Summon Fiend as a mount

[Warlock'sFriend]

The name's on the tin. I'm playing a fiendlock and am eyeing Summon Fiend as my 6th level mystic arcanum. Normally I go for Soul Cage, but I just had a realization that the fiend is large and the devil form can fly.

So I guess the ultimate question to toss out there is...
Is it worth spending a 6th lvl mystic arcanum on a 1 hour combat mount that can shoot fire?

[ATHATH]

The name's on the tin. I'm playing a fiendlock and am eyeing Summon Fiend as my 6th level mystic arcanum. Normally I go for Soul Cage, but I just had a realization that the fiend is large and the devil form can fly.

So I guess the ultimate question to toss out there is...
Is it worth spending a 6th lvl mystic arcanum on a 1 hour combat mount that can shoot fire?
Does your friend WANT a mount? Mounts are a bit janky in 5e, and IIRC, intelligent creatures MUST choose to be uncontrolled mounts instead of controlled mounts (unless a sage advice or something says otherwise?). That means that your mount's turn is gonna be desynced from your own, so if you're a melee character, that means passing your turn (or casting a buff spell, hopping off of your mount, etc.) if your turn comes around while your mount isn't in melee range of someone.

If your DM DOES let the fiend serve as a controlled mount... then it can't breathe fire while being ridden (as a controlled mount), since the actions controlled mounts can take are limited.

I'd recommend just grabbing Phantom Steed or something and saying the horse LOOKS like a fiend ("You decide the creature's appearance").

[BerzerkerUnit]

Does your friend WANT a mount? Mounts are a bit janky in 5e, and IIRC, intelligent creatures MUST choose to be uncontrolled mounts instead of controlled mounts (unless a sage advice or something says otherwise?). That means that your mount's turn is gonna be desynced from your own, so if you're a melee character, that means passing your turn (or casting a buff spell, hopping off of your mount, etc.) if your turn comes around while your mount isn't in melee range of someone.

If your DM DOES let the fiend serve as a controlled mount... then it can't breathe fire while being ridden (as a controlled mount), since the actions controlled mounts can take are limited.

I'd recommend just grabbing Phantom Steed or something and saying the horse LOOKS like a fiend ("You decide the creature's i

Different case for the summoner fiend. It shares summoners initiative but takes its turn immediately after the summoner. This would be an issue for a melee build but far less so for a blast lock.

Personally, I love the new summons and lean toward yes, but far more if you have metamagic adept with extend spell.

[Keltest]

Well, first off, i think your DM would be entirely within their right to say that a summoned fiend isnt anatomically capable of having a rider even if the size qualifies.

Beyond that, i think you diminish the personal dignity of a fiend at extreme peril.

[diplomancer]

Well, first off, i think your DM would be entirely within their right to say that a summoned fiend isnt anatomically capable of having a rider even if the size qualifies.

Beyond that, i think you diminish the personal dignity of a fiend at extreme peril.

Well, why can't you summon a devil winged horse? ;)

But I think its use in combat may be suboptimal, for the reasons pointed out; even as a blastlock, it's not like you can really foresee one full round in advance where in the battlemat you'd like to be, since everyone's always trying to get cover and that sort of thing.

But it's a good utility use for the devil outside of combat.

[JLandan]

Different case for the summoner fiend. It shares summoners initiative but takes its turn immediately after the summoner. This would be an issue for a melee build but far less so for a blast lock.

Personally, I love the new summons and lean toward yes, but far more if you have metamagic adept with extend spell.

The melee build could use Ready action to remain functional in combat and consistently go after the summoned creature instead of before. Lose reaction, but so what?

[Rhaegar14]

The melee build could use Ready action to remain functional in combat and consistently go after the summoned creature instead of before. Lose reaction, but so what?

IIRC you can ready a single weapon attack, not your full attack action. Fine for a Rogue, less fine for anything with Extra Attack.

[Grim Portent]

Considered this myself at one point, but I kept feeling like it was three spell levels too high to be worth it. Personally prefer Create Undead, because you can talk to ghouls to persuade or threaten them into doing stuff much like you would any other npc, and who doesn't like undead hirelings? But the whole undead thing is rather dependent on what kind of character your warlock is.

[PhantomSoul]

IIRC you can ready a single weapon attack, not your full attack action. Fine for a Rogue, less fine for anything with Extra Attack.

Kind of; you're Readying an Action/action, but it's Extra Attack that fails to apply outside of your Turn because of its own limitation ("Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.", emphasis mine), not because of the Ready Action.

[diplomancer]

Kind of; you're Readying an Action/action, but it's Extra Attack that fails to apply outside of your Turn because of its own limitation ("Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.", emphasis mine), not because of the Ready Action.

And though you can cast Eldritch Blast with "full power" as a Reaction, that takes your concentration, which is a very high cost.

[sambojin]

While probably unintended, a ghostly Summon Undead could grapple a medium-large creature (you) and start flying at half speed with you. It's only got 12Str, so it can't lift a lot (unlike a flying Summon Beast), but that's still 180lbs of lift for a lvl3 slot at 20' flying speed. You'll still have the problems with readied actions, but at least it's a cheaper problem. You'll have several levels of practice at it by the time Summon Fiend rolls around for the choosing (and surely a large creature can grapple/fly with you at 30' speed).

I'm all for just letting you ride it though, no matter how janky the rules for riding seem with summons.

[PattThe]

If you can get resistance to fire, I'm sure a rampaging Nightmare will be technically more dangerous to those around you than to a rider it doesn't like.