Dragon Rider ranger build advice needed

[FrozenGnomes]

I will be able to be a dragon rider, the 10 level prestige version, and since the party lacks range I want to go a ranged dragon rider.

This is the first time I haven't had a clear idea of what feats i'll need for the fantasy of the character, and I'm a little daunted by the options.

The details:

Starting level 12th, so I'll be able to be dragon rider immediately
Dragon will be a size boosted blue dragon
I am a elf-based custom race (+2 dex and int, -2 con, elf stuff, basic flight)
I start with 80k + whatever my current character has (currently 20k), minus the gold for the hoard and the thing that makes the dragon larger.
All books allowed, with the exception of some psionic abilities
No Dragon Magazine.

Please, you're my only hope to getting this build done this year.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Has this game already started? Is there anything already set about your build that we have e to keep in mind? Feats, skill points, etc?

Here is another suggestion to make a Dragon Rider : use your WBL to qualify for Zhentarim Skymage, and take a Dragon as a mount. I suggest taking feats like Leadership or Dragon Cohort and using the Dragon as a mount.
Zhentarim Skymage allows you to share spells with your Dragon Mount, which is insanely good. You could be a Mystic Ranger with Sword of the Arcane Order, and cast amazing self-only wizard buffs on your Dragon.

Otherwise... There are several PrCs called "Dragon Rider" (one is from Dragonlance), and it is possible to take both in one build if you really try.

What do you want your ranger and dragon to do? Should you dragon be focusing on its melee attacks? Breath weapon? Will the ranger fight with a lance? With a bow?

[FrozenGnomes]

Nothing is set except that I would like to use a bow or some other martial ranged weapon. I need to have 8 ranks in ride and handle animal to qualify for the Dragonlance campaign setting variant of dragon rider.

As for feats, DM is waiving leadership as he doesnt use it in the game, and is also waiving resist dragonfear because he thinks its dumb.

As for what we'd do, I'd be using the dragon to stay out of melee where possible, using its dragon breath. No strong focus on its melee attacks.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

My suggestion :
Ranger 6 / Zhentarim Skymage 4 / Dragon Rider (the Dragonlance one) 2 and then you'll just keep levelling in Dragon Rider.

For Ranger, you'll want to take the Mystic Ranger variant that gets more spells but fewer combat abilities, so that you can cast level 3 spells at level 6. Your level 6 feat should be Sword of the Arcane Order, to qualify for Skymage next level. This way you are a ranger with a good Base Attack Bonus, who flies on a Dragon and uses his spells to make the Dragon hit harder.
Note that Armor Spell Failure chance may be an issue. I suggest Mithril Feycraft Twilight Armor and buckler(s).

Feats:
1: Mounted Combat, +1 Flaw for Iron Will. Note that you can also just buy Iron Will for 3000gp if your GM will allow the Otyugh Hole. Otherwise there are items to get it (google "Exotic Practice of Feat Binding Handbook")
3: Combat Casting
6: Sword of the Arcane Order (allows access to wizard spells to qualify for Skymage)
9: ???
12: ???

Regarding build details:

If I were you, I would build yourself and your Dragon as melee fighters. Flying around breathing fire sounds good, but the cooldown and the space requirements make this impractical for your allies. It's better to burn and then charge in !
Thanks to Skymage you can give your Dragon the Pounce ability with spells like Lion's Charge, you can increase its stats with the "Bite of X" spells, you can defend if with Greater Blink or Heart of Earth, and you can increase its damage and skills with amazing ranger spells like Hunter's Eye.
Meanwhile your fighting style will depend on how your Dragon fights. If "Flyby Breath" is your chosen path and it doesn't inconvenience your allies too much, then I suggest taking a bow (and perhaps poisoned arrows?) and grabbing a few archery feats. This is definitely the weaker option though. I would suggest wielding a Lance with Spirited Charge, and then fighting in melee (Power Attack or Two-Weapon Fighting sound good)
Gear : the usual (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) lists (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1002.0) will apply, but you'll have to equip your Dragon too! Dragons love having a Monk's Belt, and magically enhancing their natural weapons. And note that while you can cast a few wizard spells, you'll have to remember to buy the scrolls and keep a little spellbook in your bag of holding. Ranger spells are fine though, you still know them all.
When you make your Dragon's character sheet, remember that it can have an Archetype like "Wyrm of War". It can also take Rapidstrike, Multiattack, and even the crazily powerful Dragon Magazine #355 feat "Beast Strike".

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I would go with a good-aligned dragon variety and have it take Vow of Poverty so there's no need for a lair/hoard, but this is entirely optional. That would have the added benefit of giving it amazing bonuses, so it's a doubly-good build choice.


Two possible builds:

Ranger 2/ Fighter 8/ Dragon Rider 2+, ability score priority is Dex > Str > all other.
Ranger feats: Track, Rapid Shot
Fighter feats: Mounted Combat, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Ranged Weapon Mastery, Point Blank Shot
General feats: Mounted Archery, Precise Shot, Knowledge Devotion, Woodland Archer, Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm)

This character's bow is his everything, dump as much as you can into it.

You'll want to use an Energy Bow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a), make it Dwarvencraft (RoS), Elvencraft (RotW), and Dragonbone (Draconomicon), with three Wand Chambers (DS), it's your item familiar. Also say Unguent of Timelessness (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#unguentofTimelessness) was applied to it before it was made into a magical weapon.

The bow started as a +1 Dwarvencraft Elvencraft Dragonbone Composite Longbow (0 Str allowance) with three wand chambers and both staff ends masterwork, which you paid full price for: 4,000 gp (100 gp composite longbow, 600 gp dwarvencraft includes masterwork for the bow, 600 gp for masterwork twice on the two staff ends, 300 gp elvencraft, 300 gp three wand chambers, 100 gp dragonbone, 2,000 gp +1 weapon). You upgraded it yourself to make it an Energy Bow (a 20,200 gp increase, which costs you 10,100 gp and 808 xp), so it's a +2 weapon and the energy bow effect is a flat 14,200 gp increase over a normal +2 bow. You can add additional magic weapon properties to that for the difference (adding Splitting which is a +3 would be 21,000 gp and 1,680 xp, the difference between a +2 weapon and a +5 weapon). You'll want Splitting, Seeking, Magebane, and Speed on it. You'll also want to make both quarterstaff ends +1 Defending, put Warning on one end and Eager on the other end.

The three wand chambers should contain wands of choice Ranger spells, such as Camouflage and Swift Haste (which you can use up prior to getting Speed on your bow). It only takes one level of Ranger to be able to use wands of any spells on that class list, even if you can't cast any Ranger spells yet. Per the Rules Compendium a spell trigger or spell completion item takes the same type of action to activate as the spell being used, so wands of spells with a swift-action casting time are a swift-action to activate.

The Unguent of Timelessness makes the item's passage of time 365 times slower, so hire an NPC spellcaster to put Extended Greater Magic Weapon on the bow and both +1 Defending quarterstaff ends at a caster level of 20th, which should only cost 800 gp per spell. Due to the timelessness effect each of those will last 608 days, and you can put both +5 Defending ends toward your AC every round since Defending specifically stacks with all other AC bonuses, which would include other Defending bonuses.

Take one (cross-class) rank in each knowledge skill that identifies a creature type (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nature, Planes, Religion) so you'll get at least +1 to attack and damage from Knowledge Devotion against every opponent. This one is pretty straightforward, get an amazing bow and full attack as often as possible.

or...

Fast Movement Ranger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger) 1/ Soulknife 4/ Soulbow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2) 5/ Dragonrider 2+, ability score priority is Wis > Dex > all other.
Keep in mind that at both Soulknife 4 and Soulbow 3 your get two stacking +1 enhancements to your mind blade/mind arrows, which also increases your BAB by two points when using those weapons.
Trade your Wild Talent bonus feat for Hidden Talent (Chameleon).
Soulknife feats: Weapon Focus, Hidden Talent
Soulbow feats: Mounted Archery, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot
General feats: Mounted Combat, Knowledg, Point Blank Shot, TWF, Improved Mounted Archery

Your Mind Arrow Enhancement +1 equivalent ability should be Lucky (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/weapons.htm#lucky), which is granted to each individual mind arrow independently, so every shot that misses gets to be re-rolled one time.

This character doesn't need to spend anything on a weapon, so you can outfit your character with other gear as appropriate.

Gear should include Gloves of the Balanced Hand (MIC) with an enhancement bonus to Dex adde (MIC p234), a Monk's Belt which adds your Wis bonus to your AC, and the various Necessary Magic Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) with an enhancement bonus to Wis added to an item of the appropriate slot (MIC p234).

This one likely has the better damage output until the other build gets Splitting. You'll add your Wis bonus to damage and between Improved Two-Weapon Fighting from the gloves and Rapid Shot you'll be spamming mind bullets until you're blue in the face.

[RNightstalker]

I would consider going Ranger 11 before prestiging into Dragon Rider. Take the Champion of the Wild ACF from Complete Champion. You give up your spellcasting for bonus feats at levels where you would normally gain a new spell level. You also get Combat Mastery at level 11 Ranger as well, so your feats would look something like this (without your 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 level slots used up):
Ranger2:Rapid Shot
Ranger4:Far Shot
Ranger6:Manyshot
Ranger8:Point Blank Shot
Ranger11:Improved Precise Shot
Ranger11:Improved Rapid Shot

Human for another bonus feat?

Consider a Composite Greatbow with the Distance enhancement for a range increment of 390 ft.

Knowledge Devotion and Law Devotion will help cover any range increments if you want to be able to shoot from that far away.