So, I've been running a Kingmaker game for a while now, and am enjoying it IMMENSELY! I have 3 players who are on the verge of getting either a Special Mount or an Animal Companion, and would like to award these players for GREAT game play! Anyway, my question is this... What would you recommend as a good Special Mount for a Kingmaker player? Horses are too mundane to seem like an award, so I don't know what to use... Giant Elk, Camels, and Bison all met to less than excited reactions when they were floated to the players (personally I find the idea of riding a Giant Elk to be AWESOME!), but I want something wild... I considered an Eagle or a Giant Raven (HoH I believe), but don't know how a flying mount might mess with the dynamics, exploration, or whatnot... Any ideas that'd be fun, and cool, and still not unbalanced would be GREATLY appreciated!
Also, one player is picking up an animal companion, and he wants something aside from those listed in the core book or Kingmaker Players Guide, but which is findable in the Greenbelt or nearby... Any insights?
Thanks for any help at all!
Elk is great as a mount. While I haven't looked at their stats in a long time but Thylacines are popular in the region, You might think of one as a companion or if the PC is Gnome or Halfling, a possible mount. Depending on their level a Slurk would be a weird but unique mount, perhaps a gift from the Boggards.
Id recommend against an aerial mount for reasons of exploration.
|
A griffon makes an awesome mount / cohort.
In fact, I made the Order of the Griffon as one of the 6 new cavalier orders in Advanced Options: Cavaliers' Orders from Super Genius Games for exactly that reason! :)
You might actually want to check Advanced Options: Cavaliers' Orders out - I created a streamlined method of advancing the griffon, based on the monsters as cohorts rules in the Bestiary. Those rules could easily be ported to you characters if you wanted.
Have fun
If they are high enough level that it doesn't unbalance things, go mastodon. Nothing impresses as much as a few tons of muscle, hair and tusks bearing down on you. Even if they are lower level, you can give it to them as juvenile and let it grow as they do.
What levels are they?
We've just begun the Second book in the Kingmaker campaign in earnest... The Party is mostly 5th level, and a single 4th level...
Axe Beaks (Bonus Bestiary) are commonly used in Absolam, approximately 600 miles south of the Green Belt. They're large bipedal mounts assuming the character(s) is treated as a 5th level druid for obtaining a companion. :D
|
|
Axe Beaks (Bonus Bestiary) are commonly used in Absolam, approximately 600 miles south of the Green Belt. They're large bipedal mounts assuming the character(s) is treated as a 5th level druid for obtaining a companion. :D
Keep in mind though, that the Bonus Bestiary came out BEFORE the first actual Bestiary - the Bonus Bestiary is not considered part of the Core Rules, since some of the contents and rules had not yet been locked down. Animal companions and animal companion rules are good examples of this!
Axe Beaks, for example, are not in the actual Bestiary.
Check out the rhino: good speed, great attack, very flavorful, with a drawback of very ornery to play with.
So, after much in, and I must admit more than I'd've liked OUT of character discussion,one of my players had an interesting idea which I'll okay just as soon as I know if there's some place to find stats/AniCom info for the creature... All of the players settled on wanting the same type of animal for their animal companions, signature mounts [see Tripod Machine's PFRPG suppliment A Fistful of Denarii], and mounts...
This was to help with parody, and to foster an in character group solidarity (within a group who NEVER agrees on ANYTHING, but is fun and interesting to no end), and wasn't MY idea but theirs...
So, not wanting to drag this out any longer than necessary, does anyone know of any resource (3.5, PFRPG, and ANY 3PP is acceptable... + I DO mean ANY usable source) which has stats for a giant weasel/ermine/mink/ferret which is large enough to be ridden by medium characters? If there is a source I haven't found it, despite looking...
If there is no source, I guess I can ATTEMPT to homebrew one, but it's in no way in my wheelhouse to build a creature like this! Are there any issues that might come up with this (CR too high, attacks too strong, etc...) which might make a giant weasel an unsatisfactory mount for a Kingmaker party in the 4 - 6 range? And lastly, if there aren't any sources, I'll post my attempts at making one until I get it right (if I need revisions I SINCERELY hope someone would help with edits and fixes)...
Seriously, thanks for any help...
Well, since the wolverine and the giant sea otter are in the same family as the weasel, I don't see why you can't reskin them and use their stats. Use Dire Wolverine, subbing in an attach special attack rather than a rage. Dire Wolverines are large and CR 4. I'd make them cost about 1-2K gp each due to difficulty and hazard of training them.
3.5 had the Dire Weasel;
Size/Type: Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Attach, blood drain
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +8, Listen +3, Move Silently +8, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Stealthy, Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium); 7-9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
Dire weasels grow to be up to 10 feet long and can reach a weight of 700 pounds.
Combat
Dire weasels stalk their prey in the dark and then leap on it, biting and clawing.
Attach (Ex)
A dire weasel that hits with its bite attack latches onto the opponent’s body with its powerful jaws. An attached dire weasel loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and thus has an AC of 12. An attached dire weasel can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached dire weasel through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the creature.
Blood Drain (Ex)
A dire weasel drains blood for 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round it remains attached.
You could use the Giant template on the dire weasel.
You could also add a Fae-type template onto a horse or other mount, to keep in the spirit of the AP... :)
|
I had the Dire Weasel dilemma too. It's a real bummer they won't have them in Pathfinder :[
But that's why we homebrew! These are the dire weasels I cooked up for my games. The first one is a smaller and (in my opinion) more believable take on it, while the second is more true to the large category 3.5 dire weasel, and therefore suitable for riding. Have a look!
Dire Weasel 1
Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 30ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 10 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite 1d4; Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Attacks grab, attach*; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; Attack bite 1d6; Ability Scores Str +4, Dex -2, Con +2.
*Attach (Ex) Each time that a dire weasel deals bite damage in a grapple it drains blood, causing 1 point of bleed damage. Multiple wounds increase the bleed damage. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Dire Weasel 2
Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 30 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite 1d8; Ability Scores Str 11, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 10; Special Attacks grab, attach*; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; Attack bite 1d8; Ability Scores Str +8, Dex -2, Con +4
*Attach (Ex) Each time that a dire weasel deals bite damage in a grapple it drains blood, causing 1 point of bleed damage. Multiple wounds increase the bleed damage. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Sorry if the second one's not quite as well balanced... I never really revised it much since I decided to use the first iteration instead. But hey, it's a start.
Thanks...
Should be usable... I'll honestly probably use both of those... One for AniComs and the other for the special mounts...
|
|
I our campaign, the GM allowed me to build a Cavalier Order/Army. Since my Character has a Hippogriff as special mount, and we have an Exotic Craftsman who deals in such critters, these cavaliers are allowed to have them as animal companions. (Same would be for an Army of Paladins, in regards of their Divine Bond with a steed).
When I was GMing the Council of Thieves AP I allowed the player special mounts in form of giant riding lizards.
I think you can make up any kind of special mount that you like, but you should keep in mind the climate and available terrain, as well es game balance.
Chapter 4 has a hex you may be mildly interested in. You could steal it, I suppose.