Prestige class?

[ChaosStar]

So is there any Prestige class that advances Animal Companion and Divine spellcasting that you can enter via Paladin with a Beastmaster dip? Wondering for a non-Halfling supermount-like build using Devoted Tracker and Holy Mount.

[lylsyly]

• From Surreal's List of Stuff, sadly the link to the old version of minmax forum seems to be broken
  
  
  The prestige class abolisher (LoM 182) at level 1 gains the ability animal companions. It reads, in part,
  
  If you have an animal companion, your abolisher levels stack with your previous class levels (usually druid or ranger) to determine the animal companion’s abilities. (183)
• The prestige class arcane hierophant (RW 108) at level 1 gains the ability companion familiar. It reads, in part,
  
  You add your arcane hierophant class level to your druid or ranger level for purposes of determining your animal companion’s bonus Hit Dice, natural armor adjustment, and Strength/Dexterity adjustment (see the sidebar The Druid’s Animal Companion, page 36 of the Player’s Handbook). [...] You add your arcane hierophant class level to your arcane spellcasting class level, and determine the Intelligence bonus and special abilities of your animal companion accordingly (see the sidebar Familiars, page 53 of the Player’s Handbook).
• The prestige class animal lord (CAd 22) at level 1 gains the extraordinary ability animal bond. It reads, in part,
  
  If an animal lord has the animal companion class feature, he adds his animal lord level to his effective druid level for the purpose of determining his animal companion’s bonus Hit Dice, special abilities, and so forth. (23)
• The prestige class beastmaster (CAd 26) at level 1 gains the extraordinary ability animal companion. It reads, in part,
  
  If a beastmaster already has an animal companion from another class, her beastmaster class levels stack with class levels from all other classes that grant an animal companion.
• The prestige class gatekeeper mystagogue (PE 87) at level 1 gains the ability animal companion. It reads, in part,
  
  If you have an animal companion, your gatekeeper mystagogue levels stack with your previous class levels (usually druid or ranger) to determine the animal companion's abilities. (88)
• The prestige class lion of Talisid (BE 65) at level 1 gains the extraordinary ability animal companion. It reads
  
  A lion of Talisid can add his lion of Talisid levels to his effective druid level (his actual druid level or one-half his ranger level) to determine the capabilities of his animal companion. (66)
• The prestige class peregrine runner (RS 116) at level 1 gains the extraordinary ability peregrine companion. It reads, in part,
  
  If a character already has a peregrine falcon [that uses the statistics for a hawk (MM 273)] animal companion from another class, the levels of that class stack with his peregrine runner class levels to determine the falcon’s power and abilities according to the animal companion table on page 36 of the Player’s Handbook. (118)
• The prestige class planar shepherd (FE 105) at level 1 gains the ability animal companion. It reads
  
  Your planar shepherd levels stack with your druid levels for the purpose of determining the abilities of your animal companion. (106).
• The prestige class revenant blade (PE 142) at level 1 gains the ability ranger class features. This reads, in part,
  
  If you have ranger levels, your revenant blade levels stack for purposes of determining the abilities of your animal companion. (143)
• The prestige class Vandalis beastkeeper (Dra 130) at level 1 gains the extraordinary ability improved companion or mount. It reads, in part,
  
  Levels in Vandalis beastkeeper stack with levels in the class that grants you your animal companion or special mount for the purposes of determining the functional strength and level of that companion or mount. (131)
• The prestige class wavekeeper (Sto 76) at level 2 gains the extraordinary ability beast of the sea. It reads, in part,
  
  Starting at 2nd level, your animal companion continues to advance. Subtract 1 from your class level and add the result to your effective druid level for determining the abilities of your animal companion. (77)
• The prestige class wild plains outrider (CAd 92) at level 1 gains the ability animal companion/special mount. It reads, in part,
  
  A wild plains outrider adds his outrider class levels to his effective druid level (his actual druid level or one-half his ranger level) to determine the capabilities of his animal companion. (93)

Not from the List of Stuff

• The prestige class halfling outrider (CW 38) at level 1 gains the ability mount. It reads, in part,
  
  Halfling outrider class levels stack with paladin, druid, and ranger levels for determining the characteristics of a paladin’s mount or an animal companion. (39)
• The prestige class legacy champion (WoL 19) at every level except 1 and 7 gains the ability class features (seriously, the special ability is named class features so it has a class feature called class features). It reads, in part,
  
  At each level except 1st and 7th, you gain class features and an increase in effective level as if you had also gained a level in a class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. The specific class features you gain include spells per day (and spells known, if applicable), improved chance of turning or destroying undead, metamagic or item creation feats, bonus feats, monk special abilities, sneak attack progressions, and so on, depending on the class. [Emphasis mine.] (19-20).
  Ten levels of the class should increase by 8 the character's level for his animal companion ability among all but the most conservative DMs but, as always, ask.

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[ChaosStar]

Good list but either I don't qualify due to not having Wild Shape, Trackless Step, or Summon Natures Ally, or doesn't progress BOTH Animal Companion AND Divine Spellcasting, or is Race locked. In fact, none of them work.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Unless you really want to be a Paladin it may be easier to come at it from the other direction and use Ranger Knight (Dr#317) to get a special mount instead.
It's a little feat intensive but 1st level gives you a special mount as a level 6 Paladin without any of the restrictions that prevent combining it with Druid.

[ChaosStar]

Unless you really want to be a Paladin it may be easier to come at it from the other direction and use Ranger Knight (Dr#317) to get a special mount instead.
It's a little feat intensive but 1st level gives you a special mount as a level 6 Paladin without any of the restrictions that prevent combining it with Druid.

Has to be Paladin. The best way I see is getting into Divine Crusader and using Pathfinder's Animal Domain. But the only Dwarf god that gives the Animal domain is Thard Harr. So I'd have to be a Paladin of Freedom, but how am I going to get Survival on my Class list so I don't overspend on Skill Points considering I'm only getting 4 a level. Plus this is the party's face. I can't take Hunter of Fiends ACF, for Track as a bonus feat and Survival as a class skill, because that gets rid of Smite Evil, which is required for Devoted Tracker. Which means I have to remove Power Attack or Mounted Combat and take Track as a normal feat.

Edit: Wait. Taking Ranger 2 first, then Paladin of Freedom 1 getting Devoted Tracker, then going as Paladin until Special Mount getting Celestial Mount at Paladin 4, then two more Ranger levels getting Holy Mount, then Beastmaster 1, then finish going Divine Crusader 10 getting Natural Bond at Divine Crusader 2. This pushes back Power Attack or Mounted Combat back to the later feats. This looks like it'll work.

[Doctor Despair]

Have you considered using an arcane caster and druid for entry into Arcane Hierophant, then going into Prestige Paladin, using Holy Mount to add Druid/Hierophant levels to mount calculations, and Devoted Tracker to count your mount as an animal companion? This would add crusader levels to mount abilities, too. The only thing this wouldn't buff is the duration of special mount, but if you spend ~4,000 on an eternal wand of Call Mount, you can keep it around for 20-22 hours each day.

Something like...

Human
1. Martial Wizard (Precocious Apprentice, Southern Magician, Mounted Combat) [trade familiar out to add 1/2 wizard to animal companion]
2. Wizard
3. Huntsman Druid (Track, Natural Bond)
4. Huntsman Druid
5. Huntsman Druid [You can cast Bone Talisman here to give you the ability to turn undead]
6. Huntsman Druid (Weapon Focus X)
7. Arcane Hierophant
8. Arcane Hierophant
9. Prestige Paladin (Devoted Tracker)
10. Prestige Paladin
11. Divine Crusader
12. Divine Crusader (Holy Mount)

[Buddy76]

Faith Scion advances both of those things but is highly dependent on GM approval and fluff. The example given is for a dwarven weapon but you're explicitly encouraged to make up your own Legendary Weapon along with your GM.

[Gorthawar]

Not quite sure what all your goals are but you could potentially use the bard acfs (divine and fey) to get you where you want. Paladin of Freedom 5/ Divine Fey Bard 4/Lion of Talsid 10/Beastmaster 1could work for example. If I calculate correctly that would be Paladin Mount 19 / Animal Companion 18 without natural bond and have 16 Bab and 14th level bard casting.