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This is a new setting that I have made based partially on the Hallelujah Mountains from the movie Avatar. I apologize ahead of time for the terrible spelling and grammar. I appreciate any comments and constructive criticism. Thank you!
The Floating Mountains
Description
The floating mountains are a series of massive rocks that for unknown reasons float in the sky. This floating is magic related, and gives off a moderate transmutation aura. However it continues to work even in an anti-magic field and cannot be dispelled. The individual rocks vary in size from that of a house to a few miles in diameter and vary in altitude from 1,000 feet to 10 miles above the ground. For the most part, the rocks are flat on top and covered by dense rain forest. The largest rock, Mineral Mountain, has a radius of about 4 miles, and is rich in rare metal deposits. The Floating Mountains cover an immense amount of area. Most of the mountains hang over land, but they extend west roughly 600 miles over the Sifica Ocean. Each rock is connected to the rocks around it by massive vines and the roots of the ancient trees that cover them. These vines keep the rocks more or less stationary, and vines connected to the ground keep the entire range anchored.
History
The mountains have always had a reputation for being dark and dangerous. There are a variety of very dangerous natural inhabitants combined with the fact that one wrong step means falling to your death. The mountains remained largely untouched and unexplored until the human ruler of the land below the mountains expelled all nonhumans from his lands. While most fled horizontally, a brave few saw the mountains as a place free of kings and lords, and decided to climb the vines to try and make a living in the mountains. The refugees had very little in the way of resources, and barely survived their first winter. They probably would have died if it had not been for an old druid that had been living in the mountains for many years. He showed the refugees how to live off the land protect themselves from the dangerous beasts. Over the next two hundred and fifty years the refugees established themselves as a society. Today they thrive in the mountains and call themselves Floaters.
Pirates
Some of the Floaters didn't care for living off the land, and harbored deep resentment of the lord that banished them from his land. They turned to piracy. The original pirates were largely comprised of half orcs, and were limited greatly at first because they could only loot what they were able carry back up the vines. It was because of this limitation that the lord paid them little heed. This was changed when one of the pirates realized the wood of the mountains was imbued with the same gravity defying magic as the mountains. When enough was brought together and shaped properly it was possible create flying Ships. Piracy exploded, they were now able to travel much farther and carry much more. This is when the lord started to take the pirates seriously, but by this time the pirates were too powerful. The advantage of air superiority made it impossible for the lord to ever successfully attack the mountains. The mountains were now a beacon to all those seeking freedom from the law. This was the period when the majority of the current human inhabitants of the mountains arrived. After two decades of being targeted by pirates, the kingdom was so weak that it was invaded and conquered by a neighboring country. The original mission of the pirates was now complete, but they didn’t know any other way of life. So they started hitting ships carrying goods into and out of the mountains.
The Floaters
Piracy, however, was a minority in the mountains. The majority of the floaters were honest citizens trying to make a living. It turned out that the mountains were rich with mineral deposits, including gold, silver, mithril, and a new isotope of iron. This new iron was able to be worked into a metal called Sky Steel and is the greatest export of the mountains. Originally there were very few dwarves in the mountains, but the discovery of Sky Steel drew a large number of dwarves to the mountains. Going against dwarven nature and ascending to the floating mountains didn’t mean that dwarves were ready to live out in the open. So they hollowed out massive rocks and built magnificent cities within. With dwarven sky steel products up for trade the floaters set up trade agreements with several of the neighboring countries. But the pirates were a menace. So the floaters created a flying navy to protect towns and shipments.
Life under the Navy
In the Floating Mountains the Navy is the only source of law enforcement. The laws are simple: don’t steal, don’t kill, and stay out of the Navy’s way. The Navy cares little for the health and safety of the public, what they care about is finding and stopping the pirates. While the Navy doesn’t care about the public, that doesn’t mean that certain corrupted officers don’t abuse their power and subjugate and oppress the people from time to time. The pirates on the other hand care deeply about the struggles of the floaters, and it’s the pirates who come to the aid of people being oppressed by the corrupt. The navy has nearly 4 times the ships and men than the pirates. The only way that the pirates can survive and retaliate is to utilize surprise hit and run attacks.
Government
The ruling body of the floating mountains consists of the Council of Seven. The Council is made up by three Navy officers, and four elected officials. The Current Fleet Admiral and two Vice admirals represent the Navy. The other four seats are filled by the ministers of Commerce, Foreign Affairs, Transport, and Treasury. The ministers are elected by the public; elections take place every six years. The Navy’s three seats give it considerable voting power, as it takes all of the ministers to be in agreement in order to overrule them. The Council meets in Eagleridge twice a month to discuss important matters and vote on actions to be taken and laws to be passed.
Other Civilizations
Along with the Floaters there are two other cultures that share the mountains. The first culture that the floaters encountered was the winged elves. The winged elves had a small society on the site that would later become Griffinreach. The Floaters and the winged elves now live hand in hand. The second culture that the floaters encountered was not so friendly. The barbarian tribes of monkey-like Vanaras (Bestiary 3 pg 280) brutally raid and pillage the floater settlements. Barbarian weaponry may be primitive, but their ship builders are unrivaled. Bellow the mountains are vast and fertile farmlands that are under the control of the kingdom of Dorvale. King James rules Dorvale fairly and trades heavily with the floaters.
Dorvale Alliance
Dorval has made an alliance with the Floaters. In exchange for cheap prices on the produce and grain the floaters desperately need, the floaters agree to give military assistance to Dorvale if it goes to battle. With sky steel weapons for its infantry and air ships from the floating navy, Dorvale has conquered much of the surface land. Most of the conquered lands see King James as a fair and noble king and are glad to be his subjects, but there are those that resent his rule. Occasionally Dorvale asks for the floating navy’s help to put down an uprising.
Culture
The people of the Floating Mountains are hardened frontiersmen. Children are taught at a young age to how to survive in the wild, and navigate the mountains. Children of Navy officials are entered into the Eagleridge Naval Academy at the age of 6 and are trained in arts of combat and war until they are 16, at which point they join the Navy as junior officers. The men of the mountains enjoy a strong drink at the end of a hard day’s work. While the floaters seem gruff and unfriendly, they are actually a very openhearted people. As their ancestors fled to the mountains in seek of freedom, they welcome those who do similar. In the mountains there is no discrimination between men and women, every person is responsible to pull their weight and aid in the survival of the household. For entertainment the people of the mountains race flying mounts. Rings are set up over several miles, and each racer must fly his mount through each ring in order. Those who do not own flying mounts, bet on the races. The winged elves live in trees that have been shaped into houses. They live at peace with nature and encourage others to do the same. They find the training of griffins to be distasteful. The Floaters have made agreements with the elves that if at any point a winged elf believes that a griffin is being mistreated he is permitted to take custody of the griffin and release it.
Weaponry
Flintlocks are common in the Floating Mountains. Any floater that can afford a firearm owns one. Both the navy and the pirates have flintlocks. Advanced firearms are just hitting the market. They are very expensive though (double the value listed in Ultimate Combat) and therefore are only possessed by very high rank navy officers and wealthy individuals. The barbarians don’t have any firearms. All Navy ships are outfitted with cannons. The pirates however are limited to what they can salvage or steal. Some pirates have cannons but most are outfitted with ballistae. All barbarian ships have Ballistae. Firearms are considered martial Weapons
Climate
The Floating Mountains have unpredictable weather which can change rapidly. As with other highland climates, the climate changes with increasing altitude. In general, the mountains have mild summers, cold winters and a lot of precipitation. Fog and clouds make travel through the mountains extremely difficult. Seasoned captains and flyers boast that they can fly the mountains blindfolded. The chaotic climate combined with the limited usable land make it very difficult to grow crops.
Wildlife
The Floating Mountains are a cross between Rainforest and Mountains and as such any creature that inhabits either of those terrains could happily call the mountains home. Snakes, lizards, monkeys and birds are the most common wildlife. Tigers and leopards make up the majority of the ground predators because of the balance required to traverse the vines. Griffins, hippogriffs, and ikran hunt the skies, but are in turn hunted by Rocs and Leonopteryx. Ikran and Leonopteryx are detailed below. There is a species of mountain gorilla that call the mountains home. The Gorillas are generally peaceful, but come the spring breeding time they become fiercely territorial. There are several Rocs that live throughout the mountains. As long as wild food sources are plentiful the Rocs generally keep to themselves and therefore are not thought of as a threat to residents of the mountains, but if the wild populations dwindle then the domesticated populations are at risk. A Roc’s head is a prized trophy for hunters, and any hunter that brings one back will never need to buy beer again.
Cities of the Floating Mountains
Every city in the floating mountains has a strict no fly over policy for ships larger than huge size category. Should a ship larger than huge size enter a cylindrical magical anti-ship zone that encompasses each city, then they are shunted backwards, everyone standing must make a DC 20 balance check or fall prone, and the ship takes 3d10 points of damage for every 10ft the ship intended to travel that round. The zone also slows falling objects in order to prevent damage to buildings; anything in the zone is under the effect of feather fall. The zone encompasses the entire city and rises to an altitude 100ft above the tallest building in the city.
Every city connects to Eagleridge and sometimes other cities near it by a series of rope bridges. Unfortunately the distances are vast and the bridges are not strong enough for heavy loads. The fastest way to travel, and only way to move large quantities of goods, between the cities is by ship.
Eagleridge, the Floating City
Eagleridge was the first settlement that the floaters made in the flying mountains, and it has grown over the years to become a great city. Eagleridge is the largest city in the Floating Mountains, and is home to the largest markets in the mountains. Goods from all over the mountains end up in the Eagleridge markets where it is traded for good from all over the world. Eagleridge is home to the Navy HQ and a large percentage of its troops are housed in the barracks on the south edge of the city. Other than soldiers, Eagleridge is home to very few floaters. Most of the floaters that work in the city live on the neighboring rocks and commute every day. The privileged few have their own small flyers or mounts, while the majority of the workers have to walk on the rope bridges. Eagleridge is the largest trade center of the mountains. Ships, carrying cargo ranging from food to tools, arrives at the west ports every day.
Population: 50,000 (30% Human, 30% elves, 10% Half orcs, 10% Dwarves, 20% other)
Alignment: LN
Navy Influence: High
GP Limit: 75,000 gp
Altitude: 8,000ft
Dumac, the Floating Cave
When the dwarves first arrived in the floating mountains they didn’t want to live out in the open, so they hollowed out a massive rock and built a magnificent city within. Dumac is located right next to Mineral Mountain, roughly 40 miles south of Eagleridge. Each day the dwarves leave Dumac to head to the mines on neighboring rocks. Minerals are smelted on the rocks in which they are mined and transferred back to Dumac to be worked. Craftsman in Dumac can make just about anything. They use gold, silver, mithril, and sky steel from the mines to produce tools, weapons, armor, and anything else you may need, and they use trees from the jungles to create some of the most durable boats in the mountains
Population: 20,000 (90% dwarves, 10% other)
Alignment: N
Navy Influence: None
GP Limit: 50,000 gp
Altitude: 5,000ft
Falconmoor
Falconmoor is not really a city, it’s a collection of houses spread across a very large area. For this reason it is the only city without a magic anti-ship zone. At a little over 350 miles south east of Eagleridge, it is the most remote settlement in the mountains, and is home to many of the outlaws that fled the surface lands. There is a bar and a couple warehouses in roughly the center of the spread that function as a meeting and trading area for the residents. The biggest problem of living so far from society is that the settlers must hunt to survive, but when you hunt in these mountains there is a very good chance that you will be hunted in return…
Population: 15,000 (30% Human, 30% Elves, 20% half orc, 20% Other)
Alignment: CN
Navy Influence: medium
GP Limit: 10,000 gp
Altitude: 7,000ft
Griffinreach
Griffinreach is the highest city in the Floating Mountains; it was originally the home of the flying elves. When the floaters traveled to the site the winged elves had no name for their city. The Floaters named it Griffinreach after the large population of griffins that lived in harmony with the winged elves. Griffinreach is 140 miles South West of Eagleridge. The elves, both winged and non-winged, liked the closeness with nature they received living with the griffins, and highly religious folk traveled to Griffinreach in order to feel close to their chosen god. Over the years the citizens of Griffinreach have domesticated the griffins, hippogrifs, and ikran of the area and now trade heavily in both eggs and fully trained mounts. Griffinreach griffins are said to be the best trained griffins in the world. There is also a fairly large naval base in Griffinreach. The Griffinreach Naval Base trains the Navy’s world famous griffin riders.
Population: 30,000 (60% Elves, 20% Human, 10% Half orcs, 10% other)
Alignment: NG
Navy Influence: medium
GP Limit: 10,000 gp
Altitude: 14,000ft
Kagernac
Kagernac is the smallest dwarven city, because it is still under construction. Kagernac is 110 miles West of Eagleridge, the location was chosen due to several rich mithril deposits in the nearby rocks. Currently the majority of the residents of Kagernac are the dwarves that are hollowing out the massive mountain and building the city with in it. There are also several mithril veins in the construction zones. This material is transported to onsite forges where it is smelted and formed into some of the best armors in the region. There is a small navy outpost near Kagernac that is tasked with protecting the city from barbarian raids. When the city is complete it will have a large naval base in the city with the same mission.
Population: 3,000 (95% Dwarves, 5% other)
Alignement: LG
Navy Influence: Medium
GP Limit: 10,000 gp
Altitude: 6,000ft
Yagrrum
Yagrrum is the second largest dwarven city in the mountains. Yagrrum is 130 miles North East, at the center of massive gold and silver deposits, and specializes in creating the most amazing jewelry in the mountains. Yagrrum may be smaller than Dumac, but its trade in expensive jewelry makes it the richer of the 2 cities, and is home to the wealthiest of the dwarven nobles. The dwarven nobles didn’t care for the navy floating around putting their noses into everyone’s business. So they convinced the navy to leave them alone and set up a private militia force. Unknown to the Navy, the nobles had made a deal with the pirates. In return for a small percentage of the profits, the militia would look the other way when the pirates brought stolen goods into the city. This arrangement allows the pirates to transfer their stolen goods onto legitimate merchant ships. The goods can then be taken to Eagleridge where they are traded on the open market.
Population: 13,000 (90% Dwarves, 10% other)
Alignment: N
Navy Influence: none
GP limit: 75,000 gp
Altitude: 9,000ft
Shadowrun
While each pirate gang has its own individual hide out, Shadowrun is where the pirates gather in order to seek work, resupply, and sell stolen goods. The Navy would give anything to discover where it is. The location of Shadowrun is in a mountain roughly 115 miles North of Eagleridge. The mountain has immense natural cave formations that have been expanded and camouflaged by the pirates. The docks and city are located within the mountain. If you do not already know the location of the entrance it takes a DC 35 perception check to find. There are no laws in Shadowrun, but crime is surprisingly low. This is probably because if you anger the wrong people they will kill you on the spot. The pirates are desperate for advanced firearms and cannons, someone selling such weapons can sell them for nearly twice their value.
Population: 6,000 (50% Half orcs, 40% Humans, 10% other)
Alignment: CN
Navy Influence: None
Gp Limit: 50,000 (Double for ships and weapons)
Altitude: 9,000 ft
People
Fleet Admiral Terrance Abernathy
Race: Human
Alignment: LN
Fleet Admiral Abernathy is the commanding officer of the Floating Navy, and holds a seat on the Council of Seven. He is late in years and rarely leaves his residence in Griffinreach. Admiral Hood is respected by his peers, but disliked by the general population. This dislike stems from the fact that he values the capture of the pirates over the safety of the public.
Captain Miranda Feyer
Race: Human
Alignment: LG
Captain Feyer is the highest rank woman in the Floating Navy. She runs the immense warship, Deliverance, which spends most of its time on patrol in the north. She believes that she is closing in on the elusive Shadowrun. She is an iconic figure to the Floaters. Several years ago she stood up to Admiral Abernathy to get a significant force diverted to the west in order to fend off the barbarian attacks.
Sargent Avery Jameson
Race: Human
Alignment: CG
Sargent Jameson is an officer and Griffin Rider onboard Deliverance. He is a well decorated officer. He is loved by his fellow navy men for his straightforward nature and humorous methods of humiliating new recruits.
Captain Wallace Cooper
Race: Half Orc
Alignment: CN
Captain Cooper is legendary pirate captain known for his bravery and fantastical aeronautical maneuvering. Even the captains of the navy respect Captain Cooper for his incredible strategic mind and flying abilities. Captain Wallace only goes after high risk/high reward targets.
Duke Thal Orecutter
Race: Dwarf
Alignment: CN
Thal Orecutter is the Duke of Yagrrum, and close personal friends with Captain Cooper. Thal is the noble who created the deal with the pirates and he has grown very rich off their payments. He is greedy and selfish, even by dwarven standards, and is always accompanied by his stone golem bodyguard.
Commander Gati Keybellows
Race: Dwarf
Alignment: LN
Gati Keybellows is the commander of the Yagrrum private military, The Stone Guardians. Gati is highly lawful and despises the pirates. The only reason he allows them in the city is because he was ordered by the duke. His only joy when dealing with pirates is fee collection, if they don’t pay he is allowed to arrest them and later hang them.
Other Geographical Locations
Devil’s Folly
Devil’s Folly is an area of the flying mountains that lies roughly 200 miles North-west of Eagleridge. It covers roughly 100 square miles and between 2-8 miles in altitude. The vines of Devil’s Folly that once connected the mountains have worn through and broken. This allows the mountains to float freely. The free floating mountains are entirely unpredictable and dangerous. The pirates, with their smaller more maneuverable ships and fearing capture, will occasionally brave the folly in order to escape navy pursuit. But even the pirates don’t always come out unscathed. In addition to causing a nearly unflyable zone, the rocks occasionally escape the folly. These rouge rocks barrel through the mountains wreaking havoc. The cities are safe thanks to the magic zones that surround them, but ships and unprotected settlements are in grave danger.
Barbarian Tribes
1000 miles to the west lay the tribes of barbarians that predate the founding of Eagleridge by at least 1500 years. The barbarians are Vanaras, their racial climb speed and natural skill in acrobatics allows them to easily traverse the dangerous mountains. The weaponry of the barbarian tribes is primitive, but their centuries of ship making have led to masterful craftsman. The barbarians often raid the floater settlements; stealing food and destroying buildings. With the construction of Kagernac, there is also the construction of a great naval base. This base will be tasked with repelling the barbarian hordes.
Order of Falling Water
The Order of Falling Water is an order of monks whose temple is at the top of the magnificent Endless Waterfall. The temple is on a mountain roughly 100 miles East of Eagleridge. The waterfall lies at the end of the Rendoza River which begins near the peak of the mountain, at Lake Mahuja. No one knows where the water that feeds the lake comes from. The most popular theory is that there is a gate to the elemental plane of water at the bottom of the lake, but no one has yet found the exact location of it. The falls are located on the edge of the mountain, and the water falls uninterrupted down to the surface, giving off massive and majestic rainbows. The monks believe that, like the water of the falls, all things must eventually return to the surface. They believe that one day the Floating Mountains will fall from the sky. The monks study in hopes of discovering what magic or technology make the mountains float, so that they may prevent whatever it may be that will sink them. Altitude: 5,500 ft.
Cave of Storms
The Cave of Storms is the home to Volos, an ancient cloud dragon. The cave is surrounded by an eternal thunderstorm that covers many square miles. The storm is 600 miles south of Eagleridge, but the location of the cave is a well-kept secret. It requires a DC 30 Gather Information Check in order to learn the exact location of the cave. The cave can be found if a captain is brave or stupid enough to enter the storm. The cave is blatantly obvious if, really big if, a ship happens to pass the right mountain, and see through the rain. Volos has found great benefits of dealing with humanoids. He is willing to sell his ancient wisdom to any that bring him substantial treasure. His horde has grown massive over the years, and his price has grown with it. Altitude: 13,000 ft.
Volcanic Mountain
While not a true volcano, Volcanic Mountain spews molten rock and smoke from its peak. This is due to a young red dragon that has moved to the mountains recently. The lava and smoke is the dragon burning caverns into its new home. The mountain is 400 miles North-North-East from Eagle ridge. The nobles of Yagrrum are currently paying the dragon in order to keep it from attacking them, but they fear that soon the dragon will demand more. Therefore they have a bounty out on the dragons head, and while many people have left to take the dragons head… none have returned alive. Altitude: 6,000 ft.
Snow Peaks
The most northern regions of the Floating Mountains are perpetually covered in snow and ice. This region is home to Vorst, an adult white dragon. The Snow Peaks start 400 miles North of Eagleridge, and continue for 150 miles, but the location of Vorst’s lair is unknown. Vorst is evil by every definition of the word, but he is also lazy, and rarely leaves the Snow Peaks. However, anyone stupid enough to enter the Snow Peaks is in for a world of trouble. As well as being Vorst’s territory the Snow Peaks are also home to winter wolves, trolls and yeti.
Detect Magic and the Floating Mountains
The mountains give off a moderate strength magical aura of the transmutation school. This aura can distort or conceal weaker magic auras. The only way to detect faint strength magic auras is to be within 15ft and looking directly at the object or castor, and takes double the amount of concentration time to reveal information. A moderate strength magical aura does not require looking directly at the object or castor, but does require double the concentration time in order to obtain information about it.
Sky Steel
Sky Steel is harder than normal steel and weapons made of sky steel hold an edge better than normal steel. Sky Steel has a hardness of 12 and 35 HP/in of thickness. Additionally piercing and slashing weapons made of this material get +1 to damage due to their sharp edge. This bonus does not stack if the item is made magic. Sky Steel items are always masterwork and costs 200gp more than a normal masterwork item of the same type.
Ships
In addition to the air vehicles described in ultimate combat, any water vehicle made of wood from the Floating Mountains becomes buoyant in the air. This buoyancy is magic related, but continues to work even in an anti-magic field and cannot be dispelled. Many would-be water ships have fitted large manually operated propellers. Using these propellers allows the ship to travel at the speed labeled Muscle. If the ship doesn’t have a propeller it cannot use its muscle speed. A ship that loses one quarter of its HP cannot increase its elevation, a ship that loses one half of its HP starts descending at 30ft/round, ships that lose three quarters of their HP descend at 90ft/round, when a ship hits 0 HP it falls from the sky. Ships made in Dumac have twice the hardness of regular ships. Ships made by the barbarians have +20 to their max speed and can carry 1.5x the cargo a ship of that type would normally hold.
Cost: Standard Floating Ship: Double cost of base ship
Dumac Floating Ship: Double cost of base ship plus 2000gp
Barbarian Floating Ship: 2.5x cost of base ship
Propeller: 300gp
Steam Engines
Steam engines were recently developed and are currently only installed on ships owned by the richest floaters. A steam engine allows the ship to travel at double the listed muscle speed of the ship, but requires a trained engineer to run properly and safely. A steam engine requires 1 engineer and 1 or more shovelers. The engineer is constantly monitoring the gauges to make sure the engine isn’t going to blow; this engineer must succeed on a DC 15 (+1 for every hour since the last successful) Knowledge Engineering check. For every 6 hours without a successful check there is a 20% (+10% per previous) chance of exploding. An exploding steam engine deals 10d6 points of damage to everyone within 30ft and deals damage to the ship equal to one quarter the ships max HP. A DC 25 Knowledge Engineering Check fixes damage on the engine and resets the previous check count to 0. A shoveler merely shovels coal into the engine to keep it running. A ship with a steam engine requires 25lb of coal per hour in order to run. Coal costs 500gp per ton. A ship with a steam engine requires ¼ the crew (rounded up) the ship would normally require (not including the men running the engine).
Cost: 30,000 gp (This includes the cost for a propeller)
Wind Box
The Wind Box consists of a steel box with a strong lid. Within the box is a permanent gust of wind spell. When open the box provides constant 50 mph winds, while this allows the ship to travel at remarkable speeds it is also extremely difficult to control. A Wind box mounted on a ship allows the ship to travel at its max speed as long as the box is open. A DC 25 Profession sailor check is required to control a ship using a box of wind; if the check fails the ship is out of control and driven at the winds mercy… most likely into the nearest mountain.
Cost: 8,000 gp
Air Harness
The air harness is designed to allow Navy griffin riders to stay at high altitudes for extended periods of time. The harness uses a more limited version of the bottle of air. This bottle provides 2 hours of continuous air per day and is refilled at dawn. The bottle is fitted with a hose that attaches to a mask. When wearing the mask it is a free action to breath from the bottle. Spending 5 minutes breathing from the bottle resets the clock on altitude sickness, for each full hour you breathe from the bottle you heal double that amount of ability damage. This item only heals ability damage caused from altitude sickness.
Cost: 2,500 gp
Strapped Saddle
Strapped saddles are very common in the mountains as they keep you from possibly falling to your death. They also allow for advanced aerial maneuvers without the risk of falling from your mount. Strapped Saddles have several straps that are meant to go around your legs and hold you in the saddle. It takes 1 minute to strap in. If you do not secure the straps then the saddle functions as a normal military saddle. If you do strap in you cannot fall out of the saddle.
Cost: double a military saddle
Mounts
Common flying mounts include Ikran, griffins and hippogriffs. Because griffins have an intelligence score higher than 3 they must be persuaded through diplomacy, intimidation or bribery into service. Leonopteryx are disobedient and stubborn, and make poor mounts, but if you can win their affection a Leonopteryx will never willingly leave your side. To ride a willing Leonopteryx is considered a great honor by the winged elves, and they will invite the rider for food and provide a place to sleep should the rider request it. Some floaters can’t afford the prices of flying mounts. Those floaters settle for riding geckos. Their ability to cling to any surface makes them excellent for these treacherous mountains. Riding geckos were originally imported from the underdark, but now they are breed and trained in Falconmoor. Horses are rare and nearly useless in the mountains.
Ikran 6000 gp Full Grown (combat trained)
400 gp Egg
Leonopteryx 12,000gp Full Grown (Combat Trained)
5,000gp Egg
Griffin Bestiary pg. 1688000 gp Full grown (combat trained)
3500 gp Egg
Hippogriff Bestiary 2 pg 156
5000 gp Full grown (combat trained)
200 gp Egg
Gecko Bestiary 3 pg 186 (add Giant template)
300 gp Full Grown
400 gp Full Grown (Combat Trained)
Winged Elf Racial Traits
+2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution: Winged Elves are nimble, but their wings are delicate
Medium: Winged Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Speed: Winged Elves have a base speed of 30 feet. They also have a fly speed of 60ft (Average)
Low-Light Vision: Winged Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Elven Immunities: Winged Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
Elven Magic: Winged Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, winged elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.
Keen Senses: Winged Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Languages: Winged Elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Winged Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
WINGED CREATURE
Originally a 3.5 Template (Savage Species pg. 137), it has been tweaked
“Winged” is an inherited template that can be added to any animal, giant, humanoid, monstrous humanoid, or vermin (hereafter referred to as the base creature) that does not already have a fly speed. A winged creature has all the base creature’s characteristics except as noted here.
Size and Type: Giants and monstrous humanoids do not change types. Animals and vermin become magical beasts, and humanoids gain the augmented subtype.
Abilities: +2 Dex, +2 Wis.
Speed: A winged creature gains a fly speed equal to double its base land speed. Maneuverability is based on the winged creature’s Dexterity, as shown on the following table.
Dex | Maneuverability
22+ | Perfect
18-21 | Good
14-17 | Average
10-13 | Poor
1-9 | Clumsy
Level Adjustment: +1
Regional Traits
Well Acclimated: Your body is able to endure higher altitudes than others. You are always considered acclimated and you don’t have to make checks for altitude sickness until you reach 20,000 ft.
Mountaineer: You were born and raised in the Floating Mountains and have learned how to survive in them. Select one of the following skills: Climb, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), or Survival. You gain +1 trait bonus on that skill and it is always considered class skill for you.
Academy Trained: You were born to a well-respected military family, and you attended a prestigious military academy. Select one of the following skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Nobility), or Profession (Sailor). You gain +1 trait bonus on that skill and it is always considered class skill for you.
Ikran CR 4
N Large Animal
Init +5; Senses: Lowlight Vision; Perception +10
Defense
AC: 20 (-1 Size, +5 Dex, +6 Nat)
HP: 45 (7d8+14)
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +6
Offense
Speed 20ft; Fly 100ft (Good)
Melee Bite +8 (1d8+4)
Space/Reach 10ft/5ft
Stats
Str 16, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 13
Base Attack +5; CMB +7; CMD 23
Skills: Fly +15, Perception +10
Feats: Endurance, Run, Hover, Flyby Attack
Ecology
Environment: warm mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Flock (3-12), Colony (24-200)
Treasure: none
Special: Ikran are considered quadrupeds for the purpose of carrying capacity
Ikran are reptilian flyers native to the Floating Mountains. Wild Ikran are vicious and territorial predators, but domesticated they make for fierce and loyal mounts. Ikran live in massive colonies that make nests on the cliffs of the floating mountains. Anything that approaches their nests is swarmed by several dozen ikran. In the old days only the bravest and stupidest men snuck into the nesting grounds and stole eggs, now ikran are breed in Griffonreach.
Ikran Companions
Starting Statistics:
Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor;
Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft.; Attack bite (1d6);
Ability Scores Str 8, Dex 23, Con 8, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 13;
Special Qualities low-light vision.
7th-Level Advancement:
Size Large; AC +3 natural armor;
Speed: 20 ft, fly 100ft; Attack bite (1d8);
Ability Scores Str +8, Dex -2, Con +4.
Leonopteryx CR 7
N Huge Animal
Init +5; Senses: Lowlight Vision, Scent; Perception +13
Defense
AC: 24 (-2 Size, +4 Dex, +12 Nat)
HP: 119 (14d8+14)
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +12
Offense
Speed 30ft; Fly 120ft (Average)
Melee Bite +18 (4d6+10, plus Grab), 2 Talons +17 (2d6+7)
Space/Reach 15ft/10ft
Stats
Str 24, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 17, Cha 11
Base Attack +10; CMB +19 (+23 for grapple); CMD 34
Skills: Fly +19, Perception +13
Feats: Endurance, Run, Hover, Flyby Attack, Wingover, Improved Nat Attack (Bite), Weapon Focus Bite
Ecology
Environment: warm mountains
Organization: solitary or mated pair
Treasure: none
Special: Leonopteryx are considered quadrupeds for the purpose of carrying capacity
Leonopteryx are incredibly powerful and beautifully deadly. The winged elves refer to them as toruk, meaning “last shadow” because, if it’s hunting you, its shadow will be the last thing you see before you die. Leonopteryx prefer to hunt things that it can swallow whole, but it is more than capable of picking up large animals. When it does grab something big, it prefers to carry it off to a safe location before starting its meal. Leonopteryx are solitary creatures that hold vast amounts of territory. Leonopteryx mate for life and lay two to four eggs every spring. For the one month that the eggs take to hatch one parent will always stay at the nest, the male and female take turns hunting and supervising the nest.
Leonopteryx Companions
Starting Statistics:
Size Medium; AC +5 natural armor;
Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft.; Attack bite (1d6);
Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 19, Con 9, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11;
Special Qualities low-light vision.
7th-Level Advancement:
Size Large; AC +3 natural armor;
Speed: 30 ft, fly 100ft; Attack bite (1d8);
Ability Scores Str +8, Dex -2, Con +4.
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It looks like an interesting gaming world...I admit, I just skimmed through it, but I got the basic concept pretty quickly. I'm sure I missed a lot of the details. You definitely have some worthy ideas there...is there anything in particular you question, or might feel that you could use some input on?
mostly the prices I put on the new items and the stats i gave to the monsters