Critique my gestalt mounted build!

[Kaje]

Lawful Good Strongheart Halfling Paladin 5 / Beastmaster 2 / Wild Plains Outrider 3 / Halfling Outrider 10 // Wizard 20

Uses the Holy Warrior paladin acf, the fighter feat wizard variant, and the High One Warrior-Wizard sublevels from CoV-online. It uses a standard supermount build alongside the Warrior-Wizard Familiar Mount to combine an 18th level special mount, 18th level animal companion, and 20th level familiar onto a baby gold dragon.

Feats
1 - [Strongheart Halfling]
1 - Track
1 - Mounted Combat [Wizard]
1 - Combat Familiar [Flaw]
1 - [Flaw]
3 - Skill Focus: Handle Animal
4 - Ride-By Attack [Paladin]
6 - Devoted Tracker
9 - Lurking Familiar
10 - Mounted Archery [Wizard]
12 - Natural Bond
15 - Dragon Familiar
15 - Spirited Charge [Wizard]
18 -
20 - [Wizard]

Any suggested changes?

I love how the mount has cover whenever the character is riding it (lurking familiar). Is there any way I can abuse that?

Also, if the character is riding the mount and imbues it with a touch spell, will the spell discharge back into the character before it can deliver it to someone else (since the two are touching after all)?

[Malachei]

Mounted Combat is listed twice.

Why have Spirited Charge so late?

I'd include Power Attack and Shock Trooper.

[Kaje]

Oops on Mounted Combat. Fixed.

And I have Spirited Charge there because I figured it would be better to have the combat feats in the wizard slots in case I need the other feats for mount/familiar/companion improvements. It certainly doesn't need to be that late.

Oh yeah, is the wizard going to suck without metamagic?

[Malachei]

Oops on Mounted Combat. Fixed.

And I have Spirited Charge there because I figured it would be better to have the combat feats in the wizard slots in case I need the other feats for mount/familiar/companion improvements. It certainly doesn't need to be that late.

Oh yeah, is the wizard going to suck without metamagic?

I'd say it depends on how you understand your wizard part.

If you're basically buffing and fighting as cavalry, then I'd take Spirited Charge much earlier.

Note that RAW, Power Attack bonus should be in the Spirited Charge calculation, meaning with Shock Trooper and a Lance you can have excessive damage on a mounted charge.

Regarding metamagic: Not necessarily. You can be an excellent wizard without metamagic. Metamagic is great on its own, but it really shines if you have reducers (PrC like Ultimate Magus, Incantatrix, Anima Mage or feats, etc.).

How exactly a lack of metamagic will affect your build is hard to say without knowing your spell list, or at least your wizard role. Any wizard can use Quicken Spell, and most can make good use of Extend Spell. A wizard focusing on battlefield control will want Sculpt Spell, and a few others, but generally can work with less metamagic just fine. A buffer will love having Chain Spell and Reach Spell. Somebody focusing on direct damage or debuff will often find Empower Spell, useful, and may take Twin Spell or Split Ray.

[Kaje]

Thanks for responses. Any thoughts on these two issues:

The mount has cover whenever the character is riding it, thanks to Lurking Familiar. Is there any way I can abuse that?

Also, if the character is riding the mount and imbues it with a touch spell, will the spell discharge back into the rider before it can deliver it to someone else (since the two are touching after all)?

[Metahuman1]

Well, if there's a way to get the mount's miss chance to apply to it's rider you could both have cover when ever your riding it. That's a start.

From there, load up on miss chance on the mount and make both of you pretty much impossible to hit. Then Jack up you AC and dump pretty much all of it into PA for damage.




As for the touch spell, no, it would only go off when the dragon makes an attack. Though I'm not sure it can do that if your having it charge.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Cover outright prevents Attacks of Opportunity.

You could possibly abuse the no-action Cover (DC 15) function of the Ride skill, gaining cover whenever you're not making an attack or casting a spell, and choosing not to have cover only when you are attacking or casting. That way both you and your mount will almost always have cover, and nothing could ever AoO either of you.


If you can work in some Bloodline Levels (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm) they'll get added to your levels in every class you have for your Animal Companion, Familiar, and Special Mount benefits. That's without even going into the doesn't-count-toward-ECL shenanigans that are typically invoked with Bloodlines are brought up.