Small Sized Lancer

[kkortekaas]

Greetings folks,
I'm looking for a good build for a gnome or halfling lancer, assuming a progression from 3rd to 10th, 32 pt buy, standard wealth.

Books Available:
PHB, PHB2, All the Races Books, All the Environmental Books, All the FR regional books. I'd also apprecaite suggestions for a mount beyond war dog.

Thanks.

[Toliudar]

As far as I know, there's nothing that says a small-sized character can't have a Large (or even Huge) mount. So I'd look at buying/training a hippogriff. Dire bats are also a viable option for small characters.

Starting with ranger or paladin will pump your mount's stats up. I don't know the FR books well enough to suggest anything from those, but getting your hands on the Halfling Outrider PrC from Complete Warrior (I know, not listed) would also be helpful.

[cupkeyk]

Strongheart Halfling Knight 10
S16, D10, C12, I10,W 8, C16
Racial: Wild Cohort
1 Power Attack
2 Mounted Combat
3 Improved Bullrush
5 Ride By Attack
6 Natural Bond
9 Shock Trooper
10 Spirited Charge

Your mount is a Dire Hawk from Races of the Wild, preferably getting Improved Flight(Maneuverability) and Air Heritage(Speed)

Your AC drops but you are mobile. So you let the weenies chase your mount around. You may have issues with ranged weapons, so You will want a dancing shield with the arrow catching ability.

[cupkeyk]

As far as I know, there's nothing that says a small-sized character can't have a Large (or even Huge) mount.

The issue is that larger mounts can't follow him into medium sized dungeons. That is why mounted combat is only optimal for small riders

[AlterForm]

Ride a Dire Weasel.

[cupkeyk]

Since i am BORED:

Gnome Ranger6 Ftr4, Races of Stone Racial Substitution Level 4 and Mounted Combat Style from DR326 and the Dungeon Crasher Fighter variant from Dungeonscape

Instead of a flying mount, you have a burrowing mount. You burst from between your opponents legs and skewer him with your lance where the sun don't shine. Call your Dire badger Boota (cookies for whoever gets the reference)

1 Rgr1Track, Power Attack
2 Ftr1 Martial Study, Minotaur Charge
3 Rgr2 Ride by Attack
4 Ftr2 Dungeoncrasher1
5 Rgr3 Endurance,
6 Ftr3 Improved Bullrush
7 Rgr4
8 Ftr4 Shocktrooper
9 Rgr5 Spirited Charge
10 Rgr6

Continue the Fighter to six to get Dungeoncrasher2 and the Ranger to 6 to get Spirited Charge.

[kkortekaas]

Any one have additional suggestions?

[Mavian]

Hmm, if you had access to complete warrior, I'd suggest a

Halfling Druid 3(Halfling Sub), Fighter 3, Halfling Outrider 4 mounted on a Brixashulty.

[kkortekaas]

am I able to use Charging specific feats while mounted?

[cupkeyk]

Yes, attacking on a charging mount triggers any charging abilities, but you can still only performed a readied action. So no Lion Totem Barbarians here.

[kkortekaas]

I was mainly looking at leap attack.

[cupkeyk]

uhh, riding a charging mount will trigger the charge aspect of the leap attack but you cannot make the jump check at the end since you yourself were not charging, simply reading an attack. The bast charge has two parts, double move and attack. Leap attack adds a second aspect, which is a jump check. Ask your DM if you can dismount from your mount with a jump check and cover the ten feet to incorporate the leap attack.

[Overlard]

Fleshraker dinosaurs make... interesting mounts.

[reorith]

just because you can weild a lance one handed while mounted doesn't mean you have to :p

[cupkeyk]

Enya

Enya

Enya

[Xilehxt]

So spiral power to the lancer then? He should have a drill instead of a lance... (want my cookie)

[cupkeyk]

Cookies?

WHO DO YOU THINK WE ARE???

[Xilehxt]

Dai-cookie dan!!!

(really, this has gotten off topic, back to the dri-...lancer)

I don't know about flying mounts. Especially bird types. In a typical dungeon setting, they really can't maneuver. A quadraped with wings added on like griffons, pegasi, or any mount slapped on with the winged or half-fey template, I think would work. Which brings us to the winged dire badger.

[cupkeyk]

I dunno about winged dire badgers but blue dragons have both a burrow speed and a fly speed. There should be a similar metallic dragon. There is a feat where a paladin can select a dragon for a mount in either draconomicon or races of the dragon. I am not sure if it can apply to an animal companion but any character can simply get the Leadership feat and get a medium burrowing flying dragon.

Actually Lagann looks a lot like a xorn. LOLz. Maybe a zorn mount for a Underdark Hunter Paladin would work. The paladin can earthglide along with the xorn by level 12. But Earthglide replaces his mount class feature so he will need another source to get the Xorn companion.

[skywalker]

I dunno about winged dire badgers but blue dragons have both a burrow speed and a fly speed. There should be a similar metallic dragon.

That would be the Brass Dragon

There is a feat where a paladin can select a dragon for a mount in either draconomicon or races of the dragon. I am not sure if it can apply to an animal companion but any character can simply get the Leadership feat and get a medium burrowing flying dragon.

I do believe the dragon mount feat actually only grants a dragonnel(which isn't a dragon and is ugly to boot) as a mount. The feats in dragon magic, again, IIRC, only grant other, non-true draconic creatures as mounts. I think you must have leadership to have a true dragon as your mount. Could be wrong though...

[Karsh]

No, you can get a true dragon as a mount through Dragon Steed, though at a penalty to your effective Paladin Level. Plus, the OP doesn't have Draconomicon on his list of approved books, so no dice one way or the other.

[Grynning]

I'm sorry, but this was the first thing I thought when I saw this thread, and I was so surprised no-one made this joke yet, I had to:
"Hold me closer, tiny lannnncerrr...."

Anyways, for some useful advice, if you want to stick to an animal mount, consider the Devoted Tracker feat from CA. Let's you multi as paladin/ranger with minimal issues and the apply both animal companion and pally mount bonuses to your critter. Very good for builds like this.

Edit: This does open up the possibility for cheese if you take the Halfling Outrider PrC. The class states that the levels stack with paladin, druid *and* ranger levels for determining the characteristics of your mount/companion. So, if your DM allowed it, you could go Ranger 4/Paladin 5 and 10 levels Outrider, and technically you would have a mount with 11th level druid animal companion abilities AND 15th level pally mount abilities. That's one mean riding dog.

[kkortekaas]

Sadly, the group that the Halfling Lancer will be joining contains 1 NE character, and a Fighter of questionable alignment (he'll likely slide from TN to NE) so a Paladin is out of the question...I've got a build roughed out and I'll post him tommorow.

[kkortekaas]

If my fellow forumites would be so kind as to critique this build, that would be fantastic. The game will be starting at level 3 and I wanted to be effective.

STATS ROLLED: 18, 15, 10, 16, 14, 12

He's going to be a Strongheart Halfling

Ranger 1
• BAB +1, FORT +2, REF +2, WILL +0
• 1st Favored Enemy, Track, Wild Empathy
• Racial Feat (Mounted Combat), 1st Level Feat (Ride-by Attack) , Regional Feat (Luck of Heroes)
• Skillpoints (6 + Int modifier) ×4.

Ranger 2
• BAB +1, FORT +3, REF +3, WILL +0
• Combat Style - Two-Weapon Fighting
• Sword, short 10 gp 1d4 19-20/×2 — 2 lb. Piercing x2
• Skillpoints (6 + Int modifier).

Ranger 2 / Fighter 1
• BAB +1, FORT +5, REF +5, WILL +0
• Fighter Bonus Feat (Weapon Focus(Shortsword)), 3rd Level Feat (Spirited Charge)
• Skillpoints (2 + Int modifier).

Ranger 2 / Fighter 2
• BAB +1, FORT +6, REF +3, WILL +0
• Fighter Bonus Feat (Mounted Archery)
• Attribute Increase
• Skillpoints (2 + Int modifier).

Ranger 3 / Fighter 2
• BAB +1, FORT +6, REF +3, WILL +1
• Endurance
• Skillpoints (6 + Int modifier).

Ranger 4 / Fighter 2
• BAB +1, FORT +7, REF +4, WILL +1
• Animal Companion
• 3rd Level Feat (Natural Bond)
• Skillpoints (6 + Int modifier).

Ranger 4 / Fighter 2 / Wild Plains Outrider 1
Ranger 4 / Fighter 2 / Wild Plains Outrider 2
• Attribute Increase
Ranger 4 / Fighter 2 / Wild Plains Outrider 3
• 9th Level Feat

[cupkeyk]

There is a mounted combat style ranger in DR326. TWF is just a waste. Don't get weapon focus anything. Don't get mounted archery unless you are going fr halfling outrider which is an awesome class. Luiren (sp?) has better regional feats than one that makes you a light foot halfling.

[kkortekaas]

There is a mounted combat style ranger in DR326. TWF is just a waste. Don't get weapon focus anything. Don't get mounted archery unless you are going fr halfling outrider which is an awesome class. Luiren (sp?) has better regional feats than one that makes you a light foot halfling.

Being a lightfoot eliminates the racial bonus feat, I do plan on going for the Halfling outrider, and I'm not allowed to take stuff from Dragon Magazine.

[cupkeyk]

No. No. LOLz. I meant that Luck of heroes totally makes your strong heart another lightfoot. I am AFB, but the Liuren or Chondalwood regions have great regional feats.

[kkortekaas]

Examples? better suggestions?

[cupkeyk]

Examples? better suggestions?

Fear Immunity is always awesome since will saves aren't your best: Fearless?

Spoiler

Show

Fearless

Type: Regional
Source: Player's Guide to Faerûn

You are a stranger to fear. Nothing can shake your courage.

Prerequisite: Aarakocra (the Stormhorns), elf (Elven Court or Snow Eagle Aerie), gloaming (Sphur Upra), gnome (Lantan), halfling (Channath Vale or the Western Heartlands), human (Anauroch or Impiltur), or orc (the Hordelands).
Benefit: You are immune to fear effects, magical or otherwise.
Special: You may select this feat only as a 1st-level character. You may have only one regional feat.

[kkortekaas]

Yeah but is the +1 to AC and the +1 to all saving throws isn't that horrible is it?