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To continue talking about mounts in 4th edition D&D, I'm going to put some existing mount options on a continuum of sorts. At one end of the continuum, the "mount" is very abstract: it is really just a narrative convenience to describe or explain an effect, and there is no creature there. At the other end of the continuum, the mount is more realized: it has its own level on the 1-to-30 scale, it has ability scores and hit points, and so on. Here's a picture of what I mean:


 

The "steed" in Spirit Steed (Glorious Spirit Utility 26) only exists in the flavor text for what is ultimately just a personal movement power. However, with Cloud Chariot (Cleric Utility 22), the power explicitly creates a vehicle and the creature to pull it, and they both occupy Large spaces. The entities created

My D&D campaigns have never employed mounts as much as I'd like, leaving me feeling like I've missed out on an important element of fantasy adventure. Knights on chargers, Perseus on Pegasus, the fire-mares scene in Krull (don't laugh-- I was 8 when Krull came out and I believed it was utterly rad)… even plain old stagecoach chases in Westerns. With their speed and bulk, the presence of mounts seems to magnify the action in these stories. So why haven't I used mounts more often in my games?

Dungeons are not mount-friendly. The default setting for a D&D adventure is cramped, winding tunnels far underground. In those circumstances, a mount becomes a liability. Great for getting from the town to the more remote dungeons, and bringing treasure back, but during the real action the horses