Riding Dogs

[Pinotage]

Thanks. Another question then on a slightly different topic. If a riding dog is an animal companions, and gains the Multiattack feat, it can now bite twice as a full-attack. What's the damage on those bites with regard to strength? 1.5x strength as for a single bite or back to 1x?

Pinotage

 

[SidusLupus]

It should be that the dog has a second attack at neg 5, with 1.5 str mod.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It should be that the dog has a second attack at neg 5, with 1.5 str mod.

Agreed.

 

[the Jester]

Thanks. Another question then on a slightly different topic. If a riding dog is an animal companions, and gains the Multiattack feat, it can now bite twice as a full-attack. What's the damage on those bites with regard to strength? 1.5x strength as for a single bite or back to 1x?

Pinotage

Edit: Misread this the first time through.

Natural weapons never gain mulitple attacks for base attack. Check out the discussion of monster attacks in the beginning of the Monster Manual.

If you were able to get multiple attacks with the dog's bite, it would get 1.5 x str bonus on all of them, just like a fighter with a greataxe or other two-handed weapon.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Natural weapons never gain mulitple attacks for base attack. Check out the discussion of monster attacks in the beginning of the Monster Manual.

Except for ...

Multiattack: An animal companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a –5 penalty.

 

[darkelfo]

What about weight limits? Dog + armor + rider = a lot. Sounds like the Collar of Strength is needed.

 

[kenobi65]

What about weight limits? Dog + armor + rider = a lot. Sounds like the Collar of Strength is needed.

Keep in mind that one's own weight doesn't count against your carrying capacity. So, now, we're only talking about armor + rider. Anyone small enough to ride a dog is probably going to weigh less than the armor.

 

[darkelfo]

Keep in mind that one's own weight doesn't count against your carrying capacity. So, now, we're only talking about armor + rider. Anyone small enough to ride a dog is probably going to weigh less than the armor.

What's the carrying capacity of these War Dogs?

In other War Dog news, I was watching the history channel last night and there was a documentary on the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. One secret weapon of the Spaniards was the War Dog, complete with armor in some instances.

 

[Len]

Well, one of the reasons I'm asking is because the description of the animal types says that if it's trained for war, it has armor proficiencty. Now, a riding dog is automatically trained for combat riding, but is that the same as being trained for war? I presume so much, but I just wanted to make sure.

In the description of the Riding Dog it says:

If trained for war, these animals can make trip attacks just as wolves do (see the Wolf entry).

And in the Equipment section:

Dog, Riding: This Medium dog is specially trained to carry a Small humanoid rider. It is brave in combat like a warhorse.

So yes, when you buy a riding dog it's trained for war. (Just make sure you get it from a reputable used-mount salesman.)

What's the carrying capacity of these War Dogs?

Again in the description of the Riding Dog:

A light load for a riding dog is up to 100 pounds; a medium load, 101–200 pounds; and a heavy load, 201–300 pounds. A riding dog can drag 1,500 pounds.

But also note:

A barded animal cannot be used to carry any load other than the rider and normal saddlebags.

(That's under "Barding" in the Equipment section)

(I wonder if I should start charging money for reading the rules. )

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

What's the carrying capacity of these War Dogs?

It's pretty good.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a riding dog is up to 100 pounds; a medium load, 101–200 pounds; and a heavy load, 201–300 pounds. A riding dog can drag 1,500 pounds.