I need an official rulling & with @JeremyECrawford on vaction I am going with the #DnDAL offical DM @Onnatryx . Can a Ghostwise Halfling Beast Master Ranger have a Giant Owl as a companion? Basically, does #Fluff beat #crunch in the Forgotten Realms? https://t.co/s1wN1XdwHD #dnd pic.twitter.com/GpBqWmu3Yn
— David Given Schwarm (@schwarm) June 28, 2019
Actually… rules as written this doesn't really work out. The creature in question must be CR 1/4 or less (which the giant owl is) and it must be medium or smaller, which the giant owl isn't.
— Chris Lindsay, Master Raconteur (@Onnatryx) June 29, 2019
You might consider this a situation of #Fluff vs. #Crunch, and while the image of a halfling ranger riding a giant owl is indeed very cool, what this will do is create a flying character pre-tier 2, which is inherently problematic. Tier 2 is where flying begins.
— Chris Lindsay, Master Raconteur (@Onnatryx) June 29, 2019
So… while this wouldn't ever be DDAL legal as a standard, I can see the potential for a cool 'cert' that provided a size small ranger with a size medium giant owl, usable as a mount starting Tier 2.
— Chris Lindsay, Master Raconteur (@Onnatryx) June 29, 2019
Pteranodon is a medium sized cr 1/4 creature that can fly, and has flyby attack.
Agreed. If it needs the flavor, simply reskin it and keep the same stats for balance.