Rangers, animal companions, and mounts

[Pickaxe]

I have an elven ranger who will get an animal companion next level. Because rangers have animal companions that progress more slowly than those of druids, I figured I'd go with a mount, rather than a companion that would mix it up, so I could eventually go for mounted archery. After examining the rules regarding animal companions and mounts, I found I had a lot of questions.

1) How many tricks does a ranger's companion already know when it shows up at 4th level? It gets one bonus trick and can know six more, but does the ranger have to spend six weeks (or more) training the companion to do these tricks?

2) In order to use an animal companion as a mount, does the ranger (or druid) need to train it in the general purpose of Combat Riding (or just Riding)?

3) A low-level ranger or druid can get a light or heavy horse, but not a warhorse. If they are not trained for Combat Riding, will these companions avoid combat (since normal horses will not willingly go into combat, as warhorses will)?

4) In the DMG (pp. 204-205), it discusses some of the general characteristics that a creature should have to become an unusual mount, including being one size category larger than the rider. The table on p. 205 lists the Dire Bat (size L) as an example of a mount suitable for a Small rider (but does not list it for Medium riders). Does this imply that Dire Bats are not suitable as flying mounts for Medium creatures? One possibility is that the table is taking into account that the carrying capacity of a Dire Bat (172 lbs.) is a bit low for an equipped Medium creature (though a Dire Bat animal companion would eventually acquire a higher Strength and carrying capacity).

--Axe

 

[irdeggman]

I have an elven ranger who will get an animal companion next level. Because rangers have animal companions that progress more slowly than those of druids, I figured I'd go with a mount, rather than a companion that would mix it up, so I could eventually go for mounted archery. After examining the rules regarding animal companions and mounts, I found I had a lot of questions.

1) How many tricks does a ranger's companion already know when it shows up at 4th level? It gets one bonus trick and can know six more, but does the ranger have to spend six weeks (or more) training the companion to do these tricks?

I don't see where the companion would (or should) show up knowing any tricks. It isn't a paladin's mount or a familier. The bonus tricks are feebies - no time or checks involved. So it is really a mote question to ask whether or not the companion shows up knowing any or not since it doesn't take any time to "teach" him the bonus tricks.

Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of “bonus” tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the druid might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill). These bonus tricks don’t require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don’t count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The druid selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can’t be changed.

2) In order to use an animal companion as a mount, does the ranger (or druid) need to train it in the general purpose of Combat Riding (or just Riding)?

Good question. There is a difference between a warhorse and a riding horse and it is more than simply handling a rider.

Combat Riding (DC 20): An animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel. Training an animal for combat riding takes six weeks. You may also “upgrade” an animal trained for riding to one trained for combat riding by spending three weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew. Warhorses and riding dogs are already trained to bear riders into combat, and they don’t require any additional training for this purpose.

Looks to me like that is the trick necessary for what you want.

3) A low-level ranger or druid can get a light or heavy horse, but not a warhorse. If they are not trained for Combat Riding, will these companions avoid combat (since normal horses will not willingly go into combat, as warhorses will)?

They function just like their normal counter part here. Give him the Combat Riding trick/purpose as his bonus trick.

4) In the DMG (pp. 204-205), it discusses some of the general characteristics that a creature should have to become an unusual mount, including being one size category larger than the rider. The table on p. 205 lists the Dire Bat (size L) as an example of a mount suitable for a Small rider (but does not list it for Medium riders). Does this imply that Dire Bats are not suitable as flying mounts for Medium creatures? One possibility is that the table is taking into account that the carrying capacity of a Dire Bat (172 lbs.) is a bit low for an equipped Medium creature (though a Dire Bat animal companion would eventually acquire a higher Strength and carrying capacity).

yes they are unsuitable that is why it says suitable for small riders.

 

[Pickaxe]

I don't see where the companion would (or should) show up knowing any tricks. It isn't a paladin's mount or a familier. The bonus tricks are feebies - no time or checks involved. So it is really a mote question to ask whether or not the companion shows up knowing any or not since it doesn't take any time to "teach" him the bonus tricks.

It's moot for the bonus tricks, but not for the others. A druid could say that he spent the time training his companion in its six non-bonus tricks before his first adventure, but it appears that a ranger's companion essentially arrives knowing one trick, and the ranger needs to spend six more weeks training the companion to get the most out of it.

Looks to me like that is the trick necessary for what you want.

Except it's not a trick, it's a general purpose, which has its own category in Handle Animal. A general purpose is like training several tricks at once, with one DC, and it clearly states that an animal must have sufficient Intelligence to learn more than three tricks in order to learn Combat Riding, implying that it uses up all those trick "slots."

They function just like their normal counter part here. Give him the Combat Riding trick/purpose as his bonus trick.

See above. Combat Riding is a general purpose. Does it count as a single trick or as several tricks? I'm inclined to think the latter.

yes they are unsuitable that is why it says suitable for small riders.

Why? It does not actually say a Dire Bat is unsuitable for a Medium rider; it says it's suitable for a Small rider. And it gives no reason why it would be unsuitable, at least going by the list of requirements for mounts.

--Axe