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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Horses Are Sooooo 1978

Or whenever the paladin was first published. I wanted to be clever with the title, but not to the degree that I was going to do five seconds of research with Google.

Paladins, at 5th level, can undertake a quest to obtain a very intelligent mount. Depending on the edition you play, this mount either hangs out with you all the time and sorta requires you to hire a groom or page or whatever to look out for it when you're in a dungeon, or it just pops into existence whenever it is convenient. You can probably guess which concept I like better.

But what if ... what if there were more options than that super-clever wonder horse? Well, how about these ...

(Use as inspiration, or roll randomly with a D12)


1. Mechanical Warhorse - requires a quest to settle a grudge for the Dwarf King, who forged the horse in his own workshop. Just combine an automaton and a heavy warhorse to get the stats. For anti-paladins, the mechanical warhorse is grey and spiky.


2. Putti - I think I did stats for these fellows once (you know, the chubby, winged babies people mistakenly call cherubs or cupids), if not, just make them Lawful (LG) imps. For anti-paladins, just use an imp.


3. Unicorn - but only if the paladin is female. For anti-paladins ... not sure.


4. Aasimar Squire - 4 HD, of course. For anti-paladins, a tiefling picaroon.


5. Blink Dog - maybe the quest involves rescuing it from a giant's kennels. For anti-paladins, a shadow mastiffs.


6. Halo - actually a lantern archon with 4 HD that oftens hangs out around the paladin's noggin. For anti-paladins, just craft a red-hued evil version of the lantern archon.


7. Relic - the relic is the skull of a cleric which the paladin can communicate with telepathically, and which can cast spells as a 4th level cleric (though not touch spells, obviously).


8. Choir - a choir of four 1 HD lay priests who can chant (as the spell) and inspire (as bards). For anti-paladins, four 1 HD flaggelants with scourges who do the same.


9. Gold Wyrmling - precocious, of course. For anti-paladins, a red wyrmling.


10. Brownie Knight - gained by embarking on a quest for the Fairy Queen, a bit of a curmudgeon. For anti-paladins, a spriggan thug of the Unseelie Court.


11. Elven Sage - an old codger with silver hair who can cast spells as an adept (venerable master). For anti-paladins, a drow alchemist who may or may not be trying to poison their master.


12. Reformed Prostitute - a prostitute who has seen the light and can cast spells as an adept (venerable master; note, the prostitute is not venerable in terms of age, but in terms of the blessings bestowed upon him or her). For anti-paladins, a fallen, alcoholic friar or nun.

10 comments:

  1. You do think up some weird things. LOL

    But cool suggestions.

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  2. Sweet picture of the NFL browns mascot

    http://castletriskelion.blogspot.com/

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  3. 1961 is when the D&D version of the paladin class was first published, complete with magical mount.

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  4. I wouldn't mind that unicorn that breathes fire with the armed cat mascot on it's back: way better than some stodgy old war-horse. If not for specific alignments, I'd like to run a CN paladin with that creature-combo. A built-in flame-thrower and a dangerous cat: what else could a fanatical female knight hope for when calling out "war-horse!"? What a great idea. Anti-paladin = nightmare & hell-hound creature companion. What a great battle that would be! That cat with its pistol vs the hound, the two female knights on their dangerous mythic creature mounts; fire everywhere...it reminds me of the opening scenes of THE NINE PRINCES OF AMBER. I wanna go make a paladin now.

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  5. What if the Paladin were to touch the relic skull to the target? Wouldn't that count for a touch attack?

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    1. Knew somebody was going to ask me that! I would leave that ruling up to the Ref - do they require a touch spell to be delivered by touching with a hand, or with any part of one's body? Hey, I just generate the nonsense - I leave the details up to the Refs!

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  6. I love short, creative lists like this that get you thinking about old rules in a new way. Great stuff.

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  7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svengooli

    Hilarious to see Svengooli as an example.

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  8. I suggest a Nightmare as mount for the Anti-Paladin, especially because after some legends Nightmares were former Unicorns...

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    Replies
    1. Love the nightmare, but it's a bit more powerful than the other critters on the list - 6 HD, wings, etc. Perhaps a pared down nightmare - no wings, 3 or 4 HD.

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