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Thread: Find Greater Steed
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2018-02-22, 11:29 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2017
Find Greater Steed
So, there was some discussion in my group about the spell "Find Greater Steed" from Xanathar's that made me curious to get some other opinions. The spell states that you can "summon a spirit that assumes the form of a loyal majestic mount...the spirit takes on a form you choose: a griffon, a pegasus, a peryton, a dire wolf, a rhinoceros, or a saber-toothed tiger."
The question was, does the caster know what form the spirit can take? How exact is that knowledge? Do they know "when I cast this spell, I can summon a griffon, a pegasus, etc."? Or does the caster just know that when they cast the spell, they summon a spirit that will take the general shape of a winged, quadrupedal creature of a suitable form for riding?
This mostly came about as a result of discussing how this spell interacts with a homebrew world where may there's no such thing as a pegasus or a griffon (or specifically to our homebrew world, a rhinoceros). Does that mean the caster doesn't have those options when casting the spell? Or since it is a spirit in the form of a creature, am I summoning something that resembles a pegasus or a griffon, but the caster would not know to call it by that name?
On a more fundamental level, I feel this discussion relates to what a character knows about the spells they can cast. The text of the spell in the Player's Handbook: I know what the spell says, but how much of that information does the character know? Does a character know everything in the text of the spell?
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2018-02-22, 11:37 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2012
Re: Find Greater Steed
Presumably part of the spell casting process is the spirit showing the various forms to the paladin.
You could pick a rhino and be a weirdo, but TBH it's a little weird to pick a form that completely alien to you.
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2018-02-22, 12:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2017
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2018-02-22, 12:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2014
Re: Find Greater Steed
It's one of those things we don't question, for sanity's sake. Like how in the world do you know how all of your spells function as a cleric, druid, paladin, ranger, or sorcerer? You never studied them, you just suddenly had them one day.
At least in the cleric and paladin's case they had to pray for it, but there's certainly no mechanic where you pray for something and get either nothing, because it wasn't possible to grant, or something entirely different. And how would they know what they got, in any case?
Did I mention Magic Initiate?
It's easier to just say "If you have magic, you understand it". Perhaps it's part of the weird nature of magic, which by definition follows no mundane laws. If you can cast fireball, you're perfectly aware of exactly what that entails.
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2018-02-22, 12:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2017
Re: Find Greater Steed
I would say that the form you want needs to have existed at some point in your world, though it could pretty easily be bypassed by saying that creature exists on a different, presumably celestial, plane.
Most GMs probably won't mind you selecting a form that's not on the list as long as it's a plausible mount CR2 or below.
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2018-02-22, 01:39 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2017
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2018-02-22, 01:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2015
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2018-02-22, 01:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2017
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2018-02-22, 02:09 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2013
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Re: Find Greater Steed
War Cleric version: War stories, with Oliver North
Knowledge Cleric version: And I want a 10 page term paper done on the effects of your new spells by the end of this dream.
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2018-02-22, 02:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2015
Re: Find Greater Steed
I am the flush of excitement. The blush on the cheek. I am the Rouge!
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2018-02-22, 02:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2017
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2018-02-22, 05:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2016
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Re: Find Greater Steed
With many spells like this, at my table we take “function over form”.
It came up with the hexblade pact weapon, where a character wanted his weapon to be a crossbow statistically, but wanted to shoot energy blasts over simple bolts. We allowed it, since it’s purely a aesthetic choice in the part of the player.
Same with your team. Your Paladin could have the statistics of a Rhino Mount, but the actual physical form is a similar “large quadrupedal creature with charging attacks” that would be more appropriate to your setting
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2018-02-23, 04:28 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2013
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- Somewhere
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2018-02-23, 05:32 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2017
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2018-02-23, 02:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2013
Re: Find Greater Steed
Always looking for critique of my 5E homebrew!
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2018-02-23, 06:57 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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2018-02-23, 07:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2018
Re: Find Greater Steed
There is some level that the precise rules-specifics of the spell are metagame for the player instead of the character. Most wizards probably know that a fireball fills up an area roughly the size of a house. We as players know that it specifically is a 20-ft radius sphere. Including the level of granularity to randomize all effects would be obscenely cumbersome for very little enjoyment. Can you imagine if DMs picked all divine spellcaster spells, every spell required a to-hit roll, durations were entirely random and up to the DM, and buffs were entirely random. We'd be playing Paranoia. Some people may enjoy that, but I think a lot of people would rather know exactly what their spells do every turn. Its part of why the Wild Magic Sorcerer is seen as so underpowered.
In regards to the find greater steed spell, you need to talk to the player. Does the form of a rhino exist, even if the actual animal doesn't? If yes, then the paladin can summon it. If no, then the paladin either can't, or needs to describe it differently. I don't even know if it is a conscious, in-character choice, so much as a metagame, player choice.
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2018-02-23, 09:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2013
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- Somewhere
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2018-02-23, 09:39 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2017
Re: Find Greater Steed
Just use common sense - the DM should make a list of animals that "fit" in his/her world that give some choice - maybe that at least somewhat mirror the suggestions in the new rule for this spell - i.e. at least one flying mount - at least one armored massive tank-like mount - and so on. You don't "have to" to anything - you can tailor the rules to fit your version, your reality. If it feels right - this is what is usually most important.
Don't be a stickler on stuff like this (where the spell is clearly intended to summon a pretty impressive mount) - just make it work - and that usually produces the best results.
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2018-02-24, 04:20 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2007
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- Canberra, Australia
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2018-02-24, 11:10 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2015
Re: Find Greater Steed
Last edited by Tanarii; 2018-02-24 at 11:10 AM.
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2018-02-24, 11:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2004
Re: Find Greater Steed
I just figured that choosing was an out of character decision, not an in character one. Out of character, the player selects which one they want from a menu of options. In character, they are simply granted a mount deemed appropriate for them by their god/the multiverse/the great slot machine in the sky/whatever. Heck you could play it off as a comedic bit if you're so inclined:
"Oh great and merciful Smacky, God of Beating Up Bad Guys, grant me a noble steed that I may better bring your holy righteousness unto the world!"
sabertooth tiger appears:
"Oh. Uh, I was kind of thinking a mighty warhorse with wings or something. Um, nice kitty?" :looks around for large enough cardboard box:
:wizard starts using Minor Illusion to make tiger chase a red dot:
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2018-02-24, 07:26 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2017
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2018-02-24, 07:42 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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2018-02-25, 12:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2017
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- Eastern Australia
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Re: Find Greater Steed
The paladin in question might also simply know what they can summon when they get the spell.
But the metagame of gaining spells and spell-levels that are vastly different in power (particularly for the paladin and other half- or third-casters) is just crazy, and may be a rabbit hole, as it were, that we don’t want to go down.