Mount Handbook

[PhaedrusXY]

I may have missed it, but how good is paladin or prestige paladin levels in terms of mount power? Shouldnt they be up there?

If comparing with animal companion & familiar its base ability and flexibility exceeds the others. All should take heed of the DMG rules for alternate mount acquisition. Share spells can make this an utterly useless comparison with buffing involved. Also the downside for death of your mount if significant.

With Battle Blessing to allow you to cast Heal Mount as a swift action, as well as being able to dismiss your mount as a free action, its survivability should be quite good. There is a 2nd level spell that lets you resummon as often as you'd like, so dismissing it as a free action if it starts to get beaten up too bad is something all (prestige) paladins should consider as a tactic.

Also, the drakkensteed mount option is in all ways better than a standard warhorse mount, and it doesn't even count as being higher level...

[bearsarebrown]

Fell Trample + Dragon 317? 314? Prestige class called Knight Ranger = 

Mount may make a full round attack when he hits with a Trample.

[Prime32]

I know there's a ton of stuff I haven't put in here yet. Opinions on Ashworm Dragoon? Where was Zhentarim Skymage again?

Anything in a list you feel needs its colour adjusted?

[bearsarebrown]

Zhentarim Skymage is from Lords of Darkness is ridiculously strong. +2 PrC no question. Full casting, 3 bonus feats, 5 levels long, free scrolls, simple entry, free Enlarge, and ANY MOUNT with HD <= 6+Cha. And you Share Spells with it.
Ashworm Dragoon is a very average martial class. Simple tier 4 level.

Rule Of Cool deserves a hyperlink.
Straight leadership deserves a better color IMO. It's the most versatile mount you could hope for.
Mage Slayer is great if your mount can afford the skill points.

Worth noting somewhere that you take up all squares of your mount at the same time. And you threaten out your full range from the mount. Meaning, riding a hugebig mount will significantly increase your reach.

[Unbeliever]

...
Worth noting somewhere that you take up all squares of your mount at the same time. And you threaten out your full range from the mount. Meaning, riding a hugebig mount will significantly increase your reach.

Source?  I could have sworn that if it ever matters you're considered being on the "back" of your mount, although I think that was specifically in response to a question about horses.

[bearsarebrown]

A mount and rider share the same space on the battlefield.

For all game purposes, you and your mount function as a single unit on the battlefield. Your mount continues to use its own space and reach while carrying you. You effectively use your mount's space and your own reach (or whatever extended reach your weapon gives you) while mounted. While you're mounted, any attack that can reach a square in the space you and your mount jointly occupy can affect you or your mount (it doesn't make a difference which square). Likewise, you measure your reach for your melee attacks and the range for your ranged attacks from any square you and your mount jointly occupy. You don't get cover from your mount unless you use the Ride skill to get it, and your mount doesn't block your attacks and provide your foes with cover.

Normally, you and an ally cannot share the same space on the battlefield unless one of you is helpless or a lot bigger than the other (see page 148 in the Player's Handbook and page 29 in the Dungeon Master's Guide).

[PhaedrusXY]

Zhentarim Skymage is from Lords of Darkness is ridiculously strong. +2 PrC no question. Full casting, 3 bonus feats, 5 levels long, free scrolls, simple entry, free Enlarge, and ANY MOUNT with HD <= 6+Cha. And you Share Spells with it.

Not only that, but it can share spells with you as well.  

[bearsarebrown]

Binder 26. I have a ton of feats.

I want a kickass mount. But not anything with spellcasting. Suggestions? Both on what to get and where to get it.

[Agita]

Binder 26. I have a ton of feats.

I want a kickass mount. But not anything with spellcasting. Suggestions? Both on what to get and where to get it.

Warbeast (insert badass high-HD Animal)? Can't really go wrong with that, and it's one of the easiest ways to get an unusual mount. The price also scales very, very slowly compared to WBL, so you could probably buy an Advanced Roc or something with pocket change at 26th.

[PhaedrusXY]

Binder 26. I have a ton of feats.

I want a kickass mount. But not anything with spellcasting. Suggestions? Both on what to get and where to get it.

Leadership is probably the easiest way, but might leave you with one that is a bit "squishy", and it hurts your score if it dies.

I'd actually suggest just using an animated dragon zombie or something. An advanced nightmare skeleton would look bad as hell, and would retain its magical flight ability even if you didn't awaken it. With maximum hit dice, creating it with that 9th level spell that gives them maximum hit points in a desecrated area with an evil altar would give it 288 hit points. And it is extremely cheap (for 26th level...). You only pay for the 9th level scroll and like 100 gold pieces of onyx. Of course, the dragon zombie could be tougher, since you can go above the normal hit die caps using the undead dragon rules in the Draconomicon.

[Prime32]

Binder 26. I have a ton of feats.

I want a kickass mount. But not anything with spellcasting. Suggestions? Both on what to get and where to get it.

Dragon Cohort. Apply the wyrm of war sovereign archetype.

I'm not too familiar with ToM - what vestiges would you use while riding, and what kind of mount-related bonuses could they get you? Does Andras grant the special mount ability?

[ninjarabbit]

Devoted tracker needs to be put in the feat section for sake of completeness

[bearsarebrown]

I'm not too familiar with ToM - what vestiges would you use while riding, and what kind of mount-related bonuses could they get you? Does Andras grant the special mount ability?

There is a Vestige that grants a Warhorse summon for hour/level once a day. there is another vestige that grants some mounted feats.

Dragon Cohort seems like a good way to go. Worried about it being too strong for the rest of the party. And no undead due to party composition. Looking into Warbeast and classic Leadership.

[Prime32]

Devoted tracker needs to be put in the feat section for sake of completeness

It's already there.

[shalist]

There's a paladin ACF at level 6 that essentially deathwards your mount in exchange for a weekly 'remove disease' (ECR pg 208)

[spoiler]
Warded Special Mount
 The lightbringer paladin is a special, favored warrior of light.
 The gods protect his special mount so that the powers of
 darkness cannot easily defeat him.
 Level: 6th.
 Replaces: One weekly use of remove disease.
 Benefit: In addition to the standard qualities of a special
 mount, a lightbringer paladin's mount is immune to all death
 spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative
 energy effects (such as from inflict spells of chill touch).[/spoiler]

Dunno if it's worth noting that paladins get a few very nice mount-boosting spells, such as golden barding (level 1 spell, +5-8 force armor for hr/level) and spiritual chariot (level 2, SC 202, creates a weightless chariot out of pure force...nifty on flying mounts, or as a portable wall of force, or simply as a pimped out floating disc for heavy treasure hauls).

[Prime32]

What's ECR?

[Agita]

What's ECR?

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, most likely.

[snakeman830]

Draconic Aura (Dragon Magic) and possibly Double Draconic Aura should go under feats for the mount to take.  Vigor is a good choice, although some people question its legality.  Senses is an aura that nobody questions the legality of and is very useful.  On dragonblooded mounts, it's more useful still!

[Jopustopin]

Okay seriously, in what campaign would a DM ever let an animal (int score 2) learn any of the feats you have listed?  Are they intended to be taken by intelligent mounts? 

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871522/The_Handle_Animal_Guide

I link the above for it's pertinence here.

[Prime32]

Okay seriously, in what campaign would a DM ever let an animal (int score 2) learn any of the feats you have listed?

They're too dumb to be descended from dragons or to attack anyone who tries to cast a spell?