[3.5e] Mounts For Tiny Characters

[Fax Celestis]

I've got a hankering to play another weird character--this one a tiny creature mounted on a small creature.

What are some good options for mounts, preferably creatures I could obtain with an animal companion, the Wild Cohort feat, and potentially the Monstrous Animal Companion feat? I'd like to stay away from PrCs here as that's more resources than I really want to spend, and I'd like it to be accessible around ECL 5. Trainable mounts are an option, but they tend to be really fragile so I'd like to stay away from that. Also, flight or other forms of increased mobility are desired.

[Keld Denar]

Something like a normal hawk, eagle, or owl? They fly, and you could do diving charges with sick multipliers :)

Ground based, I dunno, can a Halfling serve as a mount ;)

Maybe something like a Shocker Lizard, if you picked up some kind of electricity resistance, or polymorphed yourself into a tiny Shambling Mound...

Blink Dogs are small sized, right? Them or Hell Hounds or Krenshar's or any of those others, of course, they are magical beasts....

I'm just throwing out ideas, anything fit your fancy?

[Fax Celestis]

I was thinking an Eagle. It's small, and it flies and can be gained as an animal companion with no adjust. I was also looking at the Serval from Sandstorm--it's a cat obtainable with no adjust, has pounce and improved grab (for its rake), and is small size.

What I'd really like is a tressym, but they're Tiny. Too small.

[wadledo]

What race are you going as?

[Siegel]

Housecat :) or Housecat Wizard

[xPANCAKEx]

ride on the shoulders of a large, strong, but stupid NPC

call yourselves masterblaster

[Fax Celestis]

What race are you going as?

I was thinking an awakened squirrel. I'll get to use gear and everything, since squirrels have opposable thumbs.

Housecat :) or Housecat Wizard

Believe it or not, cats are Tiny. No good.

[Keld Denar]

Paragon Housecat of Legend?

Commense worship thread!

[FinalJustice]

Snuggles? He would not allow such nonsense. At least, not without lots of worship, catnip, salmon and destruction along the course of the adventure.

Whisper Gnome Beguiler/Shadowcraft Mage?... What?

[SurlySeraph]

What I'd really like is a tressym, but they're Tiny. Too small.

Well, you could get Permanencied Reduce Person on yourself. That'd make it work. Alternately, use Permanencied Animal Growth on the tressym.

[Fax Celestis]

Well, you could get Permanencied Reduce Person on yourself. That'd make it work. Alternately, use Permanencied Animal Growth on the tressym.

No go either way. Awakened squirrels are Magical Beasts, as are tressym. That makes them invalid targets for those spells.

[Triaxx]

I think he meant as your race. Why not a halfling golem with a cat on it's shoulder? Lead the players to believe the halfling is your character.

[Irreverent Fool]

I think he meant as your race. Why not a halfling golem with a cat on it's shoulder? Lead the players to believe the halfling is your character.

obnoxious
sig
An awakened halfling effigy.

[TengYt]

A gnome or kobold. Or a sword. With wheels.

[SurlySeraph]

No go either way. Awakened squirrels are Magical Beasts, as are tressym. That makes them invalid targets for those spells.

*does research*
*cannot find any "Reduce Creature" or "Enlarge Creature" spells*
*throws up his hands in annoyance*

Homebrew it!

[Glyphic]

A tiny squirrel duskblade with the obtain familiar feat, who uses it for mounted combat.. that might work.

[Zeful]

*does research*
*cannot find any "Reduce Creature" or "Enlarge Creature" spells*
*throws up his hands in annoyance*

Homebrew it!

Psionics are your firend

[streakster]

No go either way. Awakened squirrels are Magical Beasts, as are tressym. That makes them invalid targets for those spells.

What would happen if you use the size spell on yourself and then have yourself awakened?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

The Small Monsters are actually pretty common, but they're hard to get ahold of. If you're 9th level, you can ride Elementals with the Summon Elemental Reserve Feat. Animated Objects can be any size, but again require 9th level(for Permanency). There are a bunch of ways of getting a Draconic pet(Dragon Cohort, Draconic Familiar, and Dragon Steed from Draconomicon), but they generally require a higher level. If you're a Necro, you can animate any small pet you want, though I would prefer to animate a Great Wyrm and ride in it's eye rather than on a smaller one. If you snag Improved Familiar, you can ride a Dretch or the like if the Alignment matches. Wild Cohort would get you a pretty large list of small creatures, but the only flier on it, IIRC, is the Eagle. Many of the others burrow, however. Leadership is probably your best bet. You can even snag a Kobold and have it take the feats to get wings.

[Zeful]

What would happen if you use the size spell on yourself and then have yourself awakened?

One of two things happen. The spell ends because you are no longer a valid target. The spell acts as normal until the duration ends (or if permancied until dispelled) and cannot be renewed.

[only1doug]

What would happen if you use the size spell on yourself and then have yourself awakened?

you still won't be a humanoid so still invalid target.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

you still won't be a humanoid so still invalid target.

There are however Enlarge and Reduce Animal spells. And since the spell only checks legality at the time of casting...

[arguskos]

About the Tressym, can you advance it's HD to increase the size, then use it?

-argus

[Starshade]

What about a small dinosaur, as a Velociraptor, or a small pterosaur? Or a monsterous spider?

[Shades of Gray]

Where are you getting the stats for a squirell?

And what book is awakened from?

[paddyfool]

If the monstrous Animal Companion feat allows it, how about a Cockatrice? Clucky the doom-chicken ftw!

For uber-nastiness, you could try to get applying the "Of Legend" template from MM2 past your DM, in order to be riding The Cockatrice. Among other things, that template would allow the Gaze of Clucky to have an unbuffed DC of 31, and enable Clucky to cast healing spells and buffs on you or itself (if you chose the "Cast Spells as Level 5 Cleric" and "+4 all DCs" abilities from among the range of awesome abilities that this template grants).

[Fax Celestis]

I'd rather not go with a familiar, as they're pretty fragile compared to animal companions--and they don't get feats. Right now I'm looking at going with a Mounted Combat Ranger (Dragon 326) Awakened Squirrel using an eagle (advantage: flight), a serval (advantage: pounce, rake), or a small viper (advantage: poison).

I don't think tressym increase in size for more HD, but I could be wrong on that.

[Fax Celestis]

Where are you getting the stats for a squirell?

And what book is awakened from?

Just going with the rat stats for the squirrel stuff, though if I can wrangle it, I may try to get my DM to let me play a Skiurid instead. And awaken is in core.

[Wckd]

Hm... If a squirrel could become a paladin I suppose you could get the mount at lvl 5, and choose just about any small sized mount you would like. (Provided that your DM allows it, which is very possible if being a Squirrel Paladin is allowed...)

[Keld Denar]

What could be a better friend and companion to a squirrel than a moose? Go with it! Get in touch with your youthful cartoony self!

This might be a little before your time...