What kind of creature can serve as Combat Mount in PFS1?

[Julien Dien]

One of my PC build such a character:
Witch 3, he take a rhamphorhynchus as his Familiar and take Mauler Familiar Archetype, so his Familiar can transform into Medium size. Then he get Narrow Frame to ride his Familiar to fly.

Does rhamphorhynchus able to serve as Combat Mount? It seems like a grey zone.

His evidence is under the Ride skill:

Ride wrote:

You are skilled at riding mounts, usually a horse, but possibly something more exotic, like a griffon or pegasus. If you attempt to ride a creature that is ill suited as a mount, you take a –5 penalty on your Ride checks.

He regards combat - trained mount as suit, and other creatures as "ill suited". However, there is no rule talking about what is "ill suited". I mean, there is no way that all other creature can be regarded as "ill suited" and can serve as Combat Mount.

[Name Violation]

Actually you want the feat undersized mount. Narrow frame is for big things to squeeze into small spaces

[Evilserran]

I would say your post answers your own question. The Rhamph is not a common mount, so it ill apply a -5 ride check to ride it, however, exotic saddles exist to help with this, as do exotic military saddles. However, its still going to be a bit tricky as to when to have it saddled etc, but its totally legal, and can even be ridden without the saddle though it would apply all appropriate penalties. Beyond that "combat mount" is not ACTUALLY a thing at all. Any mount that has combat training would be a combat mount, but the rhamph being actually intelligent (should be a 6) means it actually van learn feats and such and as such does not need "tricks" to give it the normal mount tricks for combat, so yes. Its perfectly legal to ride into battle, with the ride penalty with or without saddles.

[Azothath]

In Organized Play there are assigned roles that a PC must put his friendly critters into at the start of play, PCs can have up to 3 (for clarity I'll call them "active", "hauler", "passive" as the PFSG & FAQ get confusing).

PFSRPGG v10, pg42 wrote:

Companion Creature: Any permanent companion (e.g. animal companion, eidolon, familiar, mount, phantom, etc.) that accompanies the PC, can take its own actions in combat, and is acquired through a PC’s class features is referred to as a companion creature. See the Organized Play FAQ for more information on the number of companion creatures that may be active at one time, as well as which magic items and weapons such creatures can use.

PFS Number of Creatures FAQ

Thus you can have one "active" creature that can attack. You can have one "hauler" (Beasts of burden or mount) which is restricted to move actions only (cannot attack). Lastly there's your "passive" critter (familiar or mundane pet) that can only lend you bonuses and the like (cannot attack). I believe assistants from vanities would fall into this third category.

Many GMs would let a hauler defend itself by returning an attack but not be directed to attack by its rider as all animals are under GM control. It would likely withdraw or run after that. Combat Training keeps it from running.

The result of all of this is if your mount is going to attack - it takes the "active" role. That means your animal companion or such is forced into the hauler or passive role for that game.

[Azothath]

My advice having played many wizards in PFS1 is to simply buy a heavy war horse with military saddle, bit & bridle, saddlebags and use THAT as your mount. It has 2HD and better ability scores than the PCs and is replaceable at a flat cost. If it takes an attack rather than you being attacked it has just earned its keep. Sure it's going to die past 5th level but in actual game play NPCs(GMs) would rather capture it than kill it as it's not a real threat. Dispel magic and other shenannigans won't affect it. Sure enemies can charm it (it still can only take move actions) *pffft*. Your PC will also have to put 3 ranks in Ride skill at a minimum.

This leaves you free to assign your familiar into the "active" role.
Save all your feats/class choices to increase your PCs abilities and powers.

[Odo Hillborne]

Evilserran wrote:

... and as such does not need "tricks" to give it the normal mount tricks for combat, so yes. Its perfectly legal to ride into battle, with the ride penalty with or without saddles.

Even with an intelligence of 6, you would want to train the mount. This allows you to control the mount via riens, knee pressure, etc. The creature would not be _limited_ to only performing tricks as a trained, Animal Int mount would be.

[Ryze Kuja]

Julien Dien wrote:

He regards combat - trained mount as suit, and other creatures as "ill suited". However, there is no rule talking about what is "ill suited". I mean, there is no way that all other creature can be regarded as "ill suited" and can serve as Combat Mount.

"Ill-suited" usually means equal-or-lesser-sized creature (like a medium-sized creature with a medium-sized or small-sized mount), but this clause also gives the GM the flexibility to put the kibosh on any obviously broken shenanigans with creatures that shouldn't serve as mounts.

If you want to do Medium PC + Medium-sized mount, then there's a feat you can get so that you don't take the -5 negative to your ride check.

Undersized Mount wrote:

Undersized Mount (Combat)

You’ve learned techniques that allow you to ride beasts of smaller sizes than normal.

Prerequisite(s): Ride 1 rank.

Benefit: You can ride creatures of your size category, although encumbrance or other factors might limit how you can use this ability.

Normal: Typically a mount suited for you is at least one size category larger than you.

"Ill-suited" isn't actually defined in the rules per se, but one can extrapolate and infer.

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Anywho, if your PC wants to ride the Rhamphorhynchus, I'd recommend casting Reduce Person on himself. Now he's a small creature riding a Medium creature. Rhamphorhynchus don't have any spines or anything crazy on their back, but they do have smooth/slick hide. I would probably require him to get a specially-crafted exotic saddle to even attempt to ride it.

Alternatively instead of Reduce Person, he can get the Hefty Brute feat for his familiar, and he can take the Undersized Mount feat. And then everything should be kosher at that point.