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TroubleBrewing
2011-01-17, 03:20 AM
OK, playground, I require your aid once more. I recently took over for a friend of mine who (for personal reasons) had to drop out of his D&D game. Going into it, I knew nothing about the campaign in question, only that because it had been a relatively long-running game, and due to the RP-focused nature of the game, the GM requested that I take over playing my friend's old character. I agreed, and found myself behind the wheel of a Ranger 1/Fighter 6/Dragonrider 1. (Draconomicon, not Dragonlance Setting version.) He also apparently just attained the services of a very young Gold Dragon, which has agreed to be his mount. I almost died a little inside when I saw 6 fighter levels, but my friend is not to be blamed for this. His mind has been taken by the Stormwind Fallacy. Regardless, I need some advice.

1) Having never played a Dragonrider before, what are their strengths?

2) By the same token, what are their weaknesses?

3) I really know nothing about mounted classes in general. Where should I take his build for the future? (I firmly believe in planning to level 20 from the get-go.)

Coidzor
2011-01-17, 03:45 AM
If you can retrain feats, there's a number of items that replicate the feat chain that leads to Spirited Charge, which is something that you definitely want if you're going to be mounted and melee. Most of these are either in Magic of Faerun or updated in the Magic Item Compendium. In a similar vein, there are also items that actually increase the value of an existing "Spirited Charge" feat.

A "Valorous" weapon (Unapproachable East) is similarly quite useful for charging either on foot or mounted.

Collision (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/weapons.htm#collision) is potentially useful paired with a valorous weapon and the damage multiplying abilities of mounted charging, especially with a lance.

Also, see if you can retrain things like class features and substitution levels at all.

Dipping Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian 1 or otherwise replicating pounce would be quite good, especially if you can find some way of getting it for your mount's natural weapons as well.

TroubleBrewing
2011-01-17, 03:49 AM
I'm allowed basically no-retraining. He's also got 3 exalted feats and the "Saint" Template, so... Yeah. I'm really looking for ways I can improve him as far as the future goes.

Coidzor
2011-01-17, 03:50 AM
I'm allowed basically no-retraining. He's also got 3 exalted feats and the "Saint" Template, so... Yeah. I'm really looking for ways I can improve him as far as the future goes.

Ah, my apologies. Is this with or without LA buyoff?

Without LA buyoff? (:smallyuk: btw) Character Death. 2 LA and 3 Exalted feats is too much of a crippling disability (especially because the mount-cohort is tied to Character Level, not ECL) unless he actually picked those three feats very well. Which by your admission he purposefully does not pick things well.

TroubleBrewing
2011-01-17, 03:55 AM
Nymph's Kiss, Sanctify SLA, Purify SLA. Not good choices. Especially since he doesn't HAVE any SLA's that deal damage/require saves...

Coidzor
2011-01-17, 03:59 AM
What race is he and does he actually have SLAs? Because if he doesn't, doublecheck the feat text and make sure that they require an SLA and then use that to negotiate re-taking those feats for legal feats.

TroubleBrewing
2011-01-17, 04:19 AM
He's a human, and the Saint template grants Bless, Resistance, Guidance, and one other cleric orison as SLA's. Sadly, my GM is being a bit unreasonable, and refuses to handwave this awful, awful build.

Coidzor
2011-01-17, 04:27 AM
He's a human, and the Saint template grants Bless, Resistance, Guidance, and one other cleric orison as SLA's. Sadly, my GM is being a bit unreasonable, and refuses to handwave this awful, awful build.

Hmm. Then I'd recommend only taking him on in a trial basis due to his approach to DMing already coming off as... a bit grating. Though I wouldn't play with him at all under those terms with no ability to negotiate whatsoever.

TroubleBrewing
2011-01-17, 04:36 AM
Well, I know the DM pretty well. He's got a unique style, but his games are, with few exceptions, very enjoyable. At this point, I'm pretty much planning on getting him killed, probably by falling/leaping from his mount. (No ring of feather fall on a dragon rider? Seriously?)

Kaww
2011-01-17, 04:47 AM
Which classes are other PCs playing? If you want to kill him maybe it would be better to ask the DM to make him an NPC that will ride into the sunset, on a gold dragon...

TroubleBrewing
2011-01-17, 04:48 AM
There's currently only one other player, and he's playing a Paladin 8/Grey Guard 2.

Kaww
2011-01-17, 04:52 AM
Consult the other player and if he agrees ask the GM to start a new campaign. Find more players, if possible.

a_humble_lich
2011-01-17, 05:04 AM
Well if the only other character is a paladin I wouldn't worry. Sure you have 6 fighter levels but he/she has 8 paladin levels. I don't think you are in too much danger of being overshadowed. And if you kill yourself and make a new more powerful character, than you run the risk of breaking the game by being overpowered.

Coidzor
2011-01-17, 05:11 AM
Find more players, if possible.

This. Definitely this.

FelixG
2011-01-17, 05:45 AM
At this point, I'm pretty much planning on getting him killed, probably by falling/leaping from his mount. (No ring of feather fall on a dragon rider? Seriously?)

This is probably for the best...but I would have him tank, let him take as many hits as possible before he dies instead of having him fall or jump to his death...At least let him buy you a few rounds before he goes.

Myth
2011-01-17, 08:18 AM
Humph.. Get Leadership on your next level. Make a Wizard cohort. Or just drop the game, or ask for new players and possible new character creation.

Akal Saris
2011-01-17, 11:17 AM
What's the current feat build, anyhow?

My gut instinct is that you should either continue Dragonrider, or dip into cavalier if you want more charging power, or start down the warblade/crusader path if you want to use maneuvers.

Frankly, I'd look more into ways you can optimize your dragon. You're ECL 10, and have an 11 HD pet, for goodness sake.

Urpriest
2011-01-17, 11:31 AM
What mechanism are you using to get the dragon? That will determine how much we can optimize it.

Ride-by-Attack and Flyby Attack (either from Dragonrider 4 or one of your dragon's feats) seems like it would let you get off a mounted charge while your dragon attacks or uses its breath weapon...doesn't seem too shabby, and with the dragon's enormous speed you can keep out of reach and still deal pretty good damage. If the two feats interact that way, which I'm not sure of.

Bang!
2011-01-17, 12:06 PM
I get the feeling that you're pretty much going to be playing a dragon in combat with an incidental super-Magic Circle, an extra attack and a 1/round shield thing.

Killing the character off would probably be awkward in a 3-person group; there was probably a reason you were asked to take over rather than just roll up a new character. Coming in with a more optimized character seems even more problematic. You have a dragon and you're competing with a Grey Guard (you know, the class that's like a Paladin, but with anti-hero flavor text in place of actual class abilities); if you up the stakes, the DM will have to use more aggressive tactics until your buddy becomes outclassed; if you stick with this (or a comparably powerful) character, the DM only has to target one optimization level with encounter design, giving you both chances to shine.

Calmar
2011-01-17, 12:51 PM
OK, playground, I require your aid once more. I recently took over for a friend of mine who (for personal reasons) had to drop out of his D&D game. Going into it, I knew nothing about the campaign in question, only that because it had been a relatively long-running game, and due to the RP-focused nature of the game, the GM requested that I take over playing my friend's old character. I agreed, and found myself behind the wheel of a Ranger 1/Fighter 6/Dragonrider 1.

You agreed to play your friend's character in this campaign, then play your friend's character in this campaign. Killing the character off just to create some optimised build would just be lame.