Exotic Flying Mounts
If you want to read our previous articles on mounts, they can be found here:
Exotic Mounts
War Mounts
I Want a Pony - Mounts
When you want to get a mount for your character, sometimes a horse just won’t do. Getting yourself an exotic mount isn’t cheap, but it’s a status symbol and gives your character an ego boost when they amaze the commoners with the mystical steed the ride in on. If you want to go that one extra step, you can break the bank and get a flying mount. Many a player has dreamed of having their character swoop in on the back of a griffon, swinging their sword like a madman while the griffon tears at the enemy with its razor-like talons. But what if you want something even more exotic than a griffon? Don’t get me wrong, a griffon is pretty freaking exotic and awesome, but sometimes you just have to go overboard for that special character.
A while back we did a couple of articles on land mounts. It was a fun exercise, but I purposely did not include flying mounts. They are a special breed above and beyond other mounts, requiring special training that takes more time and more gold. These exotic flying mounts can attack but are not designed to be war mounts. That said, maybe a flying war mount article will follow which would include the griffon!
A couple of final notes before we dive in and explore these mounts. Dragons are excluded on purpose. They are the penultimate flying mount but we wanted to explore beasts and creatures that are not commonly used as mounts. That does not change my view that if you can get a dragon as a mount, always take the dragon over any other flying mount available! That said, let’s jump in and start examining the Dump Stat flying mounts.
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Giant Dragonfly
You get to fly around on a brightly colored giant insect. The dragonfly probably has the coolest ‘design’ of all the mounts, and if you ever watched Star Wars (and who hasn’t) you can the similarities between the shape of the dragonfly and some of the smaller flying vehicles.
There are many little known facts about the dragonfly that came up during the research into the cool creature. Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even mate mid-air. If they can’t fly, they’ll starve because they only eat prey they catch while flying.
-Sarah Zielinski, Smithsonian Magizine
This was the driving force behind giving this mount the grapple ability while flying. While this ability has nothing to do with eating, the opportunity to grapple one’s enemies in mid-flight was just too good to pass up.
A dragonfly can see all the way around itself, because its eyes have about 30,000 lenses. However, the human eye with only one lense can see more sharply, though only front and sides.
-Dragonfly Facts
Lots of beasts and insects get some sort of Keen sense. Insect eyes are freaky, and with that many lenses and the ability to see all around itself, it should not be able to be surprised at all. The Alert feat seemed too overpowered to give to the dragonfly, so Keen Sight was where I ended. Perception at +8 may seem like too high of a number, but when a creature can see 360 degrees in the air, it has an incredible tactical advantage over its foes.
There are few species in the animal kingdom that can match the dragonfly for spectacular flying ability. Dragonflies have two sets of wings with muscles in the thorax that can work each wing independently. This allows them to change the angle of each wing and practice superior agility in the air.
Dragonflies can fly in any direction, including sideways and backward, and can hover in a single spot for a minute or more. This amazing ability is one factor in their success as aerial ambush predators — they can move in on unsuspecting prey from any direction.
Not only are they agile, but they're fast, with some species reaching a top speed of 18 miles per hour. They're also known for their feats of endurance. One species called the globe skimmer, Pantala flavescens, flies across an ocean during migration, logging 11,000 miles and snagging the title of world's longest insect migration.
Between the speed, distance and flexibility when hunting, dragonflies are one of the most exceptional fliers on the planet.
- Jaymi Heimbuch, Earth Matters.
That’s a lot of information, but it provides some background and justification for the abilities given to our dragonfly. When you first look at the stat block you may balk at the fly speed the dragonfly has been given. But if a tiny dragonfly can fly 18 miles an hour, you can guarantee a giant one is fast as fuck. The same goes for the high Dexterity and Acrobatics bonus. I wanted to go even higher, but unlike speed, I think the size would be a slight detriment to those sharp turns.
The Dragonfly doesn’t have much in the way of attack damage, but its abilities more than compensate for that. If anything, it makes our Giant Dragonfly even more appealing as a flying mount.
Giant Pteranodon
Not the flashiest of the flying mounts, and when compared to the others, it may seem boring. It is the strongest of the mounts with a 14 Strength, but even that isn’t anything to write home about. The pteranodon also does the most melee damage of all the mounts, impaling its victims wth it’s giant beak.
The Pteranodon is actually more of a glider than a flyer. These massive mounts rarely have to actively move their wings to fly. Instead, they float majestically through the air providing a nice smooth ride, surprising many a new rider. While to many is may seem awkwardly shaped, the Pteranodon body was designed by nature to be an amazing flying creature. The crest on top of its head stabilizes the Giant Pteranodon during flight. The massive beak allows it to hunt effectively. As we noted above, it is able to glide effortlessly and that is due to its incredible wingspan.
So don’t sleep on the Giant Pteranodon as a flying mount.
Flying Homunculus
Our little Homunculus is all grown up, no longer a tiny construct, but a medium-sized big boy. With its newfound size comes larger wings, so it can now carry a rider of small or tiny size. No more mastiffs for the forgotten halfling, as they can now fly in style.
Wizards are the only class that can have a Homunculus as they are the only ones that can use the Create Homunculus spell. Once created, the Flying Homunculus is bonded to you, therefore these mounts are unable to be purchased. Now making a Flying Homunculus isn’t cheap, as the material components now cost a pretty penny. That jewel-encrusted dagger worth at least 1000 now should have its cost tripled, and the spell should take at least one day to complete instead of just an hour. Talk to your DM about what changes need to be made to the spell.
Of course, the benefits more than outweigh the cost. The bond you have with your little clay friend is as strong as ever, possibly stronger, as it is allowing you to violate its personal space and ride around on it. Loyalty is a two-way street, so it also retains the spell ability allowing you to provide it with more hit points. After a long rest, you can use your hit dice to heal your buddy. Your hit point maximum is reduced by the total, and the homunculus’s hit point maximum and current hit points are both increased by it. That’s true love.
Our Homunculus is another mount that isn’t the strongest of creatures and has very little in the way of attack damage. It does, however, retain its ability to poison its target. Poison can be costly for its enemies, as if it lands a bite attack on its target midair, it roles poorly on its saving throw and falls unconscious, it will plummet to the ground below. Depending on how high up you are, get ready to role a whole bunch of d6’s.
Living Whirlwind
Created in Eberron, living spells exist in many forms. The Whirlwind is one example of a living spell and if you are brave enough, you can attempt to capture and control one, using it as a flying mount.
Now flying may seem like a misnomer here, since the Living Whirlwind can only move over the ground. I’ve considered it a flying mount since when you are riding it you are 30 feet above the ground. Therefore, you are technically flying even if the whirlwind itself is not. I’m sure some people will argue this point and I can understand where they might be coming from, but I’m sticking with my interpretation of the rules.
When riding the Whirlwind, you are riding inside of it. No saddle is needed, but you are unable to use saddlebags or transport any other items beyond what if on your person. To mount the whirlwind you use an action to step into the same space as it and it will lift you 30 ft in the air. Dismounting the same except in reverse.
It’s Spell Mimicry ability is not based on the actual spell, but the whirlwind action of an air elemental. I know this doesn’t make it “Spell Mimicry” but for flavor text, I kept it the same. When you move your windy mount into the same space as some poor sod, they will be bludgeoned by the swirling winds and loose debris it has picked up in its travels. To make matters even worse, if the target fails there saving throw, it is now restrained, allowing your comrades to gain advantage when taking a swing at it. Your target’s speed may now be 0, but the Living Whirlwind can unwillingly carry them along with ease.
There it is, the exotic flying mounts from Dump Stat. I have also created a flying Infernal Machine that I wanted to share in the article, but a vehicle isn’t a living mount, now is it? As always, please feel free to provide your comments and feedback to us, since constructive criticism only makes our creations better.
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