Question about a Paladin's Mount

[Schmoe]

An interesting situation arose in our game tonight. The party has an artifact that they want to hide. The paladin's mount, when dismissed, goes back to the "celestial realms". In addition, it always appears with the equipment that was left on it. The party theorized that they could stash the artifact on the mount, dismiss the mount, and the artifact would be safe.

So, what does happen to the mount? Where is it? Would the artifact really be safe? I ruled that the mount went to the celestial stables, where it was tended by lantern archons. For reasons relevant to the story, the party wants to make sure that the artifact doesn't fall into the hands of the archons, so they ruled out stowing it with the mount.

How would you have ruled?

 

[Nightfall]

I would have ruled that paladins mount's can disappear like that. I mean you see other animal companions or familiars do that unless they have like etheral jaunt or something like that? This is why I hate that part of 3.5 paladin.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I would have ruled that paladins mount's can disappear like that.

I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and guess you meant "can't"?

-Hyp.

 

[Schmoe]

I would have ruled that paladins mount's can disappear like that. I mean you see other animal companions or familiars do that unless they have like etheral jaunt or something like that? This is why I hate that part of
3.5 paladin.

I agree, it's a little bit whacky, but we made the switch to 3.5, and I didn't rule-0 the change simply because the paladin was finding his mount much more of a burden than a help. Since we had already been using the "summoned" mount, changing it just when the party tried to use it in a creative way would be bad form, IMO.

 

[Nightfall]

HS,

Yes well I forget my contractions some times. Probably why got made me a man.

Shmoe,

Well understandable but if you want my advice, just have the paladin pray to his god/goddess to send in an angel/celestial to take it away. It would make more sense.

 

[FireLance]

By the rules, it would have worked, and I would have congratulated the party on finding such a creative way to use the Summon Mount ability.

However, if I cannot allow this for metagame reasons, e.g. sneaking the artifact past certain obstacles is the entire point of the adventure, I may have to tell the party that it's a good idea, but I'm not going to let it happen as it would derail the entire thread of the adventure, give them bonus XP for coming up with it, and come up with a flimsy excuse on the spot, e.g. the artifact cannot be plane shifted/teleported in this manner, the paladin's horse (who is an intelligent entity in its own right) refuses to take it, etc. If the players understand that the alternative is to wrap up the game early and spend the rest of the session discussing why giant eagles couldn't have carried the One Ring to the Crack of Doom, I'm sure they would not protest too much.

 

[Nightfall]

Ah there reason giant eagles couldn't have taken the One ring is simple. It wouldn't fit them AND it would probably turn them into a fractious rock band.

 

[reapersaurus]

Yes well I forget my contractions some times. Probably why got made me a man.

I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and guess you meant "god"?

 

[Nightfall]

I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and guess you meant "god"?

Yes I mis-spell too. Congradulate me on using German though.

 

[Flyspeck23]

Yes I mis-spell too. Congradulate me on using German though.

Close, but no cigar