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They also have claws that can rip through most tanso steel. Humans don't.
I'm not buying this argument that griffons are great naked. Sure they are, but how much of the game do you spend naked? (Or shouldn't I ask?

) Certainly in the large group PvP Dulrik favors, almost everyone is decently prepared.
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They can fly, and they're immune to disease.
There's no doubt the race has great advantages. The problem is that at high level it has greater disadvantages. Play one and see. Or just consider how few griffons there are, and mostly first-timers at that. Most of the distinguished griffon PKers of the past were using things that no longer exist. (Old Spirit Aura+old shield, Fist+griffon combat/size, or gas immunity vs. guardians)
OVT's proposal of innate saves strikes me as overkill; such magic is a core griffon weakness. But do you really begrudge the typical griffon +4 or +6 magic protection? Shield is nice for griffons, but I assure you it doesn't turn them into juggernauts.
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Griffons != Protoss
I'm afraid I don't understand the reference. But I believe craft is IC enough. If you take a look at Mercedes Lackey's books, you do see fighting griffons using magic to augment their natural abilities.
Granted, we've been moving away from griffons being innately magical, but I don't think that's worth keeping. Indeed, I consider it an admission that unlike necromancers, griffons can't hack the IC pressure of being hunted.