Advice on making a Knight?

[Gale]

I'm joining a new campaign soon and I'm looking to play as a Knight. I tried searching for some tips on how to play one but I only managed to find this. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109429) It's helpful but I'm still confused about a few things like how to acquire mounts and stuff. Any help would be much appreciated.
By the way I'm tempted to get a dragon as a mount but I'm not sure how to go about doing that either.

[Flickerdart]

Mounts are easy to acquire - a heavy warhorse costs 400gp. At some point you'll want to update to a flying mount, such as a giant eagle (4000 gp). You can also take Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) which gets you a pet somewhat like the druid's.

If you want a dragon mount, the easiest way to do that is Leadership or Dragon Cohort.

[Frosty]

I still say Knights need a boost. They need to basically get a PF Cavalier's mount progression for free, plus a few extra Fighter Bonus feats sprinkled in their own progression.

[Waker]

What precisely is it that you want to accomplish with this character? You mention mounts, but did you wanted to be a mounted combatant or just have one for travel purposes?
What books do you have available, what is your starting levels and if you can tell us the rest of the party make-up, that can all help us give you better advice.

[Red Fel]

What precisely is it that you want to accomplish with this character? You mention mounts, but did you wanted to be a mounted combatant or just have one for travel purposes?
What books do you have available, what is your starting levels and if you can tell us the rest of the party make-up, that can all help us give you better advice.

This.

As I've often had to ask, (e.g. with people asking for advice on "ninja," "samurai," and similarly-flavored concepts) do you want a knight as in the class, or a knight as in a heavily-armored honorable person what rides things?

The former is limited. The class itself could be stronger, and there are a number of handbooks and proposed fixes out there, although they would be subject to DM approval.

The latter leaves you with an incredible cosmos of options, if you're interested. It's not hard to find a melee class, purchase a mount, and go to town. As always, I would point you in the direction of Tome of Battle classes, but there are other interesting options to consider, depending on your choice of flavor.

[Fax Celestis]

See if your DM will let you take the Equine Stalwart feat from the War of the Burning Sky adventure path.


Equine Stalwart [General, Fighter]
Your skill with horses is masterful, and your preferred mount stands above other horses because of how you have trained it.
Prerequisite: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Ride 9 ranks, Mounted Combat
Benefit: If you spend at least one day training with a warpony or light or heavy warhorse, that steed becomes more stalwart and attains an exceptional connection to you, like a druid’s animal companion. You can only have one stalwart mount at a time.

You can handle your stalwart mount as a free action, and push it as a move action. You gain a +4 bonus to all Handle Animal checks with it.

Additionally, based on the number of ranks you have in Ride, your stalwart mount gains additional Hit Dice, similar to advancing an animal, so that the mount’s total Hit Dice is equal to the number listed in the table below. Your ranks in Ride also grant your mount bonus tricks, and it gains evasion (or improved evasion) as long as you are within 5 feet of it.

Stalwart Mounts
{table=head]Ride Ranks | Total HD | Bonus Tricks | Special Ability
9–10 | 5 | 1 | Evasion
12–14 | 7 | 2 | -
15–17 | 9 | 3 | -
18–20 | 11 | 4 | -
21+ | 13 | 5 | Improved evasion[/table]
For example, a rider with 9 ranks in Ride could give a stalwart light warhorse 2 extra Hit Dice, or a stalwart heavy warhorse 1 extra Hit Die, for a total of 6 either way. These extra Hit Dice grant new feats, skill points, and ability score increases, as normal for adding Hit Dice. Your horse does not increase in size.

Also includes fixed Ride-By Attack and other mounted feats:

Mounted Strafe [General, Fighter]
You can attack as you ride past your foe.
Prerequisites: Ride 5 ranks, Mounted Combat
Benefit: When mounted, you may take a standard action at any point during your mount’s movement. If you attack a creature in melee when mounted, neither you nor your mount provoke attacks of opportunity from that creature for having moved.

If you perform a charge action while mounted, you can attack any creature adjacent to or along the line of your movement. Your mount must still move in a straight line, but you can choose to attack a creature as you pass it by.
Normal: You can only make melee attacks while mounted at the beginning or end of your mount’s movement. You can only make ranged attacks while mounted at the beginning, end, or precise middle of your mount’s movement.
Special: You may use this feat to qualify for feats and prestige classes as if it were Ride-By Attack.

Improved Mounted Strafe [Fighter]
You can cut down foe after foe as you ride past them.
Prerequisites: Ride 8 ranks, Mounted Combat, Mounted Strafe
Benefit: When mounted, you may make a full attack while moving. Your attacks can each come at any point during your mount’s movement, though if your mount moves more than 5 feet you must move at least 5 feet between each attack.
Normal: You can only make melee attacks while mounted at the beginning or end of your mount’s movement. You can only make ranged attacks while mounted at the beginning, end, or precise middle of your mount’s movement. You cannot make more than one melee attack in a
round if your mount moves more than 5 feet.

Jousting Blow [General, Fighter]
Your charges knock your foes flying.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Ride 8 ranks, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack (or Mounted Strafe), Spirited Charge.
Benefit: When you use a charge action to attack while mounted, you may take a –4 penalty to your attack roll and deliver a jousting blow. If you hit a corporeal opponent that is smaller than your mount, that creature must succeed a Reflex save (DC = damage dealt) or be knocked flying 10 feet in the direction of your charge, falling prone. If an obstacle prevents the completion of the opponent’s move, both the obstacle and the creature take 1d6 points of damage, and the opponent stops in the square adjacent to the
obstacle.

A mounted opponent may substitute a Ride check in place of his Reflex save to resist being dismounted, and he gains a +2 bonus if he is using a military saddle.

[Gale]

I talked with the DM and he said he is only allowing the core handbooks. I believe that means only things from: Player's Handbook I, Dungeon's Master's Guide I, and Monster Manual 1. He made an exception and allowed me to use Player's Handbook II as well because the Knight class obviously comes from this book. It kind of limits a lot of the things I had planned for him actually. Is the Knight even a viable option at this point?

Also some clarification, I wanted advice on playing the actual Knight class. The other players are a Monk/Barbarian, Druid, Cleric, and a Ranger.

[Flickerdart]

I talked with the DM and he said he is only allowing the core handbooks. I believe that means only things from: Player's Handbook I, Dungeon's Master's Guide I, and Monster Manual 1. He made an exception and allowed me to use Player's Handbook II as well because the Knight class obviously comes from this book. It kind of limits a lot of the things I had planned for him actually. Is the Knight even a viable option at this point?

Also some clarification, I wanted advice on playing the actual Knight class. The other players are a Monk/Barbarian, Druid, Cleric, and a Ranger.
Ask the druid to get a Companion you can ride. The power gap between you will be such that he won't miss it anyway.