|
| 8 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
So, there's some discrepancy between the Ghost Mount entry and the base phantom statistics provided.
The phantom takes the form of a ghostly creature analogous to one of a cavalier's normal mount options for her size and class level, such as a Large horse for a Medium ghost rider or a wolf for a Small ghost rider.
Emphasis mine.
Then we get to the base statistics presented for said Phantom...
Type animal (phantom) Size one size category larger than the ghost rider; Speed 50 ft; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 hooves (1d6; this is a secondary natural attack); Ability Scores Str 16, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
....so my wolf has hooves? I'm assuming this is a failure to include the "canine" state block to start.
Also, how does this interact with non-traditional Cavalier mount options? For example, there's a Pathfinder Society reward where you can take on an Axebeak as a mount. Do you still use this same base phantom stat block?
Well it DOES say "analogous to", but yeah, it does seem off that they specifically called out the wolf option; if they hadn't I'd just assume that it was always some behooved beast and they would probably add supplemental rules/rulings for different options in Occult Bestiary or something, and they still might.
On the upside, your "wolf" can use all of those cool magical horseshoes. :)
|
|
More issues with archetype as I tease out a possible build.
The mount is always considered combat trained , and begins play with Endurance as a bonus feat.
General Combat Training is six tricks: attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel. This means my lovely mount is not only capped and autolocked into its tricks (the stat block gives it Int 2), it only has attack once.
My undead mount won't attack another undead creature unless I push it to do so via Handle Animal. Awesome. Normally, this is resolved by the Mount, per usual Mount class features, functioning as a Druid animal companion. This setup inherently delivers bonus tricks. However, the archetype uses strictly Spiritualist progression, which provides no Bonus Tricks.
I can wait until it hits 4 HD and use the attribute pip to bump to Int 3 and then train in three more tricks...at level 5. This is a lot of play time having to push an animal to do a staple function other classes that get such companions are able to train them to do from the start.
I'm really starting to think this archetype entry needs to be expanded upon, as it otherwise loses its luster outside of cosmetic/sub-type benefits for its core function. A ghostly mount that can eventually fly is really awesome, but one whose combat use is fairly limited without investment is another. And given you already trade away all the other mount related class features to get it, this is a bad trade.
Hoof Lion meet Hoof Wolf.
|
It's a phantom you are linked to, not an animal companion. I'm not sure why it needs tricks at all to attack anything.
It's still an animal. Ghost Rider changes the phantom from Outsider (phantom) to Animal (phantom). The intelligence score for a Ghost Rider's phantom is 2. It seems that they would obey all rules concerning animals including uses of Handle Animal.
|
|
it's still a phantom you are linked to not an animal companion
Though the mount cannot speak, it understands its master’s verbal commands and gains the phantom’s link ability.if it was an animal companion, it would use the str/dex advancement and one of the complaints in this thread wouldn't exist
Phantom is a subtype, however, that does not overrule the creature's primary type Animal. Subtypes don't automatically change the way the base type works unless specifically stated as such.
I would like to believe Link does, in fact, override the need for tricks but that's a rough piece of table variation.
|
|
So what is the point in the dragged out description of an animal type that can support the Cavalier and can not have FLY specifically if they are just dumping a stat block and your creature just looks like what ever you want it to so long as it has at least 4 legs....... Why not just say you get a ghost horse if that is really all it is?