Wyvern Mount and other poisons

[Major]

So a new player really likes the fluff idea of using poisons. I've been teaching him the crafting rules, letting him loot bodies of enemies that might carry it (they fought assassins at one point so he got a few vials). He's also looked at considering soul melds to get poison touch. I told him the feat extensiveness (or the dip requirements) as well as it's limitations and he hesitated and decided to think about it inbetween the next game.

I'm a pretty nice DM and I prefer fluff and fun RPing over being optimized. Now then, I noticed in Arms and Equipment that a person can raise and train a Wyvern (which has poison).

At higher levels when he can afford it and train it with his handle animal and ride checks (he is a ranger), I am considering giving him one. (It gives him a way to fly, he would probably enjoy the fun of having one, and it gives him a type of poison).

I might make a feat based off of vermin trainer that would let him extract venom from it if he wanted too.

Anyways my questions are as follows.
1) Young Wyvern: What are the stats and such? It says a young wyvern is 3,000 gold. However, is it still a large creature? Because otherwise how would a medium sized person ride it? Does he have to wait till he can afford a regular Wyvern?

2) Since it was originally a 3.0 book is giving him a Wyvern mount at higher levels too powerful?

3) Due to the training times and such, is it ok to possibly have him encounter a ranch that raises and trains Wyverns to be mounts and as such have him pay them for it? Or does training a mount require the person riding it to train them?

[nyarlathotep]

So a new player really likes the fluff idea of using poisons. I've been teaching him the crafting rules, letting him loot bodies of enemies that might carry it (they fought assassins at one point so he got a few vials). He's also looked at considering soul melds to get poison touch. I told him the feat extensiveness (or the dip requirements) as well as it's limitations and he hesitated and decided to think about it inbetween the next game.

I'm a pretty nice DM and I prefer fluff and fun RPing over being optimized. Now then, I noticed in Arms and Equipment that a person can raise and train a Wyvern (which has poison).

At higher levels when he can afford it and train it with his handle animal and ride checks (he is a ranger), I am considering giving him one. (It gives him a way to fly, he would probably enjoy the fun of having one, and it gives him a type of poison).

I might make a feat based off of vermin trainer that would let him extract venom from it if he wanted too.

Anyways my questions are as follows.
1) Young Wyvern: What are the stats and such? It says a young wyvern is 3,000 gold. However, is it still a large creature? Because otherwise how would a medium sized person ride it? Does he have to wait till he can afford a regular Wyvern?

2) Since it was originally a 3.0 book is giving him a Wyvern mount at higher levels too powerful?

3) Due to the training times and such, is it ok to possibly have him encounter a ranch that raises and trains Wyverns to be mounts and as such have him pay them for it? Or does training a mount require the person riding it to train them?

1) Basically just reduce the size by one and reduce the physical stats, pathfinder has a young template that is backwards compatible and OGL. here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-template-young-cr-1)

2) It wouldn't be overpowered at all as long as you run the creature by the book as it were, it can only preform a few predefined tricks that the ranger or prior trainer has taught it and if it is an animal companion treat his effective level as lower for purposes of the abilities he gets (I think a wyvern is -4).

3) If a wyvern was already trained it would obviously cost significantly more (not sure how much but there is probably a breakdown in the A&EG), but the ranger would still have to make at least 1 initial check to make it consider him its master, the other trainer would just have finished the rearing and teaching it tricks.

[Major]

3,000gp for training cost according to A&G.

Alright, so a young wyvern wouldn't be a good idea to buy then since he wouldn't be able to use it as a mount. He would need to wait and save money to get a regular.

I was more thinking of him buying it like you buy a mount rather than it be an animal companion. However it would be more useful to him as an animal companion wouldn't it. Is there a feat for that? I know there is one to replace it with a dragonel (I think?) not sure about a Wyvern.

Or would it just be a nice homebrew feat to add at a higher level when he can afford it?

And I agree with the one check otherwise it wouldn't respect him and might annoy him.

[nyarlathotep]

3,000gp for training cost according to A&G.

Alright, so a young wyvern wouldn't be a good idea to buy then since he wouldn't be able to use it as a mount. He would need to wait and save money to get a regular.

I was more thinking of him buying it like you buy a mount rather than it be an animal companion. However it would be more useful to him as an animal companion wouldn't it. Is there a feat for that? I know there is one to replace it with a dragonel (I think?) not sure about a Wyvern.

Or would it just be a nice homebrew feat to add at a higher level when he can afford it?

And I agree with the one check otherwise it wouldn't respect him and might annoy him.

There is a feat for it from Dragon magazine. Basic gist is that you select one magical beast you can treat that magical beast as an animal for purposes of animal companion features and take no penalty to handle animal checks with it.

[RaginChangeling]

3,000gp for training cost according to A&G.

Alright, so a young wyvern wouldn't be a good idea to buy then since he wouldn't be able to use it as a mount. He would need to wait and save money to get a regular.

I was more thinking of him buying it like you buy a mount rather than it be an animal companion. However it would be more useful to him as an animal companion wouldn't it. Is there a feat for that? I know there is one to replace it with a dragonel (I think?) not sure about a Wyvern.

Or would it just be a nice homebrew feat to add at a higher level when he can afford it?

And I agree with the one check otherwise it wouldn't respect him and might annoy him.

The Beast Heart Adept prestige class from Dungeonscape gets access to 'Monstrous' companions which have a better progression than straight animal companions, Wyvern is one of the options that comes into play around level 7. Really easy pre-reqs as well, and though it doesn't stack with Ranger levels for Animal Companion bonuses, Ranger animal companions suck anyways.

[Major]

Hmmm I'll have to google it. Do you know what magazine it is? Might make google search easier. If not, don't worry about it I'll find it.

[Thurbane]

Can he get spurs made of Gehennan Morguth Iron for the Wyvern's claws? That'll give it a poison attack with each claw as well.

[Major]

He might, I don't recognize the item so I'd have to look at it and see about it.

Edit: Wyvern's lack a claw attack. Unless you meant the talons.

[Thurbane]

Yeah, talons sorry. The metal can be found in Arms & Equipment Guide (quite pricey, but it's an unlimited poison attack on each hit. Fairly low DC, but anyone can roll a 1). I think the rules for adding spurs to natural attacks might be in Draconomicon?

[Major]

Thanks, I'll look them up and show them to him. See what he thinks.