The Paladin's Mount states:
The mount also appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed.
This two-wheeled vehicle can be drawn by a single horse (or other beast of burden). It comes with a harness.
- Would the Paladin's Mount, when dismissed, retain the
harness of the cart, or the entire cart? - Is the cart, with the harness needed to pull it, one
piece of equipment the horse is wearing, or is it separate?
Backstory
A dwarf paladin doesn't want to utilize his special mount as a mount, but rather as a portable smithy – the cart carrying his forge, anvil, etc.
I am thinking the harness is the equipment worn, not the cart. However, I never encountered this situation before and I am not wanting to penalize creativity unjustly.
And, with the powers of the internet, I recently learned this concept is real.
Best Answer
Officially, probably not...
There are no precise limits provided that state exactly under what circumstances an item is attended, except that the item be "grasped, touched, or worn" (PH 166), and attending an item is the usual bar for determining whether an effect that affects only a creature also affects that creature's gear. (Further, attending an item also allows the item to share the attender's saving throws.)
Thus, the DM must decide if the mount is attending the cart. While the mount is technically touching the cart, that seems a little suspect given the cart's size, and a DM that permits the mount to attend the cart must, for example, also rule if, by extension, a captain on deck attends that ship.
...But this is cool enough that this DM would allow it
It's really hard for a low-level PC to take a forge (or an alchemist's lab or a water clock) on the road, and I think most dwarf gods would approve of a dwarf paladin using his holy mount for such a purpose rather than—or in addition to—war. ("Crafting weapons is war!" sayeth the dwarves... or something.)
As long as nobody else could be considered attending the cart when the mount's dismissed, this seems a reasonable use of the special ability. However, I'd draw the line at allowing the mount to attend multiple carts.