Griffon 5e: Stats, Flying Tactics and Griffons as Mounts

A griffon is a CR 2 Large monstrosity with AC 12, 59 hit points, a 30-foot walking speed and an 80-foot fly speed. It attacks twice a turn at +6: in the 2014 rules with a beak (8 damage) and claws (11), and in the 2024 rules with two Rend attacks (8 each) that grab a Medium or smaller target. That grab is the big 2024 change. A 2024 griffon can seize a character, fly upward and let go, and falling damage does the rest. Griffons are also the SRD's go-to example of a flying mount, and the rules for riding one are below.

Table of Contents

• •Griffon Stat Block (2014)
• •The Griffon in the 2024 Rules
• •How Griffons Fight
• •How Many Griffons for Your Party?
• •How Players Beat Griffons
• •Griffons as Mounts
• •Griffon Encounter Ideas
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Griffon Stat Block (2014)

This is the griffon from SRD 5.1, matching the 2014 Monster Manual.

The defining number is fly 80 ft. A griffon covers 80 feet a turn in the air, more than twice what most characters can move on foot, so it picks when and where the fight happens. Keen Sight gives it advantage on sight-based Perception checks, which effectively puts its passive Perception at 20 for spotting things (15 + 5 for advantage on a passive check). The party rarely surprises one in open country.

AC 12 is low and 59 hit points is modest for a CR 2 creature. A griffon is hard to reach but easy to hurt once you do.

The Griffon in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 griffon (SRD 5.2.1) keeps the same AC, hit points, speeds, ability scores and CR. Its attacks are rewritten.

The 2024 griffon deals 3 less damage per round when both attacks hit. It makes up for that with the grab. A Grappled character's speed is 0, it has disadvantage on attacks against anyone except the griffon, and the griffon can carry it away. The grapple uses "both of the griffon's front claws," and under the 2024 grappling rules a creature can grapple only one creature at a time with a given body part, so a griffon holds one character at a time. The same rule says the grappler can't use that part to target anyone else until it lets go. The stat block doesn't say whether Rend uses the claws, so whether a griffon holding one character can Rend a second is your call.

How Griffons Fight

Griffons are aerial predators. They don't stand and trade blows.

Dive and leave (2014). A 2014 griffon flies in, attacks twice and flies off. Without a Flyby-type trait, leaving a character's reach provokes an opportunity attack, so the griffon should dive at characters who can't punish it: the archer, the wizard, the cleric holding a crossbow. Against a level 3 character with AC 15:

A +6 attack hits AC 15 on a 9 or higher, 60% of the time.

Grab, climb, drop (2024). This is the 2024 griffon's best play:

1. •Turn 1. The griffon flies to its target and makes two Rend attacks. If either hits a Medium or smaller creature, that creature is Grappled. Carrying a Medium creature costs the Large griffon 1 extra foot for every foot moved (the target isn't two sizes smaller), so each foot it flies while holding the target costs 2. If it spent 40 feet reaching the target, its last 40 feet of movement lift the target 20 feet.
2. •Turn 2. The griffon flies straight up. Each foot costs 2, so it gains 40 feet of height. It can make its Rend attacks against the grappled target (no disadvantage), then release it at any time, no action required.
3. •The fall. A falling creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet. A target dropped from 60 feet takes 6d6, 21 on average, and lands Prone.

A Small character (two sizes smaller than the griffon) costs no extra movement to carry, so a halfling or gnome goes up at the full 80 feet per turn. With 40 feet of climbing on the first turn and 80 on the second, a Small character is 120 feet up: 12d6, 42 on average, from the fall alone.

The grappled character has a hard choice. Escaping takes an action and a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Succeeding at 40 feet up means falling 40 feet. Often the better plan is to hit the griffon hard (the grappled character has no disadvantage against its grappler) or have the party bring it down.

Pick off stragglers. A griffon on the hunt goes for whoever is separated from the group: the scout ahead on the trail, the one on watch, a horse on a picket line. It has darkvision out to 60 feet and Perception +5, so a night attack on the camp is in character.

Flee when hurt. A griffon with 20 or fewer hit points flies away at 80 feet a turn. Few parties can follow. Have it return the next night if the party is still in its territory.

How Many Griffons for Your Party?

Griffons work best in pairs or small groups at levels 2 to 4. Each griffon is worth 450 XP. Using the SRD 5.2.1 XP budget for four characters:

Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines, which our encounter difficulty calculator uses, two griffons are 900 XP, multiplied by 1.5 for a pair to 1,350, which is Hard for four level 3 characters (Hard 900, Deadly 1,600).

Terrain changes the difficulty more than the numbers do. On a cliff path, a rope bridge or a ship's deck, a 2024 griffon's grab-and-drop can kill a character outright. In a dense forest or a cave, the griffon can't use its fly speed well and becomes an AC 12 creature in melee.

For a mixed encounter, pair griffons with a rider. A knight or veteran mounted on a griffon gives the party two threats in one space, and a fight where knocking the rider off matters. Compare the hippogriff (CR 1) for a weaker flier, or the pegasus (CR 2) for a flying mount that might be an ally.

How Players Beat Griffons

• •Ready attacks. A griffon that dives and leaves is hard to hit on your turn. Ready an attack for when it comes into range. Archers can still fire normally, and spellcasters can ready a spell.
• •Use ranged damage. Its AC is only 12. A party of archers and casters can drop a 59-HP griffon in two rounds. An attack at +5 hits AC 12 on a 7 or higher, 70% of the time.
• •Fight from cover. Under trees, inside ruins or in a cave mouth, the griffon has to come down into tight space to reach you, where it can't use its 80-foot fly speed to dive in and out. If it leaves without taking the Disengage action, it provokes opportunity attacks.
• •Knock it out of the sky. In both editions a flying creature that is knocked Prone or has its speed reduced to 0 falls, unless it can hover, and a griffon can't. It takes falling damage like anyone else. Effects that knock a creature prone or reduce its speed are the counter.
• •Protect the small and the light. Against a 2024 griffon, keep Small characters close to the group, and have someone ready to attack the griffon the turn it grabs a friend. A griffon reduced to 0 hit points or Incapacitated loses its grapple.
• •Don't use beast magic. A griffon is a Monstrosity, so spells that target only Beasts don't work on it, including Animal Friendship, Speak with Animals and Dominate Beast. Hold Person is Humanoid-only, so that's out too.
• •Target its mind. Its saves are Strength +4, Dexterity +2, Constitution +3, Intelligence -4, Wisdom +1, Charisma -1. Intelligence and Charisma are its weakest.

Griffons as Mounts

SRD 5.1 names the griffon three times when it talks about mounts: in the equipment chapter as a rare flying mount, in the travel rules as a special mount that lets you "travel more swiftly," and in the mounted combat rules ("a wizard casting spells from the back of a griffon"). The rules for using one:

• •Who can ride it. A willing creature at least one size larger than you, with suitable anatomy, can be a mount. A Large griffon can carry a Medium or Small rider.
• •Where to get one. SRD 5.1 says flying mounts like pegasi, griffons and hippogriffs are rare and not normally for sale. Getting one usually means securing an egg and raising it, making a bargain with a powerful entity, or negotiating with the mount itself.
• •Controlled or independent. You can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. A controlled mount moves on your initiative and can only Dash, Disengage or Dodge. An untrained or wild griffon acts independently: it keeps its own initiative, attacks as it likes, and might flee or chase prey.
• •Falling off. If an effect moves your mount against its will, or you're knocked prone while mounted, you make a DC 10 Dexterity save or fall off and land prone within 5 feet of it. From a flying griffon, that's a long way down.
• •The magic item version. The Bronze Griffon Figurine of Wondrous Power (rare) becomes a griffon for up to 6 hours, then can't be used again for 5 days. It's in both SRDs and is a fine reward for a party that needs to cross mountains.

A trained griffon in a controlled role can Dash to fly 160 feet in a turn, and in overland travel it flies over the cliffs, rivers and switchbacks that slow a party on foot. If you give a party griffon mounts, plan your travel encounters and distances with that in mind.

Griffon Encounter Ideas

The cliff road. A mountain trail runs along a 200-foot drop. A pair of griffons nest on the cliff above, and anything Medium-sized and alone on the trail is prey. In 2024 rules, this is the encounter where the grab-and-drop is a real threat, and the party learns fast to rope themselves together.

The eggs. A noble wants a griffon egg to raise a mount for her son and will pay well. The nest is on a ruined tower in griffon country. Taking the eggs while both parents are out hunting is the easy part. The parents come back faster than anyone can climb down, and they can track by sight from far away.

The rider without a griffon. A wounded griffon rider staggers into town, her mount gone. Something in the forest brought it down, and it's still alive, grounded and dangerous with a broken wing. The party can kill it, tame it with the rider's help, or decide the rider has been hiding why the griffon threw her.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CR is a griffon in 5e?

A griffon is CR 2 (450 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules. It has AC 12, 59 hit points, a 30-foot walking speed and an 80-foot fly speed.

Can you ride a griffon in 5e?

Yes. A griffon is Large, so it can carry a Medium or Small rider under the mounted combat rules. You can only control it as a mount if it's trained to accept a rider; otherwise it acts on its own initiative. The SRD says flying mounts like griffons are rare and usually come from raising one from an egg or making a deal.

Can a griffon grab and carry a character?

The 2024 griffon can. Its Rend attack grapples a Medium or smaller target (escape DC 14), and it can carry the grappled creature as it flies, at half speed for a Medium creature and full speed for a Small one. The 2014 griffon has no grapple.

Is a griffon a beast in 5e?

No. A griffon is a Monstrosity in both editions, so spells that only target Beasts, like Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals, don't work on it.

What's the difference between a griffon and a hippogriff?

A griffon is CR 2 with 59 hit points, an 80-foot fly speed and (in 2014) 19 damage per round from two attacks. A hippogriff is CR 1 with 19 hit points (26 in 2024) and a 60-foot fly speed. Both are Large flying creatures used as mounts; the griffon hits much harder.

Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.