Appropriate mount for a Savage Bard?

[HeadlessMermaid]

I have a Savage Bard focused on summoning (odd, I know - it ends up like a nerfed druid summoner) and buffing. I want a mount, because often I won't have actions to move on my own, and I don't want to just stand there singing like an idiot. Also, flavor.

So I'm taking Wild Cohort or Leadership. But what cohort do I pick? I can't optimize mounted combat, I have only one free feat. And I don't really want a tank (in fact I'd rather stay away from melee), I want mobility and reliability.

The build is Savage Bard 19/Warblade 1. Draconic (with LA buyoff) human, Exalted Chaotic Good, level 20, mid-op game.

Flavor-wise, the best choices would be unicorn (which sadly can't fly, but there are items for that), pegasus, or giant eagle. Second-best would be dire eagle, dragonhawk (huge size, which I'd rather avoid), or possibly a Chaotic Good dragon, with Dragon Cohort. But I didn't actually find a dragon cohort that's both CG and large. Finally, a plant creature would be appropriate, but plants tend to be very slow, and I didn't even look it up.

So, opting for mobility and defense rather than offense, what would you choose? And how would you customize it (feats, items, class levels if applicable)?

Thanks in advance. :)

[Blackhawk748]

Well theres always a Desmodu War Bat, though i think the Giant Eagle would look cooler, Hippogrifs are classic, pretty maneuverable and pretty easy to get.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Could you get a Dungeonbred Dragonhawk?

[HeadlessMermaid]

Well theres always a Desmodu War Bat, though i think the Giant Eagle would look cooler, Hippogrifs are classic, pretty maneuverable and pretty easy to get.
The bat is too far away from the flavor I had in mind. Hippogriffs are great, but how can I take one? It's a magical beast, it's not an available animal companion for druids, so I can't use Wild Cohort. And it's "LA: -", so I can't use Leadership. I can't think of a way...


Could you get a Dungeonbred Dragonhawk?
No, cohorts with templates are out, I'm afraid.

Thanks for the replies, the search goes on. Remember that I'm level 20 and Charisma-based, so a unicorn with 9 levels of cleric and one level of marshal is entirely on the table. :)

[Blackhawk748]

Wait, if you want a flying Unicorn, you could have it take a lvl in Warlock, 24 hour fly and LAZAS!

[Coidzor]

Wait, if you want a flying Unicorn, you could have it take a lvl in Warlock, 24 hour fly and LAZAS!

That'd be 6 levels of Warlock for that. Granted, they want to be ranged, but... Depending upon how the DM interprets things, some Totemist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287304)progression may provide a ranged attack that benefits more from the force multiplier of Inspire Courage/Dragonfire Inspiration through the magic of Manticore!(belt)

Pegasus and Giant Eagle both have ECL 6 before adding any levels... Is LA buy-off an option? Without LA Buy-off a Wildshape Ranger/Master of Many Forms may be another option for just picking up the best maneuverability forms without having to deal with their LA(or lack thereof... in the bad way) and RHD.

If you could get a mount with arms and something like the Falling Star custom discipline allowed for a ranged martial adept archer mount could be nifty to fill up the levels with...

I suppose if you got a younger dragon you might be able to take advantage of one spell or another to get them aged up enough to be mounts, but if the DM isn't allowing any templates on cohorts, that's probably out as well.

I can't think of anything with particularly good & fast flight that's a good mount offhand that hasn't been touched upon already though, sorry.