I'll second ostriches; those critters are mean. They'd make good war-mounts for something small enough to ride them. I keep thinking, though, that they're savanah dwellers, not so much river valley.
How about bears? They swim, they fish, they climb, the sprint awfully fast. Depending on the breed, they'd be big enough to ride, and with the right riding harness, the ducks could ride them into battle with lances or other mounted weapons, and after the initial charge, the bear could stand and attack and the duck could still manage archery (or magic) from above and behind the bear's head.
I have no idea what sort of walking speed/range a bear usually manages. Being omnivores, I suspect things could get dicey with bears under a seige or a long, hard ride; having a ride that's able and potentially willing to eat you if it doesn't get fed regularly presents something of a hazard.
> I'm really, really taken by the idea of Giant Swamp Toads.
> A mount that jumps rather than just swims/walks is novel
I'd think the riders would take long enough to recover after the toad lands, that the ability of the mount to jump would be more of a hindrance than a help. Yes, the rider would be harder to hit, but I'd think that the mount sjumping would also disrupt whatever the rider was trying to do. Not to mention how unpleasant that landing's got to be for the rider.
Elephants. Some sort of small elephants. Upkeep's expensive, because they eat a lot, but they'd make pretty cool cavalry.
Or maybe large elephants, with war platforms on the back. LOTR-TRTK, except with ducks rather than orcs.
Grimmund
--
"Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash, and I am delighted to say
that I have no grasp of it, whatsoever!" - Baron Munchausen
Powered by hypermail