Their exotic looks are quite sufficient, and, in any event, no such abilities are really alluded to in such legends as exist. In D&D, both the griffon and the hippogriff are typical magical beasts, creatures possessing no particular powers, unless one counts the ability to fly. Although the existence of one may well imply the other, it's possibly more common than the griffon itself in fantasy fiction, with the most famous modern example being that in the Harry Potter books. The hippogriff, however, is much more modern it first appears in a poetic work of fiction written in 1516, where it is described as the offspring of a male griffon and a female horse (which, since griffons were thought to kill and eat horses on sight was intended as something miraculous). The specific form of that combination was largely cemented by the late Middle Ages into the one we are currently familiar with, and griffons ('griffin' and 'gryphon' are equally valid spellings) are common features in modern fantasy, especially in RPGs. The mythic origins of griffons lie in Ancient Greece, if not earlier - a combination of the king of the beasts and the king of the birds.
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