Unfortunately, the rules for being mounted state that a creature must have the proper anatomy for one to ride it. A halfling cannot ride a human, so a halfling cannot ride a skeleton or zombie.
That comes down to DMs discretion. I don't see why one shouldn't just use the statblock for a zombie and apply it to a big dog or small pony or something with 4 legs. I hardly think that would break the game, since the creature wouldn't really be able to do normal zombie stuff and a typical wizard won't really benefit much from such a steed.
Unfortunately, the rules for being mounted state that a creature must have the proper anatomy for one to ride it. A halfling cannot ride a human, so a halfling cannot ride a skeleton or zombie.
Humans, zombies, and skeletons all have shoulders, so they can be ridden.
That comes down to DMs discretion. I don't see why one shouldn't just use the statblock for a zombie and apply it to a big dog or small pony or something with 4 legs. I hardly think that would break the game, since the creature wouldn't really be able to do normal zombie stuff and a typical wizard won't really benefit much from such a steed.
I thought like this, too. My first thought was actually zombie centaur, and there you go. But Animate Dead says humanoid, and centaurs are fey (at least the kind players can be). Similarly, dogs and ponys are beasts. Of course, a DM could allow it if they liked, but it could open up some other consequences if you open the spell to other creature types.
At that point, I'd agree with quindraco to let them ride on the zombie's shoulders. Maybe with a saddle, too. Certainly, there are lots of games where the halfling rides the half-orc barbarian into battle in some kind of harness.
So to the OP, it's really going to be up to your DM if or how they allow you to stretch the rules.
Unfortunately, the rules for being mounted state that a creature must have the proper anatomy for one to ride it. A halfling cannot ride a human, so a halfling cannot ride a skeleton or zombie.
Humans, zombies, and skeletons all have shoulders, so they can be ridden.
As they aren't specified as mounts, they would be carrying the rider, and require both hands to do it - which is fine. You'd need to check for Encumbrance, judging the weight of the carried creature against the strength score of the carrying creature.
Unfortunately, the rules for being mounted state that a creature must have the proper anatomy for one to ride it. A halfling cannot ride a human, so a halfling cannot ride a skeleton or zombie.
Humans, zombies, and skeletons all have shoulders, so they can be ridden.
As they aren't specified as mounts, they would be carrying the rider, and require both hands to do it - which is fine. You'd need to check for Encumbrance, judging the weight of the carried creature against the strength score of the carrying creature.
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I think that the Howdah ability there gets a little too in-the-weeds specific for this creature, would have liked to have seen it written with more general terms to make it easy to slap Howdah on other creatures of other sizes... but yeah, the specialized equipment being described as a Howdah there absolutely demonstrates how various types of 'exotic saddle' might work to let characters ride appropriately sized non-quadrapeds.
I think in 3.5 there was a rule about riding a quadraped one size or larger than you, but to ride a flying creature they had to be two sizes larger.... or maybe it was strength score linked? Either way, I wouldn't always necessarily allow a small creature to ride a medium humanoid, but i'd certainly allow a tiny to ride a medium, or a small to ride a large, or a medium to ride a huge, etc. The RAW leaves this in sort of the gray "ask your DM" territory that it treats Improvised Weapons and Hiding with, so its not exactly houseruling, but not exactly explicit how it works RAW either.
I’m pretty sure a Halfling, Gnome, Goblin or Kobold could ride an ogre zombie or ogre skeleton no problemo. And don’t forget stuff like the warhorse skeleton exists. There may not be any undead mastics yet, but it could certainly happen. Ne? (And don’t forget the centaur mummy. 😉)
Back in the AD&D era, I had a gnome magic user* who animated an ogre skeleton and rode around in its ribcage. Then later after realizing that exoskeletons are skeletons, he animated a dead/hollowed out giant scorpion and rode around in that... eventually we found a ginormous crab (the one from White Plume Mountain) and made an undead tank out of it.
(we were very loose with the rules for level limits etc.)
So google pics undead mounts and you'll find more ideas than you can shake a bone at! If the DM is feeling generous, he may let you have a mount that is less capable in combat but better at getting you from A to B.
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Can you be a small race necromancer and ride your undead to battle?
Unfortunately, the rules for being mounted state that a creature must have the proper anatomy for one to ride it. A halfling cannot ride a human, so a halfling cannot ride a skeleton or zombie.
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What if I build a little saddle on his back?
That comes down to DMs discretion. I don't see why one shouldn't just use the statblock for a zombie and apply it to a big dog or small pony or something with 4 legs. I hardly think that would break the game, since the creature wouldn't really be able to do normal zombie stuff and a typical wizard won't really benefit much from such a steed.
Certainly.
Humans, zombies, and skeletons all have shoulders, so they can be ridden.
I thought like this, too. My first thought was actually zombie centaur, and there you go. But Animate Dead says humanoid, and centaurs are fey (at least the kind players can be). Similarly, dogs and ponys are beasts. Of course, a DM could allow it if they liked, but it could open up some other consequences if you open the spell to other creature types.
At that point, I'd agree with quindraco to let them ride on the zombie's shoulders. Maybe with a saddle, too. Certainly, there are lots of games where the halfling rides the half-orc barbarian into battle in some kind of harness.
So to the OP, it's really going to be up to your DM if or how they allow you to stretch the rules.
As they aren't specified as mounts, they would be carrying the rider, and require both hands to do it - which is fine. You'd need to check for Encumbrance, judging the weight of the carried creature against the strength score of the carrying creature.
Ogre Howdah
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I never knew that existed!
I think that the Howdah ability there gets a little too in-the-weeds specific for this creature, would have liked to have seen it written with more general terms to make it easy to slap Howdah on other creatures of other sizes... but yeah, the specialized equipment being described as a Howdah there absolutely demonstrates how various types of 'exotic saddle' might work to let characters ride appropriately sized non-quadrapeds.
I think in 3.5 there was a rule about riding a quadraped one size or larger than you, but to ride a flying creature they had to be two sizes larger.... or maybe it was strength score linked? Either way, I wouldn't always necessarily allow a small creature to ride a medium humanoid, but i'd certainly allow a tiny to ride a medium, or a small to ride a large, or a medium to ride a huge, etc. The RAW leaves this in sort of the gray "ask your DM" territory that it treats Improvised Weapons and Hiding with, so its not exactly houseruling, but not exactly explicit how it works RAW either.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
I’m pretty sure a Halfling, Gnome, Goblin or Kobold could ride an ogre zombie or ogre skeleton no problemo. And don’t forget stuff like the warhorse skeleton exists. There may not be any undead mastics yet, but it could certainly happen. Ne? (And don’t forget the centaur mummy. 😉)
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Back in the AD&D era, I had a gnome magic user* who animated an ogre skeleton and rode around in its ribcage. Then later after realizing that exoskeletons are skeletons, he animated a dead/hollowed out giant scorpion and rode around in that... eventually we found a ginormous crab (the one from White Plume Mountain) and made an undead tank out of it.
(we were very loose with the rules for level limits etc.)
So google pics undead mounts and you'll find more ideas than you can shake a bone at! If the DM is feeling generous, he may let you have a mount that is less capable in combat but better at getting you from A to B.