Skyrider
Description: The Skyrider is a warrior of the air. Carried by his airborne mount, he soars through the clouds with the grace of an eagle and the precision of an arrow in flight. He serves as a defender of both the skyways and the earth.
The Skyrider owes his skills to his unusual relationship with his mount. In certain wilderness societies, tribal elders select the brightest and strongest children to be Skyrider candidates. The elders match each child with a young flying mount. The child and mount are encouraged to share much time training, playing, even sleeping together. Within a few years, their bond is so strong that the mount responds to the rider almost intuitively.
Requirements: Standard. Most Skyriders come from wilderness areas where flying mounts are more practical than land mounts. Flying mounts can monitor stretches of open countryside easier than ground mounts, and have less trouble navigating mountains and other hostile terrain.
Ministration: Any, with Mentor and Independent the most common.
Role: Though Skyriders make excellent scouts and explorers, they're particularly useful as soldiers. Their flying mounts enable them to move quickly to distant locations, irrespective of rivers, chasms, or other obstacles. They can target enemies on the ground, breech stronghold walls, and swoop around enemy forces to attack from behind. They can undertake reconnaissance missions to determine the size of enemy armies and monitor their movement.
In peacetime, a Skyrider can take advantage of his bird's-eye view to look for virgin farmland and new trade routes. He can also watch for natural disasters, such as forest fires and floods. Some teach themselves to track tornadoes and hurricanes, warning those in a storm's path to take shelter. A Skyrider can deliver supplies to isolated villages, rescue trapped explorers, and visit distant islands without a ship.
A Skyrider fulfills many of these same functions in an adventuring party, scouting ahead for signs of trouble, attacking enemies from the air, and crossing hostile terrain to deliver messages and goods. Because a Skyrider often prefers the company of his mount to that of other people, his companions may find him cold and aloof.
Symbol: Any symbol that suggests flight, such as a pair of wings or the profile of a bird.
Secondary Skills: Farmer, Forester, Hunter.
Weapon Proficiencies: Any. Because Skyriders don't suffer the normal mounted missile fire penalties (see the Special Benefits section below), many choose proficiencies in the longbow, crossbow, or sling.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Airborne Riding. Recommended: Direction Sense, Hunting, Tracking, Weather Sense. Forbidden: Jousting*.
Armor/Equipment: Standard. Usually, the Skyrider must purchase high-quality, customized tack for his flying mount to ensure maximum comfort and maneuverability. Depending on the size and species of the mount, customized tack (including bit, bridle, halter, and saddles) costs 20-40 gp. The Skyrider should also consider full barding for his mount (preferably leather).
Bonded Mount: Griffon, giant eagle, pegasus, hippogriff, or any other type of flying mount indigenous to the Skyrider's homeland. The Skyrider acquires his bonded mount at 1st level.
Special Benefits:
Combat and Proficiency Bonuses: When airborne, all nonmissile attacks made by either the bonded mount or the Skyrider receive a +1 modifier to hit. This includes attacks made against ground or airborne targets, along with all situations covered in the Aerial Combat rules in Chapter 9 of the DMG. For missile combat, use the modifiers in Table 21.
Table 21: Skyrider Mounted Missile Fire
|
Mount's Current Movement |
Modifier |
|
Hovering, less than 1/2 normal rate |
+1 |
|
1/2 to 3/4 normal rate |
0 |
|
Greater than 3/4 normal rate |
–2 |
Additionally, the Skyrider receives a +2 bonus to Airborne Riding proficiency checks for feats involving his bonded mount.
Longer Relationship: Under normal conditions, a bonded mount remains with its Skyrider for 15 years.
Faster Training: The Skyrider can teach his bonded mount a trick in 2-5 (1d4+1) days, a task in 1-2 weeks. Like other bonded mounts, the Skyrider's mount can learn 9-20 tricks and tasks, in any combination.
Telepathic Communication: When the Skyrider reaches 12th level, he gains the ability to communicate telepathically with his bonded mount, sending and receiving mental messages at will. This ability's range is 10 times the Skyrider's level, in feet.
Special Hindrances:
Mourning: When the Skyrider loses his bonded mount, he feels the loss intensely. If the bonded mount was lost because of the Skyrider's actions—for instance, the Skyrider's carelessness resulted in the mount's death, or the mount left because the Skyrider was stripped of his paladinhood—the Skyrider mourns for 2-5 (1d4+1) months. If the bonded mount served its full 15 years, or the Skyrider voluntarily releases it, the Skyrider mourns for 2d4 weeks. During the mourning period, the Skyrider suffers a –2 penalty to all attack, ability, and proficiency rolls.