Can a bonded mount breed with a normal horse?

[Avatar_V]

Hehehe... I thought the subject asked if barded mounts could mate with other mounts. I was trying to figure out what the problem with that would be... Is the armor in the way? LoL, this makes more sense now And yes, I agree, if orcs and humans can, then certainly bonded and non-bonded can, right?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Yet another reason to select a stallion as a bonded mount rather than a mare--it'd really suck to have your bonded warhorse unavailable to you for fighting evil because she was heavy with foals. . . .

OTOH, maybe bonded warhorses essentially take vows of celibacy so that they can focus all their energies on fighting evil. Perhaps part of what enables them to bond with the paladin is a willingness to stand aside from other animals and the instincts that govern them and to pledge their entire being to a higher cause.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

Yet another reason to select a stallion as a bonded mount rather than a mare--it'd really suck to have your bonded warhorse unavailable to you for fighting evil because she was heavy with foals. . . .

OTOH, maybe bonded warhorses essentially take vows of celibacy so that they can focus all their energies on fighting evil. Perhaps part of what enables them to bond with the paladin is a willingness to stand aside from other animals and the instincts that govern them and to pledge their entire being to a higher cause.

It's one way to go, but it seems like it's asking a LOT of an animal. Some players and GMs don't require celibacy from their paladins, so I can't imagine they would require it of their mount.

Perhaps the bonded mounts would be something of an aristocracy of talent. They come, after all, from the best of the best. Perhaps a bonded mount would only be interested in another mount of similar caliber. i.e. another bonded mount or the physical and mental pinnacle of normal animals of their type. They're physically capable of mating with "lesser" animals, but they don't tend to aim below their own "social class." Of course, the biological phenomenon of "heat" is a confounding factor here.

These animals are supposed to become intelligent and have their own personalities, so why not give them full blown motivations in this area? Maybe your bonded stallion is a playboy among horses. He knows he's attractive as a mate, and he's not above having a good time with the queen's prize mare given the opportunity. With his increased intelligence, he's certainly capable of getting into and out of most stables if he wants. An intelligent mare (bonded or otherwise) would be an interesting challenge for him. A bonded mare would have more things to think about, of course. Balancing her biological need to procreate with the needs of her mistress or master. She might even try to ask leave of her paladin for a time in order to carry a pregnancy. And if they're intelligent, they don't need to stop at mating. They could fall in love.