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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sephiroth no Miko" data-source="post: 1772677" data-attributes="member: 4796">Nope, didn't see it in there (looked under the weapon special abilities section in the Magic Items chapter... unless it's elsewhere in the book?). :\ You're going to have to find the source before I can approve it (providing I own the sourcebook).Found the saddlebags of providing though, thanks.It doesn't... In fact, the DMG doesn't say anything about using a point buy system for cohorts at all. Many DMs just let PCs use the same array they gave PCs (or perhaps a slightly weaker array) if it is a playable race--after all, it's no fun to have a cohort that has straight 10s across its abilities. If it's not, the DMG pretty much assumes the player uses the stats straight out of the MM if it is a monster-- like a dragon or a unicorn-- and assigns a LA based on the creatures abilities. (See the section titled "Special Cohorts" in the DMG, p. 199 for this).The complication lies in that you're trying to combine your mount with your cohort. A special mount uses the base MM statistics for that animal, and gains special bonuses to make become stronger, faster, tougher than its usual type. Being a cohort simply lets it reach an even higher ECL than it otherwise could, whether through class levels or templates, provided your Leadership score was high enough. There's nothing about it that guarantees what sort of scores the cohort receives.Animals also have some peculiar limitations, such as they can't have an Int higher than 2, and usually no Cha higher than 6 (or 10 if dire). This messes up the system of distributing points, which wasn't made for this sort of thing.However, if you want some fluidity in creating Grizzle's stats, and want to make him more elite than the usual dog, I'm willing to offer this compromise: He receives as ability score adjustments: +4 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Dex, -8 Int, +2 Wis, -4 Cha. He receives 28 points to spend on buying scores, but you must spend at least 2 points on Cha to give him at least a 6 Cha after racial mods. Whatever his Int is after racial mods is his Int, as opposed to what he receives would have received on the special mount table, though his minimum Int must be at least 2. Would this be acceptable to you?It does change his creature type into magical beast but does not change HD, BAB progression, saves, skills, etc. If you look at the example creature they have for the template (a winged dog, actually) you will notice all that remains the same as base creature type-- animal. Its creature type is magical beast only for determining what sort of spells and effects can affect it.The wolf's trip ability is not the same as the Improved Trip feat, actually. The feat allows the creature an extra attack on a successful trip while the the trip ability... well, here's the text for it from the MM:Trip (Ex): A wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the wolf.Essentially, it lets the wolf (or riding dog) make a trip attempt at the same time it makes a bite attack and the wolf (or dog) doesn't provoke an AoO when doing so.Ah. Well, since it is a heritage feat, your winged dog would have to come from a world with heavy gravity... which is rather at odds with its winged nature. The only plane with heavy gravity that comes to mind is the Elemental Plane of Earth. Grizzle can't have the winged template and have this feat as well. Sorry. :\</blockquote>

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