Riding on a donkey

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Spinner wrote:

>3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size bigger than
>you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this (IDHTBIFOM)? I have a
>young druid elf in one of my games who wants to ride a pony.
>
>It might actually be better than a horse in some ways especially if you want
>to ride in a dungeon (a smaller mount means fewer space problems). Of
>course you'd probably want a donkey then for its sure-footedness...
>
>Spinner
>
>
>
>
The "one size bigger" model for riding animals seems to be fairly
consistent. Maybe there could be an animal trait that would allow it to
be used as a steed by a creature of the same size...

--
Tetsubo
My page: http://home.comcast.net/~tetsubo/
--------------------------------------
If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
-- Anatole France

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Spinner wrote:
>
> 3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size bigger than
> you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this (IDHTBIFOM)?

DMG, p.204: "Suitable Mounts: You have the final
decision on what is or is not a suitable mount. At its
most basic level, a mount should have the following
characteristics:

[#2] At least one size category larger than the
character. Also, a flying mount can carry no more than
a light load aloft."

-Bluto

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In article <3euvccF55avkU1@individual.net>, "Spinner" <bprentic@uwo.ca>
wrote:

> 3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size bigger than
> you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this (IDHTBIFOM)? I have a
> young druid elf in one of my games who wants to ride a pony.

A big pony could probably be counted as Large anyway, if that solves the
problem. Even a medium size pony is bigger and heavier than a human.
(I assume this is going to be some kind of halfling-bred and trained war
pony or something. Riding a civilian pony into trouble would be silly).

> It might actually be better than a horse in some ways especially if you want
> to ride in a dungeon (a smaller mount means fewer space problems).

They might not want to do that once you point out that ponies have poor
saving throws and that area effect spells and traps exist. That pony
could very easily get baked in a fireball, struck by fear, turned into
stone or whatever and then you have got a problem.

Kevin Lowe,
Tasmania.

--
Kevin Lowe,
Tasmania.

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Spinner wrote:
> 3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size
bigger than
> you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this (IDHTBIFOM)? I
have a
> young druid elf in one of my games who wants to ride a pony.
>
> It might actually be better than a horse in some ways especially if
you want
> to ride in a dungeon (a smaller mount means fewer space problems).
Of
> course you'd probably want a donkey then for its sure-footedness...
>

Officially it's suggested 1 size larger, but people do ride donkeys
IRL, so I'd say yes a donkey could be used a mount, especially for a
ligher person like an elf. I'd say any animal as long as it's not
actually smaller and it has the Str to carry you.

Now on to using it to cary you indoors, it'd need to be trained for
that, but thats not that unusual they were often used in mines. And
lastly into combat... So what you really want is a war donkey - I'd say
it'd be quite a bit more expensive than a normal donkey.

Now as for one size larger I'm still waiting for someone to play a
gnome and buy a really stupid half-orc for a mount.

- Justisaur.

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

>> 3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size bigger
>> than
>> you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this (IDHTBIFOM)? I have
>> a
>> young druid elf in one of my games who wants to ride a pony.
>
> A big pony could probably be counted as Large anyway, if that solves the
> problem. Even a medium size pony is bigger and heavier than a human.

That's not a bad idea -- call it a pony but really give it the size of a
horse...? I did like the idea of cruising around mounted in a 5x5 square
though.

> (I assume this is going to be some kind of halfling-bred and trained war
> pony or something. Riding a civilian pony into trouble would be silly).
>
Actually, this one's going to be a unique pony ... I'm using Unicorn stats
minus the horn and with reduction in speed/stats equal to the difference
between horse and pony. Also, it will be mostly unintelligent (maybe a 2?)
since it's standing in for an animal companion ... but it'll still have the
cool uni abilities which it'll use "instinctively". Kind of like a tiny,
magical Shadowfax or something.

>> It might actually be better than a horse in some ways especially if you
>> want
>> to ride in a dungeon (a smaller mount means fewer space problems).
>
> They might not want to do that once you point out that ponies have poor
> saving throws and that area effect spells and traps exist. That pony
> could very easily get baked in a fireball, struck by fear, turned into
> stone or whatever and then you have got a problem.
>
Ha! Good point ... see above.

Spinner

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Spinner wrote:
> 3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size
> bigger than you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this
> (IDHTBIFOM)? I have a young druid elf in one of my games who wants to
> ride a pony.

I don't know much about ponies, except that my daughter has gotten too
big to ride on the kind they keep at fairs, and she's about the same
size as a D&D elf.
--
Bradd W. Szonye
http://www.szonye.com/bradd

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On Thu, 19 May 2005 17:06:35 GMT, "Bradd W. Szonye"
<bradd+news@szonye.com> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> Spinner wrote:
> > 3.5 seems to assume that you ride only animals that are one size
> > bigger than you (or perhaps two). Are there any rules for this
> > (IDHTBIFOM)? I have a young druid elf in one of my games who wants to
> > ride a pony.
>
> I don't know much about ponies, except that my daughter has gotten too
> big to ride on the kind they keep at fairs, and she's about the same
> size as a D&D elf.

Ponies can go right up to small horses in size. In fact the difference
between a pony and a horse is simply an arbitary measure of size
(aside from a few breeds which are always considered "a horse" or "a
pony", regardless of size). IIRC the borderline is 14 hands & 2 inches
at the shoulder (a hand is 4 inches, so that's 58", or 4'10" ). You can
get some pretty hefty ponies, as well as those little Shetland and
Welch breeds (which can have the most evil tempraments I've ever seen
in a horse or pony - "short man's disease", I suspect).


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

In article <28WdnRhTS7wMCBbfRVn-2g@comcast.com>,
"Ishka Bibble" <x@comcast.net> wrote:

> "Tetsubo" <tetsubo@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:hcqdnT7pqohEyBffRVn-uw@comcast.com...
> > Spinner wrote:
> > The "one size bigger" model for riding animals seems to be fairly
> > consistent. Maybe there could be an animal trait that would allow it to
> > be used as a steed by a creature of the same size...
> >
> > --
> > Tetsubo
> > My page: http://home.comcast.net/~tetsubo/
> > --------------------------------------
> > If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
> > -- Anatole France
>
> A guy worked for had large Sulcata tortoises that you could sit on like an
> ottoman and they would get up an move around with you on them occasionally.
> Pretty strong buggers. The largest of them got to 150 lbs, which would make
> it a M sized critter. Just use a slightly more fantasy based creature and
> you would have a form of transport that would be about walking speed. Hmmm.
> Not much point in that, is there? Maybe if you lacked legs...



In my gameworld I plan on having gnomish racing tortoises. (Mind you
my gnomes will be halfway between Monk (from the TV show of the same
name) and Harry Potter's house elves in personality, and halfway between
Steve Buscemi and Harry Potter's house elves in appearance.)



Charleson Mambo