Every once in a while you see something and think “I don’t care how or when but this is going in my game.”
That happened to me recently with the early concept art of the Final Fantasy chocobo:
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| God AKA Yoshitaka Amano |
Running birds. Wizards call them gallopedes.
HD 5 AC 7 Att. +4 talon x 2 (1d6) or beak (2d6) Move 270' (90') Save 12 Morale 9 NA 1d6 (3d8)
They can charge into combat like a warhorse and carry as much as a draft horse. Big enough to accommodate two riders.
Running birds aren't for sale in any town or settlement. Herds are only known to gather in hex 1512, the Gallopede Glade. There’s a 1:20 chance per visit the Brollothere is hanging out there too.
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| From Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu: Final Fantasy III Yori |
The glade is also home to Yulassetar, a mossy dwarf with an old gnarled pipe permanently fixed between his lips. He lives in a pleasant cottage with his pet dire ferret and welcomes friendly visitors.
He’ll tell the PCs, as they're sure to ask, the two steps to befriending a running bird:
The first step to earn one's respect is to beat it in a race. It's not hard to initiate; running birds are highly social creatures and love contests of speed. Winning is a different story though, as a typical running bird can easily pace the swiftest riding horse.
The second step is to have it accept a gift of food. Yulassetar recommends caecilia steak slathered in killer bee honey.
After both steps are completed the running bird will be your ally for life. It obeys simple commands, fends for itself, and like all creatures with common sense it avoids entering dungeons. If its mistreated or its owner dies, it'll return to the glade.
When running birds sleep they curl up into a perfect sphere.
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| From the first Legend of the Crystals OVA |