Riding a Biped

[davidvs]

Imagine a gnome cavalier riding a wolf is fighting a druid who casts Anthropomorphic Animal on the wolf.

Can the gnome and wolf continue to work as rider and mount, with the gnome riding on the bipedal wolf's shoulders?

I do not see anything in the rules about riding bipeds. (Except for suffering -5 to Ride checks for not having a saddle.)

[Maxximilius]

I think that by the text, you don't suffer any penalty by riding a biped. The animal is a hybrid, and since he doesn't lose any base speed, it is likely the animal can still use all it's limbs when moving if there is a cavalier on it. Though, the wolf would lose it's trip and every natural attack, except it's bite. It's a big malus if you always use your mount to full-attack with a lot of strikes.
Also, the gnome could probably flee in terror and shame because of him actually, y'know, riding a furry.

[Klebert L. Hall]

If you're riding on someone's shoulders, you usually have to hang on with at least one hand.

A better solution would be a backpack "saddle", like those things people put babies in.
-Kle.

[Ellington]

Don't see a problem with it.

[Mok]

A RAW argument could be made that it could be a -10 penalty.

At the top of the Ride skill it cites "ill suited mount" as a -5 penalty.

At the bottom under Special it lists riding without a saddle as a -5 penalty. Since both penalties describe different conditions then they ought to stack.

I'd go with -10 ride check if you were on a biped without any kind of special harness, some special shoulder/backpack (kind of like Master and Blaster in the third Mad Max movie). If you did have that special exotic saddle then you'd just be -5 to ride checks because it can safely be argued that a biped is not a "suitable mount."

[Lurk3r]

Ellington wrote:

Don't see a problem with it.

Who run Bartertown?

I see the 'ill suited mount' issue as solvable with training. Maybe you could make it a teamwork feat? That seems like the cleanest way to do it, though losing a feat for such a minor effect is a bit steep. If this was a non-intelligent biped, I would say you just need to teach it an appropriate trick.

[Dabbler]

Well, I would imagine a biped would need an exotic saddle, but otherwise no problem. That's what I ruled when my anime-loving oh-god-daughter pestered me for a chocobo for her bard ... I gave her a re-skinned axe-beak in the end. She's happy now, although my son playing an arsonist-sorcerer keeps making comments about 'giant chicken drummers' ...

[Xraal]

3.5 had you ride 'tall' creatures two size categories bigger than you, without special penalties.

[Howie23]

Xraal wrote:

3.5 had you ride 'tall' creatures two size categories bigger than you, without special penalties.

Never knew of that. Got a cite?

[seekerofshadowlight]

As Mok said it is at lest a -5 ride checks for being an ill suited mount. It would be -10 without the correct saddle, but at very lest ya have to deal with it being -5.