Are there existing rules for obtaining a Unicorn mount for a paladin? My wife wants one for her chracter and was asking about converting the "Beloved of Valarian" PrC from the Book of exalted deeds. Is there a better way?
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If I were the DM, I'd go with the Paladin taking some time to befriend the Unicorn (Diplomacy checks, anyone?) and trying to reach an agreement of some sort to letting the Unicorn use itself as a mount for the Paladin. She shouldn't be forced to take a Prestige Class just because of a slightly different choice of mount, if you ask me. Then again, I recalled that there were some rules for acquiring certain creatures as "cohort mounts" if the character in question had the Leadership feat, but that would open a different can of worms in and of itself...
Also, I am 100% someone had dirty thoughts while reading this.
The leadership feat could let you get one as a cohort. Or the Gm could just flavor the paladins mount as a Unicorn if the Pally took the mount bond and not weapon.
Do you think the standard level for obtaining the bonded mount is appropriate for a unicorn though?
You might need to swap out some of the mount bonuses and give her the unicorn to her once her level is high enough. I am sure that it wouldn't be overpowered once the number crunching and proper adjustments are done.
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The leadership feat could let you get one as a cohort. Or the Gm could just flavor the paladins mount as a Unicorn if the Pally took the mount bond and not weapon.Do you think the standard level for obtaining the bonded mount is appropriate for a unicorn though?
Well you could do a level progression type advancement with the mount.
Lvl 5.Paladin gets the Unicorn and gives up 1 of the unicorn feats to get At will—detect evil (as free action), light. Attacks would be gore (1d6), 2 hooves* (1d6)
Lvl 8.Unicorn gives up its feat for 3/day—cure light wounds and Magic Circle against Evil (Su)
9th-Level Advancement. Gore 1d8,powerful charge
Lvl 11.Unicorn gives up its feat for 1/day—cure moderate wounds, greater teleport (within its forest territory), neutralize poison (DC 21)
At 15th level, a paladin's mount gains spell resistance equal to the paladin's level + 11.
Just a suggestion, there are a lot of ways you could do it.It would be a bit more powerful than a Paladin horse but like I said you could do it any number of ways . You could just have her take the regular paladin horse mount and say its a Unicorn and just keep all of the stats and abilities of a normal horse and none of the Unicorn abilities.
Now if the Paladin took leadership at 7th level she could get a Unicorn with class levels.
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So only Good aligned (LG if you want to be strict)
Why, exactly, do you think an intelligent CG creature would ever insist on an LG rider?
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I might also suggest you take a look at Advanced Options: More Cavalier Orders from Super Genius Games.
One of the Orders presented is the Order of the Unicorn: Cavaliers who belong to this order are staunch protectors of nature. The order is open only to females of exceptionally pure virtue. Cavaliers of the unicorn are great enemies of evil and particularly seek out those who harm animals or damage the local ecosystem unnecessarily
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Are there existing rules for obtaining a Unicorn mount for a paladin? My wife wants one for her chracter and was asking about converting the "Beloved of Valarian" PrC from the Book of exalted deeds. Is there a better way?
There's no mechanics behind it, so feel free to do whatever.
What I would do is have the paladin and her companions help/rescue the unicorn. It is touched by her virtues, and it will follow her in her adventures. They perform a ritual of bonding (you're the DM, make it up), and they are now bonded (divine bond class feature).
Mechanically, she has to take the mount for divine bond, and I'd make her take the Improve Familiar for a more powerful mount. Yes Improved Familiar isn't for paladins, but the mechanical effect is the same (costing a feat for a more powerful class feature). The unicorn would have all of it's abilities, as well as divine bond abilities. It cannot be unsummoned. It can be dismissed if the paladin or the unicorn wishes for it (if they goals no longer matches, or some kind of falling out), and then the paladin would have to find another mount or use the base one.
The only issue with this method is canny players will try and use this to achieve more powerful companions of their own.
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The leadership feat could let you get one as a cohort. Or the Gm could just flavor the paladins mount as a Unicorn if the Pally took the mount bond and not weapon.Do you think the standard level for obtaining the bonded mount is appropriate for a unicorn though?Well you could do a level progression type advancement with the mount.
Lvl 5.Paladin gets the Unicorn and gives up 1 of the unicorn feats to get At will—detect evil (as free action), light. Attacks would be gore (1d6), 2 hooves* (1d6)
Lvl 8.Unicorn gives up its feat for 3/day—cure light wounds and Magic Circle against Evil (Su)
9th-Level Advancement. Gore 1d8,powerful charge
Lvl 11.Unicorn gives up its feat for 1/day—cure moderate wounds, greater teleport (within its forest territory), neutralize poison (DC 21)
At 15th level, a paladin's mount gains spell resistance equal to the paladin's level + 11.
Just a suggestion, there are a lot of ways you could do it.It would be a bit more powerful than a Paladin horse but like I said you could do it any number of ways . You could just have her take the regular paladin horse mount and say its a Unicorn and just keep all of the stats and abilities of a normal horse and none of the Unicorn abilities.
Now if the Paladin took leadership at 7th level she could get a Unicorn with class levels.
Unicorns aren't super powerful or anything, so I wouldn't delay it too much. They are only CR3. A normal warhorse is CR2 I believe.
I let Paladins and Cavaliers take Improved Familiar but just apply it to their mount instead.
Well I think my main problem is when to allow it, (lvl. 5 seems right) so as not to unbalance things. I like the idea of giving it as a story reward (I'm a big fan of the old 2nd. Ed "questing" for paladin's sword and mount)
The only real reason i need any mechanics is i believe she wants it to advance as she does...I would hate for Kyuss to smash the puny 4HD critter in the finally (probably wouldn't even make it that far). So would i just wait till maybe she's 5th level and then give her the unicorn "as is" from the book and then apply the special abilities from the companion chart as if it were lvl 1? effectively keeping it 5 levels behind any other companion, -OR- give it to her at level 5 and have it at lvl 5 on the chart as well?
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Well I think my main problem is when to allow it, (lvl. 5 seems right) so as not to unbalance things. I like the idea of giving it as a story reward (I'm a big fan of the old 2nd. Ed "questing" for paladin's sword and mount)
The only real reason i need any mechanics is i believe she wants it to advance as she does...I would hate for Kyuss to smash the puny 4HD critter in the finally (probably wouldn't even make it that far). So would i just wait till maybe she's 5th level and then give her the unicorn "as is" from the book and then apply the special abilities from the companion chart as if it were lvl 1? effectively keeping it 5 levels behind any other companion, -OR- give it to her at level 5 and have it at lvl 5 on the chart as well?
If you are the GM do it however you like.You need to figure it out to how it best fits in your game.If it is a game where the Paladin gets a lot of use from the mount you might want to make it a little tougher. But if it is in the game mostly for looks and cool factor and doesn't really get used just give it to her as a freebie as it will have little effect on the game.
This thread is 12 years old, the OP is probably not going to respond to you.
The OP has surely moved on by now. Apparently people still find this thread by searching though. I still don't know of a great way to have a unicorn mount. It's not covered by monstrous mount or monstrous companion.
You could combine a heightened mount spell with the summon good monster feat and the alter summoned monster spell. But that's still not a permanent unicorn mount.
If people are still finding this thread searching, then let's make the answer really easy... yes.
Just add the Unicorn to the list of allowable mounts. Done.
There is no power struggle or balance issues... just give a stupid Unicorn to whomever wants the stupid Unicorn as a mount. No extra hoops, no feats, no delaying the Unicorn's powers. Here, have it, done.
There is no power struggle or balance issues...
I think you should clarify. You think giving someone a unicorn is just as good as giving someone a horse? The unicorn is better across pretty much every metric.
I know the Unicorn is better than the horse... I just don't care, because it doesn't matter enough to make a difference.
As a GM, I have to adjust absolutely nothing... a Paladin on a horse or a donkey or a kangaroo or even, wait for it, a Unicorn... is it flying? No. Then I don't care. Nothing has changed. The Unicorn can defend itself better than a horse, but that doesn't really make it that much scarier offensively. Not enough that I have to change anything on my end. And it can cast healing spells... again, so what? In this particular case, we are talking about a Paladin, and they can also cast healing spells... so it's not giving access to something that wasn't already there.
And, it's probably worth it to let the player have their stupid Unicorn, even if I do have to adjust encounters. It's a fantasy game, and riding a Unicorn seems as logical as anything else.
The Unicorn is also 10 feet faster. It also has a permanent circle of protection. The Unicorn can also speak. It also has druid wild empathy combined with a rather high charisma.
The Unicorn is absolutely superior to a horse, both in combat and out of combat.
The Unicorn is also 10 feet faster. It also has a permanent circle of protection. The Unicorn can also speak. It also has druid wild empathy combined with a rather high charisma.
The Unicorn is absolutely superior to a horse, both in combat and out of combat.
Yeah, I see all that. And I still do not think it matters enough to tell a player that they cannot ride a Unicorn in this here fantasy game.
Even with its horn, and its spells, and its speech, and its Charisma... it's still just a horse... when soldiers ride horses into battle, we worry about the soldiers, not their stupid horses. Think of it as the Paladin's bicycle... a Unicorn named Huffy.
If it ever happens to come up in any of my games, and IF it becomes a problem, I will deal with it then... but until it proves to be a problem, I say it should be allowed. Honestly, there is nothing about the Unicorn as a Mount that makes it so scary it should be immediately banned without at least seeing if it is, in fact, unbalanced. We won't know unless we try, so screw it, let 'em play.
Fair enough.
I did kind of forget that this was a rules question... we are in the advice section, though.
Per Paizo's infallible rules, there is no legitimate way for you to have a Unicorn as a mount [that I know of].
Monstrous Companion and Monstrous Mount do not list it as an option. You could make an argument for Leadership, but that's not going to be RAW.
If that's the type of fantasy game you want to play, then play it... I'm just going to see myself out of this, though. Topics about strictly following rules are no place for me.
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Unicorn vs. Horse is not game breaking.
You want a unicorn? You're getting one. Games should be fun.
The way I would handle it would be to choose a legal mount with similar stats to a unicorn, probably an elk and change the fluff. When the mount qualifies for the celestial template give it the unicorn abilities instead.
A unicorn is a lot more powerful than a horse, but a paladin’s mount is no ordinary horse. Even at 5th level the paladins mount is supervisor to a horse. Other than the magic abilities the mount of a 5th level paladin is actually about the same when it comes to combat. By 7th level it is actually a lot tougher.
Could always just take the regular paladin horse and give it a gore attack instead of the bite. Use the Magical Strike ability and you're done.
I actually have a similar problem. I was in a session a while back and one of the rewards was everybody getting a baby wyvern. I am a bard. How do I make it so I can use the wyvern in battle?
How to use a wyvern in battle: make friends with it (you are a bard, it is an intelligent creature), buy an exotic saddle, buy ride skill, profit!
Sadly, it's a baby wyvern. So it's size small while I am size medium. I don't think I can ride it.
Then keep it safe until it is big enough to fight, and then skip the saddle until it is large.
How do you use a baby wyvern in battle? Umm, you don't... it's a B-A-B-Y. You protect it with your life, as a hero would protect, well, a baby. Use it battle... what's wrong with you? Lol.
I'm just kidding, but seriously, don't bring babies to battle.
It's a pet... a really smart one, that you can talk to. You have a pet baby dragon... that should be good enough, right? So what of it's not some fire-breathing monster that can rule the battlefield? Or even an Improved Familiar? Your GM gave you a pet... that is pretty awesome, even if you can't easily militarize it.
it's a B-A-B-Y.
You give that baby a wand and you teach it KILL.
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Did OP's wife ever get a unicorn mount? Maybe someday we'll learn the truth.
I don't think they have been active since this thread... so we will probably never know.
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I demand an official answer on the status of the OP's wife's unicorn and don't care about anyone's guesses!
I'm going to request this be added to the official FAQ so that the devs have to try to find an answer. Not the first post, but my question above.
Personally have no problem with people getting a unicorn as a mount/companion..... Also griffons, dinosaurs, some dragons, etc.
I am also curious if OP's wife got that unicorn.
I'm going to request this be added to the official FAQ so that the devs have to try to find an answer. Not the first post, but my question above.
Ha ha, someone did it, but it wasn't me! Apologies to whoever's time I just wasted!
I just remembered. My bard is in a living world game and we've had some time skips. So the wyvern might be an adult by now. I'll have to ask the gm.
Sadly, it's a baby wyvern. So it's size small while I am size medium. I don't think I can ride it.
Luckily, it can ride you. I hope you like saddles!
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Sadly, it's a baby wyvern. So it's size small while I am size medium. I don't think I can ride it.Luckily, it can ride you. I hope you like saddles!
And THAT is how Dragonborn are made!