The pegasus is, despite its appearance, as intelligent as a human. As such, those who try to train a pegasus to serve as a mount find the pegasus to be recalcitrant and even violent. A pegasus cannot speak, but it understands Common and greatly prefers the company of a good companion. The proper method to convince a pegasus to serve as a mount is to befriend it with diplomacy, favors, and good deeds. A pegasus is generally indifferent to a good-aligned creature, unfriendly to a neutral one, and hostile to an evil one-before a pegasus will serve as a mount, a pegasus must be made helpful via Diplomacy checks or other means. Riding a pegasus requires an exotic saddle or no saddle at all, as a regular saddle's straps interfere with the creature's wings. A pegasus can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check. Trained pegasi are not afraid of combat, and the rider does not need to make a Ride check each round merely to control his mount.