Find Greater Steed: An Overview
Find Greater Steed is a spell in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, introduced in the Xanathar’s Guide to Everything supplement. It is a powerful spell that allows a caster to summon a mythical creature from the celestial, fey, or fiendish planes to serve as their mount. The creature remains under the caster’s control until it is dismissed or it drops to zero hit points.
The spell is available to Paladins at level 13, and Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards at level 14. The creature that a caster can summon depends on their alignment, with celestial creatures only available to good-aligned casters, fiendish creatures to evil-aligned casters, and fey creatures to neutral casters.
The spell’s usefulness is not limited to transportation alone. Summoning a Greater Steed gives a significant boost to combat capabilities as well. The creature summoned is incredibly powerful, with stats that match or surpass some of the most potent monsters in the game. In addition, it can also fly, swim, or burrow, depending on the type of creature summoned.
Here are the various mounts that can be summoned via Find Greater Steed:
Celestial Mounts:
1. Pegasus: A majestic winged equine, possessing the ability to dash and fly.
2. Unicorn: A legendary beast with the ability to charm creatures and purify food and drink.
3. Nightmare: A steed born from evil, with the ability to create darkness and fear in those around it.
Fey Mounts:
1. Blink Dog: A canine creature that can teleport short distances and has keen senses.
2. Giant Owl: A massive bird that can fly silently and has improved perception at night.
3. Sprite: A tiny fairy-like creature that can fly, turn invisible, and use magical tricks.
Fiendish Mounts:
1. Hell Hound: A terrifying dog-like creature with fiery breath, and immunity to fire damage.
2. Nightmare: As mentioned, a hellish creature that can create fear and darkness around it.
3. Peryton: A monstrous combination of a deer and a bird, with the ability to fly and add additional damage to its attacks by using its antlers.
Comparison Between Greater Steed Mounts
Mounts summoned via Find Greater Steed are incredibly powerful creatures with unique abilities that can have a significant impact on combat. However, there are some differences between them that can help players to decide which one to choose. Here are some comparisons between them:
1. Flight: The most significant advantage that most Greater Steeds offer is the ability to fly, which grants the rider great mobility, negating the need for spell slots or items to achieve it. Pegasus, Giant Owl, Sprite, and Nightmare are all capable of flight. However, the Unicorn, Blink Dog, and Peryton are ground-based creatures, which may limit their usefulness, both in combat and in exploration.
2. Damage: In combat, the damage output of the Greater Steeds can make a difference. The Peryton and the Hell Hound offer an additional damage boost with their beak/antlers and fiery breath attack, respectively. In contrast, most others rely on standard physical or magical attacks.
3. Support Abilities: Each Greater Steed has a unique support ability that can turn the tide of a battle, potentially altering the outcome. For example, the Unicorn’s ability to purify food and drink can be handy in a post-apocalyptic world, while the Nightmare’s ability to create darkness can hinder enemies’ attacks, giving an advantage to the party.
FAQs
Q. Can mounts summoned via Find Greater Steed be used outside of combat?
A. Absolutely. Mounts summoned via Find Greater Steed are incredibly powerful, and their abilities can come in handy both inside and outside of combat. They can help with scouting, exploration, transportation, and other non-combat related roles.
Q. Can mounts summoned via Find Greater Steed be healed?
A. Yes. The mounts summoned via Find Greater Steed have hit points and can be damaged in combat, making them eligible targets for healing spells or potions. As long as the mount’s hit points are above zero, they will remain under the caster’s control.
Q. Can mounts summoned via Find Greater Steed be dismissed and resummoned?
A. Yes. A caster can dismiss their Greater Steed at any time, which will send it back to its plane of origin. They can then resummon it later by casting Find Greater Steed again, as long as they have the spell slots to do so.
Q. Can multiple casters summon the same mount?
A. Yes. If multiple casters have access to Find Greater Steed and want to summon the same mount, they can do so. The creature will remain under the control of the caster who summoned it first.
Conclusion
Find Greater Steed is an incredibly powerful spell that allows the caster to summon a powerful mount that can help them in both combat and non-combat situations. Each of the mounts summoned via the spell has unique abilities that offer different advantages to the caster and party. With proper use, these mounts can make a significant difference in the game’s outcome, making them a must-have for any caster looking to improve their capabilities. With that said, there are some caveats to consider, such as the limited availability of the spell, the level requirement for access, and the alignment restrictions. Nonetheless, casting Find Greater Steed remains an exciting option for any player who wishes to add a little extra power to their game.