Harpy is an enemy from Final Fantasy VII. It can be encountered in the desert surrounding the Gold Saucer in the Gold Saucer Area, which can only be traversed by buggy, or rarely while attempting to catch a Chocobo to the south of the desert. It can also be fought in the final round of the Battle Square before the player obtains the Tiny Bronco. When fought in the Battle Square its stats are enhanced with double the normal HP and its Attack and Magic Attack are increased by 25%.
The Harpy enemy does not appear in the BradyGames guide, though its stats do. The Griffin enemy has two sets of stats, one under the name "Griffin", the other under the name "Griffon". The set of stats under the name "Griffon" belong to Harpy. The entry claims that the enemy uses no abilities.
Harpy has the valuable Aqualung E.Skill to learn and can be morphed into an Elixir.
Stats[]
Formations[]
| # | Formation |
|---|---|
| 102 | Harpy |
| 103 | Harpy (Attack from both sides) |
| 105 | Chocobo, Harpy |
| 106 | Harpy |
Locations[]
| Gold Saucer Area | |
|---|---|
| Grass | 105 (A Chocobo!) |
| Dirt | 102, 103 (Side Attack) |
| Desert | 106 |
| Battle Square (before Tiny Bronco) | |
| Group A - Battle 8 | 102 |
| Group B - Battle 8 | 102 |
Battle[]
Poison Storm.
Harpy's attack pattern rotates between Poison Storm, Claw, and Aqualung, though it may start battle with either Poison Storm or Claw. Once Harpy uses Claw, the player should take precautions, such as healing the party or casting Big Guard if the party has it, as Harpy will use Aqualung as its next attack, which may inflict over 500 damage to the entire party and is deadly if the party is not prepared. Aqualung can be learned as an Enemy Skill, which is one of the most powerful offensive abilities at this stage of the game.
Strategy[]
It is recommended to bring Star Pendants to avoid Poison Storm that always inflicts Poison, and to cast Big Guard at the start of the battle to halve the damage of Aqualung. If the player wishes to learn Aqualung, it is advised to use the Manipulate command. Afterward, the player may opt to use Poison Storm on the Harpy and let it die from Poison itself, or have it cast Aqualung on itself.
Laser is also a good opening move if the party has it.
AI script[]
AI: Setup {
- Count = Rnd(0..1)
} AI: Main {
- If (Count == 0) Then
- {
- Choose Random Opponent
- Use Poison Storm on Target
- Count = Count + 1
- } Else If (Count == 1) Then {
- Choose Random Opponent
- Use <Claw> on Target
- Count = Count + 1
- } Else {
- Choose Random Opponent
- Use Aqualung on Target
- Count = 0
- }
} AI: Counter - General {
- If (Harpy's HP <= 25% of Harpy's Max HP ) Then
- {
- SpclChance = 3
- } else If (Harpy's HP >= 25% of Harpy's Max HP && Harpy's HP <= 50% of Harpy's Max HP) Then {
- SpclChance = 4
- }else If (Harpy's HP >= 50% of Harpy's Max HP && Harpy's HP <= 75% of Harpy's Max HP) Then {
- SpclChance = 5
- } Else {
- SpclChance = 8
- }
}
Etymology[]
In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy was a female monster in the form of a bird with a human face. They steal food from their victims while they are eating and carry evildoers (especially those who have killed their family) to the Erinyes. They seem originally to have been wind spirits. Their name means "snatchers".
It is called Chimera in the Japanese version, and its appearance is more accurate to its Japanese name. The chimera is a fire-breathing monster, one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. It is commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail in Greek mythology. In modern usage, the term chimera is often taken to mean any sort of hybrid between two or more species.
The Dhorme Chimera from Final Fantasy V was named "Quadrharpy" in its first localization (released after Final Fantasy VII, but also worked on prior). Both creatures are relatively strong when first encountered, fought in deserts, and bear the Aqua Breath skill.