Intelligent Flying Carpet

[Corwin]

Yes, I know, Disney's Alladin. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Look. I have a 3 year old daughter who loves to watch the darn thing E-V-E-R-Y D-A-Y. So I can't help myself, alright? I apologize.

Aside from the obvious link to the cartoon, the idea of an intelligent flying carpet in D&D is quite good, IMO. Basically, it would become a flying mount with a 180' movement rate.

I would think to start with the 4'x6' version of the carpet. That gives it a carrying capacity of 600 lbs. I was figuring on making it an "empathic" level of intelligence and that gives it two primary abilities: Intuit Direction (10) and evasion. They seem to fit well with the theme and all.

That would bring the grand total price of 44,000 gp (29k for the carpet, 15k for the intelligence).

Whatcha think?

 

[Artoomis]

A cool idea. One must keep in mind that it makes a really lousy combat mount, though, what with no saddle or any means to stay "mounted".

You'd need the Ride skill for Magic Carpet, and could never get bonuses for being in a saddle, but it could work out pretty well.

 

[Krystoff]

I would actually be a bit more lenient. I would think that being an intelligent carpet (And also having watched the cartoon) it should be able to move peices of itself. Thus it could create a sort of "saddle" in the middle. Raising the edges to make backstops and help keep the rider in.

Disclaimer:
None of this comes from a rules base. There is nothing in the rules that stat whether the carpet stays rigid in a carpet formation or helps to keep the rider on. I just like the idea of the carpet being like the one from Disney. I would make it so it has a personality and interacts with the character. You get more attached to something like that.

 

[kreynolds]

dun duh...dun duh...dun duh...dun duh dun duh dun duh dun duh ... here comes the little kid with a big ol' glass of grape juice! Run for your fuzzy lives!!!!

 

[Corwin]

I'll probably end up somewhere in between you two (Artoomis and Krystoff). I don't necessarily think the carpet should be exceptionally difficult to stay on top of. But, I do see the appropriateness of have a ride skill for using it like any other mount.

As to its personality, I agree. I ended up rolling the following stat values: 18, 14, 13. I had every intention of puting the 18 in Charisma. I figured it would be Neutral Good as well.

BTW, speaking of the whole Alladin connection...

I almost forgot to mention that the halfling rogue/sorcerer in the group has a cowardly, talking parrot with a bad attitude as his familiar (treated like a raven, basically). But, no, its name isn't Iago.

 

[Artoomis]

Where's the monkey? Or is that another PC?

 

[Corwin]

Where's the monkey? Or is that another PC?

Hehe. No monkey, sorry. Though we do have a talking yak follower (awakened animal).

It was a bunch of us joking about the halfling's parrot that got me to thinking about the Aladdin movie in the first place. That in turn lead to the carpet idea (having seen it soooooo many times). So it's not like I am trying to go to a theme or anything, just coincidence and some good roleplaying.