[Another dinosaur that got a notoriety boost from Jurassic Park, but rather more accurate in that movie than Dilophosaurus was. It just should have been fluffy. The mechanics are based around a simple fact. In D&D/Pathfinder, knighly characters ought to be able to ride a dinosaur from level 1. Because it’s badass.]
Gallimimus This
graceful creature has long thin legs and arms, and stares forward with wide
eyes. Its body is coated in a layer of long, hair-like feathers that puff up
along its tail and arms.
The dinosaurs known as gallimimus are prized
among civilized folk for their incredible speed. Gallimimuses are omnivorous,
feeding mainly on plants but supplementing their diet with small animals, large
insects and eggs. They often travel in the wake of herds of larger dinosaurs,
digging in the disturbed soil for buried tubers or insect larvae. Juvenile gallimimuses
are precocious—they can run within hours of hatching. Juveniles spend most of
their development in large flocks of other juveniles. Although they can fight
with their toothless beaks and claws, gallimimuses are not adept at combat. The
large feathers that grow on the arms of a gallimimus resemble flight feathers,
but the creature is much too heavy to fly—these are used instead to display for
mates and to make themselves look larger and intimidate would-be predators.
In lands where dinosaurs and humanoids co-occur, gallimimuses
are often considered valuable mounts. If captured as young, they are trained
easily enough to bear a rider and saddle, and their fleet feet and keen eyes
make them excellent companions. The mounted charges of a cavalry of lizardfolk
riding gallimimuses are not easily forgotten. Long but lean, a gallimimus grows
to about 18 feet long (half of which is tail) and stands 6 feet tall at the
hip.
Gallimimus as Animal Companions
Starting
Statistics: Size Large; Speed 60 ft..; AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d3), 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 15, Con 13,
Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11; Special Qualities docile, low-light vision. 4th-Level
Advancement: Ability Scores Str +2, Con +2; Special Qualities fearsome display,
war-trained
A gallimimus is suitable as a mount for a
cavalier and can be summoned using a paladin’s divine bond class feature.
The troglodytes of Cannehr are known to favor domesticated gallimimus as cavalry mounts, due to their fecundity and easily-tamed natures. They feed them on subterranean fungi, which causes their feathery coats to grow in much thinner than usual.
Shores of Swords 