Paladin mount?

[gallagher]

hello all,
i was wondering how one figures out the skill points for a paladin mount? i have the dragon mount feat that allows me to have a dragonell as a mount, and am a level 5 pally.

also, any advice in what skills to put points in is helpful. thanks!

[Narazil]

It retains its race's skills, according to the SRD.

A paladin’s mount is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats).

[gallagher]

It retains its race's skills, according to the SRD.

A paladin’s mount is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats).

but what about the skills it gains for having 2 extra HD at 5th level?

[Narazil]

Again, SRD: The mount gains additional skill points or feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.


Assuming the Dragonnel has the Dragon type:

6 + Int mod per HD x4 at first HD.
6 + Int mod per HD every HD thereafter.

[Devils_Advocate]

It's "Dragonnel" and "Dragon Steed feat", by the way. Just in case anyone else was having trouble finding those.

A paladin mount starts with the base statistics of a normal creature of its kind, including skill ranks. Skill ranks are then increased by adding hit dice.

The "class skills" for monster hit dice are the skills listed in a creature's stat block. Each hit die of Dragon provides (6 + Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points. So a dragonnel has Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot as class skills and gains 4 skill points per hit die. It's simplest just to increase the modifier for each of those skills by 1 for each bonus HD.

Note, however, that dragonnels are only available as special mounts to paladins of 9th level or higher, and for purposes the mount's advancement, the paladin is treated as 4 levels lower than normal. The Dragon Steed feet is available by character level 6, but the dragonnel does not become a special mount until Paladin level 9.

As a DM, I would allow a paladin with the feat to call a dragonnel as a special mount at Paladin level 6 and allow the mount to have the Empathic Link, Share Spells, and Share Saving Throws features; but it wouldn't get bonus hit dice, improved natural armor, extra Strength, or Improved Evasion until Paladin level 9. Eh, maybe +2 to its natural armor.

But then, I'd let any paladin call whatever sort of mount 3 levels earlier with those restrictions.