Can a human ride a Riding Dog? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Can a human ride a Riding Dog? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
frankensocks
03-19-06, 03:06 PM One of the animals that a Druid can choose for her Animal Companion is the Riding Dog, which the Monster's Manual describes as including "working breeds such as collies, huskies, and St. Bernards." From that description, I would assume that only Small creatures such as Halflings and Gnomes can ride them. However, the Monster Manual says that a Medium load for a Riding Dog is 101-200 pounds, which would seem to indicate that a big enough Riding Dog could carry a Medium creature such as a human. What do you think?
Planar Wanderer
03-19-06, 03:50 PM The answer is no, I can't find the relevant rules in the SRD unfortunatly,but check page 204 of the 3.5 DMG for the reasoning (non-OGL and so forth means I can't post the stuff here, if someone else can dig it up in the SRD I'm sure they'll post it, I can't keep trawling through it at the moment)
LCD2YOU
03-19-06, 03:56 PM Uh, yeah, but with caveats.

How tall is the dog? How tall is the human? Is the human tall and skinny, long legs and all that?

The issue is you as the DM must rule on abstract issues. Yeah, the riding dog has a medium capacity of up to 200 pounds but how tall are they?

Figure that to ride an animal the animal must be at least as 70% as tall on their shoulders as the rider is, that if a human is 5' tall, the dog in question should be about 3.5' to the shoulders. Assuming the dog's legs are at least 50-60% of their height to their back, the dog has legs at least 1.75' to 2' high.

The rider's legs will hang down about 40% of their height. So the legs of a 5' rider will hang down about to about 2' from the back of the animal or about 1.5' above the ground. That means any lower, the legs of the rider hanging down too far will interfere with the movement.

Or that is how I see it. that is not RAW or SRD but my take on it.
Molitor
03-19-06, 08:09 PM Generally medium critters can't ride on other medium critters. Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.
LCD2YOU
03-19-06, 09:27 PM Generally medium critters can't ride on other medium critters. Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.I like this rule.

Is it SRD or RAW so I don't have to tell my players "cause I said so"? Still, I am going to use it.
shadowfox628
03-19-06, 09:30 PM No, you can't... period. A Small qualifies as something 4 feet and shorter (I don't know how low it can go, though). But, with that being said, if the Human were really short or really young (again, 4 feet and under), then, technically, yes. Although, I believe one could ride a Dire Wolf, since it's a Large creature, like a Horse.
Mitchell
03-19-06, 09:43 PM Could you *HAVE* one? Yes.
Could you *RIDE* one? No. :)
Molitor
03-20-06, 12:00 AM I like this rule.

Is it SRD or RAW so I don't have to tell my players "cause I said so"? Still, I am going to use it.
DMG page 204!
pres_man
03-20-06, 09:16 AM Technically you couldn't "ride" it but it could carry you. Basically I think you'd have to use handle animal (as a trick) instead of the ride skill. The silly thing is, I don't think there is any upper limit. So a small PC could "ride" on a large animal or even a huge animal.
R2
03-20-06, 10:20 AM Riding Dogs are Medium. Small creatures, like halflings and gnomes, can ride them.

Horses are Large. Medium creatures, like humans and elves, can ride them.

A medium mount can't handle a medium rider. Even if it can handle the weight as a matter of strength, there's also the matter of volume. A human couldn't ride a collie or St. Bernard -- his legs would drag the ground and both rider and mount would be terribly top-heavy and off-balance. A gnome could ride a big dog -- their base height is about three feet and their base weight is a paltry forty pounds, small enough for the dog to handle effectively.

A well-trained animal might drag you out of the dungeon if you're hurt or disabled, but I think "riding" is a bit too generous a term.
Ryusage
03-20-06, 10:22 AM for sake of realism, I'd say no. Riding dogs are just not strong enough and too small for a human
CriminalTruth
03-20-06, 10:31 AM If u create the spell

" Enlarge animal " and you speacilize permancy to make it perminatly large.. then...

Yes <3 :P
CthulhuRyleh
03-20-06, 09:57 PM no. I own a big dog and it is physically not big enough to hold me, a teenager, much less a fully-grown human
Sianger
03-20-06, 10:13 PM I don't see why there should be any confusion. As mentioned before - DMG 204. It says quite clearly that any mount must be at least 1 size category larger than the rider (which is small to medium, by the way, not large).

The fact that you are within its carrying limit doesn't matter for riding, because riding implies some kind of proper sitting position, possibly letting you have your hands free. You're light enough for it to carry, so if someone threw you over the dog's back or something, then it can still move. Doesn't mean you can ride it.
Scythe14
03-20-06, 10:27 PM I like this rule.

Is it SRD or RAW so I don't have to tell my players "cause I said so"? Still, I am going to use it.

Sorry for derailing the thread, but what is the RAW?
Douglas Zuver
03-20-06, 11:40 PM Rules As Written

SDR is the online condensed version of the Core Rule Books
Squaba
03-20-06, 11:48 PM Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.

That would be Small to Medium, Medium to Large. And as was already pointed out, per the DMG the mount needs to be one size larger then the character.
runestar
03-21-06, 12:09 AM In some countries, this would be considered animal abuse. ;)
Molitor
03-21-06, 12:56 AM That would be Small to Medium, Medium to Large. And as was already pointed out, per the DMG the mount needs to be one size larger then the character.
Yes and it was even pointed out by me!

By the way small on large means a small critter ON a large critter. Get it now?
Cifer
03-21-06, 02:27 AM The silly thing is, I don't think there is any upper limit. So a small PC could "ride" on a large animal or even a huge animal.
Guess what Hannibal did with those elephants.

By the way small on large means a small critter ON a large critter. Get it now?
Er, no. You still seem to assume that a small critter needs a large critter to sit on, which is (at least with the size definitions of D&D) not the case - a halfling (small) can use riding dogs (medium) and a human (medium) can use horses (large).
The White Sorcerer
03-21-06, 03:13 AM Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.
No. Small on medium, medium on large.
Tyler Do'Urden
03-21-06, 04:46 AM Some riding dogs can carry some people. Didn't Peter ride Brian that one time after he got lipo?
Molitor
03-21-06, 10:16 PM Well.
Molitor
03-21-06, 10:18 PM Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.
Notice the 'etc' at the end? That indicates that I was not going to put every combination out on the thread. It was I that gave the page number for the rule so I am familiar with said rule.
The White Sorcerer
03-22-06, 02:16 AM I am familiar with said rule.
Apparently not. According to your incorrect understanding of the rule, humans can't ride horses.

The combinations (all of them) are as follows:
Fine on diminutive
Diminutive on tiny
Tiny on small
Small on medium
Medium on large
Large on huge
Huge on gargantuan
Gargantuan on colossal

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
frankensocks 03-19-06, 03:06 PM	One of the animals that a Druid can choose for her Animal Companion is the Riding Dog, which the Monster's Manual describes as including "working breeds such as collies, huskies, and St. Bernards." From that description, I would assume that only Small creatures such as Halflings and Gnomes can ride them. However, the Monster Manual says that a Medium load for a Riding Dog is 101-200 pounds, which would seem to indicate that a big enough Riding Dog could carry a Medium creature such as a human. What do you think?
Planar Wanderer 03-19-06, 03:50 PM	The answer is no, I can't find the relevant rules in the SRD unfortunatly,but check page 204 of the 3.5 DMG for the reasoning (non-OGL and so forth means I can't post the stuff here, if someone else can dig it up in the SRD I'm sure they'll post it, I can't keep trawling through it at the moment)
LCD2YOU 03-19-06, 03:56 PM	Uh, yeah, but with caveats. How tall is the dog? How tall is the human? Is the human tall and skinny, long legs and all that? The issue is you as the DM must rule on abstract issues. Yeah, the riding dog has a medium capacity of up to 200 pounds but how tall are they? Figure that to ride an animal the animal must be at least as 70% as tall on their shoulders as the rider is, that if a human is 5' tall, the dog in question should be about 3.5' to the shoulders. Assuming the dog's legs are at least 50-60% of their height to their back, the dog has legs at least 1.75' to 2' high. The rider's legs will hang down about 40% of their height. So the legs of a 5' rider will hang down about to about 2' from the back of the animal or about 1.5' above the ground. That means any lower, the legs of the rider hanging down too far will interfere with the movement. Or that is how I see it. that is not RAW or SRD but my take on it.
Molitor 03-19-06, 08:09 PM	Generally medium critters can't ride on other medium critters. Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.
LCD2YOU 03-19-06, 09:27 PM	Generally medium critters can't ride on other medium critters. Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc.I like this rule. Is it SRD or RAW so I don't have to tell my players "cause I said so"? Still, I am going to use it.
shadowfox628 03-19-06, 09:30 PM	No, you can't... period. A Small qualifies as something 4 feet and shorter (I don't know how low it can go, though). But, with that being said, if the Human were really short or really young (again, 4 feet and under), then, technically, yes. Although, I believe one could ride a Dire Wolf, since it's a Large creature, like a Horse.
Mitchell 03-19-06, 09:43 PM	Could you HAVE one? Yes. Could you RIDE one? No. :)
Molitor 03-20-06, 12:00 AM	I like this rule. Is it SRD or RAW so I don't have to tell my players "cause I said so"? Still, I am going to use it. DMG page 204!
pres_man 03-20-06, 09:16 AM	Technically you couldn't "ride" it but it could carry you. Basically I think you'd have to use handle animal (as a trick) instead of the ride skill. The silly thing is, I don't think there is any upper limit. So a small PC could "ride" on a large animal or even a huge animal.
R2 03-20-06, 10:20 AM	Riding Dogs are Medium. Small creatures, like halflings and gnomes, can ride them. Horses are Large. Medium creatures, like humans and elves, can ride them. A medium mount can't handle a medium rider. Even if it can handle the weight as a matter of strength, there's also the matter of volume. A human couldn't ride a collie or St. Bernard -- his legs would drag the ground and both rider and mount would be terribly top-heavy and off-balance. A gnome could ride a big dog -- their base height is about three feet and their base weight is a paltry forty pounds, small enough for the dog to handle effectively. A well-trained animal might drag you out of the dungeon if you're hurt or disabled, but I think "riding" is a bit too generous a term.
Ryusage 03-20-06, 10:22 AM	for sake of realism, I'd say no. Riding dogs are just not strong enough and too small for a human
CriminalTruth 03-20-06, 10:31 AM	If u create the spell " Enlarge animal " and you speacilize permancy to make it perminatly large.. then... Yes <3 :P
CthulhuRyleh 03-20-06, 09:57 PM	no. I own a big dog and it is physically not big enough to hold me, a teenager, much less a fully-grown human
Sianger 03-20-06, 10:13 PM	I don't see why there should be any confusion. As mentioned before - DMG 204. It says quite clearly that any mount must be at least 1 size category larger than the rider (which is small to medium, by the way, not large). The fact that you are within its carrying limit doesn't matter for riding, because riding implies some kind of proper sitting position, possibly letting you have your hands free. You're light enough for it to carry, so if someone threw you over the dog's back or something, then it can still move. Doesn't mean you can ride it.
Scythe14 03-20-06, 10:27 PM	I like this rule. Is it SRD or RAW so I don't have to tell my players "cause I said so"? Still, I am going to use it. Sorry for derailing the thread, but what is the RAW?
Douglas Zuver 03-20-06, 11:40 PM	Rules As Written SDR is the online condensed version of the Core Rule Books
Squaba 03-20-06, 11:48 PM	Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc. That would be Small to Medium, Medium to Large. And as was already pointed out, per the DMG the mount needs to be one size larger then the character.
runestar 03-21-06, 12:09 AM	In some countries, this would be considered animal abuse. ;)
Molitor 03-21-06, 12:56 AM	That would be Small to Medium, Medium to Large. And as was already pointed out, per the DMG the mount needs to be one size larger then the character. Yes and it was even pointed out by me! By the way small on large means a small critter ON a large critter. Get it now?
Cifer 03-21-06, 02:27 AM	The silly thing is, I don't think there is any upper limit. So a small PC could "ride" on a large animal or even a huge animal. Guess what Hannibal did with those elephants. By the way small on large means a small critter ON a large critter. Get it now? Er, no. You still seem to assume that a small critter needs a large critter to sit on, which is (at least with the size definitions of D&D) not the case - a halfling (small) can use riding dogs (medium) and a human (medium) can use horses (large).
The White Sorcerer 03-21-06, 03:13 AM	Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc. No. Small on medium, medium on large.
Tyler Do'Urden 03-21-06, 04:46 AM	Some riding dogs can carry some people. Didn't Peter ride Brian that one time after he got lipo?
Molitor 03-21-06, 10:16 PM	Well.
Molitor 03-21-06, 10:18 PM	Small on large. Medium on huge ,etc. Notice the 'etc' at the end? That indicates that I was not going to put every combination out on the thread. It was I that gave the page number for the rule so I am familiar with said rule.
The White Sorcerer 03-22-06, 02:16 AM	I am familiar with said rule. Apparently not. According to your incorrect understanding of the rule, humans can't ride horses. The combinations (all of them) are as follows: Fine on diminutive Diminutive on tiny Tiny on small Small on medium Medium on large Large on huge Huge on gargantuan Gargantuan on colossal