D&D 5E (Riding) on Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen?

[Snapdragyn]

What would make a good base for a reindeer reskin?

IMPORTANT: This is going to have to be a reskin & not a 'custom creation', because I'm making the character for Adventurer's League play - no house rules allowed, & it will 'revert' to whatever the base animal is when at a table where the DM isn't okay with this bit of flavorful fluff (just like all of my spells will be described with cold/ice imagery but the actual mechanics remain unchanged - so yeah, that ball of ice I just hit you with is so cold it BURNS, take d8 fire damage ).

I'm building a druid character, with a back story that he comes from the frozen northern wastes. Rather than a regular mount, I'd like to reskin something as a reindeer - but I'm having trouble deciding what would be the most appropriate core mount to use as the base.

From what I've seen & read, a horse really isn't it. Only the largest reindeer can regularly carry a full-grown human, so they're more often used as pack animals (though they CAN be used as mounts). This initially had me leaning towards a mule base, but then I realized that the high carrying capacity of the mule is really unrealistic (& exactly the reason that reindeer aren't often used as mounts - they have weak backs, & can't carry much more than the weight of an adult human).

So, maybe pony? Unfortunately, a pony costs more than I can afford at 1st level - but if it fits better, so be it.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Elk.

 

[Hannerdyn]

Are these flying reindeer? Do their noses glow (like a lightbulb)? Have they games?

 

[Henrix]

Realistically?

Deer.

An elk is humongous compared to a reindeer.
A grown man cannot ride on a reindeer.

 

[Snapdragyn]

Let me restate, since there seems to be some confusion.

Real world: Yes, it IS possible for a grown man to ride some reindeer - but only the largest breed (found in Siberia), & only just. I can redo my googling & attach links if wanted.

Game: PHB page 157 - which pre-existing mount would you suggest as the basis to be 'reskinned' (i.e. fluffed over) into a reindeer?

Horse - too big, too fast, carries people too easily
Mule - right sense of 'more often a pack animal than a mount', but carrying capacity very high
Pony - carrying capacity about right (maybe a little low?), but wow, why so pricey?

 

[GX.Sigma]

Let me restate, since there seems to be some confusion.

Real world: Yes, it IS possible for a grown man to ride some reindeer - but only the largest breed (found in Siberia), & only just. I can redo my googling & attach links if wanted.

Game: PHB page 157 - which pre-existing mount would you suggest as the basis to be 'reskinned' (i.e. fluffed over) into a reindeer?

Horse - too big, too fast, carries people too easily
Mule - right sense of 'more often a pack animal than a mount', but carrying capacity very high
Pony - carrying capacity about right (maybe a little low?), but wow, why so pricey?

Why not elk?

 

[Snapdragyn]

Why not elk?

Not elk for the fluff, because my character concept is a druid from the frozen northern wastes - reindeer fits better than the more woodland-dwelling (or plains-dwelling, for some subspecies) elk.

Not elk for the mechanical base, because elk is not listed as a mount on p. 157 of the PHB - thus I have no information on cost, carrying capacity, or speed.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I think a pony is the most natural analogue.

If you can't afford 30gp at the start (using the ch 5 method, which should be sufficient), you soon will be able to do so. You could also ask if the equipment package from your background can consist of a pony (and nothing else). I think most DMs would allow that, especially if you were not thinking of using it in combat, but only to facilitate travel.