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View Full Version : [3.5] Albatross as Mount



A.A.King
2014-04-24, 10:46 AM
I was thinking of ways to make a character whose main trick is casting Reduce Person on himself. Being tiny for short periods of time can be very strategic plus it's a fun mental image to have a tiny character march into battle together with the guy who just got bumped a size category to large.

My basic idea right now is Halfling Rogue/Sorcerer with an Albatross familiar from Stormwrack. It's the only Small Familiar I could find that wasn't an Improved familiar. This way he can fly on his Albatross while being tiny. However, I still find Mounts and fighting on a mount fairly confusing, especially when the mount both is both airborne and intelligent (separate initiative checks and all that)

Is this concept at all feasible? Could I use my small familiar as a mount after casting reduce person to become tiny. Can I do the move-cast-move thing (which is the only reason you want a flying mount)? And, what else might improve a tiny mounted character?

VoxRationis
2014-04-24, 08:21 PM
Well, it's not true that the mount has a different initiative from the rider.


Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.

If your DM insists that its intelligence gives it a different initiative count, which is odd given that it's: a) a mount, and thus subject to the above rule, and b) bound to you as your familiar, you can always delay your actions to the mount or vice versa.
You move on the same initiative count, usually, as your mount, which is a start. Hold your action and ready a spell for after the albatross makes one move action and just before it starts another. Then you can do the move-cast-move affair, although you may have to roll a Concentration check; I can't remember.

A.A.King
2014-04-25, 02:41 PM
I seem to have misread that about initiative somewhere -.-

Fouredged Sword
2014-04-25, 03:50 PM
A kobold should be able to ride a small mount without reducing their size due to their slight build racial feature. Just a thought that puts this idea on the table from level 1.

VoxRationis
2014-04-25, 05:30 PM
What slight build racial feature?
It's not in their stats in the MM.

Fouredged Sword
2014-04-25, 05:49 PM
Wizards gave them updated stats in a web enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a) to races of the dragon.

Coidzor
2014-04-25, 06:02 PM
Just make sure that your DM isn't the type to make you wear your albatross around your neck.