The peryton is a magical beast

Magical beast (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, magical beast is a type of creature, or "creature type". Magical beasts are similar to animals in many ways, but usually have a higher intelligence, and possess supernatural or extraordinary abilities....

 from the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 based upon the peryton

Peryton

The peryton is a fictional animal combining the physical features of a stag and a bird, presumably originating in Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings, although he refers to a lost medieval manuscript as a source...

s of myth.

Publication history

The peryton first appeared in first edition in the original Monster Manual

Monster Manual

The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...

(1977). The creature was further developed in Dragon

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

#82 (February 1984).

The peryton appears in second edition for the Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms

The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...

 setting in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix II (1991), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The peryton appears in third edition for the Forgotten Realms setting in Monsters of Faerûn

Monsters of Faerûn

Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn is a supplement for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons.-Contents:It features about 150 pages of monsters unique to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting...

(2001).

The peryton appears in fourth edition in Monster Vault 2: Threats to the Nentir Vale (2011).

Physical description

The peryton combines the body of a giant eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

 (5 feet tall with a 25 foot wingspan) with the head of a powerful stag

STAG

STAG: A Test of Love is a reality TV show hosted by Tommy Habeeb. Each episode profiles an engaged couple a week or two before their wedding. The cameras then follow the groom on his bachelor party...

. Its skin is impervious to weapons that are not magically enchanted. Its body has dark green plumage and yellow talons. Its stag head is blue-black with pale orange eyes and glossy obsidian antlers. The peryton casts the shadow of a human rather than its own shadow most of the time, and smells like a human as well.

Society

Perytons are evil creatures who roost atop high cliffs in dense forest. They create nests of 4 or so individuals which are completely independent of any other nests, and nests are never located closer together than few miles of one another except under special circumstances, such as a particularly prominent hunting ground. Perytons need to eat human or humanoid heart

Heart

The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...

s to survive, and females need them to reproduce, and they hunt such beings accordingly.

Combat

Perytons have little desire other than to hunt and obtain the human hearts they need to survive. Every day, they try to make at least one kill. They attack by finding a human, tricking them with their human shadow, and then flying up extremely high and diving back down at lightning speed. They grab the victim in their talons, carry them high up into the air again, and then rip out the heart from there. If they have eaten recently, they may carry the human back to the nest and keep it as a slave until its heart is needed. They will take any treasure the victim might have, and hoard it much the same way as dragons

Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...

. Perytons can only be harmed by magical weapons.

Perytons communicate in a series of roars and cries. They cannot speak, but understand Common.

Perytons are usually chaotic evil in alignment.