Using Planar Ally to get a mount / animal companion


Advice


Hi,

I am playing a 9th level Sacred Servant paladin.

Having a blast.
But so far I have only used the call planar ally ability to summon a Hound Archon.

We are starting to encounter quite a few flying Devils and we just lost our party wizard. (No fly buffs, need potions)

We need to be able to get into flying bad guys faces.

Was crusing Ultimate Equipment and saw Equestrian Fullplate and saw it works on exotic mounts.

Check the Bestiary and sure enough a Celestial Griffon has 5HD so can be summoned via Planar ally.

Figured I could get said armor and use it to ride the Griffon (smite pounce) and two banded smash flying devils?

Is this workable?
My ride skill sucks (was build to be a rider)
BUT the griffon understands common so should take verbal command.
I already have boots of the cat if I fall.

And I wanna keep the mount relevant as I level
So would the Half-Celestial template work as I go up in levels just applying it to a new improved HD creature as it go?

See the avatar for current build.


In fact I just read the 'Creating a half-Celestial rules.

Adding the Template doesn't add HD. Only Increases CR.

It gets +4 to 3 ability scores
So add that to Con (HP)
Str (to hit)
And Wis (saves and SLA's)

Sovereign Court

You need the Celestial simple template, not the Half-Celestial template.


The half celestial template also carries rules for rebuilding a monster.

What rule says I can't summon a half celestial?
Or do half celestials never exist in the upper planes?


There are rules in Knights of the Inner Sea regarding the use of Leadership to gain a special mount, reprinted here

Your GM is the one who decides what is available to be called, and yes, half-celestials do fit the restrictions. This is NOT summon Monster X.

However, the Celestial Griffon does use the simple celestial template. A normal Griffon is cohort equivalent 8. I call BS on that (I'd make it less), but that's up to your DM.


Why do I need Leadership?
The Sacred Servant ability is a 1/week lesser planar ally needing no cost.

Half-Celestial Griffon shows up.
I ask 'I need you to fight beside me against the servants of hell.

Creature does not ask for payment as per
Call Celestial Ally (Sp)
At 8th level, a sacred servant can call upon her deity for aid, in the form of a powerful servant. This allows the sacred servant to cast lesser planar ally once per week as a spell-like ability without having to pay the material component cost or the servant (for reasonable tasks)

Sovereign Court

Hmm. Looks like it all hinges on what might be defined as a "reasonable" task, because those are free. Does serving as mount to a paladin that's several levels above your HD count as "extremely hazardous"? I think it might, and that probably means it's no longer a "reasonable task". For a 5HD creature that's a 70.000gp service, that's a bit much to get for free every week...

It's a bit iffy. Depends on how your GM feels about "reasonable".

The Exchange

Your paladin may wish to negotiate with a giant eagle or (less likely) a pegasus: they're both good-aligned fliers, who probably wouldn't object to gaining a few HD as special mounts. They also don't have the annoying habit of being subject to dismissal.

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