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Swamp Mounts - Think Tank

Think tank time

Suggest something that could be used in a swampy environment as transport and could survive naturally within that environment. Attention to detail is a must, otherwise Souzou's ocd will immediately dismiss it.

I'll start this off.

Giant Swamp Chicken:

Standing @ 5-6m tall, the Swamp Chicken(Moorhen) can traverse through water up to 2-3m in depth with relative ease and once on a more stable ground can move efficiently for great distances. Being bipedal, it requires less calories for it's locomotion. It is, however, slower than a horse when mounted to allow a more comfortable ride.

It's feathers allow it to acclimate to the varying temperatures from morning to night. It can shed water, hold air to keep warmer or ruffle up to create an air flow. Also, the Swamp Chicken can open it's beak when it needs to cool off in the heat of the day while running.

The Swamp Chicken can eat anything. It's got an iron gut built in and is omnivorous. It also has strong predatory instincts, making it an ideal replacement for the War Trison on the battlefield.

Edit:

It has been mentioned, and I forgot to mention here. But there are in fact 4 unique mounts in total available through EP and Titles(5 if you include purebred horse). Not everything has to be a war mount. Pack Mule(move stuff), Horse(move quick), Ursaphant(move more stuff) & War Trison(move into battle) replacements each might need to be considered.

Also, good info for cart/wagon replacements seem to go hand-in-hand with this topic. Already, many have posted good ideas in that regard.

Look at those Talons!


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6/20/2017 10:26:46 PM #1

Caitoad. Something between a caiman and a toad, but closer to the latter.

An oversized toad about the size of a small horse with a long reptilian tail that lets it traverse the water with ease but maintains large pad-like feet for hopping from oversized lilypad to lilypad.

6/20/2017 10:26:49 PM #2

Posted By Cave_N at >

Swamp Chicken:

Standing @ 5-6m tall, the swamp chicken can traverse through water up to 2-3m in depth with relative ease and once on a more stable ground can move efficiently for great distances. Being bipedal, it requires less calories for it's locomotion. It is, however, slower than a horse when mounted to allow a more comfortable ride.

With it's feathers allow it to acclimate to the varying temperatures from morning to night. It can shed water, hold air to keep warmer or ruffle up to create an air flow. Also, the Swamp Chicken can open it's beak when it needs to cool off in the heat of the day while running.

The Swamp Chicken can eat anything. It's got an iron gut built in and is omnivorous. It also has strong predatory instincts, making it an ideal replacement for the War Trison on the battlefield.

LOL I literally (and alliteratively) laughed out loud---but I love the idea.

The Dras have some long legs, so whatever they ride can have some girth.

The thing either has to be faster than a Dras, and/or have a good weight capacity & endurance. Perhaps your Swamp Chicken has some scales like the Archaeopteryx--which evolved in a not-too-dissimilar climate.

I agree it should be flightless, but maybe it can still get a little lift like chickens can--terrifying in a combat charge!

I am completely down with the Swamp Chicken.


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6/20/2017 10:27:36 PM #3

double post


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6/20/2017 10:32:44 PM #4

Some breeds of horses do pretty well in a swampy environment, like the Camargue. The swamps they prefer aren't deeply boggy or anything so they don't frequently get stuck.

For the sake of adding some fantasy, I think it would be interesting to see a type of water horse. Think horse but with thick, webby feet and slits for ears, kind of like a reptile. It's skin would be the same range of colors you would find on the skin of an alligator, but smooth like a shark.

The webby feet would help with deeper sections of swamp. Being like a reptile, it thrives in hot and wet climates, but is weak in colder biomes.

It feeds primarily on swamp grasses and small mammals.


6/20/2017 10:37:09 PM #5

Some sort of large Alligator or Turtle.


6/20/2017 10:45:12 PM #6

Giant snakes

Their ability to move well over most terrains wet or dry as well as being strong swimmers I think would make them ideal swamp mounts.


6/20/2017 10:47:14 PM #7

Heh, how about the pedal boat or pedalo or whatever it's called? ^_^

A giant leffit? Much like it's smaller version it could be calm and playful but useless in combat due to it's instinct to flee from danger. It could traverse on land and shallow waters and swamps.


6/20/2017 10:55:47 PM #8

Posted By Rofus at 3:47 PM - Tue Jun 20 2017

Heh, how about the pedal boat or pedalo or whatever it's called? ^_^

A giant leffit? Much like it's smaller version it could be calm and playful but useless in combat due to it's instinct to flee from danger. It could traverse on land and shallow waters and swamps.

A raft might be an ideal transport, if the waterways are interconnected enough. They may not move quick, but they move volume!! And that can be a pretty big deal. Doesn't much matter to me if it has petals, oars or a big stick at that point.


6/20/2017 10:56:13 PM #9

I like the giant chicken. I envision it having similar physiology to that of an emu.

I also think a giant salamander could work well as a mount for the Dras.


6/20/2017 11:02:51 PM #10

Giant Flamingo type animal. Two very long legs to be able to stand in the swamp waters but very strong upper legs like an Ostrich to be able to run fast, bottoms of the legs are thin to allow them to pass though the water quickly.

Can also jump really high, when you click to jump the Flamingo type animal flaps it's wings once which helps it gain more height as it jumps, animal cannot fly however.


6/20/2017 11:04:53 PM #11

Another idea is.

A giant Duck that floats on the water. You sit on the Duck and the Duck paddles it's webbed feet really fast and it acts like a boat.


6/20/2017 11:28:34 PM #12

For the Swamp lands, I could see some kind of large frogs and water spiders for player mounts while you have some kind of an evolved turtle for a beast of burden carrying "mount".


6/20/2017 11:30:08 PM #13

I really like the idea of the giant turtle too guys. But Souzou seemed less than impressed with the idea. Even though it would move volumes of lewt and could be amphibious AND a fairly stable platform.

:(

Ew! Not spiders though! My second sworn enemy after the Red Dot!


6/20/2017 11:31:32 PM #14

Crocodile Raptor hybrid. Ain't no Trison gon' fug with that.


6/20/2017 11:32:22 PM #15

I envision a Creature with the following features:

The Kangatoroo

(kan-gator-roo)

Not unsimilar to the silhouette of a Kangaroo, but with the features of an Alligator.

The head and snout being the length of the Roo, but with the leather, eyes and sngally teeth. The body has the same scales covering it, and similarly dextrous front legs and powerful hind legs that can paddle like a duck's in deeper water, and stride with great speed on solid ground and even on quickmud because of it's webbed toes. The tail is powerfully built, and is useful in maintaining the Kangatoroo's balance, being usefull as a balast and an almost prehensile extremity in the manner of as opposum.

ADDENDUM: The addition of feathers as a cooling device intrigues me, so...

The back side of the Gatoroo's neck has a ruff of feathers that can be spread to cool the creature down. The feathered areas extend down the back of the forearms to grasping claws of the imposing creature. Stretcing these pinion wings, even greater speeds can be wrought by the best of the Dras riders.

PS I am very happy to give this design over to SBS if they wish to iterate on it.


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