I have a ranger PC in my game whose animal companion is size Huge, from the Mammoth Hunter prestige class. He also happens to own some Slippers of Spider Climb. He had a couple of questions for me, and I wasn't sure how to answer:
1) Can he use the Slippers to climb up the side of the animal? The creature is an Arsinoitherium (neolithic Rhinoceros) so it's sides are big, flat, broad, with smooth skin. Seems like an ok climbing surface to me, but I don't know.
2) If the Slippers do work against the animal's flesh, then would they give him some kind of bonus to his Ride skill? Because he could hold on tighter, it would be harder to fall off or get knocked off.
For the slipper to work the sole of the shoes should be in contact with the surface.
So, my interpretation:
1) if your feet can reach the lower part of the mount body they allow you to climb it. Probably you need a stool or a 3 step stair to start the climb.
2) The don't help with the ride skill. When you ride your feet aren't anchored to the flanks of the horse (or whatever are you riding), they are in the stirrups. To touch the sides of the mount body they would have to be placed in a very unnatural and tiring way. I would give a penalty.
3) When you are on board of something like an elephant or an arsinoitherium in a palanquin the situation can be different. But in that situation you aren't the driver, at least fort he elephant the driver is on the neck of the beast.
judging by the photos here (at least from those that don't seem photo shopped), the rider of an elephant keep a posture relatively similar to that of a horse driver and his feet aren't glued to the beast.
So I wouldn't give a bonus to the ride skill of the driver, but I could give a bonus to the skill (acrobatics? ride? I am not sure) of the passengers. But I would ask for a check only if the mount move very violently.
Diego Rossi wrote: I wouldn't give a bonus to the ride skill of the driver, but I could give a bonus to the skill (acrobatics? ride? I am not sure) of the passengers. But I would ask for a check only if the mount move very violently.
All good points. I think you're probably right about everything. Acrobatics would apply to someone riding in a howdah or palanquin or whatever.
What does it take to dislodge someone using Spider Climb to stick to a wall? A certain Strength check, or what? Or what if they use Spider Climb to cling to the ground to resist a Bull Rush? If I knew the answers to these things while stationary I could apply them, with modifiers, to moving around or getting knocked off of a moving, oddly-shaped beast.
lowericon, there is no rule that I am aware of that requires you to use the climb skill to get on your mount, regardless of the mount's size.
Can you provide the rule?
Gauss wrote: lowericon, there is no rule that I am aware of that requires you to use the climb skill to get on your mount, regardless of the mount's size.
Can you provide the rule?
There isn't one. When dealing with a horse or any mount up to one size category larger than the rider, getting on or off is a Move Action. If you succeed a DC 20 Ride check, you can do it as a Free Action.
In my situation, the rider is Medium and the creature is Huge, so that's 2 categories larger. When something is that big (as big as a real-world elephant) it seems to me like Climb is a more appropriate skill for getting up and down the animal, rather than Ride.
lowericon, I think you are misunderstanding the rule.
There is no size restriction for mounting your mount as a move action. It isn't even a skill check.
There is a 'one size larger' restriction for mounting your mount as a free action. And it requires a skill check.
No check is needed to mount a huge mount let alone a climb check.
If you want to make it a check to mount a creature larger than one size larger than yourself then you are creating a house rule and should post in that forum.
Gauss wrote: lowericon, I think you are misunderstanding the rule.
There is no size restriction for mounting your mount as a move action.
You're right about that, but there's more to the question. When it comes to mounting or dismounting, it will require a Move Action and no skill check. But what if he wants to cling to the side of the animal, or stand on top of it? That's more confusing.
Cling to the side is a Ride check (the cover aspect of Ride).
Standing on top has no rule support. Houserule territory again.
Honestly, 'standing' is a bit too specific imo. Are you on the mount? Yes? Then you are mounted and it falls under ride.
Gauss wrote: Cling to the side is a Ride check (the cover aspect of Ride).
Standing on top has no rule support. Houserule territory again.
Honestly, 'standing' is a bit too specific imo. Are you on the mount? Yes? Then you are mounted and it falls under ride.
Fair enough. I'm always a fan of keeping it simple. Thanks.
Recent threads in Rules Questions
|
