Theme Build: The Mounted Combatant

[Misterwhisper]

I have an idea for a new character that I want to introduce to a game because of a new item that was introduced due to the Artificer class having a similar one.

Adjusting Returning Spear:

It is a spear that as a bonus action the haft adjusts size from a dagger to spear to pike.
Also if thrown it returns to your hand at the end of the attack, so it makes a thrown build work.

I had the idea of using that with a mounted combatant.

The question comes up though of how to build it.

I can eventually buy a ring that lets me summon and unsummon a mount, so I don't really need to cast a spell for it.

We get a free first level feat so no variant human but normal point buy, all books are fine and any UA is fine unless it has already come out in hardcopy.

I was thinking maybe a Revised Ranger Beastmaster, or maybe even a Barbarian.

It combines 2 builds I wanted to try out: a spear master and a mounted combatant.

[stoutstien]

Cavalier 3 can get you a ton of passive bonuses for mounted characters and the mark wouldn't hurt either.

[Misterwhisper]

Cavalier 3 can get you a ton of passive bonuses for mounted characters and the mark wouldn't hurt either.

I was thinking cavalier or maybe a Revised Beastmaster ranger.

With the revised beast master ranger, their level 5 ability is not an extra attack so if I took Cavalier 5 / RBMR 5, would that be 2 attacks for me and 2 for the pet?

[stoutstien]

I was thinking cavalier or maybe a Revised Beastmaster ranger.

With the revised beast master ranger, their level 5 ability is not an extra attack so if I took Cavalier 5 / RBMR 5, would that be 2 attacks for me and 2 for the pet?

Correct as far as I can tell. If you are going that deep in fighter for an extra attack might as well go 6-7 fighter/ 13-14 beast master. Gnomish badger rider.

Talk to DM about multiclass with revised ranger. It's extremely front loaded and could be an issue depending on rest of party make up

[Misterwhisper]

Correct as far as I can tell. If you are going that deep in fighter for an extra attack might as well go 6-7 fighter/ 13-14 beast master. Gnomish badger rider.

Talk to DM about multiclass with revised ranger. It's extremely front loaded and could be an issue depending on rest of party make up

I might just go all ranger but I don’t feel I am putting the spear to good use that way.

Maybe barbarian instead of fighter.

[Bundin]

Be a small sized tanky artificer and ride your robodog!

You can be a WoW gnome on a mechanostrider that way. Which may or may not appeal to you :)

[stoutstien]

Be a small sized tanky artificer and ride your robodog!

what's the artificial gets printed I totally want to roll up a battle Smith or alchemist / beast master with find familiar.

[CTurbo]

Revised Ranger 5/Cavalier 5

Be a Kobold and ride a Wolf. Take Mounted Combat, TWF, and Duel Wielder and user two Lances. You and your wolf get a total of 5 attacks each round all with advantage.

If you keep going, go Ranger 8, Fighter 8, and then ultimately end with at least 11 levels of Fighter and 8 or 9 in Ranger.

[Misterwhisper]

Revised Ranger 5/Cavalier 5

Be a Kobold and ride a Wolf. Take Mounted Combat, TWF, and Duel Wielder and user two Lances. You and your wolf get a total of 5 attacks each round all with advantage.

If you keep going, go Ranger 8, Fighter 8, and then ultimately end with at least 11 levels of Fighter and 8 or 9 in Ranger.

I was thinking PAM with a spear or a double scimitars

[Foff]

Kobold wolf idea is cool, I'm planning on playing one myself, going for valor bard or some kind of spellcaster, I'm more interested in the mobility having a medium sized mount gives me instead of cheesing out stupid melee dpr.

Someday they'll target my wolf and he'll die quite quickly

[Misterwhisper]

Kobold wolf idea is cool, I'm planning on playing one myself, going for valor bard or some kind of spellcaster, I'm more interested in the mobility having a medium sized mount gives me instead of cheesing out stupid melee dpr.

Someday they'll target my wolf and he'll die quite quickly

With the UA ranger beastmaster they are much sturdier than with normal ranger.

It is a trade though, you don’t get extra attack at level 5, your pet does.

That is why I am thinking of taking 5 levels in another martial class, to get an extra attack for me self too.

Might take monk so I can use dex for both a spear and a short bow.

[CTurbo]

In the Ranger 5/Cavalier 5 Kobold/wolf build above, it'd be REALLY hard to kill the wolf between the Mounted Combat feat, Cavalier's abilities, and the fact that the wolf would be proficient in all saves. Even with just the Mounted Combat feat it would be hard to kill really.

[Misterwhisper]

In the Ranger 5/Cavalier 5 Kobold/wolf build above, it'd be REALLY hard to kill the wolf between the Mounted Combat feat, Cavalier's abilities, and the fact that the wolf would be proficient in all saves. Even with just the Mounted Combat feat it would be hard to kill really.

The downside of playing that with a kobold though is that your mount is only medium, so not getting as much out of Mounted Combat as someone on like a horse or something.

Although I do like the idea of being able to pick up both Archery and a melee Fighting Style.

[Dork_Forge]

The downside of playing that with a kobold though is that your mount is only medium, so not getting as much out of Mounted Combat as someone on like a horse or something.

Although I do like the idea of being able to pick up both Archery and a melee Fighting Style.

A ring of spell storing (or something similar) would make that a very interesting build, turn your Wolf from a svelte European hatchback to a Monster Truck as needed.

Otherwise in terms of build Cavalier/Beast Master is a great combo. Would your DM be open to somehow merging an Iron defender and an animal companion?

[CTurbo]

The downside of playing that with a kobold though is that your mount is only medium, so not getting as much out of Mounted Combat as someone on like a horse or something.

Although I do like the idea of being able to pick up both Archery and a melee Fighting Style.


The mount being medium isn't as important since you'd already be getting advantage on all attacks anyway due to Pact Tactics.

[NoxMiasma]

The mount being medium isn't as important since you'd already be getting advantage on all attacks anyway due to Pact Tactics.

And with the mount being medium, your ability to manoeuvre in a narrow enclosed space, like a dungeon, is greatly improved.