Bone Knight+Special Mount/Animal Companion Questions

[Getsugaru]

I am building a cleric for a campaign, and I am going to be a bone knight as well, but I also have a level of acf druid, meaning I get a monk's ac bonus as well. I know that the bone knight's best features require that I wear medium+ bone armor and that at 8th level the armor merges with the bone knight's body. So here is my first question. Does the fact that the bone armor is fused to my body mean that I get the monk ac bonus, or does it just inconvenience me?

Also, I know that as a bone knight, I get a paladin mount that is undead. I also know that you can have something other than a horse as your paladin mount regularly. As my character has a serpent theme, is there a way to get a more serpentine mount, like, say, a hydra?

Finally, is it possible to get a hydra as an animal companion?

Thanks in advance.

[Aegis013]

I don't think you get the monk AC while the armor is fused to you. Talk to your DM though, he might allow it.

As far as the mount stuff, I'm pretty shaky on mount rules, so I can't help you.

[Getsugaru]

I don't think you get the monk AC while the armor is fused to you. Talk to your DM though, he might allow it.

As far as the mount stuff, I'm pretty shaky on mount rules, so I can't help you.

I was afraid you'd say that...

[Coidzor]

IAlso, I know that as a bone knight, I get a paladin mount that is undead. I also know that you can have something other than a horse as your paladin mount regularly. As my character has a serpent theme, is there a way to get a more serpentine mount, like, say, a hydra?

If you discuss it with your DM, yes. Other than the Drakkensteed ACF and feats, all "improved" Paladin mounts are in "ask your DM" territory, even the example griffons, pegasi, and hippogrifs in the DMG. I forget which section it is in offhand though, sorry.

Edit: A bit of googling suggests page 204, so I'd start checking there.


Finally, is it possible to get a hydra as an animal companion?

From everything I've seen, no. It's possible to turn into one using frozen wildshape, well, turn into a cryohydra, anyway.

[Rejusu]

I am building a cleric for a campaign, and I am going to be a bone knight as well, but I also have a level of acf druid, meaning I get a monk's ac bonus as well. I know that the bone knight's best features require that I wear medium+ bone armor and that at 8th level the armor merges with the bone knight's body. So here is my first question. Does the fact that the bone armor is fused to my body mean that I get the monk ac bonus, or does it just inconvenience me?

Also, I know that as a bone knight, I get a paladin mount that is undead. I also know that you can have something other than a horse as your paladin mount regularly. As my character has a serpent theme, is there a way to get a more serpentine mount, like, say, a hydra?

Finally, is it possible to get a hydra as an animal companion?

Thanks in advance.

From the Bone Knight entry:


At 2nd level, you gain the services of a skeletal steed: a heavy warhorse with the skeleton template applied (or a war pony with the skeleton template applied for Small bone knights). You may call this steed in the same fashion as a paladin whose level equals your paladin level plus your bone knight level, and the steed gains the same special abilities as a paladin's special mount at the same effective level.

It's quite specific in what you get (heavy warhorse with skeleton template) so any substitutions on that would be at your DM's discretion. And yeah, no chance of that AC bonus flying. Ditch it and wear bonecraft fullplate.

I'm assuming you're talking ride up on your Druid level to qualify.

[Getsugaru]

I think I might have just made a solution, at least to the first question.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12973710#post12973710

[Lyndworm]

Finally, is it possible to get a hydra as an animal companion?
Yes, it is. It's not easy, though. It requires two feats from Dragon Magazine #326 (Savage Empathy (http://www.realmshelps.net/cgi-bin/featbox.pl?feat=Savage_Empathy) and Monstrous Animal Companion (http://www.realmshelps.net/cgi-bin/featbox.pl?feat=Monstrous_Animal_Companion)) as well as a minimum Druid level of 15.

[Rejusu]

I think I might have just made a solution, at least to the first question.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12973710#post12973710

I'm not sure homebrewing it is really a viable solution. And there's a number of problems with it which I'll go into in the other thread. But I will point out one major thing: your intent for this is all wrong. Good homebrew should be created with the intent to add something new to the game or fix an existing problem with the system. This doesn't fix a problem with the system though, it fixes a problem you're having. Namely you want the wisdom bonus to AC but you can't have it. But again I'll go into more detail in that thread.