Mounts that grow with you

[JackMage666]

So, I'm wanting to make a character who makes heavy use of mounted combat, but then I ran into a problem. Mounts don't grow with you, they just stay sucking. My DM probably won't allow me to buy a mount too strong, as we're just ECL 7 right now, so I was hoping to get something I could use and have it get stronger with me. But, in order to do that, I have some problems.

There are only 3 base classes that get a mount that grows with you - The Druid, the Ranger, and the Paladin.
Druid - Not a combatant, and doesn't fit the character I want very well.
Ranger - 1/2 animal companion progression. Won't grow very well at all.
Paladin - Yeah. Paladin. I don't think more must be said.

Also, there are only two prestige classes I found to help with the - The Beastmaster (CAdv), and the Ashworm Dragoon (Sandstorm).

Beastmaster - Cool class, but you kinda get stuck with only advancing animal companions, and he's supposed to be a mounted warrior, not a zookeeper.
Ashworm Dragoon - This is what inspired the character for me. The progression is great for the ashworm, and you gain multiple abilites for the ashworms. Unfortunately, you're restricted to Ashworms, who don't function very well outside of the desert. They can burrow, but you wouldn't get that ability until the 10th class level (6th if you're in desert, but I'm not). So, the 30 ft land speed doesn't appeal as a mount.

Is there anything I'm missing here? I know you can just buy/rear and animal and train it for combat riding as well, but in, say, 6 levels, the mount will lose effectiveness and probably die. I was hoping to make a traveler character, with some levels in (underused) Horizon Walker, not the above mentioned PrCs. I'd just like to know if there's any way my trusty mount can grow as well as me (other than going the Awakened route).

[Dausuul]

Is there anything I'm missing here? I know you can just buy/rear and animal and train it for combat riding as well, but in, say, 6 levels, the mount will lose effectiveness and probably die. I was hoping to make a traveler character, with some levels in (underused) Horizon Walker, not the above mentioned PrCs. I'd just like to know if there's any way my trusty mount can grow as well as me (other than going the Awakened route).

Since you're starting at level 7, you could take the Leadership feat and get a special cohort, then give it class levels in Barbarian or something (d12 Hit Dice plus increased movement = win for a mount) as you advance.

If you're willing to wait one level, you could get a pegasus, which flies, has a move speed roughly equivalent to that of a fiendish bat*, is tolerably durable, and can use horseshoes of speed. Don't forget to give it barding, and use the elite array rather than the listed stats, assuming your DM is okay with this.

*This is a riff on "bat out of hell" and is not meant to refer to an actual fiendish bat, which has a pretty crappy base move. I think the fiendish template should increase the speed of any bat to 200.

[storybookknight]

Leadership!

You can get a cohort mount! Hippogriffs, unicorns, Pegasi, gryphons, Spider Eaters... all of them make for great cohorts.

My Transdimensional Spell Wizard/Rogue friend has a Nightmare that he rides around on. Lots and lots of sneakascorchingrays.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Cavalier and Wild Planes Outrider stacks with Paladin mount but you need to be a Paladin to do it. Halfling Outrider does give a mount but I'm guessing you don't want a halfling. There's a Mounted Warrior Prc in a Warcraft d20 book that gives a special mount but it might not mesh well with standard DnD.

[Dhavaer]

Hexblade with Improved Familiar. You can get a winter wolf, or a hippogriff if you like flying. You'll have to wait for a later ECL to get one, though.

[Da Beast]

Druids are excellent combatants. They may not be the typical choice when it comes to mounted combat, but a druid riding a dire bear while wild shaped into a dire/legendary ape so he can use a lance would be pretty nasty.

Another PrC is the Sky Lord from the Book of Exalted Deeds. Basically an elf on a celestial eagle. If you don't want to play an exalted character it won't take much work to remove that, just change a few entrance feats and replace the free celestial template on your mount for something else. Or keep the template, not like I care.

[Ramza00]

Leadership
Draconic Cohort
Halfling Outrider PRC combine with Devoted Tracker (use Paladin and Beastmaster) whatever you do as a DM do not allow your player to also take Draconic mount combine with this combo.

[Fizban]

This link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118x) will let you get an animal companion with a feat, and has a PrC to go with it.

You could also easily adapt the Ashworm Dragoon for a different mount. Just find a mountable creature with similar CR and HD that has a special ability that could benefit from the heightened sting ability.

[Ravyn]

Talk to a druid. *grins* There's nothing more fun than discovering new and interesting uses for Wildshape when you want to go charge-bowling; one of the best dual-techs I ever saw was the party druid turning into a rhinoceros when there were massive numbers of people between him, my mounted combat-based character, and the boat--CHARGE! Of course, the druid has to agree, but...

[Ninja Chocobo]

There's a Ranger Variant somewhere, likely UA, that loses spellcasting but gains full animal companion progression.
Then take the Natural Bond feat (CAdv) for even more progression.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

Back in the day when d20 produced a plethora of independent publisher crud, there were a few diamonds amongst the detritus. One I found and keep to this day was "Noble Steeds" from Avalanche Press. By leaps and bounds, this was the single best thing they published d20 wise. In it, there was a system for levelling your steed. Basically, when you earned experience points, you could invest some of it towards raising your steed's level rather than your own. It meant anyone could own a skilled, experienced mount with time. Overall, the book was good and if you can find locate it, I'd recommend it. Sounds just what you're looking for.

[Dausuul]

This link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118x) will let you get an animal companion with a feat, and has a PrC to go with it.

Is it just me, or does that feat suck horribly? I mean... as a 6th level character, I could take Wild Cohort and get a 5 Hit Die wolf. Or I could take Leadership and get a 4th-level barbarian who would outperform the wolf in pretty much every regard--and I'd get followers too!

I guess Wild Cohort could be handy if you had low Charisma, but otherwise the fact that your "effective druid level" is reduced by 3 makes it pretty much a non-starter compared to regular Leadership.