Paladin special mount gaining class levels?

[EoNhOeKnOwS]

I noticed my 2 int rhinoceros will eventually get 6 int, one day it may even be smarter than a barbarian.

So can it gain a class level at any point? Like a cleric level... so that it gets turn undead and I can use some travel devotion feat?

Would this class level replace a hit dice gained from the mount getting benefits for the paladin reaching the next level category?

Would it need to be able to talk? Not naturally since "it doesn't possess the right equipment to produce speech" but magically talk (not quite telepathy), mayhaps like that Druid feat that lets them talk/cast spells in wild shape? Or tongues? Doesn't even need to cast spells, just simply spend its turn undead

Also, this rhinoceros happens to have a winged creature template (+2). A table said that paladin 7 can get a rhinoceros but I can't find anything about how level adjustments affect the gaining of the special mount.

Some feats can pile up, like dragon blood and give it wings that way, but It would be nice to know what the level adj is ...

Thanks!!

[Keltest]

The rules do, theoretically, exist to allow for animals and other sapient non-humanoids to gain class levels. You really do need to consult your DM on this one though. If nothing else theres a non-zero chance that they don't want you to effectively be playing two characters, and having PCs able to summon other PCs with class levels is the beginning of the road of a very cheesy way to play the game.

[EoNhOeKnOwS]

Great, thanks! I think it would make for a great role playing experience with a paladin and his mount ... that is so devoted it got a level in clericness. My friend did a build some time ago where he could summon endless waves of some sort of fire war bears, or something, so we try not to ... summon too many things anymore.

[emeraldstreak]

As long as you abide by the CR restrictions in the DMG, why not.

[Twurps]

The DMG has some text suggesting you can use your paladin mount as your cohort if you take the leadership feats. Cohorts gain XP and class levels... Profit.

The issue you need to work out with your DM (As I don't think the rules are very clear on this. If anyone thinks they are, Please feel free to help me out here) is how to calculate ECL of your mount. It's simple to calculate the ECL of a 'normal' mount such as a horse or a rhino, And if it only were a cohort, it gets class levels from being your cohort after time. Easy enough. But when it's also your mount, it's also entitled to bonus HD from being the mount. This raises it's ECL, often to the point where you're never entitled to character levels as a cohort. Or the other way around, the character levels gained as cohort raise the CR of the mount to the point where it doesn't get any mount boni, or even becomes illegal as a mount for you.

FWIW: we use 'base' ECL/CR and calculate mount boni and character level from there.

[EoNhOeKnOwS]

Thanks! I was hoping to give it a level in cleric to make better use of travel devotion but alas my rhino has a whopping 2 charisma lol

My character is completely feat starved so I can't take leadership for the cohort.

[emeraldstreak]

The DMG has some text suggesting you can use your paladin mount as your cohort if you take the leadership feats. Cohorts gain XP and class levels... Profit.

The issue you need to work out with your DM (As I don't think the rules are very clear on this. If anyone thinks they are, Please feel free to help me out here) is how to calculate ECL of your mount. It's simple to calculate the ECL of a 'normal' mount such as a horse or a rhino, And if it only were a cohort, it gets class levels from being your cohort after time. Easy enough. But when it's also your mount, it's also entitled to bonus HD from being the mount. This raises it's ECL, often to the point where you're never entitled to character levels as a cohort. Or the other way around, the character levels gained as cohort raise the CR of the mount to the point where it doesn't get any mount boni, or even becomes illegal as a mount for you.

FWIW: we use 'base' ECL/CR and calculate mount boni and character level from there.

The bonus is part of the paladin class (and hence the paladin's own ECL, not the mount's).

[Twurps]

The bonus is part of the paladin class (and hence the paladin's own ECL, not the mount's).

good point, the other way around still stands though. If the added bonus hit die the mount get count towards its level, it is very often not eligable for class levels as your cohort, because it's already at it's max.