Mounts in RP Discussion Thread

[Skaraa]

Mounts are a fun aspect of the game, and often can be good fun to RP. Though there is some pretty shaky ground in places on what is normally accepted by RPers. If you have a good enough reason, your background is secure, and you know the lore behind the creature then you can probably pretty much get away with anything. However, there is shaky ground in places and, let’s face it, not all of us are lore heavyweights. So, without further ado…

That is my opening to this post on the Wardens of Azeroth Guildsite (TVC - A). This post is meant as my personal opinion and advice when it comes to choosing the IC mount for your character. Why have I put it here, I hear you ask? Debate. I want you to disagree with me on something (or to enlighten me about something of which I was not aware). So...come put me in my place

Racial Mounts (Including Gryphon and Wyvern) – Anyone could have one of these mounts. You literally just need to go and buy it. They are easy access and are bred in large numbers for the sole purpose of being mounts.
Note: Wyverns are noted as being sentient creatures; that is that they possess an intellect roughly equal to that of a Human. Wyverns can speak Orcish and Taurache, but still appear to be trained (perhaps or perhaps not bred) by Orcs for use in aerial combat.

Class Mounts – Anyone of that class could typically have these. Deathchargers, and Felsteeds are clearly summoned (Deathchargers from the plane of shadow and Felsteeds from Xoroth). Paladin mounts are alittle more subjective in how they are called – many lore sources seem to show them being used as normal mounts whereas some other sources show them as summoned. Clearly, however, Skeletal Gryphons are not summoned.

Bears – I don’t really care what colour it is, you can buy these in Northrend and, quite possibly, from other places as well. Being mounted on a Bear is a little…odd, but then again so is being mounted on a Dire Wolf (Orc Racial).

Camels – Native largely to Uldum. Anyone could, in theory, go buy one. The Ramkahen are very Egyptian as far as their society goes (they like gold).

Cloud Serpent – Dragonkin native to Pandaria. They seem to be tameable and more like an animal than a True Dragon. However, they seem closely guarded in much the same way that the Sha’tari Skyguard used Nether Rays. ‘Get in good’ with the Order of the Cloud Serpent, and I do not see why not.

Dragonhawk – Native to Quel’Thalas, often tamed by Blood Elves and used as mounts. For the Horde it is pretty much just another Racial Mount (though the Blood Elves might be particular about who they sell to). For the Alliance it could be seen as shaky ground but is doable; you’d need to have good contacts –somewhere- (Dalaran/Goblins, someone to be a middleman).

Dragons (All True Dragons – four legs, wings, intelligent) Before I start I need to say this: I don't care how old it is, a Dragon is a Dragon. – Intelligent creatures are easily capable of offering their services to mortals (look at Hippogryphs and Wyverns). However, I think that almost every RPer could talk for hours about the many possible reasons why using a Dragon mount is a bad idea. ‘It gets odd looks at face value’ is the easiest way to put it. Please think twice and at least sort your story out big time before doing it.
NOTE: The Black Dragonflight and their tainted creations were wiped out (as far as we know) by Wrathion - note that some sources cite the Black Dragons on Outland as having survived, though they will be few in number and could well be hiding from Wrathion if they hear about him.

Fiery Warhorse – I do not know how many people will yell at their screen if I say this but: Fiery Warhorse = Felsteed, that definition says it all.

Headless Horseman’s Mount - It seems to be a type of Deathcharger, however normal Deathchargers do not fly. The lore behind it (let’s pretend it isn’t a stupid reference to Sleepy Hallow for a moment) makes it seem incredibly unique. I’d have to advise against it.

Flying Carpet – Get it made by a tailor, get it enchanted or do it yourself. These things can likely also be bought from (for example) Dalaran for a (likely) hefty price. Nothing else to say.

Flying Machine/Chopper/Rocket – Get it made by an Engineer or do it yourself. You can probably also buy them from Gnomes/Goblins. Riding around on a rocket might raise some eyebrows, think it through.

Fossilized Raptor – Death Knight or Necromancer, this shouldn’t really be a problem.

Goats, Mushan, Cranes, Water Striders and Yaks – Tameable and abundant, you can also probably purchase them quite easily from the Pandaren on Pandaria. As strange as it sounds for some of them, I can’t think of a serious problem.

Heart of the Aspects – “The Heart of the Aspects is a luminous dragon born of the radiant energies of the Dragon Soul artefact” - For that reason and that reason alone…just no. Furthermore, it clearly is not a Cloud Serpent, they clearly do not have wings – don’t bother trying to blag your way down that route.

Heart of the Nightwing – Turning into things is rather shaky, not sure what more to say on that.

Hippogryph - Hippogryphs are sentient creatures which can speak Darnassian and some (or at least understand) Common. They have been in an alliance with the Night Elves for many years, and have a very tight-knit history with them. A Hippogryph would choose its rider, rather than being bought or chosen by its rider. Non-Elves should work out their backstory before taking a Hippogryph mount.

Invincible – Just no, that is all I am saying. Look up the lore if you want to know why.

Mammoths – Native to Northrend, these incredibly large beasts are evidently tameable. They can be purchased from several locations in Northrend. They would clearly make a devastating military mount; just imagine being trampled by one. Manoeuvring them in cities may be problematic. In theory, a Northrend Veteran could have obtained one, so could a wealthy visitor.

Mimiron's Head – I am tempted to say ‘just no’ again, however, -maybe- at a massive stretch. Call it a flying machine built into a hollowed out Titan Statue and –maybe-.

Nether Rays – Native to Draenor. These are used solely by the Sha’tari Skyguard in Outland. Anyone who ‘got in good’ with them during the Outland excursion could have theoretically ended up with one. They are quite unique as far as flying mounts go (in relation to how they fly), I’d suggest learning about them before RPing with them.

Phoenix and Firehawk – Both are natives to the elemental planes, but there is a distinct difference. The Phoenix arise from their ashes, the Firehawks do not. In addition, the Phoenix are summoned by Blood (or Shadow in the case of a Dark Phoenix) Mages whereas the Firehawks are pretty much just native fauna to the Firelands (technically Elementals, a Shaman could in theory summon one). Furthermore, Firehawks live –very- short lifespans (we are talking days to weeks) and are born from eggs (or created from Dragons in the case of Alysrazor).
To have a Phoenix you need to be a top of the range Blood Mage (Shadow Mage for a Dark Phoenix).
As for the Firehawks, I’d say be a Shaman or know one – either way, this mount is not going to last very long; don’t get too attached.
NOTE: Pandaren Phoenix seem to be more like birds than anything else, I am not sure where the lore is with them at current.

Proto-Drake – Native to Northrend. With an intellect closer to that of a dinosaur than a True Dragon I’d say sure, why not? They are evidently tameable (used by the Argent Crusade and Vrykul).

Qiraji Battle Tanks – These things have been involved in two wars; the War of the Shifting Sands, and the reopening of Ahn’Qiraji. Plus onto this their intelligence and affiliation with the Old Gods and you have yourself a serious way to get wailed on by passers-by. Just no.

Raven Lord – Some kind of connection to the Arrakoa on Draenor. Also seems to be some kind of special raven, or completely unique. There is clearly only one in-game (Anzu the Raven God) – either this mount is him or his direct offspring, either way I’d advise: just no.

Rivendare’s Deathcharger/Crimson Deathcharger – Both just a Deathcharger. Be a Death Knight, don’t RP it as his, you’ll be fine.

Seahorse/Turtle – They seem tameable, are quite abundant. You’re not likely to use them often anyway.

Spectral Mounts – They are born from the Twisting Nether in some way, shape, or form. You'd want to be an experienced Arcanist, Mage, or Conjurer. Do bare in mind how unsettling a transparent mount would be to commoners.

Stone Panthers – Seem to be some kind of enchanted construct. You can probably treat them as other Profession mounts and get away with it.

Talbuks – Native to Draenor. Once more, these are evidently purchasable to anyone with the coin who is willing to go to Nagrand and buy one.

Tallstrider – Mostly found around the Barrens, they are plentiful and tameable.

Tyrael's Charger – No viable lore that I am aware of, best to avoid.

Vial of the Sands/Tarecgosa's Visage – You know what I said about Dragons? RPing one is about the only thing more frowned upon that I can think of.

Winged Guardian – Dodgy lore about being a Titan Warden of some type, best to avoid.

[Guest]

Love this, keep these guides up!

[Guest]

For the bears and proto-drakes I'd add the footnote that you sorta have to be a big ass tauren or just incredibly vicious to pull it off.

Edit: Enjoyed the read though, nice summaries.

[Lini]

Nice compilation.
One thing I'd like to point out, though.

NOTE: The Black Dragonflight and their tainted creations were wiped out (as far as we know) by Wrathion.

The black dragons in Outland were left untouched. Their numbers can't be very high with Sabellian/Baron Sablemane being the only notable one I can think of right now.

[Skaraa]

Nice compilation.
One thing I'd like to point out, though.

NOTE: The Black Dragonflight and their tainted creations were wiped out (as far as we know) by Wrathion.

The black dragons in Outland were left untouched. Their numbers can't be very high with Sabellian/Baron Sablemane being the only notable one I can think of right now.

I had heard that but (on WoWpedia, anyway) it sounded more like speculation than anything else. I believe the original source for that was an article on WoW Insider - "Wrathion isn't omniscient, we can assume that the Dragons on Outland could have survived" or something like that?

It is a good point though, even if it were just speculation (correct me if I am wrong). I'll amend it.

[Humphry]

Very nice, pretty much how I saw most of them and you even brought a few details to my attention I did not know about.

[Skarain]

A small note from me: A spectral mount can be used as a conjured mount created by an Arcanist, Mage or Conjurer. However i see much as a very powerful spell, and not something of everyday use. Not to mention how frightening the sight of a translucent mount would be to the bystanders.

[Skaraa]

A small note from me: A spectral mount can be used as a conjured mount created by an Arcanist, Mage or Conjurer. However i see much as a very powerful spell, and not something of everyday use. Not to mention how frightening the sight of a translucent mount would be to the bystanders.

Thanks very much. Added.

[Muzjhath]

I'd say that it could possibly also be a very strong animal spirit granting a favour to a shaman.

[Magaskawee/Anaei]

I am of the opinion if someone gets that damn legendary staff they earn the right to play as a member of the blue flight, haha!

But in all seriousness, lovely guide, and I am glad to see support for Cloud Serpents, as I hope to use one (and it's mini-pet match) as my IC companion!

[Grim]

I ride a raven lord IC!

However, its not a, or even the raven lord... Basically, I spent a year grinding for it and I damn well will use it!
Grim used to ride hawkstriders (because the sight of an orc on a flamingo made me giggle), and one day a travelling goblin merchant sold him some magic beans, which Grim fed to Beaky (his hawkstrider). The next day Beaky had transformed into a beautiful and scary creature, bigger, meaner and less sane than before.

Its a shit justification yes, but without some absurdity thrown into my RP I get twitchy.

On a serious note we're roleplaying in a fantasy world, technically anything is possible as long as you've thought of a justification for it.

While we're here... I have a question. I want to use a proto-drake IC, I don't want to create another absurd reasing for doing so. How would someone get hold of a proto-drake? Would it involve a trek to Northrend and months of training? Or is it possible to purchase a tamed one?

[The Z]

While this is a pretty fun thread, it's still giving me this stronge urge, along with few other posts as of late, to make a thread titled "What is Roleplaying / 101 Rules and/or tips to authentic Roleplaying". Just so I wouldn't break anymore rules...or just for tha lulz.

[Drustai]

While we're here... I have a question. I want to use a proto-drake IC, I don't want to create another absurd reasing for doing so. How would someone get hold of a proto-drake? Would it involve a trek to Northrend and months of training? Or is it possible to purchase a tamed one?

I doubt there's a market available for you to just go out and buy one, but you could always pay a tamer to specifically tame one for you. So, you yourself don't have to do the taming, but you probably can't just go out and buy one on a whim.

On a serious note we're roleplaying in a fantasy world, technically anything is possible as long as you've thought of a justification for it.

This is a big thing to consider. Especially in the case of dragon mounts, which I find people are often far too OOCly antagonistic towards. This is WarCraft, it's a high fantasy universe. Dragon mounts exist and are used. They aren't mounts you can just pick up from a local stable, no, but there is nothing stopping you from using one if you have an IC justification for it (and are keeping in mind that the dragon is just as much a sapient character as the rider). Just because a player swoops in on a dragon doesn't make them a bad RPer.

The one thing dragonriders (and any other monstrous mount) do need to consider is when and where they use it. It is very unlikely a dragon would be allowed to roam Stormwind's streets, for example. Anyone using a monstrous mount should consider it off-limits in most civilized areas. Some cities are probably less strict on just what would be acceptable (orcs ride wolves and night elves ride tigers, afterall), though I'm not sure even those would permit a dragon past the flight stables (unless the dragon is in humanoid form).

[Grim]

Its quite a fun mental image though...

Beregran the human warrior flies triumphantly to Stormwind on his new dragon mount.
Beregran the human warrior is shot down in flames and makes a bloody, fiery mess in Stormwind city centre.

[Vaell]

Racial Mounts (Including Gryphon, Hippogryph and Wyvern) – Anyone could have one of these mounts. You literally just need to go and buy it. They are easy access and are bred in large numbers for the sole purpose of being mounts.
Note: Hippogryphs and Wyverns are noted as being sentient creatures; that is that they possess an intellect roughly equal to that of a Human. Wyverns can speak Orcish and Taurache, Hippogryphs can speak Darnassian and normally understand Common.

I like to think of a Gryphon/Wyvern as an expensive car. Our characters can go out and buy them because people are paying them a lot of gold to quest, where as - if you go by the economy system - a flying mount would be an expensive purchase. I rent one on Vaell but my common guard couldn't afford one unless he saved. This is just the way I handle it, it seems a lot more logical and adds a bit of meaning to simply going out and buying the mount.

Good guide though, I'm just far more strict on gold intake.

[Sonitus]

"Don't need no fancy mount! Later foo's!"

*Cackles and insta-casts Flight Form*

In truth however, IC, I tend to use Flight form sparingly. Sonitus' thinking being that he walked just fine before being able to fly; why forget use of his legs? Usually just walk or run among the others, saving flight form for emergencies or if everyone else mounts up, now I can pop stag form (+Feline Swiftness). Though to be fair, I only really shape-shift if the situation calls for it.

[Skaraa]

On a serious note we're roleplaying in a fantasy world, technically anything is possible as long as you've thought of a justification for it.

While we're here... I have a question. I want to use a proto-drake IC, I don't want to create another absurd reasing for doing so. How would someone get hold of a proto-drake? Would it involve a trek to Northrend and months of training? Or is it possible to purchase a tamed one?

Firstly, yes, it is a fantasy world and I agree with you. I did state at the top in italics "If you have a good enough reason, your background is secure, and you know the lore behind the creature then you can probably pretty much get away with anything.".

As for the Proto-Drake, what Drustai said. You can probably get one tamed by a professional, like any tameable mount.

[Lexgrad]

Racial Mounts (Including Gryphon, Hippogryph and Wyvern) – Anyone could have one of these mounts. You literally just need to go and buy it. They are easy access and are bred in large numbers for the sole purpose of being mounts.
Note: Hippogryphs and Wyverns are noted as being sentient creatures; that is that they possess an intellect roughly equal to that of a Human. Wyverns can speak Orcish and Taurache, Hippogryphs can speak Darnassian and normally understand Common.

I like to think of a Gryphon/Wyvern as an expensive car. Our characters can go out and buy them because people are paying them a lot of gold to quest, where as - if you go by the economy system - a flying mount would be an expensive purchase. I rent one on Vaell but my common guard couldn't afford one unless he saved. This is just the way I handle it, it seems a lot more logical and adds a bit of meaning to simply going out and buying the mount.

Good guide though, I'm just far more strict on gold intake.

I agree with Vaell, plus if you look at any faction who use flyin mounts, for example wild hammers, it is apart of their life, something they trained in. I would avoid any flying mount tbh unless with a very strong reason, as they are expensive and take a high degree of training to use. Think of it this way, fall of a horse, dangerous. Fall off a flying mount..... Splat.

[Iltharen]

Add the awesome Flying Disk! as much as I adore this mount since its small and comfortable I don't see it viable for RP >:

[Drustai]

Add the awesome Flying Disk! as much as I adore this mount since its small and comfortable I don't see it viable for RP >:

It's just as viable as flying carpets.

High fantasy universe, enchanted flying objects are fine.

[Iltharen]

Some runed disk that hovers, could be, yarr. Then again some people are more -open minded- when it comes to certain artifacts.

[erwtenpeller]

Flying disc? What?

I need this!

[Silferdrake]

I've seen the flying disc! It's epic times two ^^. I'm totally going to get one, well not for RP but still.

I personally use the good old, regular non-epic, brown horse. Not because I don't think people shouldn't have exotic mounts, as Drustai mentioned it is a high fantasy setting, and such things are to be expected. But I do think that for every bear riding gnome, dwarf biker or phoenix riding worgen there should be a bunch of regular unspectacular riders like my self.

While I agree that almost any mount can be justified with the proper backstory I think people should ask themselves if their character actually need an exotic mount to help with their characterisation or if they simply want it because it looks cool.

Edit: Almost forgot. Great guide, thanks for taking the time to write it ^^.

[Rmuffn]

On a serious note we're roleplaying in a fantasy world, technically anything is possible as long as you've thought of a justification for it.

While we're here... I have a question. I want to use a proto-drake IC, I don't want to create another absurd reasing for doing so. How would someone get hold of a proto-drake? Would it involve a trek to Northrend and months of training? Or is it possible to purchase a tamed one?

Firstly, yes, it is a fantasy world and I agree with you. I did state at the top in italics "If you have a good enough reason, your background is secure, and you know the lore behind the creature then you can probably pretty much get away with anything.".

As for the Proto-Drake, what Drustai said. You can probably get one tamed by a professional, like any tameable mount.

Well, Grim!
Technicly Varrgosh has a proto-drake, if you want we can make some RP out of it!

[Cid]

Silfer, should mention a disc like that in your comics sometime.

"That will only happen when a fat bear flies a saucer!"

*disc flies by with pandaren*

"... Not a word."

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