Best Choices for Special Mounts, and Gear for Mounts

[Matamane]

I need some ideas, is there any system for picking a mount? If so, what is it, also, what are the optimal choices for mounts? Also, what is the best gear to equip to mounts?

[Amphetryon]

I need some ideas, is there any system for picking a mount? If so, what is it, also, what are the optimal choices for mounts? Also, what is the best gear to equip to mounts?

Unless your playing in specific campaign environs to negate the advantage of Flight, get a flying mount ASAP. They're categorically better for obvious reasons.

[Matamane]

Of Course, but what kinds of flying mounts. Griffins, Dragons, Half Dragon Griffins?

[Marriclay]

If you have dungeonscape and you want to focus on your mount, you can get no better than some of the choices from the beast heart adept prestige class. dip a level or take the full thing, and you'll have a loyal creature to do your bidding - and one of the choices is even a Hippogriff with 4 HD, or even a Pegasus. and they're completely loyal to you, like an animal companion. in fact, just like an animal companion.

[Matamane]

What about Ashworm Dragoon?

[Amphetryon]

What about Ashworm Dragoon?

Only especially useful in a heavily underground focused campaign, where the Burrow ability is very important.

[Matamane]

Can I get some examples of optimized mounts?

[Volthawk]

Can I get some examples of optimized mounts?

Here.

[Fizban]

Ashworm Dragoon is the only prestige class I've seen that actually gives you mounted combat abilities: the rest are either supermounts or omg lance charge. That said, ashworm's aren't the best mounts.

System for picking a mount? I don't follow your meaning. You mean a list of alternate mounts? There's one in the DMG and most books with eligible creatures will have it mentioned somewhere.

I don't know about supermount builds, but common sense says you want your mount to be fast, maneuverable, and durable. Any companion monster is never going to be very durable compared to it's owner, so all you can do there is try and shore up it's weaknesses with magic. Fast fliers include the Hippogriff (100' average), Pegasus (120' average), and True Dragons (150+ clumsy or worse). A funny thing is that for all the various flying mount creatures there are in splatbooks, specifically designed for paladins and such, none of them ever have a flight speed worth a crap. The Hippogriff and Pegasus are pretty much the fastest flying mounts around, and there's right there in the core book. They don't have any fancy attacks or defenses, but if you want a mount for riding, they're probably your best bet. To keep them alive in a fight just buy them the same things you would buy yourself, and keep your ride skill high for Mounted Combat.

If you want a mount for attacking, a Griffin sounds like a good bet. While many flying mounts have 3 attacks, the Griffin is the only one with a pounce ability, and it still has a fly speed better than most splatbook mounts, on top of a respectable 5 HD. Making a diving charge your Griffin would get 3 attacks, two of which should deal double damage (the claws), and you get your lance charge on top of that.

Special note goes to True Dragons. True Dragons should never be ridden in the first place: would you let someone ride you around? When you can fly and breathe fire and they can wave a stick? No. And every system for getting your own "powerful sapient being as a class feature slave" used to get a dragon mount won't give you a dragon big enough to ride until you're over level 15.

Speaking of transforming character abilities into fleshy meatbags, there are plenty of ways to get a mount. There are of course Paladins and Druids, who have their own special tables of options and feats to expand those options. There's also the Wild Cohort feat, available on the WoTC website, that gives you a slightly powered down animal companion. When restricted to animal types, you'll have to use a Dire Eagle or Dire Bat (for low speed high maneuverability). There is the above mentioned Beast Heart Adept for magical beast type mounts, though I would warn that the class has no way to progress your mount once you finish it's 10 levels, meaning you stall out at 15th level. There's a PrC in the BoED, as well as Complete Warrior and Races of the Wild if I recall correctly. I'm sure there's a dragonrider class of some sort in the Draconomicon as well. And of course if all else fails you can just take Leadership and tell your cohort to put on a saddle.

[Matamane]

That hurt my brain, but I'm getting happy

[Yora]

Only especially useful in a heavily underground focused campaign, where the Burrow ability is very important.

Can you ride a worm while it burrows?

[Runestar]

One alternative is to play a centaur and be your own mount.

[Vizzerdrix]

Can you ride a worm while it burrows?

I think so. either just an exotic saddle, or RoS should have a burrower's saddle.



I have to say, spiders are my favorite mount.

[Amphetryon]

Can you ride a worm as it burrows?

Sand Rider (Su):
Upon reaching 6th level, you have formed such a close bond with your mount that you are able to stay with the ashworm when it travels beneath the sand.

-Sandstorm, p. 67

[Matamane]

Are you allowed to stack Waverider mount with Thrall of Baphomet Animal Companion?

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

i always liked Drakonsteeds. . . (dragonmagic)

they're pretty cool.

[Greenish]

If you want a mount that won't instantly die in combat, the best choices are ones that scale with your level, such as Animal Companions (and Metamorphosed Psicrystals). If you don't have a mount as a class feature, good ol' Leadership is pretty nice. You can take Magical beasts (such as the aforementioned Griffon or Giant Eagle) and then start giving them levels in PC classes. If your DM/conscience objects to Leadership, Wild Cohort gives you a scaling animal.