Super Mount

[Master Thrower]

Hello I decided to scratch my idea of making a paladin charger as it is not doable with the books my group uses. However I can create a super mount! I was thinking of a build along the lines of-

Human? Paladin 5 Beast Master 1 Wild Plains outrider 3 Cavalier 10 Beast Master 1.
Suggestions on feats/race/what type of mount and its feats?

Books- PHB,DMG,MM1,3,4,5, DrC,CW,CD,CadV,CA,LM, PlH

[Urpriest]

When I have access to Planar Handbook for a Supermount I like going Paladin 6 for the free Celestial from Planar Paladin. Also gives you a bit of breathing space with your feats.

In terms of feats, most will be taken in qualifying for things and stuff like Natural Bond. I love Dragon Mount on this sort of build if you can fit it in.

...Wait a minute, that's not a supermount!!! I just realized you're lacking Halfling Outrider, despite clearly having access to the book. Unlike Cavalier, it advances both Animal Companion and Special Mount. Otherwise there's little point to combining them. With that you have to be a halfling, but it's not a bad thing to be. Medium mounts are good for dungeons.

[Coidzor]

(Divine (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantDivineBard) ) Fey (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bard)Bard if you can hack it. Trade out your songs per Eberron Campaign Setting.

Holy Mount Feat or Theurgic Mount, either way. Probably Theurgic, come to think of it. Dragon Magazine Material. As is Heartfire Fanner. Or maybe it was warrior skald 1 that would give the musics you didn't have back to you...?

Anyway. Here's a couple things to provoke some atypical thought.

Fey (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bard)Bard X/Paladin of Freedom 5/Heartfire Fanner 1 will get you animal companion+mount & full bardic music back. You'll need track & devoted performer & the two feat pre-requisites for heartfire fanner, but from there you could, with theurgic mount, progress sublime chord casting & one's special mount & maybe even turn it into a dragon with the dragon mount(dragon steed?) feat.

Or just take halfling outrider & have those levels count for doubles. The Chaos Music feat would, along with certain magic items (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9830.0), make up for the loss in effective bard levels to use inspire courage to buff it and the rest of the party.

Or just take theurgic mount, eat the 5 levels of Paladin and the 1 level dip into Heartfire Fanner & fill in the rest of the build with more bard that progresses the companion & mount sides. It's a bit uneven in the companion vs. mount department, but if you dragon mount it up, that'll be a bit more potent than the extra companion HD. Especially with the buffs you can do with bardic music.

Can't recall if divine fey bard can enter sacred exorcist, but if so, then Divine Fey Bard X> Sacred Exorcist 1> PrC Paladin 2-3 > Heartfire Fanner 1 with the Holy Mount Feat will get full progression mount and up to 11 levels of animal companion, 14 with natural bond, 17 with a beastmaster dip (which would give 19 levels of special mount)

Jaronk had a nice & tidy fey bard based one at one time, IIRC, and it was presented in a much more straightforward and collected manner than what I'm able to recollect offhand.

As with anything related to bards though, these suggestions are very, very feat heavy.

[Master Thrower]

Why is halfling outrider better then cavalier? Because I feel like being a halfling would hurt a Meele fighter

[Coidzor]

Why is halfling outrider better then cavalier? Because I feel like being a halfling would hurt a Meele fighter

When your pet is doing the fighting, your abilities are pretty much secondary anyway.

And a halfling is not that bad in a fight, as long as it's not grappling-based. The -2 strength and +1 to hit due to being small cancel one another out. Actually come out ahead when power attacking, from what I recall.

Halfling Outrider explicitly progresses animal companion and mount at the same time. So without Holy Mount or Theurgic Mount, there'd be no way to both progress the animal companion and the special mount at the same time. As most, like wild plains outrider, progress special mount or animal companion.

No idea about Cavalier though.

And if your group has houseruled that things that can progress either will progress both simultaneously, then that changes up the ballgame a bit.

edit: Seriously though, if they have, that information would help us help you out a lot. Well, a bit.

Anyway, there's been a lot of super mount threads around, I was on the verge of finding something nifty to do with one, I had felt, earlier, but don't have my notes available to me.

I have, however, found a way to be a quite respectable Adept while having a pet Gold Dragon. Which seems almost about right for a "pokemon trainer (http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/739)," supporting with healing and some other support & mostly hanging back besides.

Though I, as I've probably shown, favor more of the shouting encouragement that makes the beastie glow with the fires of awesome & bite faces off more effectively method.

There's also the one where one is a mounted combat machine as well, though. Theurgic Bond can allow any arcane class (with obtain familiar) or wiz/sorc to progress animal companion levels, but I've thus far not really seen anything that progresses special mount by going that route without also spending a feat on theurgic mount. And possibly obtain familiar.

Bard 3/Pally 5/Beastmaster 1/Virtuoso(?) 1/Sublime Chord 1-2/Virtuoso +8-9 would get full special mount & 15 levels of animal companion (w/ natural bond, 18)

Would need Obtain Familiar, Track, Devoted Tracker, Theurgic Mount, Theurgic Bond, and, I believe pre-requisite feats though.

[Urpriest]

Why is halfling outrider better then cavalier? Because I feel like being a halfling would hurt a Meele fighter

Cavalier doesn't progress your animal companion. And you're not a melee fighter, your mount is. That's the whole point of the build. :smallannoyed:

[Cog]

Heartfire Fanner only gives you virtual Bard levels if you have no actual ones. If you already have bardic music, it's just a straight stacking.

[gorfnab]

Standard Supermount Build

LG Strongheart Halfling
1. Paladin - Mounted Combat, Track (prereq for Devoted Tracker)
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 (prereq for Halfling Outrider)
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

At 20th level, thanks to Devoted Tracker, your Supermount's abilities are that of an 18th level Paladin Mount and an 18th level Druid Animal Companion combined.
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

Other feats to consider:
Dragon Steed
Exalted Companion (Blink Dog) + Mage Slayer + Pierce Magical Concealment + Ring of Blinking

[Coidzor]

Heartfire Fanner only gives you virtual Bard levels if you have no actual ones. If you already have bardic music, it's just a straight stacking.

I had a sneaking suspicion I'd messed that up. There is a PrC which should grant bardic music known though. I think it's warrior skald. Which is probably 3.0 content from races of faerun.