Would you allow a companion animal as a mount?

[domino]

I don't see any huge difference it'd make, so why not?

 

[Kzach]

Beast Rider

Heroic Tier
Prerequisite: Beast Mastery class feature
Benefit: If your beast companion is your size or larger, and at least Medium size, you can ride it as a mount. (This is an exception to the rule that mounts must be no smaller than Large.) You can mount or dismount your beast companion as a move action.

Published in Dragon Magazine 384, page(s) 36.

Especialy useful for Talenta halfling rangers in Eberron.

Hmm, assuming my DM allows me to swap my Sentinel's bear for a crodlu, I think I'll be taking that feat.

 

[Pour]

Yes, absolutely. I even allow my PCs familiars to interact with objects. Hell, my bard is actually marrying his sprite familiar, and my warlock's familiar has also become her mount (a shadow cat that alters its size, and can become insubstantial at-will). I even gave the cat a horse's speed. Honestly, it hasn't broken anything, and in fact adds a lot of value, most of it emotional, to the characters.

 

[Kzach]

Hell, my bard is actually marrying his sprite familiar...

That's just wrong on so many levels.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Hmm, assuming my DM allows me to swap my Sentinel's bear for a crodlu, I think I'll be taking that feat.

This feat is not neded anymore. The large requirement has been scrapped, IIRC...

 

[Xris Robin]

But not the requirement that a creature be larger than you. A medium PC still can't ride a medium beast.

 

[KahnyaGnorc]

If the companion is one size category larger than you and is able (a primate companion wouldn't be a good mount), yes, but you'd be having penalties for riding in combat. Feats could be used to change those restrictions (growing a companion larger, able to be a mount, getting rid of combat penalties, etc).

 

[phoffman]

Mounted Combat is pretty weak in 4e. Letting them have a mount shouldn't break your game, as long as it doesn't affect the story. (i.e. it sounds believable to the party.)

Riding your Gelatinous Cube Familiar after casting the "Familiar Mount" Ritual is probably still a no-go (unless your into hilarious situations).

In my campaigns I house rule that all characters get mounted combat as a bonus feat. Mounts are pretty weak especially after you account for all the costs for one. Mounts take AoE damage as their own target and if a mount is knocked prone (which is easy to do) the rider is automatically dismounted.
Not all mounts have special abilities which makes the mounted combat feat less attractive.