air walk with mount...

[Lamoni]

I am currently running a Paladin and we are starting a forest campaign with flying creatures. My character can't do anything except fire his shortbow.

Looking over the Cleric spells for help I saw airwalk. It says that you can cast it on a mount, but the mount must be trained first with a DC 25 handle animal check.

from the SRD... You can cast air walk on a specially trained mount so it can be ridden through the air. You can train a mount to move with the aid of air walk (counts as a trick; see Handle Animal skill) with one week of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check.

Riding my mount through the air would be perfect... but I only have 3 ranks in handle animal (it is hard with only 2 skill points per level). I have several questions to those that are DM's. Would you give a circumstance bonus since the mount shares a telepathic link? Would you allow the trainer to take a 20? Would you allow the use of the spell on an untrained mount at a penalty (like having to make a ride check every round). Or, would you say that since he shares the telepathic link, he doesn't need to be trained. He can do just fine.

I know it all depends on what my DM decides, but I won't see him for about a week and I wanted some input.

If I can't use the spell before the mount is trained, it looks like I'll need to take 2 more ranks in handle animal when we level up, then spend some time training. I wouldn't want to waste time training unless there was a large circumstance bonus or I was allowed to take a 20 though. Why waste a week with only a 5% chance of the training being successful?

The problem with waiting until we level up is that it will mean that I will be useless in many battles before then... and there is not even any certainty that I'll survive until then. I know that the spell can be cast on my Paladin or the fighter instead of my mount, but with the reduced speed we would have very little chance catching up to any flying creature. They would be able to fly circles around us.

 

[Rugger]

I'd say he could do it no problem...he's smarter than the average bear (or wolf...or horse...or celestial dog...), and "wired" to you.

Methinks those training rules were meant for more conventional, non-special mounts and pets.

-Rugger
"I Airwalk!"

 

[Lamoni]

I'd say he could do it no problem...he's smarter than the average bear (or wolf...or horse...or celestial dog...), and "wired" to you.

Methinks those training rules were meant for more conventional, non-special mounts and pets.

-Rugger
"I Airwalk!"

Sounds good to me. I sure hope my DM sees it the same way. Then I'll actually be useful the next time we come up against a flying creature. My mount is a Celestial Dire Wolf by the way.

 

[Steverooo]

I am currently running a Paladin and we are starting a forest campaign with flying creatures. My character can't do anything except fire his shortbow.

Looking over the Cleric spells for help I saw airwalk. It says that you can cast it on a mount, but the mount must be trained first with a DC 25 handle animal check.

Don't forget the Paladin's WIS Bonus (so three ranks is probably enough). Also, nothing says an NPC can't train the mount...

Riding my mount through the air would be perfect... but I only have 3 ranks in handle animal

That should be enough for DC:25.

(it is hard with only 2 skill points per level). I have several questions to those that are DM's. Would you give a circumstance bonus since the mount shares a telepathic link?

Bzzzt! WRONG! It's an Empathic link, meaning you share feelings, not telepathic! Still, Druidic/Ranger Wild Empathy gives a +4 bonus, so, yeah... At least that. Also notice that the mount's INT is AT LEAST 6, three times that of a smart animal! I'd say that's worth another bonus of (say) +4, for a total of +8.

Would you allow the trainer to take a 20?

I'm not sure, but would you really want to spend 20 WEEKS training the mount?!?

Would you allow the use of the spell on an untrained mount at a penalty (like having to make a ride check every round).

Yuppers!

Or, would you say that since he shares the telepathic link, he doesn't need to be trained. He can do just fine.

Dream on! And the link is empathic, not telepathic!

I know it all depends on what my DM decides, but I won't see him for about a week and I wanted some input.

If I can't use the spell before the mount is trained, it looks like I'll need to take 2 more ranks in handle animal when we level up, then spend some time training. I wouldn't want to waste time training unless there was a large circumstance bonus or I was allowed to take a 20 though. Why waste a week with only a 5% chance of the training being successful?

The problem with waiting until we level up is that it will mean that I will be useless in many battles before then... and there is not even any certainty that I'll survive until then. I know that the spell can be cast on my Paladin or the fighter instead of my mount, but with the reduced speed we would have very little chance catching up to any flying creature. They would be able to fly circles around us.

If you cast the spell, yourself (even from a scroll, wand, or other item), Share Spells will take effect, so long as your mount remains within five feet of you. Bad for the horse, if you fall off, though!

At the moment, though, I'd say you've got +10, plus whatever your Paladin's WIS Bonus is, so DC:25 aint that bad. What I'D do, though, is pray that some Angel with Handle Animals would take a week and train my mount FOR me... If not, maybe you know a Druid, Ranger, or Animal Handler who'd be willing to help?

 

[Rugger]

At the moment, though, I'd say you've got +10, plus whatever your Paladin's WIS Bonus is, so DC:25 aint that bad. What I'D do, though, is pray that some Angel with Handle Animals would take a week and train my mount FOR me... If not, maybe you know a Druid, Ranger, or Animal Handler who'd be willing to help?

Is this an actual paladin mount?

If so, then its got an INT of 6. Thats in the Half-Orc range.

Do we have to train half-orcs to do tricks?

"C'mon Krug! Give daddy a power attack! Good boy!"

Don't think so.

Paladin mounts are smart enough to not require tricks. And heck, I've seen paladins with mounts smarter than themselves!

Therefore, I think the mount could airwalk just like a PC.

Now if its a regular horse...then you would have to go through all the training hoohah...

-Rugger
"I UpSimba!"

 

[Lamoni]

Don't forget the Paladin's WIS Bonus (so three ranks is probably enough). Also, nothing says an NPC can't train the mount...

That should be enough for DC:25.

Bzzzt! WRONG! It's an Empathic link, meaning you share feelings, not telepathic! Still, Druidic/Ranger Wild Empathy gives a +4 bonus, so, yeah... At least that. Also notice that the mount's INT is AT LEAST 6, three times that of a smart animal! I'd say that's worth another bonus of (say) +4, for a total of +8.

After looking at the Handle Animal Skill in the SRD, I agree with Rugger. Paladin mounts can do almost anything that is listed in the list of animal tricks. One of the hardest things to do with the Handle Animal skill is combat riding and fighting. Since that doesn't take training with Paladin mount, I would infer from there that other training doesn't apply either.

You are right. It is am EMPATHIC link, not telepathic. Still, you share feelings so it is quite a bit different than a normal mount. If you still did require a training period, I would give a bonus of +20 for the mounts intelligence. I'd also reduce the time from a week to maybe an hour... or at most a day.

I know that I don't have final say, but I think that I can formulate a good argument to convince my DM to take my side also.

 

[S'mon]

Merlin casts Air Walk on Uther's mount near the start of 'Excalibur' - the horse seems to handle it ok.