I know it's not needed, and would probably just be a huge pain in the ass to code, but I was wondering: what if certain shifter forms were rideable, by the correct races?
Gnomes could ride sheep or deer, giants could ride large animals (all of this provided that the animal doesn't have big spikes, or slippery scales, etc. etc. Then you could fall off and have the spinebreak effect!

Then we could make a mounted combat system, you could code riding gear: bridles, bits, and (my fave) crops and whips.... oooohooo!

*ahem*

Anyway... I'm sure it's been thought up before. I thought it'd be fun and funny.

Well.. let's imagine the scenario where your gnome puts bridles on the ram groupmate (basically, the 'sheep' in your idea) and starts riding him. The scenario has prompt 'snipped' from it.

use bridles ram
You put bridles on grizzled ram.

Grizzled ram snorts.

mount ram
You mount the Grizzled ram.

Grizzled ram tosses you from its back.

Your fall MANGLES you.

You yell 'Help! Grizzled ram is headbutting me!'
Grizzled ram butts you with his horns.
Grizzled ram's ramming horns ===OBLITERATES=== you.

***snip***

Grizzled ram's charge ***DEVASTATES*** you.
You have been KILLED!

You have died, but the Carrion Fields are not finished with you yet!
Your soul is returned to the realms in the form of a ghost.
You will return to your corporeal state in a short while.
Be careful, for even a ghost should fear some dangers!

Moral of the story: Even shifters have their dignity.

I'm not really objecting your suggestion, but I'd do the same thing as the ram in the example if I were the shifter. And what comes to your personal favourite, whips etc. Any shifter would dislike it and likely bite you.

I really can't see very many of the final shifter forms being rideable. And if they were, it would have to *seriously* hamper the shifter's ability to fight while carrying a rider. Like, to the tune of "he couldn't". Any form with high-altitude flight, if it could carry someone, would be a game-balance issue, as would any form with flyto or swimto.

Oh, heh. I thought it was obvious it wouldn't work with airforms (unless you get like... a roc questform). I wasn't thinking about final forms so much, but to give a little more usefullness to lower level forms? I guess I'm trying to helpfully vent my frustrations with 1st and 2nd tier shifter forms. They kind of make me want to kill myself (ie. once I've had one for 2 levels, it feels so terribly underpowered. Definitely ready for a new one). But eh, just a small whine. I know shifter skills are pretty powerful, and forms having lots of overlapping skills would probably make utility less worthwhile, and take away one of the drawbacks of offense and defense. Bleh. I don't know. Options are fun?