal Griffon eggs. While raising the Griffon egg, if the PC taking care of it makes a successful rearing check to hatch it, the GM will roll two d100 die to determine the variant of the Griffon in secret. Since the campaign takes place in Ustalav, the Griffon's ancestral creatures will be taken from those inside Ustalav or it's adjacent surrounding countries.
The first d100 rolled will determine the flying avian ancestry of the Griffon. This will be taken from the 'Flying Avian Creatures' chart below.
The second d100 rolled will determine the Leonine ancestry of the Griffon. This will be taken from the 'Leonine Creatures' chart below.
Each PC will be allowed to make either a Knowledge (arcana) check or a Knowledge (nature) check to determine the ancestry of a single d100 die.
The Hero Point system is being used in this campaign, and each PC may spend 1 Hero Point (limited to 1 per attempt) to allow either the d100 or the Knowledge determination checks to be re-rolled. Once the d100s are accepted, the Griffon hatches and its ancestry becomes permanent.
The Griffon's ancestry will effect both its appearance, as well as its stats and abilities. Certain combinations may yield positive changes in stats or add special abilities. These special abilities may not be initially present, and will development over the course of the Griffon's rearing and may depend on such factors as its disposition of party members, how well it's being taken care of, or what sources of nourishment it receives.
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Flying Avian Creatures
1 - 10 - Eagle: Produces a normal Griffon head, forelegs & wings.
11 - 30 - Great Horned Owl: The Griffon has the ancestry of a Great Horned Owl of Ustalav.
60 ft. Fly Speed; -2 STR; +1 Natural; +4 Stealth;
Has the head, forelegs & wings of a Great Horned Owl.
31 - 50 - Raven: The Griffon has the ancestry of a Raven of Ustalav.
40 ft. Fly Speed; -4 STR; +2 Dex; +1 Int; Able to speak common;
Has the head, forelegs, & wings of a Raven.
51 - 70 - Vulture: The Griffon has the ancestry of a Vulture of Ustalav.
50 ft. Fly Speed; -2 Talons Dmg Die; +2 Bite Dmg Die; +2 Str; -2 Dex;
Has the head, forelegs, & wings of a Vulture.
71 - 85 - Gnarled: The Griffon has an ancestor who was 'blessed' by a Demon Lord's attention from the World Wound to the north of Ustalav.
+1 CR. Gains the Gnarled template. Gains thick, horny skin. Has a hunched body which is knotted with corded muscles and awkwardly formed limbs. Has the features of a standard Griffon. If this template is rolled on, the d100 on the Leonide Creatures chart cannot be rolled.
86 - 95 - Alebrije: The Griffon has an ancestor who learned lucid dreaming, and gained a connection to the Plane of Dreams, and its eventual transformation.
+2 CR. Gains the Alebrije template. Gains bright, vibrant hues, and decorative patterns like spirals and stripes. Has the features of a standard Griffon. If this template is rolled on, the d100 on the Leonide Creatures chart cannot be rolled.
96 - 100 - Giant: This Griffon is afflicted with gigantism! It is larger and stronger than their normal-sized kin.
+1 CR. Gains the Giant template. Has the features of a standard Griffon. If this template is rolled on, the d100 on the Leonide Creatures chart cannot be rolled.
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Leonine Creatures
1 - 25 - Lion: Produces a normal Griffon body, hind legs & tail.
26 - 50 - Mountain Lion: The Griffon has the ancestry of a Mountain Lion from the forest of Northern Fangwood of Lastwall, just to the east of Ustalav.
+4 Climb; +4 Stealth in heavy undergrowth or tall grass; Spirited Runner;
Has the body, hind legs & tail of a Mountain Lion.
51 - 75 - Dire Lion: The Griffon has the ancestry of a Dire Lion from the hills of the Hold of Belkzen, just to the west of Ustalav.
+2HD; +2 Con; Improved Grapple;
Has the body, hind legs & tail of a Dire Lion.
76 - 90 - Tiger: The Griffon has the ancestry of a Tiger trained from the wilderness of Numeria, just to the east of Ustalav.
+1HD; +1 Con; Weapon Focus (talon); +1 Talons Dmg Die;
Has the body, hind legs & tail of a Tiger.
91 - 100 - White Tiger: The Griffon has the ancestry of a White Tiger trained by the Tiger Lords of Numeria, just to the east of Ustalav.
+1HD; +2 Con; Weapon Focus (talon); +2 Talons Dmg Die;
Has the body, hind legs & tail of a White Tiger.
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Special Combination Abilities
Raven-Headed, White Tiger Griffon: (if fed bird meat, eggs, or rodent meat)
Infant: The Griffon's STR loss from its avian ancestry is reduced to -2 instead of -4.
Young: The Griffon's Fly Speed loss from its avian ancestry is reduced to 60 ft.
Juvenile: No changes.
Young Adult: The Griffon gains the Sound Mimicry (Ex) universal monster ability.
Adult: The Griffon learns how to speak the known language of a party member it has Helpful disposition with.
Great Horned Owl-Headed, Mountain Lion Griffon: (if fed bird meat, rabbit meat, or rodent meat)
Infant: No changes.
Young: The Griffon's Fly Speed loss from its avian ancestry is negated.
Juvenile: The Griffon's Stealth bonus from its avian ancestry is increased from +4 to +6.
Young Adult: The Griffon gains the Powerful Charge (Ex) universal monster ability.
Adult: The Griffon's Stealth bonus from its avian ancestry is increased from +6 to +8.
Vulture-Headed, Dire Lion Griffon: (if fed the carrion flesh of animals)
Infant: No changes.
Young: The Griffon is able to feed exclusively on the carrion flesh of animals (1 horse worth per day)
Juvenile: Gains the Great Fortitude feat from its avian ancestry.
Young Adult: No changes.
Adult: The Griffon gains the Diseased (Ex) special ability of a Giant Vulture to its Bite attack.