PC Mounts
We continue Mount Week with a breakdown of 10 mounts with some personality. What would a mighty hero be without his steed? Not much, but somehow the stories always seem to focus on the hero and leave the horse out in the cold. Well, no longer! Get ready to ride in style with these 10 fantastic mounts, ready and able to transport your PC to adventure. Insert one of these into your game or use them for inspiration to add a little flair to your own mount.
1. Gervuxeria, dragon steed. Gervuxeria is a mighty and somewhat unruly young adult brass dragon, who spent much of her youth playing tricks upon her father, visiting all manner of ruin on his cave and abode. Growing tired of his daughter’s behavior, Gervuxeria’s father used his vast power to transform her into a horse and brought her to a stable, explaining that she is to serve as a mount for a struggling hero and that she is only to be returned to her true form when she can show she has learned discipline by serving as a worthy and honest horse. For her part, Gervuxeria is excited to see the world, and, even as a horse, constantly finds ways to make mischief and pull pranks, leaving a great deal of doubt as to whether she can ever learn discipline.
2. Dawn, the forgotten and jaded warhorse. Though the finely bred and groomed steed of a mighty and heroic paladin, Dawn never sees much action. Instead, with his master galivanting about the world via teleportation magic that lacks the strength to carry him along, Dawn is often left behind, either in the stables of rough characters, at whatever inn room qualifies as home that week, or just by the side of the road (sometimes surrounded by monsters). With his master having been gone a long time, Dawn now finds himself being conscripted by the adventuring company to whose care he was left for use as a mount for one of their junior knights. Dawn doesn’t have a lot of hope for the situation, however, and has become a rather lazy and rebellious beast, and it will take a firm hand and a lot of love to bring out his full potential.
3. Old Pauline, the last horse in the stable. While Pauline might not have been anyone’s first choice to take on a quest, at the time there really wasn’t any other choice: the old battered mare was the only viable horse at the whole of the ironically named Abundant Fields Stable. Even so, despite her advanced age and tendency to nap and overeat, Pauline has proven time and time again to be a worthy steed, easily the equal of most warhorses in both valor and ability, though she rarely shows her quality except in those moments when it matters most.
4. Bivox the mighty. This huge black riding dog has been long considered the jewel of the nomadic Clayfoot halfling tribe, reserved only for their greatest champions. Legends persist that the dog has been in use for generations, though only the very young and the very old believe such tales, with everyone else confident that there is actually a whole family of Bivoxs, and only the youngest and most intimidating is in the stable at any given time. Whatever the case, Bivox is incredibly fierce, suicidally loyal, and tough as nails. In need of a new rider, Bivox is eager to bond with any stout warrior who proves his merit to him.
5. Indirbrir, fake magical horse. The property of a sly and silver-tongued “hero,” Indirbrir (which, despite claims to the contrary, has no meaning in Elven, and whose original name was Daisy) is a beautiful pearl-white mare whose coat has such luster and slightly varied whites that it seems to shimmer in the right light. She is truly a rather ordinary horse, but her bright coat and easy temperament have allowed her to play the parts of unicorn, or rare flightless pegasus, or albino nightmare at one time or another, to the great benefit of her owner.
6. Sky Ferry, the roc in love. A particularly large roc once descended upon some unsuspecting humanoids looking for some easy lunch, little suspecting that his life would change forever that day. As fate would have it, the group contained a wondrous green-clad man who spoke sweet words and made strange gestures, and all at once, Sky Ferry (as his love now calls him) suddenly felt the hunger and desire for violence fade as he was struck by awe and wonder. Now, Sky Ferry happily spends his days schlepping his true love and his close friends around the world.
7. Xeres, giant scorpion. Once utilized as a cavalry mount by a tribe of particularly dangerous desert-dwelling goblins, this fiendish Medium giant scorpion was captured, and now serves as a mount for a Small-sized good-aligned hero. While she claims to be on the path to redemption, the massive war-trained mount is really just waiting for everyone’s backs to be turned before betraying those in her new group, possibly selling them out to the forces of the underworld for short-term gain.
8. Leaper the skittish. While having the appearance of a mighty warhorse, jet black and with flashing eyes and rippling muscles, Leaper is a terribly frightened horse who leaps high into the air and flees from the most peculiar things. While it is not uncommon for horses to be afraid of a river, Leaper won’t come within 30 feet of a river, leaping about and galloping as fast as he can in the opposite direction. Leaper also flees from most temples, spears and weapons of any kind, coin changers, bright lights (though not natural sunlight), fire (including even small flames like those of a torch or lantern), and occasionally for no apparent reason at all. The cause of this skittishness is unknown, and everything from a natural personality quirk to vampirism has been suggested, with no diagnoses seeming appropriate.
9. Notch the clingy. Barely larger than a pony, this light horse is adorable but utterly useless, and in fact has a bad habit of getting people into trouble. The horse is exceedingly clingy, and once having met the PCs, she simply won’t leave them alone; with her big eyes and feeble whinny, it really seems like she wants to spend time with them. In fact, Notch, though seemingly adorable, is a malicious imp that delights in the long-term suffering and affection of the PCs, and isn’t planning on going anywhere until she is forced to leave, or her secret is found out.
10. Big Wana, the ocean horse. A creature out of legend, Big Wana is a humongous 600-foot long shark spirit, complete with razor teeth and a powerful body. To those that prove themselves worthy and learn his call, however, the Big Wana will come to aid those that need to be born across or even under the sea. Often appearing in a guise that more suits the common idea of a mount, such as a giant turtle or smaller shark, Big Wana possesses the power of speech and is best described as jovial and full of impatient energy. The Big Wana possesses a great number of magical powers, including the ability to grant water breathing to those on his back and to deter ocean beasts. Though loyal and merciful, he is happy to show the true extent of his nearly god-like power to those who abuse his hospitality.