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Saddle Up

April 11th, 2012

Alex Riggs

Magic Market Archive

            Hello, and welcome to Magic Market, your weekly dose of magic items for 3.5/Pathfinder. When I wrote last week about various forms of transportation, I wasn’t aware that this was going to be Mount Week, devoted, in essence, to modes of transportation. Luckily, though, last week’s fare were all different kinds of vehicles: carts, longships, rowboats, carriages, and the like. To keep things fresh and interesting, today we’ll focus on accessories and equipment for your mount. Whether you’re a paladin with a specialization in lances, or just someone with a strong attachment to Bela—the broken-down mare you’ve had with you since the start of your adventuring days—there’ll be something here for you.

 

 

Dominating Bridle

Dominating Bridle

            These bridles are the prize of exotic animal trainers who specialize in difficult animals, as well as unscrupulous animal handlers, though many expert animal trainers claim that they aren’t a proper substitute for real, long-term training. Animals or magical beasts wearing a bridle of domination are perfectly obedient to their handlers or riders, negating the need for any Handle Animal checks made to handle or “push” the animal, and reducing the DC of any other Handle Animal check made regarding the animal (such as teaching it a trick) by 10. If the animal is being used as a mount, the bridle also removes the need for a Ride check in order to spur the animal, or to control it in battle. Further, a creature wearing a bridle of domination cannot attack its rider or handler, and will obey any and all commands from its handler that it understands (or has been trained to respond to).

            Similar bridles have been made that work on humanoid creatures, and while popular rumor states that these were made by goblins (who use them to harness and ride giants, to devastating effect), they are in fact used primarily by particularly eccentric and cruel wizards.

 

Horseshoes of Flight

Horseshoes of Flight

            These horseshoes are nearly always made of gold, and are engraved with images of wings or pegasi. Despite their name, they do not actually grant the power of flight, though they do offer the next best thing. As long as they are worn, they allow the affected horse to walk on air, as the spell air walk. Additionally, the enchantment of the horseshoes of flight makes this movement feel more natural to the horse, negating the need for any special training (while wearing the horseshoes of flight, the horse is treated as though it has the trick that allows it to move using air walk). All four horseshoes must be worn by the same creature in order to grant any benefit.

 

Horseshoes of the Planes

Horseshoes of the Planes

            These horseshoes tend to come in different colors: one gold, one silver, one adamantine and one mithral, and are engraved with images of various outsiders. Once per day, the rider of a horse wearing these shoes can issue a command word to cause himself, the horse, and anyone else riding the horse (up to 6 additional riders, if they can all be gathered onto the horse) to be affected as though by the spell plane shift. The ability can be used only once per day, even if the shoes are moved to a different horse. A horse must be wearing all four shoes in order to gain any benefit.

 

Horseshoes of Water Walking

Horseshoes of Waterwalking

            Created as a cheaper alternative to the horseshoes of a zephyr, these horseshoes are made from a blue-green coral, which rubs against the horse’s hooves, and, in addition to its other effects, serves to keep them trimmed. More importantly, however, as long as they are worn, they grant the horse the ability to walk on water, as the water walk spell. Unlike the horseshoes of the zephyr, the horse does physically contact the surface in question, meaning that while they can be used to cross, for example, lava or acid, doing so will cause the horse to take damage. All four horseshoes must be worn by the same creature in order to grant any benefit.

 

Saddle of Horsemanship

Saddle of Horsemanship

            These saddles are usually made of fine leather, and typically bear minor enchantments that keep dust from settling on them, or that make the rider more comfortable, giving a smoother ride. Their main feature, however, is to increase the rider’s ability to control his mount. The rider gains a +5 bonus on all Ride checks made while in the saddle. Additionally, if you are knocked unconscious while in a saddle of horsemanship, there is no chance that you fall out of your saddle. Finally, when using a saddle of horsemanship, you need not make a Ride check at all in order to guide your mount with your knees, nor to make a fast mount or dismount.

 

Wonder Feed

Wonder Feed

            This alchemically-treated substance can actually be a wide variety of different horse feed, from pellets to oats to alfalfa, but typically comes in the form of hay. An animal fed on wonder feed gains a +20 enhancement bonus to its movement speed for 24 hours, and is treated as having a Strength score 10 higher than it actually is for the purposes of how much it can carry. These effects do not stack, and feeding an animal more than one dose of wonder feed within 24 hours has no effect. If an animal has been consistently fed on wonder feed every day for a week or more, it suffers withdrawal if it ever stops receiving wonder feed, and is fatigued for 2 weeks or until it is fed more wonder feed. Only animals and magical beasts can benefit from wonder feed: other creatures gain no benefits from it and are sickened for 1d4 hours if they attempt to eat it.