Good mounted combat class

[Half-orc Bard]

My friend has her mind set on being a halfling mounted combatant, and she's a noob at 3.5 and it's a highly optimised campaign. We decided I'd help her, but I'm not to big on mounted combat myself. So any tips would be nice. Also I was thinking a Knight but what other classes are mounted combat, and preferably simple

[Geigan]

Halfling outrider from comp warrior. It's essentially a mounted combat class for halflings. Might be relevant, might suck. I know it allows for more maneuverable charges. Make sure she has spirited charge and uses a lance. Those mounted charging multipliers stack up quick. She could easily pull off a decent ubercharger with some help.

[Coidzor]

Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118ahttp://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) allows anyone to have a relatively decent mount that scales with their HD.

Doesn't share spells like an animal companion or familiar or special mount would though.

Sorta depends on what she wants to do as well. There's always (petit) supermounting (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19866958/Supermount!)where one gets one's animal companion and special mount in the same package, which is especially nice if you spend that feat to get a dragon special mount.

edit: Mount Handbook. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7414)

Spirited Charge + Lance wielded in two hands + Valorous Weapon Property(Unapproachable East) can be quite nasty. Especially if one is able to pounce with it and even more so if one's mount is pounce-capable as well.

Can't recall if it has any effect on the damage from power attack though, which is the usual way of dealing damage as a charger. You can nab several of the mounted combat feats with items though, so that would take some of the pressure off. So could do both, barring things like leap attack which are generally taken to not work mounted.

[gorfnab]

Basic Supermount

LG Strongheart Halfling
1. Paladin - Mounted Combat, Track
2. Paladin
3. Paladin - Skill Focus: Handle Animal (prereq for Beast Master)
4. Paladin
5. Paladin
6. Beastmaster - Devoted Tracker
7. Beastmaster
8. Wild Plains Outrider
9. Wild Plains Outrider - Mounted Archery
10. Wild Plains Outrider
11. Halfling Outrider
12. Halfling Outrider - Natural Bond
13. Halfling Outrider
14. Halfling Outrider
15. Halfling Outrider - Ride By Attack (or some other feat)
16. Halfling Outrider
17. Halfling Outrider
18. Halfling Outrider - Spirited Charge (or some other feat)
19. Halfling Outrider
20. Halfling Outrider

For early levels consider a Magebred Warbeast Riding Dog for a mount. At higher levels switch to a flying mount of some kind. Another option would be to take the feat Dragon Steed (alternate dragon mount options page 139 of Draconomicon) or Exalted Companion (Blink Dog + Ring of Blinking) to get a better mount at higher levels.

At 20th level
Special Mount: 18th level Paladin = Paladin 5 + Wild Plains 3 + Half-Out 10
Animal Companion: 18th level Druid = Beast Master 5 + Natural Bond 3 + Half-Out 10

[Half-orc Bard]

Alright so she isnt too big on the whole Paladin fluff. What other base classes are good

[Greenish]

Crusader (with perhaps a fighter dip) works pretty well. Your mount's movement won't mess up your standard action strikes, and White Raven is pretty sweet for charging. Also good if you have a combat-capable mount.

[Coidzor]

Alright so she isnt too big on the whole Paladin fluff. What other base classes are good

What about the Variant Paladins? (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#paladinVariantsFreedom SlaughterAndTyranny)

But, yeah, ToB is a great alternative to charging/pouncing.

And if you grab a mount with, say, Leadership or X Cohort, so you have a chassis which you can put class levels on, then you can have it start to take levels in Incarnum classes to capitalize on natural weapons.

[Geigan]

You could take either druid or ranger levels(druid for a better companion, ranger for full bab) and focus on animal companion instead of paladin mount for gorfnab's build. Just make sure to have her take something she can ride.

[Half-orc Bard]

Can u get a blink dog animal compainion

[Greenish]

Can u get a blink dog animal compainionYeah, as a ranger, if you pick up Exalted Companion (BoED).

Leadership also works, Blink Dogs have LA +2 (Cohort).

[Geigan]

Can u get a blink dog animal compainion

Yep, exalted companion feat from Book of Exalted deeds. Blink dog's 7ish character level.

[Coidzor]

You could take either druid or ranger levels(druid for a better companion, ranger for full bab) and focus on animal companion instead of paladin mount for gorfnab's build. Just make sure to have her take something she can ride.

No, the build Gorfnab mentioned requires you to have sources for both special mount and animal companion. That's how the basic supermount works.

[Geigan]

No, the build Gorfnab mentioned requires you to have sources for both special mount and animal companion. That's how the basic supermount works.

It still works, it's just that the mount won't be as BA. Devoted tracker makes the companion twice as good, but not unplayable as a mount without it.

[Conkea]

If you're willing to throw some pathfinder in the mix, you can try Summoner from the APG. I have no experience with it in 3.5, so use at your own risk.