Stephen_E
2007-07-21, 09:38 AM
Not sure if this is the right place to post this but here goes.
my comments on what I was trying to do is at the end of each style.
Ranger Combat Styles
This is an attempt to bring more choice and viability to the Rangers Combat Styles, ranging from a slight tweak for Archery, a significant boost to TWF and 3 additional "styles".
Archery -
Improved Combat Style - add Flame Arrow (PHB) to the Ranger spell list as a 2nd lev spell.
This spell can only be cast while in light or no armour.
Flame Arrow
Transmutation [Fire]Level: Sor/Wiz 3 (Ranger 2)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: Fifty projectiles, all of which must be in contact with each other at the time of casting
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You turn ammunition (such as arrows, bolts, shuriken, and stones) into fiery projectiles. Each piece of ammunition deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage to any target it hits. A flaming projectile can easily ignite a flammable object or structure, but it won’t ignite a creature it strikes.
Material Component
A drop of oil and a small piece of flint.
Combat Style Mastery - Gain the Energy Substitution feat (metamagic - Comp Arcane) for use with the Flame Arrow spell only. You gain this feat for each 3rd level Ranger spell slot you have.
[This probably looks bigger than it is. Been a 2nd level spell, and still requiring a normal attack to hit keeps it relatively minor by the time the Ranger has access to it, but gives a little variable energy damage, and makes them less reliant on magic items/ammo.]
Two-weapon combat -
Improved Combat Style - add Flame Blade (PHB) to the Ranger spell list as a 1st lev spell.
This spell can only be cast while in light or no armour.
Flame Blade
Evocation [Fire]Level: Drd 2 (Ranger 1)
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: Sword-like beam
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
A 3-foot-long, blazing beam of red-hot fire springs forth from your hand. You wield this bladelike beam as if it were a scimitar. Attacks with the flame blade are melee touch attacks. The blade deals 1d8 points of fire damage +1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. A flame blade can ignite combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth.
The spell does not function underwater.
Combat Style Mastery - Gain the Energy Substitution feat (metamagic - Comp Arcane) for use with the Flame Blade spell only. You gain this feat for each 3rd level Ranger spell slot you have.
[This time it's a 1st lev spell, and gives the ability to turn those iterative attacks that are usually misses into real damage. Been energy damage it also gets past DR which is a chronic weakness of the 1-H weapon. The Empower feat can be used to increase the damage]
Sword and Shield -
Combat Style -
When using a Light Shield or Buckler double the AC bonus from it (including any magical enhancements).
You can make a Shield Bash with a Light Shield or Buckler as a swift action or as part of a full attack.
You are treated as having the Improved Shield Bash feat when using a Light Shield or Buckler.
These benefits only apply while wearing light or no armour.
Improved Combat Style -
You are treated as having the Shield Charge feat.
An Adamantium Light Shield gives you DR2/Adamantium and an Adamantium Buckler DR1/Adamantium. This is applied before applying any other DR (i.e. If you had DR5/silver and were hit for 10 pts of damage, you would check for reducing the damage for Adamantium DR and then apply the Silver DR to the remaining damage).
A masterwork Cold Iron Light Shield gives you Energy Resistance 5 against all spell or spell like damage, including force attacks such as Magical Missile. A Cold Iron Buckler gives you Energy Resistance 2. This is applyed before any other Energy Resistance.
These benefits only apply while wearing light or no armour.
Combat Style Mastery -
If targeted by a spell you may make a Spellcraft check (DC15+spell level) using your Concentration skill ranks, to sense the incoming spell with a save DC and interpose a light shield/buckler as an immediate action, giving you a bonus to your save equal to 1/2 the AC bonus (round down) of your shield. If it is a Cold Iron shield you receive the entire AC bonus to your save. The Concentration check tells you what type of save will be required, but not what the spell is (if you have Spellcraft you can make a Spellcraft check instead and get the full details, but you can't make both a Concentration and a Spellcraft check).
As an immediate action you can totally nullify the damage from one attack (magical or mundane) but this will destroy any shield currently with less than a +2 enhancement. Shields with an enhancement of +2 or greater, including special abilities, instead temporily lose +2 enhancement. If there are special abilities, randomly determine whether AC bonuses or special abilities are lost. This ability can only be used with Light Shields and Bucklers.
These benefits only apply while wearing light or no armour.
Damaged shields are repaired by spending 2 hours per +1 enhancement with at least a hammer and anvil, and a craft check of 10+AC bonus+Magical enhancement been repaired +2 if made of special material, and requires a CL of 3x the enhancement (this can be from someone who gives a successful aid). If the repairer has the Craft Magic Armour feat halve times, reduce the craft check by 5 and only a CL of 2x is required. Enhancements are repaired 1 level at a time. i.e. A +4 Shield with +2 temporary damage will have to be repaiered to +3, and then +4.
No forge will impose a -5 penalty to the craft check. A Mend spell will reduce this penalty to -2 and give a 10% reduction in time. Other repair type spells will give Craft check and time bonuses upto their spell level and may stack with a Mend spell but not each other.
[I've tried to seriously increase the defensive capacity with scale up effects, while still keeping the "light armour" approach. The Sword and Board feats aren't really competitive IMO so I had to come up with some other avenues to give it some grunt. Making the Shield Bash a swift attack allows mobility while still getting a niggle smack in.]
Mystic -
A Mystic concentrates on his magic rather than specalising in mundane weapons.
Combat Style -
He adds the 0 level Druid spells to the Ranger Spell list and gets spells per day as a Bard.
Caster level = Class level -1
Spellcraft becomes a class skill.
The Lev 0 Druids spells can only be cast while wearing light or no armour.
20 LEVEL SPELLCASTING MYSTIC COMBAT STYLE
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st||-|-
2nd||3|0|-
3rd||3|1|-|-
4th||3|2|0|-|-
5th||3|3|1|-|-|-
6th||3|3|2|-|-|-|-
7th||3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-
8th||3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
9th||3|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-
10th||3|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-
11th||3|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-
12th||3|3|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-
13th||3|3|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-
14th||4|3|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-
15th||4|4|3|3|3|2|-|-|-|-
16th||4|4|4|3|3|2|0|-|-|-
17th||4|4|4|4|3|3|1|-|-|-
18th||4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-
19th||4|4|4|4|4|4|3|-|-|-
20th||4|4|4|4|4|4|4|-|-|-[/table]
Improved Combat Style -
Extra Spell: At this level and each subsequent level he can add 1 spell of 5th level or lower from the Druid list to the Ranger list. He does not need to be able to currently cast the spell.
Gain the metamagic feat Favoured Enemy Metamagic*.
All spells of 5th or higher can only be cast in light or no armour.
Combat Style Mastery -
The extra spell can now be of 7th lev or lower. A 7th lev Druid spell takes 2 Extra Spell slots to add and is cast as a 6th level spell.
Gain a bonus Metamagic feat. You don't need to meet the prereqs.
The bonus Metamagic feat and all spells of 5th or higher can only be cast in light or no armour.
Favoured Enemy Metamagic* (Divine)
You can tap into the racial mystical energy of your favoured enemies and use that energy to make your spells more effective.
Prerequisites: A favoured enemy.
Benefits: When you take this feat you choose a metamagic feat. You gain a number of levels equal to your various favoured enemy bonus and can spontaneously apply the metamagic feat to a spell you're casting against any favoured enemy, using the levels gained from your favoured enemy bonuses (i.e. a 11th lev Ranger with 3 favoured enemies would have 12 levels. +2 +4 +6 = 12). These levels refresh when you regain your spells. Spending these levels doesn't reduce any other bonuses you gain from favoured enemy.
You also get a +2 bonus to the DC for all saves by favoured enemies and +2 to spell penetration vs favoured enemies.
Normal: Metamagic feats must normally be selected when the spell is chosen, and the spell level is increased as per the metamagic feat.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time you take this feat choose a different metamagic feat which to apply it. The +2 bonus to Save DC's and Spell Penetration is cumalative, upto the favoured enemy bonus for the respective favoured enemy. This feat can only be used while in light or no armour.
[This is basically a Gish Ranger style. I'm not sure whether resticting the Favoured Enemy metamagic to only been used against favoured enemies is to limited. I wonder whether it should be allowed at double cost against non-favoured enemies. The feat would be available to all rangers, but it seemed more relevant to detail it with the Mystic style.]
Animal Companion -
In this style the Ranger learns to gain the most from her animal companion.
Combat Style -
You gain a Animal Companion. This functions as the Druid ability with Ranger levels counting as Druid levels for advancement. You gain a bonus feat from Skill focus - Animal Handling, Skill Focus - Ride, Alertness.
The feats can only be used while you are in light or no armour.
Improved Combat Style -
Your bond deepens. You can share 1 feat, skill ranks of one skill (this can't increase the skill ranks beyond HD+3) sense (Blindsense, Lowlight,Scent, Darkvision ecetre) or class ability. It is not necessary to have the prereqs to use the shared ability, although it may be more limited if you don't. i.e. Elusive Target requires choosing a Dodge target to use 2 of the 3 abilities. You must be within 10' to share. You choose at the beginning of your action, and it lasts until the start of an action that you choose to change it, or the range becomes to great.
Share Spells range is increased to 10'.
You gain another bonus feat from previous selection.
Spider Climb is added to the Spell list as a 1st level spell.
These benefits and spell can only be used while wearing light or no armour.
Spider Climb
TransmutationLevel: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2 (Ranger 1)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
The subject can climb and travel on vertical surfaces or even traverse ceilings as well as a spider does. The affected creature must have its hands free to climb in this manner. The subject gains a climb speed of 20 feet; furthermore, it need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). A spider climbing creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.
Material Component
A drop of bitumen and a live spider, both of which must be eaten by the subject.
Combat Style Mastery -
You can now share 2 feats ecetre. The range is 20'.
Share Spells range is increased to 20'.
Gain the last of the bonus feats.
Overland Flight is added to the spell list as a 4th level spell.
These benefits and spell can only be used while wearing light or no armour.
Overland Flight
TransmutationLevel: Sor/Wiz 5 (Ranger 4)
Components: V, S
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
This spell functions like a fly spell, except you can fly at a speed of 40 feet (30 feet if wearing medium or heavy armor, or if carrying a medium or heavy load) with average maneuverability. When using this spell for long-distance movement, you can hustle without taking nonlethal damage (a forced march still requires Constitution checks). This means you can cover 64 miles in an eight-hour period of flight (or 48 miles at a speed of 30 feet).
[Due to the nature of Animal Companions been highly variable this style comes across as a bit blurrier than the others. I didn't what to push to heavily in the mounted combat direction because working closely with your animal companion doesn't and shouldn't automatically default to riding the companion. I have a feeling their are some feats that would be useful in that direction, and if I can find them I may add them + Mounted Combat to the bonus feat list. Adding Spider Climb and Overland Flight means your companion can go on those dungeon crawls, even when having to climb up or down shafts, and gives the mobility at high levels which is so needed by all melee types.]
Stephen
[Due to the nature of Animal Companions been highly variable this style comes across as a bit blurrier than the others. I didn't want to push to heavily in the mounted combat direction because working closely with your animal companion doesn't and shouldn't automatically default to riding the companion. I have a feeling there are some feats that would be useful in that direction, and if I can find them I may add them + Mounted Combat to the bonus feat list. Adding Spider Climb and Overland Flight means your companion can go on those dungeon crawls, even when having to climb up or down shafts, and gives the mobility at high levels which is so needed by all melee types.]
Stephen
my comments on what I was trying to do is at the end of each style.
Ranger Combat Styles
This is an attempt to bring more choice and viability to the Rangers Combat Styles, ranging from a slight tweak for Archery, a significant boost to TWF and 3 additional "styles".
Archery -
Improved Combat Style - add Flame Arrow (PHB) to the Ranger spell list as a 2nd lev spell.
This spell can only be cast while in light or no armour.
Flame Arrow
Transmutation [Fire]Level: Sor/Wiz 3 (Ranger 2)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: Fifty projectiles, all of which must be in contact with each other at the time of casting
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You turn ammunition (such as arrows, bolts, shuriken, and stones) into fiery projectiles. Each piece of ammunition deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage to any target it hits. A flaming projectile can easily ignite a flammable object or structure, but it won’t ignite a creature it strikes.
Material Component
A drop of oil and a small piece of flint.
Combat Style Mastery - Gain the Energy Substitution feat (metamagic - Comp Arcane) for use with the Flame Arrow spell only. You gain this feat for each 3rd level Ranger spell slot you have.
[This probably looks bigger than it is. Been a 2nd level spell, and still requiring a normal attack to hit keeps it relatively minor by the time the Ranger has access to it, but gives a little variable energy damage, and makes them less reliant on magic items/ammo.]
Two-weapon combat -
Improved Combat Style - add Flame Blade (PHB) to the Ranger spell list as a 1st lev spell.
This spell can only be cast while in light or no armour.
Flame Blade
Evocation [Fire]Level: Drd 2 (Ranger 1)
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: Sword-like beam
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
A 3-foot-long, blazing beam of red-hot fire springs forth from your hand. You wield this bladelike beam as if it were a scimitar. Attacks with the flame blade are melee touch attacks. The blade deals 1d8 points of fire damage +1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. A flame blade can ignite combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth.
The spell does not function underwater.
Combat Style Mastery - Gain the Energy Substitution feat (metamagic - Comp Arcane) for use with the Flame Blade spell only. You gain this feat for each 3rd level Ranger spell slot you have.
[This time it's a 1st lev spell, and gives the ability to turn those iterative attacks that are usually misses into real damage. Been energy damage it also gets past DR which is a chronic weakness of the 1-H weapon. The Empower feat can be used to increase the damage]
Sword and Shield -
Combat Style -
When using a Light Shield or Buckler double the AC bonus from it (including any magical enhancements).
You can make a Shield Bash with a Light Shield or Buckler as a swift action or as part of a full attack.
You are treated as having the Improved Shield Bash feat when using a Light Shield or Buckler.
These benefits only apply while wearing light or no armour.
Improved Combat Style -
You are treated as having the Shield Charge feat.
An Adamantium Light Shield gives you DR2/Adamantium and an Adamantium Buckler DR1/Adamantium. This is applied before applying any other DR (i.e. If you had DR5/silver and were hit for 10 pts of damage, you would check for reducing the damage for Adamantium DR and then apply the Silver DR to the remaining damage).
A masterwork Cold Iron Light Shield gives you Energy Resistance 5 against all spell or spell like damage, including force attacks such as Magical Missile. A Cold Iron Buckler gives you Energy Resistance 2. This is applyed before any other Energy Resistance.
These benefits only apply while wearing light or no armour.
Combat Style Mastery -
If targeted by a spell you may make a Spellcraft check (DC15+spell level) using your Concentration skill ranks, to sense the incoming spell with a save DC and interpose a light shield/buckler as an immediate action, giving you a bonus to your save equal to 1/2 the AC bonus (round down) of your shield. If it is a Cold Iron shield you receive the entire AC bonus to your save. The Concentration check tells you what type of save will be required, but not what the spell is (if you have Spellcraft you can make a Spellcraft check instead and get the full details, but you can't make both a Concentration and a Spellcraft check).
As an immediate action you can totally nullify the damage from one attack (magical or mundane) but this will destroy any shield currently with less than a +2 enhancement. Shields with an enhancement of +2 or greater, including special abilities, instead temporily lose +2 enhancement. If there are special abilities, randomly determine whether AC bonuses or special abilities are lost. This ability can only be used with Light Shields and Bucklers.
These benefits only apply while wearing light or no armour.
Damaged shields are repaired by spending 2 hours per +1 enhancement with at least a hammer and anvil, and a craft check of 10+AC bonus+Magical enhancement been repaired +2 if made of special material, and requires a CL of 3x the enhancement (this can be from someone who gives a successful aid). If the repairer has the Craft Magic Armour feat halve times, reduce the craft check by 5 and only a CL of 2x is required. Enhancements are repaired 1 level at a time. i.e. A +4 Shield with +2 temporary damage will have to be repaiered to +3, and then +4.
No forge will impose a -5 penalty to the craft check. A Mend spell will reduce this penalty to -2 and give a 10% reduction in time. Other repair type spells will give Craft check and time bonuses upto their spell level and may stack with a Mend spell but not each other.
[I've tried to seriously increase the defensive capacity with scale up effects, while still keeping the "light armour" approach. The Sword and Board feats aren't really competitive IMO so I had to come up with some other avenues to give it some grunt. Making the Shield Bash a swift attack allows mobility while still getting a niggle smack in.]
Mystic -
A Mystic concentrates on his magic rather than specalising in mundane weapons.
Combat Style -
He adds the 0 level Druid spells to the Ranger Spell list and gets spells per day as a Bard.
Caster level = Class level -1
Spellcraft becomes a class skill.
The Lev 0 Druids spells can only be cast while wearing light or no armour.
20 LEVEL SPELLCASTING MYSTIC COMBAT STYLE
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st||-|-
2nd||3|0|-
3rd||3|1|-|-
4th||3|2|0|-|-
5th||3|3|1|-|-|-
6th||3|3|2|-|-|-|-
7th||3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-
8th||3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
9th||3|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-
10th||3|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-
11th||3|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-
12th||3|3|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-
13th||3|3|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-
14th||4|3|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-
15th||4|4|3|3|3|2|-|-|-|-
16th||4|4|4|3|3|2|0|-|-|-
17th||4|4|4|4|3|3|1|-|-|-
18th||4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-
19th||4|4|4|4|4|4|3|-|-|-
20th||4|4|4|4|4|4|4|-|-|-[/table]
Improved Combat Style -
Extra Spell: At this level and each subsequent level he can add 1 spell of 5th level or lower from the Druid list to the Ranger list. He does not need to be able to currently cast the spell.
Gain the metamagic feat Favoured Enemy Metamagic*.
All spells of 5th or higher can only be cast in light or no armour.
Combat Style Mastery -
The extra spell can now be of 7th lev or lower. A 7th lev Druid spell takes 2 Extra Spell slots to add and is cast as a 6th level spell.
Gain a bonus Metamagic feat. You don't need to meet the prereqs.
The bonus Metamagic feat and all spells of 5th or higher can only be cast in light or no armour.
Favoured Enemy Metamagic* (Divine)
You can tap into the racial mystical energy of your favoured enemies and use that energy to make your spells more effective.
Prerequisites: A favoured enemy.
Benefits: When you take this feat you choose a metamagic feat. You gain a number of levels equal to your various favoured enemy bonus and can spontaneously apply the metamagic feat to a spell you're casting against any favoured enemy, using the levels gained from your favoured enemy bonuses (i.e. a 11th lev Ranger with 3 favoured enemies would have 12 levels. +2 +4 +6 = 12). These levels refresh when you regain your spells. Spending these levels doesn't reduce any other bonuses you gain from favoured enemy.
You also get a +2 bonus to the DC for all saves by favoured enemies and +2 to spell penetration vs favoured enemies.
Normal: Metamagic feats must normally be selected when the spell is chosen, and the spell level is increased as per the metamagic feat.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time you take this feat choose a different metamagic feat which to apply it. The +2 bonus to Save DC's and Spell Penetration is cumalative, upto the favoured enemy bonus for the respective favoured enemy. This feat can only be used while in light or no armour.
[This is basically a Gish Ranger style. I'm not sure whether resticting the Favoured Enemy metamagic to only been used against favoured enemies is to limited. I wonder whether it should be allowed at double cost against non-favoured enemies. The feat would be available to all rangers, but it seemed more relevant to detail it with the Mystic style.]
Animal Companion -
In this style the Ranger learns to gain the most from her animal companion.
Combat Style -
You gain a Animal Companion. This functions as the Druid ability with Ranger levels counting as Druid levels for advancement. You gain a bonus feat from Skill focus - Animal Handling, Skill Focus - Ride, Alertness.
The feats can only be used while you are in light or no armour.
Improved Combat Style -
Your bond deepens. You can share 1 feat, skill ranks of one skill (this can't increase the skill ranks beyond HD+3) sense (Blindsense, Lowlight,Scent, Darkvision ecetre) or class ability. It is not necessary to have the prereqs to use the shared ability, although it may be more limited if you don't. i.e. Elusive Target requires choosing a Dodge target to use 2 of the 3 abilities. You must be within 10' to share. You choose at the beginning of your action, and it lasts until the start of an action that you choose to change it, or the range becomes to great.
Share Spells range is increased to 10'.
You gain another bonus feat from previous selection.
Spider Climb is added to the Spell list as a 1st level spell.
These benefits and spell can only be used while wearing light or no armour.
Spider Climb
TransmutationLevel: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2 (Ranger 1)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
The subject can climb and travel on vertical surfaces or even traverse ceilings as well as a spider does. The affected creature must have its hands free to climb in this manner. The subject gains a climb speed of 20 feet; furthermore, it need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). A spider climbing creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.
Material Component
A drop of bitumen and a live spider, both of which must be eaten by the subject.
Combat Style Mastery -
You can now share 2 feats ecetre. The range is 20'.
Share Spells range is increased to 20'.
Gain the last of the bonus feats.
Overland Flight is added to the spell list as a 4th level spell.
These benefits and spell can only be used while wearing light or no armour.
Overland Flight
TransmutationLevel: Sor/Wiz 5 (Ranger 4)
Components: V, S
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
This spell functions like a fly spell, except you can fly at a speed of 40 feet (30 feet if wearing medium or heavy armor, or if carrying a medium or heavy load) with average maneuverability. When using this spell for long-distance movement, you can hustle without taking nonlethal damage (a forced march still requires Constitution checks). This means you can cover 64 miles in an eight-hour period of flight (or 48 miles at a speed of 30 feet).
[Due to the nature of Animal Companions been highly variable this style comes across as a bit blurrier than the others. I didn't what to push to heavily in the mounted combat direction because working closely with your animal companion doesn't and shouldn't automatically default to riding the companion. I have a feeling their are some feats that would be useful in that direction, and if I can find them I may add them + Mounted Combat to the bonus feat list. Adding Spider Climb and Overland Flight means your companion can go on those dungeon crawls, even when having to climb up or down shafts, and gives the mobility at high levels which is so needed by all melee types.]
Stephen
[Due to the nature of Animal Companions been highly variable this style comes across as a bit blurrier than the others. I didn't want to push to heavily in the mounted combat direction because working closely with your animal companion doesn't and shouldn't automatically default to riding the companion. I have a feeling there are some feats that would be useful in that direction, and if I can find them I may add them + Mounted Combat to the bonus feat list. Adding Spider Climb and Overland Flight means your companion can go on those dungeon crawls, even when having to climb up or down shafts, and gives the mobility at high levels which is so needed by all melee types.]
Stephen