bat rider!

[axraelshelm]

hey guys need help whats the stats of a giant bat about medium size so my new character a halfling can ride it?
Its going to be a almost world war 2 pilot style character with the leather jacket and the long white scarf called Alfred Oakmight.

[Citizen Joe]

You could go with a Dire Bat, although I think they are large sized. If you can find some info on Eberron, you could substitute the Glidewing dinosaur. It is used by the Talenta halflings as a mount.

[axraelshelm]

very expensive 800 gp!?! I'm a first level character! I need something that 200 gp could get! wheres the dire bat too? cant find it in eberron

[Fax Celestis]

Here you go.

[axraelshelm]

i wonder could i get it with 150 gold? what do you guys think?

[Citizen Joe]

Its got the Hit dice of a heavy warhorse. But its an exotic animal (so double that price) and it flies (so double again). So you're looking at about 1600 gp for a fighting trained one, probably half that for one that is simply trained for riding.

You've got an 172 lb weight limit as well. It could carry more, but then it would be encumbered and I'm uncertain if it could fly.

Personally, I'd say put in some flavour text in your character description, get an exotic military saddle, and make note that you were in the air cavalry. Upon resigning your commission the military took back the mount. Then work towards getting a trained dire bat in character.

[Inyssius Tor]

One hundred and fifty gold? No! You're going to have to work for this one. What sort of results would you get if you said something like this in real life?

"I need to buy a small, one-man, working airplane. Is anyone selling one for two hundred dollars?"

[Jack_Simth]

A Druid-4 can pick one up for free. With Reduce Animal, that Large Dire Bat drops to Medium (and picks up two additional points of AC). At 1st, though, you're kinda up a creek if that's what you MUST have.

But you can get there. For now, with 150 gold, you're looking at a riding dog - without the accessories (like a saddle).

[Matt Teishu]

In MMII check out the Desmodu Hunting Bats (or maybe the guard bats, I forget which is the smaller). They are pretty awesome. I've done a character that rode around on one sometimes, worked out well.

Though as has been said, you'll never get what you are looking for at 1st level wealth without serious DM intervention.

[Tellah]

If you're playing in Eberron, take out a loan from House Kundarak. Otherwise, save every penny you can.

[Stephen_E]

You simply can't realistically buy a flying mount at 1st level.

What you can do, depending on some not entirely specific wording of the feat, is play a Druid and take Natural Bond (comp advent) as your 1st feat.
Use the feat to cancel the -3 penalty for a Direbat, and bingo, you have a Direbat at 1st level.

Otherwise you can try having a "young" Direbat. Reduce the size by one step and lower the stats some and bingo, you have a flying mount with no penalty (and not much carry capacity, so travel light). With this option you could try entry via Ranger using Natural Bond to cancel the fact they you shouldn't be getting an animal companion until 4th level.

I suggest handing the DM chocolate treats of some sort while asking. Bribery is an ancient, and often respected, tradition.

Stephen

[axraelshelm]

sigh it looks like dog until i can afford one cant be too hard 2 magic items later and i should be able to afford it