Foo Lion / Dog Mount in PFS

[Æthernaut]

There is a creature from asian mythology that has always appealed to me; its the Foo Lion/Dog.

I would like to know the best way for me to make a Foo mount in PFS. My fist thought was to go with the Paladin class, but I am open to all suggestions. But its gotta be foo, and I gotta be able to ride it.

Suggestions?

[BigNorseWolf]

Only thing i can come up with is

Linky

and

companion figurine

and use the lion as a foo lion.

This would require a druid ranger, hunter or beastmaster barbarian, since it doesn't let you use a mount

A foo lion is an outsider, so monstrous mount won't work.

I'll see if a lower level option occurs to me later.

[Tamec]

You could put a red wig on a dog...

Joking aside, I have to agree with BNW....I had a character concept that used a foo dog I couldn't get it to work either.

[Æthernaut]

I could do a riding dog and say that its a mutt. But I'd only be happy if I could summon its (foo)mother as a mount at some point.

How about something with the summon good monster feat?

[GinoA]

Eidolon?

[Rei]

Summon Good Monster would work if you were a summoner and okay with only having your mount for (Cha+3)×level minutes per day. And it being a summoned creature, not a mount/AC/eidolon, of course.

Alternatively, eidolon and build your own.

[Æthernaut]

Well, minutes are better than rounds. If that's all I can get, then it will have to do. And, even though its not a mount, I can still (if only briefly) ride it, right?

What about using the feat with the occultist's conjuration implement ability

Servitor (Sp):

As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to summon a servitor. This ability functions as summon monster I, but you can use it only to summon a single creature, and the effect lasts for 1 minute. At 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the level of the summon monster spell increases by 1, to a maximum of summon monster VII at 19th level. You can’t have more than one servitor in effect at a time. At any time, you can expend 1 point of mental focus as a free action to extend the duration of an active servitor by 1 minute

along with its illusion implement ability

Shadow Beast (Sp):

As a standard action, you can call forth one or more beasts made of shadow by expending 1 point of mental focus. This functions as shadow conjuration, but it can be used to duplicate only the effects of summon monster spells. Creatures created with this spell deal 50% of the normal damage to those that disbelieve the illusion, and their nondamaging effects have only a 50% chance of affecting disbelieving targets. This can be used to duplicate any summon monster spell up to summon monster V. For every 2 additional levels you possess beyond 9th, the maximum spell level you can duplicate with this ability increases by 1 (to a maximum of summon monster IX at 17th level). Regardless of the spell duplicated, the creatures remain for 1 round per occultist level you possess. You must be at least 9th level to select this focus power.

Would a shadow foo still trigger with the other foo and vice versa? Can the Occultist and the Servitor each choose to fail the shadow conjuration disbelief check?

[FLite]

Summoner is a problem because he wants to be able to ride it.

Currently one of the oversights in the existing eidolons is that there are no good eidolons that can take the mount evolution.

Now you can ride it even without the mount evolution (as far as I can tell mount just removes the -5 penalty to ride checks for unsuitable mount), but there is going to be really annoying amounts of table variation.

[BigNorseWolf]

FLite wrote:

Summoner is a problem because he wants to be able to ride it.

Currently one of the oversights in the existing eidolons is that there are no good eidolons that can take the mount evolution.

Now you can ride it even without the mount evolution (as far as I can tell mount just removes the -5 penalty to ride checks for unsuitable mount), but there is going to be really annoying amounts of table variation.

Even a bad eidolon with you on its back with a lance is a pretty competent character.

[Æthernaut]

FLite wrote:

as far as I can tell mount just removes the -5 penalty to ride checks for unsuitable mount

i wish there was some way to update this thread's title. It doesn't have to be a mount as much as I just want to use the riding feat tree on something foo.

[FLite]

Yeah, my concern is that every so often you will run into a (wrong) GM who will say you can't use the ride feat tree with an intelligent creature that doesn't have the mount feature.

[Matthew Morris]

Take a tibetan mastif as a halfling horse lord? Bonus if you name him 'Mouse'

[Æthernaut]

FLite wrote:

Yeah, my concern is that every so often you will run into a (wrong) GM who will say you can't use the ride feat tree with an intelligent creature that doesn't have the mount feature.

I am a person who in my free time has built vehicles that go into the stratosphere, has sent tens of thousands of children's experience to the edge of space, and is working on a submarine and 6-wheeled vehicle, both of which will be two-person, voice-controlled and electric-powered.

I also build my miniatures from scratch.

My point being, most of what i do is driven by dreams, rarely the most profitable route, and frequiently steered by laws rarely in the mass conscious.

I will embrace table variation and I'm willing to take that chance, even if I can only get to do it 1 out of 10 games.

Æthernaut steps down, off of soapbox. Patriotic music stops playing.

[Imbicatus]

How about a Phantom Foo via the Ghost Rider cavalier?

[Æthernaut]

Imbicatus wrote:

How about a Phantom Foo via the Ghost Rider cavalier?

from Ghost Rider Archetyp wrote:

...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. A ghost rider must choose a mount that is capable of bearing her weight, that has four or more legs, and that lacks a fly speed (although the GM may allow mounts with a swim speed in certain environments). The GM might approve other animals as suitable mounts.

Sounds to me like you just end up with a ghosty wolf or a horse. I guess I could say it was a dead Foo Dog, but it definitely won't be Foo it will just look like a Foo. You can't Foo me, we'll know the difference. The last sentence also implies "but this variation is not allowed in PFS."

Basically, I want to summon something useful, but not lantern archons or dinosaurs.
Would summoning Foos be considered an under powered or less-than-useful action?

[The Fox]

Æthernaut wrote:

Would summoning Foos be considered an under powered or less-than-useful action?

No. Summoning is one of the stronger options in Pathfinder. Foo Dogs and Foo Lions are pretty much right on par with other creatures available at their respective levels.

[Æthernaut]

and has noone ever seen this done before?

[Æthernaut]

But back to my previous two question regarding the occultist abilities:

1) Can the Occultist and the Servitor each choose to fail the shadow conjuration disbelief check?

and, if so,

2) Would a Foo shadow and a Foo servitor both trigger each other's defensive ability,

paired protectors:

A number of times per day equal to its Hit Dice, a foo creature can harden its skin to unyielding stone as an immediate action. It gains hardness 8 until the end of its next turn, but its speed is reduced by 10 feet for the same duration.

?

[Kobold Catgirl]

GinoA wrote:

Eidolon?

Yeah, if you want a Daemon, Demon, Elemental or Psychopomp as your eidolon. Quadruped is only available to those four. So if you want to have an actual Neutral Good foo lion-like creature, you're screwed.

*Miscellaneous Unchained-related grump*

EDIT: Oh, haha, my ctrl-Foo failed me. Agathions can be quadrupeds. That would work. So scratch the grump for now.

[Imbicatus]

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

EDIT: Oh, haha, my ctrl-Foo failed me. Agathions can be quadrupeds. That would work. So scratch the grump for now.

Too bad Agathions can't be mounts.

[Æthernaut]

It looks that way for both of them. Now the question becomes "Between a Summoner and an Occultist, which one is the better option?"

[The Fox]

Æthernaut wrote:

It looks that way for both of them. Now the question becomes "Between a Summoner and an Occultist, which one is the better option?"

Depends on what else you want to do. Personally, I think the occultist (arcanist archetype) might be better for you. Use the summon monster III spell-like ability to summon a foo dog (using Summon Good Monster feat), then use the summon monster III spell to summon another foo dog so they can use their paired protectors ability together.

Edit: by the way, above, you have titled your spoiler as "paired protectors" but you quote the Stony Defense ability, which does not require two foo creatures to activate. They can do that on their own.

[Æthernaut]

The Fox wrote:

Æthernaut wrote:

It looks that way for both of them. Now the question becomes "Between a Summoner and an Occultist, which one is the better option?"

Depends on what else you want to do. Personally, I think the occultist (arcanist archetype) might be better for you. Use the summon monster III spell-like ability to summon a foo dog (using Summon Good Monster feat), then use the summon monster III spell to summon another foo dog so they can use their paired protectors ability together.[/spoiler]

Everything else is gravy compared to my desire to summon Foo. Either way, I guess I would also need to buff them, heal them, ride them, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't see summon monster X on the Occultist spell list. I would have to use the Shadow Beast implement ability, provided it combos, as previously queried.

The Fox wrote:

Edit: by the way, above, you have titled your spoiler as "paired protectors" but you quote the Stony Defense ability, which does not require two foo creatures to activate. They can do that on their own.

D'oh! it should read

paired protectors:

When two or more foo creatures are within 30 feet of one another, they both gain the benefit of a protection from evil spell. The caster level of this protection from evil effect is equal to the highest Hit Dice of the affected foo creatures. This effect can be dispelled, but if it is, a foo creature can reactivate it as a swift action.

[The Fox]

I was talking about this occultist (scroll down the page), which is an arcanist archetype.

[Æthernaut]

The Fox wrote:

I was talking about this occultist (scroll down the page), which is an arcanist archetype.

Woah! I didn't even know that the arcanist occultist existed, and I own the (pdf) book. It trumps the other occultist in quantity of paired protectors, making it, thus far, the clear leader of the options. (Probably, never before has somebody been so excited about such a minor ability.)

I should be able to get the foo dog(s) at 5th, and then the foo lion(s) at 7th level

Next I should start working on a build.

[The Fox]

Beware that the errata only allows you to consume spells a number of times per day equal to your Cha bonus. So you will need both Int and Cha to make it work.

[FLite]

Imbicatus wrote:

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

EDIT: Oh, haha, my ctrl-Foo failed me. Agathions can be quadrupeds. That would work. So scratch the grump for now.

Too bad Agathions can't be mounts.

They can't have the mount evolution.

They can still be ridden (at -5)

(Sorry, yes I know this got mentioned up-thread. But I am on a minor crusade :) )