Five Flying Mounts That Make D&D Adventures Better
What’s one surefire way to power up your character? Grab a flying mount and soar over all your problems. Except student loans.
In D&D, there are lots of ways for characters to grow in power. Which is good, because the game starts to break down once you get to the highest levels. It works best from about levels 3-13, and, don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun. But past a certain point, every level brings you closer to that breaking point.
But not every advance does this. Your character could get a magic weapon, for instance. Or my personal favorite non-level character powerup, get a flying mount.
In addition to being rad, flying mounts are staples of heroic stories, going all the way back to Perseus and his winged horse, Pegasus. This is why we’re looking at some of the best flying mounts in D&D.
Pegasus
The original flying mount. A pegasus combines all the majesty of a horse with wings! And it’s got enough hit points that it’ll probably survive with you well into the higher levels.
With a fly speed of 90ft per round, this is easily one of the fastest flying mounts. You’ll outpace even the fastest Spelljammers or other flying vessels. A great mount for archers and spellcasters or anyone who needs to stay back or get close.
Giant Owl
What if you want a mount that enables you to fight in melee combat a bit better? The giant owl is your friend. It’s not nearly as fast, as it only has a flying speed of 60ft, but a giant owl has a flyby attack. One of the few large monsters to do so. Which means you can weave in and out of combat without provoking attacks of opportunity.
You’ll have to be careful, though, as giant owls are fragile. But that’s what mounted combat is for.
Griffon
Want a mount that can fly and help you in a fight? More actions in combat are always better. In that case, you want a griffon.
These majestic beasts combine the ferocious head of an eagle with the powerful body of a lion. They’re tough, with as many hit points as a pegasus, and they’re fighty. Their multiattack can dish out two extra hits, so they can tough it out with you in a slog.
Star Lancer
Birds. Horses. These are pedestrian tastes for pedestrian adventures. I understand. Fret not, the Star Lancer is here to solve your problems.
Introduced in Spelljammer, Star Lancers are 4-winged, telepathic space sharks, which is already very cool. But these go a step further and are great at combat in their own right and they benefit their rider.
They have flyby attack, which means they can take you in and out of combat without provoking an attack of opportunity. But then they can also make a horn attack that does 4d6 + 4 damage if you move at least 20ft in a straight line toward your target.
And on top of all that, it can turn itself and a rider invisible 3/day. This invisibility lasts until it or its rider makes an attack, so they can set up a stealth mission like nobody’s business. All this in one mount.
Dragon
There’s nothing more D&D than riding a dragon. The trick is convincing one to let you. But that’s what being an adventurer is all about.
Manage that feat and you have one of the most powerful creatures on your side. They breathe elemental energy, have really claws and wings, and as they get older, even legendary actions. And if you play a campaign that goes on long enough and you treat your dragon well? It might bond with your family.
Then you could have a dragon that serves your house. A whole house of dragons! Imagine that. Surely that would stand the test of time, and would never end up collapsing plunging a whole continent into civil war or anything.
What’s your favorite flying mount?
