How to qualify as "mounted"... without a mount.

[LoyalPaladin]

Hello playground!
It's time for me to delve into a the cheesier side of the forum today. I need to qualify as being mounted, while not being mounted. I'm building an ubercharger that needs to pump out devastating amounts of damage, but he's a quadruped and will be unmounted for the entirety of his existence. Any tips and tricks to make this happen?

[LordOfCain]

I believe centaur works for that purpose. It has a large ECL though. Maybe get level drained and LA buy off?

[LoyalPaladin]

I believe centaur works for that purpose. It has a large ECL though. Maybe get level drained and LA buy off?
I should probably mention that I need this to work with an awakened animal. I'm playing an awakened dog.

[Flickerdart]

There are no rules, to my knowledge, that forbid a quadruped from riding a mount.

[LoyalPaladin]

There are no rules, to my knowledge, that forbid a quadruped from riding a mount.
It's a personal choice, as opposed to being forbidden from it.

[Darrin]

Are you just trying to get the damage multiplier from a lance?

[LoyalPaladin]

Could you elucidate a bit on what specifically you're trying to do that requires you to be mounted?
Sure thing! I would like to utilize the Spirited Charge feat and others like it. But the build itself is pretty silly. I'm playing an awakened corgi, which must be the ultimate ubercharger. I was hoping all quadrupeds would be able to be treated as mounted, but it doesn't seem to be that way.


Are you just trying to get the damage multiplier from a lance?
That too!

[arclance]

Sure thing! I would like to utilize the Spirited Charge feat and others like it. But the build itself is pretty silly. I'm playing an awakened corgi, which must be the ultimate ubercharger. I was hoping all quadrupeds would be able to be treated as mounted, but it doesn't seem to be that way.
Maybe ask you DM if you can "Discover your Half-Centaur Heritage" and get the centaur ability to count as mounted that way?

I don't think there is any other way than "Ask your DM" to do it with an awakened corgi.
I would be happy to be proved wrong about that though.

There might be a way to use a magic carpet (more of a magic doormat in this case) as your mount.
I would have to double check that though, it might have been a house rule in a "Rule of Cool" heavy game.

[LoyalPaladin]

Maybe ask you DM if you can "Discover your Half-Centaur Heritage" and get the centaur ability to count as mounted that way?

I don't think there is any other way than "Ask your DM" to do it with an awakened corgi.
I would be happy to be proved wrong about that though.
I have a sneaking suspicion it can't be done legally. But I figured I'd consult the hive mind, just in case.

[ExLibrisMortis]

You can probably use the fusion + astral seed trick with a centaur. Find a centaur, fuse with it, 'save' your body into a seed, die, get reborn in the saved copy, enjoy all the centaur's abilities. Downside: the centaur is dead (but you can make a temporary one with polymorph any object, if that's a problem), it takes a few weeks, and you need 8th-level powers.

In order to fuse, you'll need to be the same size and type as the centaur. That probably means you'll need to polymorph the centaur into a corgi, before applying the fusion.

[LoyalPaladin]

You can probably use the fusion + astral seed trick with a centaur. Find a centaur, fuse with it, 'save' your body into a seed, die, get reborn in the saved copy, enjoy all the centaur's abilities. Downside: the centaur is dead, it takes a few weeks, and you need 8th-level powers.
Oh man. I'm gonna need some crackers with that cheese. No DM will ever allow that, but I am totally going to attempt to weave it into my background. This corgi was an experiment to create a war corgi by an epic psion.

What bonuses come with fusion? Literally all the centaur's racial traits?

[Elricaltovilla]

Oh man. I'm gonna need some crackers with that cheese. No DM will ever allow that, but I am totally going to attempt to weave it into my background. This corgi was an experiment to create a war corgi by an epic psion.

What bonuses come with fusion? Literally all the centaur's racial traits?

Did you try giving your DM the puppy dog eyes?

[ExLibrisMortis]

What bonuses come with fusion? Literally all the centaur's racial traits?
Well:

The fused being has your current hit points plus the other creature’s current hit points.
The fused being knows all the powers you and the other creature know, has the sum of your and the other creature’s power points, and knows or has prepared any spells you or the other creature possesses (if any).
Likewise, all feats, racial abilities, and class features are pooled (if both creatures have the same ability, the fused being gains it only once).
For each of the six ability scores, the fused being’s score is the higher of yours and the other creature’s, and the fused being also has the higher Hit Dice or manifester level - this effectively means the fused being uses the better saving throws, attack bonus, and skill modifiers of either member, and it manifests powers at the higher of the manifester levels that you or the other creature possessed before becoming fused.
You decide what equipment is absorbed into the fused being and what equipment remains available for use.
Pretty much everything.

Edit: For reference, here is a part of astral seed:

The [new] body’s [...] is an exact duplicate of your body at the time you manifested astral seed [...].
You possess all the abilities you possessed when astral seed was manifested, at one level lower, but you have none of your equipment.
The trick depends on the definition of 'exact duplicate'. Personally, I think that the power has no concept of polymorph/fusion durations. It just checks your ability list, generates a copy of that ability, and gives it to your new body. Spell effects active on your person are not 'abilities', even if they grant abilities.

[LoyalPaladin]

Did you try giving your DM the puppy dog eyes?
I tried, but now I'm in the dog house.


Well:

Pretty much everything.
This is why I hate psions. Do I absorb his LA too?

[Darrin]

I have a sneaking suspicion it can't be done legally. But I figured I'd consult the hive mind, just in case.

The text for Spirited Charge says:

"When mounted and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a lance)." (emphasis added)

However, the context of the verb "mounted" here is ambiguous, as English doesn't really go out of it's way to explicitly identify the direct or indirect object of a verb. It could be said that "mounted" refers to "you" either as the condition of being the rider or the mount. If you want to be treated as a mount, then you just need to specify that you have a creature perched on your back as a "rider". A tiny creature such as a familiar or psicrystal with ranks in the Ride skill would work. If you'd rather not spend a feat, training a parakeet might even work.

[Flickerdart]

This is why I hate psions.
It's an 8th level power with an XP cost, what did you expect it to do - give +1 to damage?


Do I absorb his LA too?
No, it's not on that list.

The strategy does not actually work, however - awakened corgis are Small magical beasts and centaurs are Large monstrous humanoids, so the centaur is not "one touched willing creature of your type and your size or smaller" and the fusion does not work.

[ExLibrisMortis]

The strategy does not actually work, however - awakened corgis are Small magical beasts and centaurs are Large monstrous humanoids, so the centaur is not "one touched willing creature of your type and your size or smaller" and the fusion does not work.
See:

In order to fuse, you'll need to be the same size and type as the centaur. That probably means you'll need to polymorph the centaur into a corgi, before applying the fusion.

Polymorph to the rescue! This is getting expensive, but what's a scroll of polymorph when we're slinging around 8th-level powers, eh?

Or, actually, maybe you want to enlarge yourself instead, and turn yourself into a monstrous humanoid. The centaur ability is probably a natural ability that depends on its shape, as it's not listed amongst SA/SQ. You can shrink back (and change type, if required) with a second round of fusion/astral seed.

Edit: More cheese: shrink the centaur/enlarge yourself > aspect of the wolf on centaur > awaken centaur > centaur is now a magical beast > fusion and astral seed.

[LoyalPaladin]

The text for Spirited Charge says:

"When mounted and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a lance)." (emphasis added)

However, the context of the verb "mounted" here is ambiguous, as English doesn't really go out of it's way to explicitly identify the direct or indirect object of a verb. It could be said that "mounted" refers to "you" either as the condition of being the rider or the mount. If you want to be treated as a mount, then you just need to specify that you have a creature perched on your back as a "rider". A tiny creature such as a familiar or psicrystal with ranks in the Ride skill would work. If you'd rather not spend a feat, training a parakeet might even work.
This is why I'm on these forums. I live for posts like this haha. Can I stick this in my sig?


The strategy does not actually work, however - awakened corgis are Small magical beasts and centaurs are Large monstrous humanoids, so the centaur is not "one touched willing creature of your type and your size or smaller" and the fusion does not work.
Curses! No corgtauri for me. :smallfrown:


See:


Polymorph to the rescue! This is getting expensive, but what's a scroll of polymorph when we're slinging around 8th-level powers, eh?
Hope renewed! The corgtauri lives!

[Flickerdart]

See:


Polymorph to the rescue! This is getting expensive, but what's a scroll of polymorph when we're slinging around 8th-level powers, eh?


Wouldn't that mess up the centaur's ability, which needs to be intact?



Or, actually, maybe you want to enlarge yourself instead, and turn yourself into a monstrous humanoid. The centaur ability is probably a natural ability that depends on its shape, as it's not listed amongst SA/SQ. You can shrink back (and change type, if required) with a second round of fusion/astral seed.
That's a good point - I did not think of stacking two astral seeds together.

[Snowbluff]

I mean, if you're going to astral seed, you might as well have a Sarrukh ability rip it for you.

[LoyalPaladin]

I mean, if you're going to astral seed, you might as well have a Sarrukh ability rip it for you.
I was really hoping there was an answer in MIC or something simple. But it appears I need to be cheesy!

[Darrin]

Can I stick this in my sig?

Yes. Although the parakeet method isn't quite as effective as the polymorph or astral seed method, it is at least much cheaper.

[LoyalPaladin]

Yes. Although the parakeet method isn't quite as effective as the polymorph or astral seed method, it is at least much cheaper.
Can I technically have a shield mounted on me? Hahaha.

Edit:
Technically, my lance is mounted to my side. Or am I mounted to the lance?!

[Snowbluff]

Can I technically have a shield mounted on me? Hahaha. Your familiar or whatever on your back can carry a rider's shield to give you a buff.


Edit:
Technically, my lance is mounted to my side. Or am I mounted to the lance?!
That's questionable. MOre likely, get a mouthpick weapon.

[LoyalPaladin]

Your familiar or whatever on your back can carry a rider's shield to give you a buff.

That's questionable. MOre likely, get a mouthpick weapon.
This is unfortunate.