May I present one of Wolf Sonneschatten's projects from his time as Heldannic Courtmage:
Simasus
by Wolfgang NeckelThe Simasus, or flying lion, as it is more commonly called seems to be related to the sphinx, as it too has the body of a lion and the graceful wings of a pegasus (even though it does not have the face of a human like the sphinx). That is actually very misleading though, as there is no connection between the two whatsoever. The simasus is actually more related to the chimera, as it, just like the chimera, is a magical creation. In the case of the Simasus it is a creation of the Court Mage of the Heldannic Territories Wolf Sonnenschatten made by magically fusing pegasi and a lions together (except for the wings the body is that of a lion with the mind and intelligence -- not to forget the wings -- of a pegasus) followed by extensive breeding (as the magical progenitors could be undone by a dispel magic spell).
Wolf got the idea of creating such a
steed after hearing the name of a Heldannic elite unit: The Flying
Lions. And with the heraldic symbol of the Territories being the
lion ...
He envisioned the Simasus forming the backbone of a new type of
Heldannic heavy air-cavalry and/or aerial scout force to complement
the famous Heldannic Warbirds. How far his plans will be carried
out now that he was thrown out remains to be seen ...
Secretly he also hopes that creating a new race (even though it is
"only" a monster race), will somehow help him achieve
Immortality.
AC: 6
HD: 4+1
Move: 15/Fly 48
Attacks: 2 Claw, 1 Bite
Dmg.: 1d4+1/1d4+1/1d10
Save as: Fighter 4
Morale: 8
Treasure: --
Intelligence: 4
Alignment: Lawful
Exp: 125
Terrain: no yet naturally occurring
Load: 3500cn with full movement, 7000cn with half move.