Paladin's mount can't wear armor? What am I missing?

[Goldmoon]

Ya know, with as many Paladins as Ive played Im surprised Ive never thought of this issue. Its gotta be an oversight in the rules. A warhorse taking armor check penalties just sounds stupid. What's next, since I need ranks in ride to do well on horseback, the mount needs ranks in being ridden?

 

[Wolfwood2]

Bah, just buy a masterwork mithril "breastplate" barding. (Obviously it wouldn't actually be a breastplate, but the barding equivalaent of that armor type.)

Armor check penalty of zero so proficiency isn't a problem, you can get it enchanted, and anything heavier would only slow your warhorse down anyway. What's not to love?

 

[Wolf72]

I think one of the tricks they should have put in the Handle Animal skill is: 'Wear Barding'

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

Wear Barding is a trick you can teach any animal through the handle animal skill. I believe it is in the Complete Adventurer or Wilderness book. I have always used up a trick for it, as well as one to allow the animal to have war caps (also in one fot eh books but i can't remember which one, may have been a historical 3rd party book) as did many war animals with talons. War caps were just metal casings fit over the claws of the animal (much like claw caps are today for cats). My lioness companions with studded leather barding of the shadow and +3 claw caps are nasty. Now all I needed to do was find a druid to awaken them and have them take ninja levels.

awakened lioness ninjas with barding and claw caps FTW

 

[Nac_Mac_Feegle]

Bah, just buy a masterwork mithril "breastplate" barding. (Obviously it wouldn't actually be a breastplate, but the barding equivalaent of that armor type.)

Armor check penalty of zero so proficiency isn't a problem, you can get it enchanted, and anything heavier would only slow your warhorse down anyway. What's not to love?

The pedant in me must point out that Mithril Breastplate has an Armour check penalty of -1, any item made from special material is already assumed to be masterworked, and that masterwokring is already accounted for in its modifiers and cost to make. You cant have non-masterworked mithril items.

Feegle Out

 

[Bagpuss]

Wear Barding is a trick you can teach any animal through the handle animal skill. I believe it is in the Complete Adventurer or Wilderness book.

It's not in the Complete Adventure (although there are a load of new tricks in there), besides unless the trick actually says it gives the animal the Armor Proficiency then they will still have reduced attack rolls.

 

[boolean]

The pedant in me must point out that Mithril Breastplate has an Armour check penalty of -1, any item made from special material is already assumed to be masterworked, and that masterwokring is already accounted for in its modifiers and cost to make. You cant have non-masterworked mithril items.

Feegle Out

The pedant in me must point out that not all special materials are assumed to be masterwork. Cold iron and alchemical silver, for example, must be made masterwork for a separate cost.

Your statement is correct for mithral (which, by the way, is spelled with an a) in particular, but not for special materials in general.

 

[Diomeneus]

I hate alchemical silver... it actually hurts the weapon and costs more... but i suppose its still necessary to have something silver :s

 

[Ovistavin]

It's not in the Complete Adventure (although there are a load of new tricks in there), besides unless the trick actually says it gives the animal the Armor Proficiency then they will still have reduced attack rolls.

I believe it was in Masters of the Wild.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

I believe it was in Masters of the Wild.

it's in a new one as well, we found it recently. Originally it was posted in Masters of the Wild, yes. And afik it gave proficency in wearing the armor, at least that is how we ran it and I remember one of us asking about it on the wotc rules forums. It doesn't really matter to me, as most animal companions can use all the help they can get I rule they can be trained to wear armor as the feat.