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herrhauptmann
2010-07-22, 03:53 PM
Ok, I want to make a character with a special mount. Flying would be best, but it doesn't have to be airborne. At teh same time, I want a mount which improves with my character, so I don't get stuck like a girl did in a game last summer. She was foolish and rode a unicorn into range of some bruiser, and the unicorn died when it failed a save vs the monsters lightning breath. (She was beloved of Valerian from BoED)


Looking on my own, I've found Paladin, Ranger, Druid, Wizard/Sorc (I think a halfling with a few extra feats could ride his familiar), Blackguard, I'd swear that a hexblade got one.
Knight of the flying hunt (gets a pegasus that doesn't advance), Moonsea Sky Sentinel (hawk, advances) from Champions of Valor,
Beloved of Valerian from BoED,
Zhent skymage from Lord of Darkness (mount doesn't improve, but can call better ones),
Aglarond Griffonrider (does improve).
So 10 overall between classes and prestige classes. I've got the very basics of a backstory, but it'll change depending on which class/PrC I choose. Both for location, and the characters area of study, no point calling him/her an avid student of the arcane if I chose the unicorn riders of Valerian


Which prestige classes and base classes get a mount that improves with level (or is sufficiently strong that it doesn't need to improve)?

FirebirdFlying
2010-07-22, 03:58 PM
Off the top of my head - Ashworm Dragoon, from Sandstorm, gets an ashworm which improves with Dragoon levels.

You could take the feat Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a), which scales with character level.

Lysander
2010-07-22, 04:00 PM
If you're looking for a melee character this isn't for you, but the Phantom Steed spell provides a horse that does gain extra abilities as your level increases. And when it dies you can just cast the spell again. So an arcane caster also fits your description.

herrhauptmann
2010-07-22, 04:07 PM
If you're looking for a melee character this isn't for you, but the Phantom Steed spell provides a horse that does gain extra abilities as your level increases. And when it dies you can just cast the spell again. So an arcane caster also fits your description.

Ahh, forgot the Phantom Knight PrC. From eberron. They're based off of that spell, though I don't think they're made to fight from the horse's back

Prime32
2010-07-22, 04:10 PM
I herd u lik mounts (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7414.0)

FMArthur
2010-07-22, 05:19 PM
The Drakkensteed Mount ACF from Dragon Magic lets a paladin swap out his horse with a Drakkensteed - which can fly - in exchange for nothing whatsoever. It advances like your horse would, except that it is superior and is occasionally required to spit on lesser mounts contemptuously.

Also, if you took the 100gp Dragonborn template for your own wings (or are a raptoran), you could make a diving charge while mounted, if you are in the mood for stacking multipliers on a lance. :smallbiggrin:

Thrice Dead Cat
2010-07-22, 10:52 PM
The Drakkensteed Mount ACF from Dragon Magic lets a paladin swap out his horse with a Drakkensteed - which can fly - in exchange for nothing whatsoever. It advances like your horse would, except that it is superior and is occasionally required to spit on lesser mounts contemptuously.

Also, if you took the 100gp Dragonborn template for your own wings (or are a raptoran), you could make a diving charge while mounted, if you are in the mood for stacking multipliers on a lance. :smallbiggrin:

To be fair, I believe you must be dragonblooded to grab that ACF.

Also, depending on your interpretation, anything that gets an animal companion (Wizards, Sorcerers, Rangers, and Druids, off the top of my head) would count. Also the Beastmaster PrC fro CAdv.

Greenish
2010-07-22, 10:56 PM
Silverwood Outrider and Silverwood Arcanist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118x).

Anxe
2010-07-22, 11:59 PM
Dragon Rider from Draconomicon. Cavalier from Complete Warrior advance special mount as paladins do as well.

Greenish
2010-07-23, 12:15 AM
Bone Knight from Five Nations gives you a Skeletal Steed (as paladin of your combined paladin and Bone Knight levels + skeleton template added to it). You can enter without having a special mount and get one, too.

Fouredged Sword
2010-07-23, 12:54 AM
I like to take wild cohort, then to take the dragon mount feat to turn it into a dragonnel for a 120ft fly speed. That beats out a warhorse any day.

Dexam
2010-07-23, 01:40 AM
I'd swear that a hexblade got one.

The usual Hexblade trick is to take the Practiced Spellcaster feat at 3rd level and the Improved Familiar (http://www.realmshelps.org/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Improved_Familiar) (Complete Warrior) feat at 6th level; then summon your choice of Hippogriff, Howler, or Winter wolf at 7th level and use your familiar as a mount.

Andion Isurand
2010-07-23, 01:47 AM
I enjoy the Phantom Steed spell, which improves as my caster level goes up.

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You could go for HIGH ONE WARRIOR-WIZARD substitution levels found on this web enhancement http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a and take the Obtain Familiar feat before going into a PrC to keep the abilities improving.

Harris the Ford
2010-07-23, 09:10 AM
Cavalier - Improves
Halfling Outrider - not sure
Skylord - not sure

Optimystik
2010-07-23, 09:48 AM
Healer gets one, doesn't it? I think you can ride the unicorn.

Grumman
2010-07-23, 09:59 AM
Some more:

Prestige Paladin, Beastmaster, Halfling Outrider and Ranger Knight of Fury-someone all advance your special mount or animal companion faster than a 1-to-1 ratio.

The Light Cavalry variant Scout and Horselord variant Barbarian from Dragon both give you Special Mounts.

Greenish
2010-07-23, 10:04 AM
Some more:

Prestige Paladin, Beastmaster, Halfling Outrider and Ranger Knight of Fury-someone all advance your special mount or animal companion faster than a 1-to-1 ratio.Off the top of my head, PrC paladin just lets you treat your paladin level as 3 higher, and halfling outrider only progresses the mount faster if you're using it as two different class features (such as your Animal Companion being your Special Mount).

[Edit]: Another way to get a free mount: 20+ affiliation score with Rekkenmark Academy makes you a honourable colonel in the Karrnathi army. The benefits include a magebred light warhorse, four fighter 1 NPC bodyguards and a staff officer with 4 levels in any NPC class of your choosing.

Oh, and with a backstory detailing your services to Karrnath during the Last War, you can get that at level 1.

Person_Man
2010-07-23, 10:22 AM
Guide to Paladin Special Mounts (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6985038)

Fax Celestis
2010-07-23, 10:26 AM
My favorite is Algorondan Griffinrider.

Iferus
2010-07-23, 11:29 AM
Healer gets one, doesn't it? I think you can ride the unicorn.

Yep, and it advances with level. Do try to find an upgrade to the healer class though, because it is sub-par at best.

Person_Man
2010-07-23, 11:52 AM
Healer gets one, doesn't it? I think you can ride the unicorn.

The Healer gets a Celestial Unicorn at level 8, and additional more awesome mounts at higher levels. It can Share Spells and gets all the other fun benefits of special mounts. The healer also gets the best casting progression in the game (although it also has the most limited spell list to choose from), and can heal large amounts of damage and remove any status condition with ease. So while the healer is riding his mount, they are very hard to kill.

Unfortunately it sucks so badly otherwise that at level 7 or lower it's almost unplayable.

PlzBreakMyCmpAn
2010-07-23, 02:58 PM
She was foolish and rode a unicorn into range of some bruiser, and the unicorn died when it failed a save vs the monsters lightning breath. (She was beloved of Valerian from BoED)I feel really bad for the poor girl. Please ask your DM to atleast help her make her next character for her.

Its funny that you ask for a mount that doesn't suck. Here is my hyperbolic answer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142554).


Halfling Outrider - not sure
Skylord - not sureHO does for 3 classes simultaneously, skylord has a its own, a gryphon iirc.

herrhauptmann
2010-07-23, 06:05 PM
Bone KNight, is that an evil character only? It certainly sounds it with the skeletal steed.
Thank you everyone for your advice and help. A list of sources to check has been made, and I'm going to start checking this weekend for the most fun ones. (Though I can't use that super mount you made PlzBreak. Far too complicated to get out of another DM, and if I'm DMing, NPC's will be dragonriders for plot purposes. They'll also tend to fly away to quell some other disturbance about 20 minutes into the game, a guy on an ancient gold tends to unbalance things)


I feel really bad for the poor girl. Please ask your DM to atleast help her make her next character for her.



A moot point, that was our first session in that game, and the last.
The girl (aged 29 or so and a phd in math) was a beloved of valerian and an archer. In a town of paladins (same session), we rolled very badly on the random encounter chart, 98 to determine monster strength. So the monster was an aspect of tiamat or something, a dragon with all 5 chromatic heads. She rode her unicorn into the temple to fight, and ended turn 4 squares from a Colossal sized monster. It had DR X/epic
Mount failed its reflex save and died on almost minimum damage, she made hers.

Two days later, she emailed everyone complaining about our animals getting one shotted (druid/momf was wandering in kelpie form in front of a bunch of loremasters who never saw him in human shape, so they alerted teh wizards. 4 promptly fireballed him once he was alone in a 40 ft radius. His blink dog died), or my almost getting killed when I got stuck soloing a nightmare beast with an ubercharger/mageslayer because the party couldn't get it's act together and go fight, quote "My unicorn had as many hitpoints as an average wizard at that level. It's not fair that we were fighting monsters that strong, a wizard would've died like that" And various other comments in that vein.
Long story short, she made that DM leave the group entirely, so I was the only one DMing, and the one person who wasn't trying to sneak things under my radar was now gone.
I haven't gotten to play 3.5 since, and from what I've heard, she generally makes a s**tstorm whenever bad tactics results in something bad happening to the party.
And I did try to help her, and help the other 'optimizers' in the party with their characters. And also warned them that the DM would not go easy on us, nor would he fudge rolls, or make houserules on the spot. Aside from a low AC, my character did perfectly well in his campaigns without super optmization. I was pretty much the only one who did, I never died or dropped into negative HP (even while playing fighters).

Urpriest
2010-07-23, 07:10 PM
Simpler and less cheesy but still fun supermount builds involve Halfling Outrider buffing a Celestial mount from Planar Paladin 6 combined via Devoted Tracker with a Beastmaster's animal companion. You'd want to be a Strongheart Halfling or have a flaw for the bonus feat, though a similar if slightly weaker build is doable without it.

Edit: Also, Dragon Mount to make it a dragon.