Homebrew Were-Griffon Species Details

These are the strangest, where Aether magic is done, and Many people report sightings of beautiful angel like creatures flying around. While these are a part of the mountains/Sand villages, they are less known, and are barely ever sighted. Many people come back, brain washed and nearly dead from encounters with them. The most you can do is, according to Galen in "The Lost Tales Of Galen The Bardic Knight", published in 1815.: "Before my eyes opened up a near solid white portal, and without a further word, the two winged elves threw the kneeling one into it. They muttered that of an "Aether" as the man was burning--he looked like that of their own, only nearly pure white wings instead of the usual brown barn owl and chic black of a raven." Later it's discovered that he was captured for his troubles, brain wiped, and sent back down with his books. Luckily, he had his journal still tucked into his pocket, and remembered the entire event anyways.

 

Stats: Dexterity +2 Constitution +2 Wisdom -2

You have Poison Immunity, and must choose an alignment of The Animal Chart

---

Were-Griffon

An extremely rare form of Lycanthropy found almost exclusively among members of the rarely seen Mountain tribes. As those who manage to find the Tribes are often sent away with their memories wiped, knowledge of this particular curse has been one of the tribe's closely guarded secrets. If not for the occasional traveler- or exile- leaving the tribe itself to roam the lands beyond their mountain home, the existence of Were-Griffons would have remained a secret. 

According to the few former members of the tribe willing to talk about their history and culture, the Mountain Tribes had often found themselves under attack by the wild griffons that used to also call the mountains their home. It's said that the two groups battled for centuries over territory and resources, and while the Mountain Tribe was quite formidable, they lost many of their number to a strange curse the griffons seemed to be able to inflict upon them. At some point near the beginning of these conflicts it's said that the griffons' hatred for the tribes manifested in a curse that transformed those wounded in battle with them into the very griffons that they fought. Constantly having to fight both the griffons and their own men who would turn on them suddenly seriously hampered the Mountain tribes ability to effectively eradicate the griffon population from the mountains they called home. It was centuries later that a method of  suppressing and later controlling the curse was finally found, at which point the tribes wasted no time in wiping out the griffon population once and for all. 

When asked by confused people who either knew about or lived near their mountains about why griffons were still often sighted in the area, the Tribe member they spoke to was quick to clarify. There were no TRUE griffons in the area, and the ones seen were actually fellow Tribe members who were inflicted with, and later inherited the curse. Those who suffered from lycanthropy were begrudgingly accepted into society when a method was found to control their bestial instincts, and as generations passed these instincts became easier and easier for the afflicted to control. Many still look down on them and consider them to be dangerous beasts, and as a result they have been regulated to the lowest class of society. Many were-griffons live in poverty, almost never rising above lower middle class, and many chose to live on the fringes of society or as loners in the mountains. However, many are either too proud or too scared of being seen as a monster to actually leave their home outright, unless they develop a rare thirst for adventure or-more likely- are driven from the mountains on pain of death. 

As all known Were-griffons alive today inherited it from their cursed ancestors, it is unknown if they are still capable of spreading or if the curse affects other humanoids. The curse was known to be spread only by a bite from the animal form, and those who transformed with the intention of biting someone were usually killed before it could happen. It was forbidden to transform into their beast form while inside a village, and while loners outside the villages were free to transform as they pleased, those associating with them often did so while prepared to fend off any potential attack. Were-griffons also developed more and more animal traits over the generations while untransformed, resulting in a permanent hybrid form that may have been helped along by the bird-like features the Tribes already had.

 

Were-Griffon Traits

Possesses the ability to Shapechange into a griffon

Ability Score Decrease

Dexterity score decreased by 2.

Poison Immunity

Immune to all poisons.

Shapechanger

The lycanthrope can use its action to polymorph into a animal-humanoid hybrid, into a creature, or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its statistics, other than its AC, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Griffon form attacks

Multiattack. The griffon makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its claws.

Beak. Melee Weapon Attack:  reach 5 ft., one target. 1d8 + Strength Modifier piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack:  reach 5 ft., one target. 2d6 + Strength Modifier slashing damage.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 2.

Age

It is unknown how long Were-griffons live

Alignment

Depends on the individual

Size

Were-griffons are about 5-6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Flight

You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Talons

Your talons are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Mountain and Sand.