Ok, I'm just confused with mounts as a whole. Normally, if I play "by the rules" meaning the examples they give you in the book, I don't have a problem. I normally avoid playing these classes since I never really understood how this part works, and most DMs I played with don't seem to understand ether.
1. Do you roll for stats of your animal companion?
I had always thought you take the "template" stats of any creature. meaning if its a wolf, for example. it will have these stats. Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6, and the HDs was the limit of the animal type you could pick, or you could level that animal with the "animal class" or sub type. Like what it gives you here. So long as you took from the list it gave you.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/animal-companions
but with paladins, you can get Magical Beast at level 11. How does that work? Also, it says they have an int of at least 6. The only "available" paladin mount is horse "or riding dog" isn't it? This is where I get confused. Do I just bump it up to 6?
2. What are restricted and what is allowed?
I had always assumed you had to pick from a list of animals, but apparently I've seen people mention where they could ride Magical Beast such as a pegasus or hippogriff. People have also mentioned riding lions bears and puma. I had assume the creature had to actually state some where it was a mountable creature. Flying mounts would be very useful at higher levels.
3. Can Horses actually fight in combat?
They are given stats and natural attacks, so I don't they are given any restrictions.
4. Is it at all wise to bring mounts into dungeons?
I see many DMs tend to hate mounts. specifically because having a horse in a five foot wide hall way seems problematic. Although I don't know why you can't fit the horse through tight corners.
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Well I'll try to help you out.
You never roll for the stats on your companions like that, they're given in the entry for them either in the druid, the bestiary or some other source. If you have an animal companion or mount class feature that acts like a druid animal companion then you use the druid stats for the animal, and if your just buying a horse you would use the bestiary stats.
What is allowed is typically based upon what your GM allows and what the class lists as being allowed.
Horses can indeed fight in combat but there are several rules that govern mounts in combat. You'll want to read both the Handle Animal skill and the Ride skill to see how everything works out.
Usually it isn't a good idea for a mount to follow you into a crypt or other subterranean area as the typical horse isn't suited for that kind of terrain.
A horse can fit through a 5' corridor just fine, however trying to fight on a horse in a narrow hallway like that isn't usually a very good idea as the squeezing rules would come into play. A large creature needs a 10'x10' area to fight in comfortably, but isn't assumed to actually be a 10' blob unless...well it is actually a 10' blob, and even then it could be smaller.
In regards for DM hatred, I think it stems more from them trying to deal with people who take mounts and assume that they'll be allowed to take them everywhere possible and never seem to understand or accept when they aren't.
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3. Can Horses actually fight in combat?
4. Is it at all wise to bring mounts into dungeons?
Mounted Combat can be rather complex. There are links to a series of articles written about how to use them consistently here. Those rules were written for D&D 3.5, but the rules on mounted combat between the two editions is largely the same.
Horses and ponies are oft seen as being difficult in dungeons due to this passage in equipment: "Unlike a horse, a donkey or a mule is willing (though not eager) to enter dungeons and other strange or threatening places." This probably stems from Bill the Pony of LotR fame, as a number of modern pony breeds were developed specifically to work in coal mines (AKA dungeons).
2. The limited list has one basic advantage: it's balanced. It's just like new feats and classes in new books, they can disturb the balance (for example, some people just waited for something like dervish dance to come along)
This doesn't mean not to do it. Just use your common sense and talk to your DM - style should trump rules. Also your DM might choose to forbid a choice that's covered by the rules.
3 and 4. Horses, well, yeah they can attack, especially when not ridden, they have their bite and hooves but it's just not stylish. Other animal companions (than horses, ponies and camels) are predators (well boars are not but it's still somewhat stylish), I wouldn't let them attack as a player. As for dungeons, horses don't fit in to well in narrow passages and I cannot picture them avoiding blows in there... plus they need some space to turn, rendering an escape problematic - make them medium and things look better (new wondrous item for you: <<Reducing Yoke - Whenever an animal wears this, it is changed in size as by the reduce animal spell. Removing it ends the effect.>>)
Mounted Combat can be rather complex. There are links to a series of articles written about how to use them consistently here.
Nice link. :-)
Two unanswered questions...
Can a character use non-attack supernatural abilities while using a mount as cover?
The Ride skill says: "Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can't attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover..."
Can a character ride a biped?
I can picture a gnome riding an orangutan. But do the rules support this?
Hey all,
Along this line of query, how do people treat animal companions? Recently we had a Rangers wolf getting savaged in a game. Poor thing went down to -3 hit points. Do animal companions die beyond 0 hp or can they go to -10 hp before dying?
Cheers
I'd expect that animal companions die at negative Con like PCs and most other creatures (unless that's an undead wolf...)