Halfling Dinosaur Knight !!!

[KestlerGunner]

So basically, the Silver Crusade sends a bunch of allied knights into the Mwangi Expanse to find ancient treasures and convert locals. They get slaughtered. Dysentery, mosquitoes are just the icing on the cake after allosaurs devour most of the group.

One halfling squire alone survives. He survives for seven years eating jungle berries and using banana leaves as toiletries. He learns the calls of the Allosaurus and steals one of their eggs. He mends the broken armour of the lost Crusade. He returns to civilisation as...

DINO KNIGHT!
[this is a pfs character]

STR 14
CON 16
DEX 12
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 10

Beast Rider Cavalier 'Sir Hendricks'
Halfling Knight, Order of the Sword
Racial trait: Outrider

1 Mounted Combat, B: Shake It Off
3 Ride-by Attack
5 Spirited Charge
6 B: Power Attack
7 Shield Focus
8 B: Skill Focus Ride
9 Mounted Shield, B: Broken Wing Gambit
11 Coordinated Maneuvers

Hosteling Armour UE (7,500)
Horsemaster Saddle UE (12,000)
Attains Allosaurus at level 4.

Allosaurus Steed 'Sue'
1 B: Endurance, Light Armour Proficiency
3 Medium Armour Proficiency
5 Improved Natural Attack: Bite
7 Weapon Focus: Bite
9 Improved Critical Bite

***

Basically I'm thinking he'll spend most fights charging about with a lance and steel shield while his allosaurus bites the enemy.
I am assuming that when the knight charges, his steed also gets an attack off on a Ride By Attack, right?

I am also assuming you can't pull off a Vital Strike on a Ride By Attack?
Let me know what you think?
I don't wanna play a Gnome.

[soupturtle]

You've currently got a 22 point buy. You've also got only 14 str. Personally, I'd try to get 15 in str to start with, to up it to 16 at 4 and get 18 once you can get a belt. I don't think you need that much con. You have good hit dice, you can use your favored class bonus, and some enemies will attack your mount rather than you. So I'd probably go for:

str 17-2, dex 12+2, con 14, int 10, wis 12, cha 8+2

You could even push str to 16, in which case I'd probably go 9 cha and 10 wis. Or if you like mental stats, you could do just fine with 12 con as well.

For your mount, I'd seriously consider trying to get dragon style. Much of your power comes from charging, so you need to be able to get those charges off. This has a prerequisite of improved unarmed strike, so you could only get it at level 8 (check when your companion gets feats, it's not the progression you currently have) if you increase its int to 3 with the first ability score increase (which is what you need to do to be able to take any feats).

I'd also not bother with the armor proficiencies on your mount. Instead, get it some barding that doesn't have an armor check penalty (mithral chain or darkleaf cloth hide) and your mount can use it without suffering any non-proficiency penalties. That opens up some feats, one of which ought to be iron will, as your mount's will save will suck otherwise.

[Halfling Barbarian]

Also, if you're using ride-by attack, your mount doesn't get one (sorry, no bite). I'd suggest two handing the lance and forgoing the shield to up damage, stacking on the Gendarme archtype (it fits with beast rider) for bonus feats instead of teamwork feats (at 1,5,8, and 11, getting you a few things sooner, power attack is vital to your build doing decent damage).

+1 on soupturtles reissuing of stats. I'd basically do this with the build...

Str 18-2, Dex 12+2, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 8+2 (you are not a skill monkey, you are a charging nightmare).

Feats: 1st Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack(B); 3rd Power Attack or Sptirited Charge; 5th Iron Will (always put this on a martial), Spirited Charge(B) or Power Attack(B); 7th Whatever you like; 8th Trample (OA), Improved Bullrush (this is the best one left, at 11th take unseat and use you're remaining feats as funsies).

No, you cannot use Vital Strike on any charge. Vital srike takes a full attack action and charge is a full round action. You will however be dishing out 3d6+39 (avg. 49.5, 64.5 against a challenge) with a +15 to hit at 5th level with just a belt of giant strength +2 and a +1 weapon figured in. At level 8, with a BoGS +4 and a +2 weapon that all jumps to a +20 to hit for 3d6+72 (82.5 avg, 106.5 challenge). Yeah, you pretty much one shot anything of an equal CR.

[KestlerGunner]

Nice ideas!

I miscounted the boosted charisma, so WIS will need to drop to 10.
(STR 14, CON 16, DEX 12, INT 12, WIS 10, CHA 10)

As it's PFS play skill points are very useful. I wanted to use my traits to gain Well-Informed (knowledge local) and Eyes of the City (perception) for more versatility in skills. I'd like more versatility that just maxed strength. He's a little guy, I don't expect him to do record-breakingly large amounts of damage.

This is my first time making a character with an animal companion, I don't like the separate character side of things too much but I figure Sir Hendricks and Sue will be glued together so it won't lead to any lengthy turns in combat.

Dragon Style is... insane for a charger. Mein gott! That's a must have.

Here's the revised feats:

Allosaurus Steed 'Sue'
1 B: Endurance, Iron Will
2 Toughness
6 Improved Unarmed Strike
8 Dragon Style

[Mad Alchemist]

You want "Wheeling Charge" halfling knights all across golarian swear by it. It allows you to make a 90 degree turn while charging and charge through friendlies. It will be less important once you get Dragon Style but will still add options.

[KestlerGunner]

I like the adjustment of the stats...
STR 15, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 12, CHA 10

I'm wary of pouring everything into strength over versatility in PFS play, I don't want to have nothing to do during investigations and skill challenges.

Gendarme doesn't get a fricking cool dinosaur.

I am confused about Improved Overrun and Trample. Does the Steed need to take Improved Overrun/Trample or is it the rider? I assume it runs off Allosaur cmb and not halfling cmb, even if it is the halfling that takes the feat?

[Chengar Qordath]

Halfling Barbarian wrote:

No, you cannot use Vital Strike on any charge. Vital srike takes a full attack action and charge is a full round action.

Incorrect. Vital Strike cannot be used during a fall attack. It can only be used as part of the attack action, which is it's own standard action.

In addition, there was a recent dev ruling on mounted combat which stated that the rider does not use the charge action in a mounted charge, only the mount does. So there's no reason a mounted character couldn't have his mount charge, then use an attack action with Vital Strike.

[BigNorseWolf]

You can't get the dino till fourth level unfortunately.

The T rex might better than the allosaurus for a lancer (especially if you're calling it sue anyway). You could get spring attack for the critter so both it and you can charge by.

1st:Dodge
3rd: Mobility
5th: Spring attack (remember to up its int to 3)

I would not bother with armor proficiency feats. You can, with no proficiency, put leather armor barding, masterwork studded leather, a mithral chain shirt barding, or mithral kikko barding on the critter.

As an alternative to hosteling armor, there's scrolls of carry animal companion from knights of the inner sea.

[KestlerGunner]

Yep, I know about the 4th level requirement. Planning to build up credit or ride a wolf while 'Sue' is being quasi-domesticated back at the Grand Lodge Absalom stables.

I don't think T-Rex is available until 7th level?

Why is spring attack better than ride-by attack? Ride-by seems to give you and your mount the same benefits for less requirements. You would need to use a charge to get the benefits of lance fighting.

Scrolls of Carry Companion is a good idea. I don't he'd need to magically transport Sue more than 50 times over his career.

[Malag]

I believe Ride-by-attack works similar like Spring Attack but in straight line. Spring Attack doesn't have to be in line.

I wouldn't push STR above 14 at level 1 with halfling. You are losing to much points. It's not worth it. Invest into Power Attack to regain some of the lost damage from strength.

Lovely background.

[Chengar Qordath]

Malag wrote:

I believe Ride-by-attack works similar like Spring Attack but in straight line. Spring Attack doesn't have to be in line.

Pretty sure you wouldn't get the benefit of charging when you spring attack, though. Not getting the triple damage while using a lance would be a huge loss.

[Malag]

That should be correct Chengar. Thanks for adding that bit of info.

[KestlerGunner]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

The T rex might better than the allosaurus for a lancer (especially if you're calling it sue anyway).

You sir, have a good perception modifier.

Still a bit unclear on who is meant to take Improved Overrun. Is it the Cavalier or the steed?

[KestlerGunner]

I'd just like to update this thread as the FAQ in Pathfinder Society has added a clause that Int 3 animal companions are not sentient, cannot take 'weapon use feats' and have not mastered tool use. I think most people would accept that mastering tool use comes before mastering a complex martial arts style.

This makes the whole INT 3 Dragon Style line of feats for a Animal Companion incredibly iffy and subject to PFS GM ruling.

This makes Wheeling Charge especially good as I can't see any competitor for it.