Wild Plains Outrider and Wild Cohort

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

I was thinking of a character going into the Wild Plains Outider PrC - I wanted to take a Horse Totem Barbarian 6/WPO 2...would the Wild Cohort feat qualify me for the PrC?

The requirements state "Either an Animal Companion big enough to serve as a mount, or a Paladin’s Special Mount". Would the Wild Cohort feat cut it? I'm guessing by RAW no, but it certainly seems to be in the spirit of the rules.

The only other option I can think of is a dip into Druid or Ranger (or a Paladin of Freedom), but I didn't want to go down that path if I didn't have to.

[Epinephrine]

As you said, by RAW, no, but since Wild Cohort
a) is weaker than either mount or AC
b) progresses for any class, instead of requiring a specific PrC

I wouldn't see an issue with it. Heck, I'd probably houserule it that your Wild Cohort acts as a Wild Cohort X levels higher, where X is the number of levels of Wild Plains Outrider you have (since the PrC advances Mount/AC levels, which is something beyond what most classes do, and ANY class advances the Wild Cohort. Gotta get some benefit from it.)

[playswithfire]

Barbarian 5/Beastmaster 1/WPO 2

have to waste a feat on Skill Focus(Handle Animal), but you'd have an animal companion equivalent to a 6th level druid, which I'm guessing beats an 8th level wild cohort

EDIT: well, not necessarily wasting it, since you'd take that instead of Wild Cohort, so it fits in the build. You also have to spend some skill points on handle animal and survival, but they're class skills so that's not so bad

[Epinephrine]

Barbarian 5/Beastmaster 1/WPO 2

...
you'd have an animal companion equivalent to a 6th level druid, which I'm guessing beats an 8th level wild cohort

Perhaps, but at 15th level you would still have a 6th or 7th level AC, getting +4HD, +4 AC and +2 Str/Dex, while the wild cohort is 15th level, getting +9 HD, +9 AC, +4 Str/Dex.

Honestly, by 9th level the Wild Cohort is tougher than the 6th level AC in most ways, though it doesn't share spells and is harder to push/handle.

[playswithfire]

If he plans to keep taking classes that advance animal companions, then his effective druid level will always be 2 less than his character level, or can be made equal to it with Natural Bond in which case it will be more powerful than the wild cohort. If that's not the plan, then wild cohort may be more effective.

[Thurbane]

Thanks muchly for the suggestions.