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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RUMBLETiGER" data-source="post: 5766766" data-attributes="member: 6674868">First I'd like to point you to all the sources I know of about tricks and handling:-PHB p.74-75-Complete Adventurer p.100-101-Arms & Equipment Guide p.75-Races of the Wild p.146-<a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a" target="_blank">Wild Life</a> article-Monster Manual II p.219 WarBeast Template (See the end of this post)-<a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a" target="_blank">Wild Cohort</a> feat to grant animal companions to all classes.-Also, the useful <a href="http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871522/The_Handle_Animal_Guide" target="_blank">Handle Animals Guidebook</a>-I'd like to point you to Complete Adventurer p.101 with the feat: Extra Tricks that an animal or Magical Beast with an INT of 1 or 2 that already knows at least 1 trick can take, which grants the benefit of learning 3 more tricks than normal. This is a feat your animal takes, not the PC, based upon the animal's HD granting feats.  This may end up replacing a standard feat the animal comes with, or if you have the ability to progress an animal's HD, you simply have the animal take it at the appropriate point in progression.Finally: -A shameless plug for why I know all this stuff, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/304407-how-raise-rust-monster-mount-guide.html" target="_blank">How To Raise A Rust Monster Mount</a>.-A request for more contributions to the discussion of <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/308824-dinosaurs-rust-monsters-big-ideas.html" target="_blank">training Dinosaurs and such</a>.PHB p. 75 "Training Animals For A Purpose" provides packages of tricks.  The advantage of training these packages is supposed to be less skill checks.  To teach an individual trick, is 1 week.  To teach the package "Combat Riding" is 6 weeks, but only a single skill check instead of 6 separate ones.  All the possible general purpose packages include:PHB:-Combat Riding-Fighting-Guarding-Heavy Labor-Hunting-Performance-RidingC. Adv:-Advanced Fighting-Defensive Guarding-ThieveryRaces of the Wild:-Helpmate-Herding-Rescue<a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a" target="_blank">Wild Life</a>:-Adventuring Pack AnimalTherefore to answer your question:The answer for the standard, vanilla, Combat Riding package trained "usual Warhorse" is it is NOT trained to attack unusual creatures.  However there is NOTHING saying that a Warhorse or any animal has to have been trained by only that one package (Combat Riding), or a package instead of separate tricks. You might assume the standard Warhorse is likely taught those 6 tricks by the NPC handler you bought it from, if that's how the DM played the NPC who the warhorse came from.  If you're the one doing the training, you could select whichever tricks you want.  You can also negotiate with your DM to have spoken with an NPC to buy a non-standard trained Warhorse.  If you end up with a Warhorse trained to attack unnatural creatures, and if the Warhorse can only have a maximum of 6 tricks, assume the Attacking unnatural creatures has taken up two trick slots, and lose one of the other standard ones from the list of (come, defend, down, guard, and heel).Keep in Mind the Extra Tricks feat option.Note that there is no "Ride" trick.  There is a riding package which includes "Come, Heel and Stay", however whether or not an animal can be ridden is usually based upon the creature description and the PC's Ride skill.  The Warbeast Template (see below) grants in the text the ability for any creature to be ridden that can and has been trained into the template.  So one can determine with the information in this post, if a creature can serve as a "Mount".  The words "Effective" and "War" in your question...:...depend on what you do with the rest of the information in this post from these sources.  To be an effective war mount depends upon what the player expects from a war mount.  Let me list all the possible tricks from the available sources (some repeat):PHB:-Attack-Come-Defend-Down-Fetch-Guard-Heel-Perform-Seek-Stay-Track-WorkC. Adv:-Assist Attack-Assist Defend-Assist Track-Hold-Home-Hunt-Stalk-Steal-Subdue-WarnArms & Equip:-Don't Attack-[Special Ability] (*worthy of special attention*)-Alert-Disable-Disarm-Subdue-TripRaces of the Wild:-Ambush-Bull Rush-Disarm-Mark-Overrun<a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a" target="_blank">Wild Life</a>:-Ambush-Bull Rush-Flush Out-Overrun-Pin-StalkIf your Animal Companion can know up to 6 tricks, you have the appropriate level of Animal Handling skill, and you invest 6 weeks worth of time, YOU decide which of these options to teach.  Have Fun.If you're a Druid that has picked up a new Animal Companion, negotiate with your DM if the wild animal you picked up can have a different set of known tricks than standard.  Many of the additional tricks could make just as much sense in the natural world for an animal to have then the standard set.Again, Keep in Mind the Extra Tricks feat option.I'd like to point out in the Arms & Equipment Guide, there is a list for Guard Creatures and Mounts.  It's a very inspiring read and gives many creative options.  The list of possible Mounts includes:-Blink Dog-Megaraptor-Riding Lizard-Owlbear-Triceratops-Worg-Axebeak-Hippocampus-Couatl-Dragon-Gelatinous Cube-Hieracosphinx-Hydra-Nightmare-Purple Worm-<a href="http://community.wizards.com/rumbletiger/blog/?message=WW91ciBwb3N0IGhhcyBub3cgYmVlbiBzdWJtaXR0ZWQh" target="_blank">Rust Monster</a>-Skeletal Horse-Tendriculos-Wyvern-Equine Golem-Zaratan-Soarwhale-Giant Ant-Giant Praying Mantis-Giant Wasp-Monstrous Scorpion-Monstrous Spider-Giant Dragonfly-Giant Firefly-Girallon-Grey Render-OgreWhile many other books, such as Monster Manuals, offer additional suggestions for possible Mounts, I'd like to take a moment to highlight two of my favorite: the BattleTitan (dinosaur) from Monster Manual III p.38 (Cast an Awaken spell on that thing...) and the Ashworm from Sandstorm p.140.-Extra Tricks feat, as mentioned.-Monster Manual II has the incredible Warbeast Template.  It's a trainable template that can be applied to any medium sized or larger animal, beast or vermin (but it later says that vermin are untrainable, so ignore that).  This template, requiring 6 months of training with a domesticated creature (longer and different DC's for wild creatures), grants +1 HD, +10 Land speed, grants a +2 to Ride checks to rider, ability to wear all types of armor, +3 STR, +3 CON, +2 WIS, +1 to Listen and Spot checks.-Wild Cohort feat, mentioned at the top of this post.-<a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031125a" target="_blank">Wild Life</a> article has 4 new feats to aid a PC in working with an animal.  It also lists out all the body slots that an animal may possess to equip magic items.  Note that list, plus the armor granted by the Warbeast template, can lead to a very, very well equipped animal.If you want to immediately acquire an animal or beast that knows a different set of tricks, talk with your DM. If these additional sources are available to you beyond the PHB, consider a Druid's Animal Companion's Bonus Tricks from other lists.In conclusion, if a PC decided to make intelligent use of the options available here (Please take the time to read over my <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/304407-how-raise-rust-monster-mount-guide.html" target="_blank">How To Raise A Rust Monster Mount</a>, it's long but inspiring, IMHO), you can likely even replace certain party members roles such as stealth, scout, thief and damage dealer with a well trained pet, at least at lower levels.</blockquote>

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