I'm currently in the process on finishing up my Pixie Sorcerer Character and I wanted to theme him around the idea that he's actually too lazy to fly himself, so instead he rides his Storm Talon familiar wherever he goes. I'm not sure on the rules though, so I checked out this thread, where it states the following:
Arcane Casters: How to ride your Familiar:
All this requires is the Familiar Mount ritual (Which you must cast
yourself), and a little imagination as to how it works for some
familiars. How exactly DO you get a saddle on a Tiny Gelatinous Cube?
Note that this ritual does not actually turn your familiar into a
mount, and thusly does not allow your familiar to use mount slot items
The Familiar Mount Ritual states:
Your familiar grows to Large size and can accommodate you as a rider,
and it is in active mode for the duration. You can end the ritual by
returning the familiar to passive mode with a minor action. If the
familiar takes damage equal to 5 + one-half your level or more, it
returns to its normal size and to passive mode.
However, since my character is a pixie and is therefore considered Tiny, I'm wondering if I would even need the Familiar Mount Ritual, as the Storm Falcon is considered Small and is thus bigger than me, so it should accommodate my size easily.
So in conclusion my question is this: Are there any rules I didn't consider or misinterpret for this matter? Because right now, it seems my Pixie would be able to mount and ride his Storm Talon without having to use either the ritual, saddles or anything in general.
Best Answer
*You don't need the ritual, BUT*
There are no rules requiring you to take the ritual. You can ride your familiar as long as it's in active mode (it really doesn't make much sense for it to be ridden in passive mode). Though you might consult your DM about the fact that it only takes up the space of a tiny creature.
That said, your familiar is a minion by normal rules (it has 1 hit point, missed attack doesn't damage it, it'd destroyed if hit by an attack that does damage). So by making it your mount you risk it's destruction pretty regularly.
Basically, the benefit of the ritual to you is that your minion gets some more HP and isn't destroyed when damaged.