[3.5] Animal Companion-Focused Classes?

[GreatDane]

I have a player interested in playing a druid focused on their animal companion. Preparing buff spells to supercharge the animal companion is the premier strategy for a character like this, but are there any prestige classes focused on the animal companion? I'm aware of Beastmaster from Complete Adventurer, but after the first level, that's more about a building a menagerie than a single awesome companion.

[Doctor Despair]

Arcane Hierophant (class, requires hybrid casting, makes companion count as a familiar)

Blood of Eberron Sorcerer (trades familiar for some animal companion progression)

Devoted Tracker (feat, makes special mount count as animal companion)

Halfling Outrider (class, specific to Halflings)

Wild Plains Outrider (class)

Vadalis Beastkeeper (class, specific to humans)

Prestige Paladin (class)

Greater bloodline (important for stacking)

I put together a sample build here recently, although it's by no means the most optimized one out there:

Race: Strongheart Halfling



ECL
Class
Effective Druid Level
Effective Familiar Level
Effective Mount Level
Effective Paladin Level
Feats
Notes


1
Blood of Eberron Sorcerer
0.5
0
0
0
Draconic Bloodline (for flavor), Versatile Spellcaster (to cast Darkvision)
Trade Familiar for 1/2 sorcerer level to animal companion calculation


1
Greater Bloodline x3
2
0
0
0




2
Huntsman Druid
6
0
0
0
Track



3
Huntsman Druid
7
0
0
0
Mounted Combat



4
Huntsman Druid
8
0
0
0

Trackless Step, and 2nd level divine spells


5
Arcane Hierophant
12
8
0
0

Our companion now gains the benefits of being a familiar, even though it is not a familiar


6
Paladin
13
8
0
4
Natural Bond
Smite evil


7
Paladin
14
8
0
5




8
Paladin
15
8
0
6




9
Paladin
15
8
0
7
Devoted Tracker
Turn undead; retrain Bloodline as we level-up.


10
Drakkensteed Mount Paladin
15
8
8
8
Celestial Mount
Gain a special mount as our familiar companion; retrain Versatile Spellcaster as we level-up


11
Wild Plains Outrider
15
8
12
12
Dragon Steed
Gain a gold dragon wyrmling as our mount; retrain Mounted Combat as we level.


12
Arcane Hierophant
16
9
27
16
Winter's Mount, Holy Mount



13
Arcane Hierophant
17
10
28
16




14
Arcane Hierophant
18
11
29
16




15
Arcane Hierophant
19
18
30
16
Theurgic Bond

[bean illus]

Totem Animal Companion (Ex): The totem druid can only choose her totem animal (or its dire form) as her animal companion. Her animal companion gains special abilities as if the totem druid was two levels higher. The totem druid counts as two levels higher for purposes of determining whether or not she can choose a dire animal as her alternative animal companion.



Focused Animal, Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain trackless step, wild shape, or woodland stride.

Benefit: You gain the effects of a continuous speak with animals spell, but you may only use it to speak with your animal companion. In addition, for the purpose of determining your animal companion's bonus Hit Dice, natural armor adjustment, Strength and Dexterity adjustment, bonus tricks, and special abilities, you are treated as a druid two levels higher than you actually are. This does not allow you to gain a more powerful alternative animal companion at an earlier level.

Don't forget a level of wild plains outrider, darkstalker, and an umbral collar, or dark template for your mount; so you can gallop past sentries without waking them. And a shrink collar so they can tag along in small spaces.

[GreatDane]

Thanks for the replies! It looks like the name of the game is mount-oriented classes, or else finding various ways to stack effective druid level for the animal companion. This is enough to pass on to my player.