It`s all in the thread subject. Character would be lvl 6, preferably only using Paizo-published rules.
I see three general options: Fighter, Cavalier or Paladin. I`m not sure which way to go though. Fighter lacks knightly skills, Paladin has alignment restrictions and gives more of a holy warrior vibe, while I tend towards something more worldly and Cavalier, while be the quintessential knight, gets a mount companion that is not a griffon. Anyone got any advice on this?
Closest I know of without special dispensation, using a cohort buying and training a griffon as a mundane animal is sky-stalker ranger
Closest I know of without special dispensation, using a cohort buying and training a griffon as a mundane animal is sky-stalker ranger
Oh, is that what d20pfsrd.com is calling the Sable Company Marine now? Them and their issues with copyright, eh?
Anyway, yes, that is a perfectly fine option for a flying mount,. They have more skill points compared to all the original options, and it is even more 'worldly' than a cavalier. And really, it is the only way to really get something even remotely like a griffon using Paizo rules, especially at that level (unless you GM just gives you griffons.... and I'd still stick to a class that gives them as animal companions to get the link feature so you can handle it as a free action)
And remember: knight is not so much really a class, but a rank associated with military service and feudalism. So any full BAB (and some 3/4 BAB) classes should be fine.
Design Manager
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Yeah the Sky-stalker ranger is probably the best Paizo official option. That being said-
If there's any possibility of getting you to look at other options, Kobold Press' highly praised "Guide to the Crossroads" has a fantastic gryphon rider archetype for the cavalier, and the recently released "Companions of the Firmament", (which got a 5 star review from Endzeitgeist, the authority on 3pp materials) has some great flying mount options as well.
It's quite difficult to find a Paizo-published option for a Griffon Riding Knight. I have a whole knighthood of them in my homebrew so have been looking myself for ages.
The best I could find is non-Paizo however. Check out Advanced Options: Cavalier Orders by RGG. Its a great option for that EXACT thing.
However, it is an order, so you can't be a Griffon riding Order of the Cockatrice knight for example. But it's also not an archetype, so you can put your own archetype on top of it.
Well, first you need to get a female griffin and male griffin, then you need to get a female and male of a specific race or races in terms of the half-variety, then have them mate.
Make a very strong alliance between the griffins and the other race(s) so they wont be opposed to their children working together.
Then raise the two together or create a generational thing where the griffins are ingrained with the non-griffin family/society.
Griffins reach maturity in 4-5 years and can live to be 50 years old, but most die in their 20s.
Griffins are considered 8th level cohorts, so when the PC becomes level 11 the griffin can take a class level. Probably Unbreakable Fighter or something.
Also, even if the Devs "hate" flying mounts there are still races that can fly from the start. Strix, and Aasimar can fly from level 0. Of course the Aasimar version is an alternate trait that replaces Daylight/others.
Keep in mind that a great deal of Paizo's material is made with the sole concept of a land bound party that must breathe air to survive. Hence why there is neither an over abundance of underwater, nor high flying adventures.
Also, even if the Devs "hate" flying mounts there are still races that can fly from the start. Strix, and Aasimar can fly from level 0. Of course the Aasimar version is an alternate trait that replaces Daylight/others.
Oh, there is such a trait for aasimar? I am only aware of the one racial feat that can't be taken until level 10. I'd like to see the source of that. It seems interesting.
Strix are definitely a flying race though...but one that a GM can easily say 'no' to. I mean, it is not like we are talking about half elves, or even aasimar or tieflings here, which can be found just about anywhere. Strix are part of a xenophobic race that are either off in their own little colony, or serving as slaves under another flying race. They are rarely the 'adventuring' type.
Variant Abilities and Physical Features
GMs may customize their aasimar NPCs using the following chart, or allow their players to do so by rolling a d%. Players with a particular character concept in mind may consult their GM if they want to select a specific variant ability.
The abilities presented here replace an aasimar's spell-like ability racial trait. Any abilities that grant spells or spell-like abilities are treated as having a caster level equal to the aasimar's character level.
Table: Variant Aasimar Abilities
99| You have a natural fly speed of 20 feet (poor).
It is not a trait, it is a variant ability. Technically you roll, but if someone REALLY wants that fly speed then it will just be "Imma play an Aasimar with a variant ability! *rolls, doesn't get 99* I'll try a different Aasimar. *continues until gets 99*" Just don't let them pick 100 if it fits their character since that gives them 2 for the price of 1.
It is not a trait, it is a variant ability. Technically you roll, but if someone REALLY wants that fly speed then it will just be "Imma play an Aasimar with a variant ability! *rolls, doesn't get 99* I'll try a different Aasimar. *continues until gets 99*" Just don't let them pick 100 if it fits their character since that gives them 2 for the price of 1.Variant Abilities and Physical Features
GMs may customize their aasimar NPCs using the following chart, or allow their players to do so by rolling a d%. Players with a particular character concept in mind may consult their GM if they want to select a specific variant ability.
The abilities presented here replace an aasimar's spell-like ability racial trait. Any abilities that grant spells or spell-like abilities are treated as having a caster level equal to the aasimar's character level.
Table: Variant Aasimar Abilities
99| You have a natural fly speed of 20 feet (poor).
oh....the variant ability table......yeah, good luck with that. I'll just try getting a strix instead, since it takes less time and tries the GM's patience less.
Of course it's a Fly speed that's slower than their land speed, with a penalty on Fly checks to boot.
Still, it is a fly speed. It is a crappy one, but it is there.
The big issue that some DMs have with fly speeds is that it breaks a great deal of traps and hazards. It even breaks most monsters since the vast majority are melee. If the flying character is ranged then instantly they win as the enemy has no recourse beyond retreating which counts as defeating the encounter.
It can become 50 trolls show up, the flying characters take flight, the non-flying characters die horribly. The flying characters pellet the trolls until they retreat. The flying characters all level multiple times from the XP they just got, and everyone else rerolls characters that can fly.
Granted flying has its penalties, and it is just as easy to give the land borne melee focused enemies ranged weapons or to let them throw large stones (10-ft range) at a -4 penalty for non-proficiency unless they have throw anything, but still expect that Composite Longbow using Strix to be shooting for 110-ft away.
I played a Strix Wizard once, and never once died. I was a god among land-lovers. The only danger was in confined dungeons. If you thought human switch-hitting rangers were bad, just wait till you see Strix switch-hitters who force enemy parties to stay next to their casters if they don't want them to be charged and killed from 240 ft away.
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Design Manager
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Of course it's a Fly speed that's slower than their land speed, with a penalty on Fly checks to boot.Still, it is a fly speed. It is a crappy one, but it is there.
The big issue that some DMs have with fly speeds is that it breaks a great deal of traps and hazards. It even breaks most monsters since the vast majority are melee. If the flying character is ranged then instantly they win as the enemy has no recourse beyond retreating which counts as defeating the encounter.
Especially at low levels. I know there's APs that actually expect you to care about Knowledge(Engineering) checks to see that the bridge can only support one person at a time, or for Climb and Swim checks near oceanside cliff-faces to actually count as skill-based encounters.
I once had a long and stupid argument about why the Dragonrider class from SGG could break low level games. The math behind the mechanics has nothing to do with it; if you aren't playing a game that anticipates low level access to flying, particularly unlimited flight, it's going to cause problems. That being said, if you're in the 7th level and up range and your GM still thinks a pit trap or a single really high Climb DC is actually going to pose a challenge, the problem isn't with the player's character breaking the expectations of the adventure anymore.
I mentioned it earlier, but Companions of the Firmament is an amazing resource for players and GMs wanting to run flight heavy characters or campaigns. In addition to a bunch of cool new materials based around the theme of readily accessible flight, it takes all of the Flying, falling, and related skill and environmental rules scattered throughout the Paizo materials and puts them in one easily referenced section at the beginning of the book. It also includes a chart of all of the ways a PC can access flight currently available in Paizo official Pathfinder material, and whether they apply to Small creatures, Medium creatures, or both.
All flying parties change the game rapidly. I am playing now in a game where all of us have the Half-Celestial template. The ability for everyone to fly causes huge problems at low and mid levels. I constantly have to explain to the melee types that if the enemy can't fly and doesn't have bows or crossbows that we simply win. It is only a matter of how fast and how completely. Spells that win fights in normal games are put on the shelf too. My conjurer has not cast Create Pit once between levels 3 and 6. Summoning non-flying monsters is useless so Summon Monster is much less useful. Climb & Swim checks simply don't happen. The grid mat is almost completely useless for 3D combat as elevation changes everything. You can't protect your casters with positioning, they have to worry about it themselves. Regular people have been treating us like we were high level from day 1 because we can fly. None of your Wall spells work right in flying combat. In general you need to understand that at will flight is a big freaking deal. That is why flying items are expensive and flying mounts hard to come by and Overland Flight is a 5th level spell.