Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast.

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It’s possible perytons appeared in previous editions, but this is the first time I remember seeing them. I think they might be based in real-world folklore?

The Lore

Perytons are large predators that resemble big raptor birds with antlered, sharp-fanged stag heads. The feathers on the bird part are typically dark green, and the stag’s fur is blue-black. Both males and females have antlers, but males also have distinctive light blue feathers on their chests. Their shadows, interestingly enough, don’t correspond to their physical shapes and are instead humanoid. Perytons like to nest in tall mountain ridges, which in the Vale means the Cairngorm peaks and Stonemarch to the northwest, or the Dawnforge range to the east.

Some sages speculate that the first perytons were elves changed by some horrible curse, and there are enough sinister details about their behavior and lifecycle to lend credence to this even if you ignore the “humanoid shadow” thing.

Travelers are advised to keep their eyes on the sky when going through these mountainous regions, because perytons are a fairly common hazard there. Not only are they unafraid to attack people, they specifically go after humanoid prey due to a very suspicious quirk of their reproductive cycle: peryton females need to consume the fresh heart of a humanoid in order to reproduce. This will cause their shadows to reflect their true forms for a number of hours, during which they are fertile.

Perytons are classed as beasts because they look and behave like animals, but they’re also clever enough to keep victims alive in their nests until it’s time to eat, to ensure the freshness of their hearts. They can carry off victims as big as themselves and won’t generally stick around to keep fighting if they can make a clean getaway with a victim. However, they’re extremely stubborn and obsessive - once a peryton chooses someone as their prey, they will pursue and hunt that victim until they manage to kill it or carry it away, heedless of the danger and ignoring easier prey.

Peryton nests usually have an area for “storing” its captured victims, who have a hard time leaving because the surrounding terrain isn’t easy for a non-flier to traverse. These areas tend to be full of treasure in the form of former victims’ belongings, and some captives can end up finding a way to escape by using these things.

The Numbers

Perytons are Natural Beasts. Their signature traits are Peryton’s Prey, which allows them to designate a creature they can see at the start of their turn as their prey, and Unhindered, which allows it to pull any creature it has grabbed along with it when moving.

A peryton’s choice of prey lasts a turn - they must make the choice again at the start of each of their turns. It’s totally possible to keep choosing the same creature, and most perytons will do that, but if the PCs contrive to make that creature too hard to reach, they can and will make a different choice. This has no inherent effects, but several of the creature’s powers work best on its chosen prey.

Peryton

The basic model is Medium in size, and is a Level 4 Skirmisher with 54 HP. Its ground speed is a laughable 2, but its flight speed is 8. The peryton’s basic attack is an Antler Bash that knocks prone on a hit and deals extra damage to the peryton’s chosen prey. It can use it to make Flyby Attacks, flying its speed, attacking a target along the path, and not provoking opportunity attacks when it moves away.

Its other special attack is Claw Snatch, which can only target the peryton’s chosen prey, which must be Medium or smaller. The creature can fly half its speed before and after the attack. A hit deals damage and grabs the victim (escape DC 14). The grab automatically ends at the end of the peryton’s next turn, but that’s enough time for the beast to gain plenty of altitude or to fly over a convenient cliff drop. This recharges when the peryton is first bloodied.

Finally, the creature can use an encounter ability named Feast against a dying humanoid to automatically kill it and heal 15 HP. I imagine this involves eating the target’s heart. Never let these things take you to negative HP!

Peryton Elder

A larger, older, and stronger specimen, of the sort who ends up generating stories and legends about itself. It’s a Level 6 Elite Soldier with 144 HP.

The elder has upgraded versions of Claw Snatch and Feast. The first has a grab that doesn’t end after a turn, allowing the monster to carry its victim clear out of the fight if they’re unlucky in their DC 15 escape rolls. The second heals 20 HP instead of 15. It also has Antler Bash, but that’s more or less the same.

The elder also has a couple of new powers to better perform its soldierly duties. Cursed Bite is a minor action that deals physical damage and inflicts another 5 points if the target attacks a creature other than the elder on its next turn. Once per encounter, it can use Stealth Dive to charge its chosen prey if that prey makes an attack that doesn’t include the elder as a target.

Final Impressions

Despite their “natural” origin, these monsters are creepy and evocative. They’re much more threatening than their level indicates too, being one of the few creatures who will explicitly target and kill PCs who are down and out. Being carried off by an elder peryton sucks, too, but it could lead to a fun scene a captured PCs trying to improvise an escape route using the items found on the nest.