Hippogriff 5e: Stats, Flyby Attacks and Hippogriffs vs Griffons

The hippogriff is a CR 1 Large monstrosity with AC 11, 19 hit points (26 in the 2024 rules), a 40-foot walk and a 60-foot fly speed. It attacks twice a turn at +5. In 2014 that's a beak and claws for up to 18 damage; in 2024 it's two Rend attacks for 7 each, plus a new Flyby trait that lets it swoop in, strike and leave without drawing opportunity attacks. It's the cheaper, more fragile cousin of the griffon, and a flying mount a low-level party can realistically face or earn.

Table of Contents

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

Hippogriff Stat Block (2014)

This is the SRD 5.1 hippogriff, the same block as the 2014 Monster Manual.

The 2014 hippogriff hits hard for its size and folds fast. Beak (8) plus claws (10) is 18 damage when both land, close to what a level 2 fighter has in hit points. But 19 hit points and AC 11 mean a party that gets two or three attacks on it ends the fight in a round. Keen Sight gives advantage on sight-based Perception, so for things it could see, the passive-check rule (+5 for advantage) puts its passive Perception at 20 rather than the printed 15.

The Hippogriff in the 2024 Rules

The 2024 version trades damage for staying power and mobility. Its best round drops from 18 to 14, but it has 7 more hit points and can leave melee for free. Against a party with no ranged attacks, that makes the 2024 hippogriff the harder fight.

How Hippogriffs Fight

A hippogriff is a monstrosity, not a beast, but with Intelligence 2 you play it like an animal: it attacks what threatens its nest or looks like easy food, and it leaves when hurt.

The math. Against AC 15, a +5 attack hits on a 10 or better (55%). The 2014 hippogriff averages about 10 damage a round (0.55 × 18). The 2024 one averages about 8 (0.55 × 14). Neither kills a healthy level 3 character in one turn, but two hippogriffs focusing the same target can.

Dive and leave (2024). Flyby lets the hippogriff fly 30 feet in, make both Rend attacks, then fly 30 feet back out of reach with no opportunity attack. Melee characters on the ground spend the whole fight waiting for it to come back. The 2014 hippogriff has no Flyby, so leaving melee costs it an opportunity attack unless it uses its action to Disengage. In 2014 it tends to stay and trade blows, which suits its higher damage and lower hit points.

Use the sky. Sixty feet of flight puts it above a cliff edge, a gorge or a ship's mast in one move. Start the fight with the hippogriffs already circling, so the party is reacting to them.

Retreat. Have a hippogriff flee once it drops below half its hit points. A wounded animal that flies off is a better story beat than a corpse, and it gives a ranger something to track.

How Many Hippogriffs for Your Party?

The 2024 XP budget per character (SRD 5.2.1) for a party of four, with hippogriffs at 200 XP each:

The 2014 guidelines (2014 Dungeon Master's Guide, used by our encounter calculator) count two hippogriffs as 400 × 1.5 = 600 XP, a Hard fight for four level 2 characters. Levels 2 to 4 are the sweet spot. Past level 5, use them as mounts or scenery.

How Players Beat Hippogriffs

• •Ranged attacks. AC 11 is easy to hit. A bow or Guiding Bolt works better than chasing it on foot.
• •Ground it. A flying creature knocked prone falls. From 30 feet up that's 3d6 falling damage, a big chunk of 26 hit points.
• •Ready an action. Against a 2024 hippogriff using Flyby, Ready an attack for when it comes within reach. It can't avoid the attack by leaving afterward.
• •Feed it. It's an animal. Fresh meat thrown away from the party, or a calm approach with an Animal Handling check, can end the fight before it starts.

Hippogriff Encounter Ideas

The cliff nest. A courier road runs under a cliff where a hippogriff pair is nesting. They dive at anything that stops on the road. The party can fight, sneak past, or climb up and find two eggs, which SRD 5.1 names as one of the ways to get a flying mount: raise one yourself.

The runaway mount. A noble's trained hippogriff threw its rider and is now loose over a market. It's scared, not hungry. The party is paid to bring it back alive, so every damage spell costs them.

Griffon competition. A griffon has moved into the hippogriffs' hunting grounds. The hippogriffs are desperate and raiding farms. Kill the griffon and the raids stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CR is a hippogriff in 5e?

A hippogriff is CR 1 (200 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules. The 2024 version has 26 hit points instead of 19.

Can you ride a hippogriff in 5e?

Yes. It's Large, so a Medium or Small rider can mount it if it's trained to accept a rider. A controlled mount can only Dash, Disengage or Dodge, so a hippogriff under a rider's control doesn't attack (an independent mount acts on its own turn and can). SRD 5.1 says flying mounts like hippogriffs are rare and normally not for sale.

What is the difference between a hippogriff and a griffon?

A griffon is CR 2 with 59 hit points, an 80-foot fly speed and +6 attacks; the 2024 griffon also grapples. A hippogriff is CR 1 with 19 or 26 hit points, a 60-foot fly speed and +5 attacks. The griffon is the stronger predator.

Does the hippogriff have Flyby?

Only in the 2024 rules. Flyby means it doesn't provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy's reach. The 2014 hippogriff has Keen Sight instead.

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.