Giant eagle (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the giant eagle is a magical beast. It is a giant version (10 feet tall with 20 foot wingspan) of a regular eagle. It is also a lot more intelligent. It lives in temperate mountains.

Publication history

The giant eagle first appeared in the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game in the original 1977 Monster Manual.^[1]

The giant eagle appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Creature Catalogue (1986),^[2] and Creature Catalog (1993).^[3] The giant eagle (hiak) appeared for the Hollow World setting in the Hollow World Campaign Set (1990).

The giant eagle appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).^[4] The giant eagle appeared as a player character race in Polyhedron #116 (February 1996).^[5]

The giant eagle appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000),^[6] and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003).

Ecology

In the game, Giant eagles, like many similar creatures, are prized for their value as aerial steeds. To tame one, the eagle must have a friendly attitude to the rider/tamer, and, being a goodly creature, they must be either good or neutral themselves. Riding one requires an exotic saddle, and six weeks of training. Sometimes giant eagles are raised to be mounts from birth, but giant eagle parents defend their nests to the death. Giant eagle eggs are worth 2,500 gp each.

Giant eagles, like real world eagles, are carnivores.

Environment

Giant eagles live near great bluffs, cliffs, mesas, or mountain crags.

Typical physical characteristics

Giant eagles resemble ordinary eagles, but they're much bigger, ten feet tall and with an average wingspan of twenty feet. They have superior vision capable of seeing prey miles away.

Alignment

Giant eagles are usually neutral good (the 1977 Monster Manual lists them as neutral).

Society

Giant eagles are relatively friendly toward dwarves and elves, and they like aarakocra. Two to twelve giant eagles will typically guard an elven lair. They typically ignore good creatures but attack evil creatures with hostile attitudes. Their intelligence is about equal to that of humans.

Giant eagles are courageous. They fear dark and enclosed spaces, but little else.

Religion

Giant eagles worship nature, avian spirits, and their patron deity, Remnis. They have shamans among them capable of casting spells.

Language

Giant eagles speak Auran and Common. Their own tongue is composed of avian cries and gestures.

References