Phantom Steed

gyor · Jun 5, 2019

"A Large quasi-real, horse-like creature appears on the ground in an unoccupied space of your choice within range. You decide the creature's appearance, but it is equipped with a saddle, bit, and bridle. Any of the Equipment created by the spell vanishes in a puff of smoke if it is carried more than 10 feet away from the steed.

For the Duration, you or a creature you choose can ride the steed. The creature uses the Statistics for a Riding Horse, except it has a speed of 100 feet and can travel 10 miles in an hour, or 13 miles at a fast pace. When the spell ends, the steed gradually fades, giving the rider 1 minute to dismount. The spell ends if you use an action to dismiss it or if the steed takes any damage"

So how much control over the appearance do you have over the Phantom Steed? Like could you make it look like a Centaur, or a Sphinx? How about something like a large bipedal creature, say an Orger or Troll? I mean as long as it comes with a saddle, bridle, and bit, is there any limit on the appearance of the steed beyond being size large? Could you make it look like a large stone or a fire elemental?

If you were short boulders for a catapult, would conjuring a phantom steed in it's place function well enough for ammo? Would that be cruel, I mean it's an illusionist creature.

Can they have the appearance of full transparency?

Leatherhead · Jun 5, 2019

The only restrictions I see are:
"Large"
"Quasi-real"
"Horse-Like"
And
"Uses the same stats as a riding horse."

You could make it look like a mule, zebra, nightmare, unicorn, equine clockwork golem, skeletal warhorse, pegasus, hippogriff, that "Sea-horse" that you saw on a carousel that one time, centaur, Thirty/Thirty, or even something out of My Little Pony. However, it would only look that way, and they wouldn't have any of the special movement types or powers associated with the form it takes.

Though you could launch it from a catapult, it probably wouldn't do any damage when it hits something, thanks to being only quasi-real. As for full transparency, I wouldn't let that slide, it's just begging for someone to weasel their way into an invisible horse. Also, if you can't see something, it doesn't look like anything, and that's not in the spirit of the rules.

Mistwell · Jun 5, 2019

What spaces can you reach while riding it, is my question.

Hawk Diesel · Jun 5, 2019

Sounds like someone wants to be like Julian from Caverns and Creatures.

gyor · Jun 5, 2019

Hawk Diesel said:
Sounds like someone wants to be like Julian from Caverns and Creatures.

I'm not familiar with that reference.

Hawk Diesel · Jun 5, 2019

Sorry, its a funny book series abput a group of friends that get stuck in an RPG for real. It's loosely based on 3.5 rules and Julian is the group's sorcerer. His most common spell used is the Mount spell, and while its not intentional, the horses he summons all seem to end up dying horrific deaths before blinking out of existence.