What feats should I get for a wolf who will act as a mount carrying an archer. The duo will get into melee combat.
Power Attack is an obvious one. Since a Wolf will never have more than 1 attack, Furious Focus will negate the penalty from PA. Since the wolf gets trip Improved Trip and Greater Trip.
However, you should know that (at least in my opinion) the wolf is actually a bad animal companion for a Ranger.
Lets look at:
Horse
Starting Statistics: Size Large; Speed 50 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 hooves* (1d6); Ability Scores Str 16, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent. *This is a secondary natural attack, see Combat for more information on how secondary attacks work.
4th-Level Advancement: Ability Scores Str +2, Con +2; Special Qualities combat trained (see the Handle Animal skill).
Wolf
Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 50 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6 plus trip); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8 plus trip); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.
Lets look just at levels 4-9 (before the wolf grows large).
Both have the same speed, which is important for a mount. Both have low-light vision and scent, so they are tied on senses.
Horse has an AC of 15 with 4 NA and 1 from dex
Wolf has an AC of 14 with 2 NA and 2 from dex
Horse has 3 attacks. The hooves are secondary attacks, unless your mount is combat trained, which it should be.
The wolf has 1 attack plus trip. Trip is actually bad. Why? Because it reduces your chance to hit the enemy when he succeeds.
Prone: The character is lying on the ground. A prone attacker has a –4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow). A prone defender gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a –4 penalty to AC against melee attacks.
The horse has a strength modifier of +3, compared to the wolf's modifier of +1.
Now, when the wolf advances at Druid level 7/Ranger 10 things start to swing more in favor of the wolf. There is a high chance that your mount is moving and not getting full-attacks so additional attacks don't matter as much. And that big strength and con bonus that wolfs get help a lot.
Just some food for thought.
Design Manager
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Improved Trip is kind of a no-brainer since you really want to pull that off, though you may not be able to qualify for it unless you have a paladin mount. Spring Attack is another good one, for the reasons listed over in your other thread. Focus on a routine that allows you to execute your full attack before the wolf darts in and trips the enemy and then moves away. Your enemy will have to spend a round standing up and closing the distance with you, at which point your mount Withdraws and you take another full attack. Unless the enemy has better speed than your mount's 50 feet he should be set up perfectly for you to execute another ranged full attack + Spring Attack trip on the following round. Rinse and repeat.
The Horse doesn't actually have three primaries. Normally, hooves are secondary attacks, but secondary attacks become primary if you have no other natural attacks. The horse's docile trait means that even if you have no other attacks, the hooves, still don't get to be primaries. Combat Training removes the docile trait that says the hooves are always secondary, but as soon as the horse gains a bite attack the hooves go right back to being secondary attacks again since the horse now has a primary natural attack.
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Design Manager
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Yeah, Claxon makes a good point. As an Archer you don't want your foes prone. I'd avoid going the trip route with whatever mount you choose.
You just want to set them up so that your mount is tripping them after you've gotten your attack in. That way they burn their move standing back up, or they choose to stay prone and your melee party members go to town on them. Spring Attack on the mount is a really big piece of making the tripping not just viable, but extremely effective.
i completely disagree with those saying you don't want foes prone...
you don't want your target prone, so you just have your wolf not trip it, you absolutely do want the baddies trying to rush into melee range with you to be tripped and in any other way possible slowed from reaching you.
Claxon- Thanks for the breakdown. I'm not all that interested in the best choice, but it still looks like the wolf to me (higher str and con). I don't want him to full round attack or stand around. Obvious the horse is great for mounting at level 1(4).
Krodjin- yeah, if all my opponents are on the ground, I think I'm in good shape.
Ssalarn- I really like your suggestion of Spring attack that covers 3 feats. Improved trip- cant hit the req to get it (need 13 int).
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Design Manager
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Claxon- Thanks for the breakdown. I'm not all that interested in the best choice, but it still looks like the wolf to me (higher str and con). I don't want him to full round attack or stand around. Obvious the horse is great for mounting at level 1(4).
Krodjin- yeah, if all my opponents are on the ground, I think I'm in good shape.
Ssalarn- I really like your suggestion of Spring attack that covers 3 feats. Improved trip- cant hit the req to get it (need 13 int).
This is for a gestalt character, correct? What classes are you comboing again? Also, what level are you going to be so we know how many feats you have left after Spring Attack?
druid/ranger- 8
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Design Manager
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So, this is a little bit of a weird suggestion, but if you spend one of your stat points on INT and spend the 4th feat you have on Imp. Unarmed Strike, you could look at taking Dragon Style at 10th level, which would give your mount a +2 bonus on saving throws against sleep effects, paralysis effects, and stunning effects, let it ignore difficult terrain when it charges, runs, or withdraws, and let it charge through squares that contain allies.
The save bonuses are pretty nice and will prevent your mount getting locked down underneath you, and the additional mobility could be a pretty big deal.
Alternatively, if you have any feats you haven't assigned yet for your actual character, you and your mount could both take Escape Route and effectively eliminate the possibility of either of you provoking attacks of opportunity for movement.
Escape rout is absurd. I wont have room for it for a little while though. Definitely an idea for later.
Can a bite be considered an UA strike?
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Design Manager
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Escape rout is absurd. I wont have room for it for a little while though. Definitely an idea for later.
Can a bite be considered an UA strike?
I'm pretty sure that's a no. If there is a rule that allows you to use natural attacks to qualify for things that require Imp. Unarmed Strike, it's not one I'm aware of. Even Feral Combat Training that lets you use your natural attack with abilities typically requiring an Unarmed Strike still has Imp. Unarmed Strike as a prereq.
Other than meet req's what would UA strike do?
So, with feral combat training I could get dragon's roar as well?
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Design Manager
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UA would let your mount make an extra attack... Though I suspect that even when you get a second bite the three attacks will still probably not be as good as if you hadn't turned your bite into a secondary attack by taking the UA attack. Really it just opens the door for other tricks (Stunning Bite anyone?). It would be very difficult for an AC or mount to qualify for Dragon Roar because you'd still need to grab the other prereqs.
Does it? I don't see where UA strike grants you an attack. It just says it lets you use your unarmed attack as though you were armed. The wolf doesn't have an unarmed attack to utilize. Right?
Stunning bite is interesting...
I'm not sold on dragon style alone for 2 feats, but it opening up other feats is interesting.
Claxon- Thanks for the breakdown. I'm not all that interested in the best choice, but it still looks like the wolf to me (higher str and con). I don't want him to full round attack or stand around. Obvious the horse is great for mounting at level 1(4).
Well, until Druid 7/Ranger 10 the horse has higher strength and con. After that, as I said the wolf becomes much more attractive.
Another thing to consider, that I had previously left out, was that unless you're a small size race you can't actually ride a wolf until level 7/10. A wolf start out as medium. And honestly, the best part of having an animal companion for a archer ranger is that you have mobility, and still have the ability to make a full-atatck. That is the single most important aspect regardless of anything else.
If you can't ride it, it's not a mount.
Now, if you really just want a wolf because it appeals to you or fits the character, etc then it is what it is. And I respect that choice, not every choice needs to be about making the optimal character.
Claxon- Yeah, the horse just doesn't fit the character(s) at all. If it fit the concept then it would be a great mount for levels 1(4) through 7.
I'm completely sold on spring attack. Not sure on dragon style (2 feat cost). Any other ideas for the 4th feat?
Improved Overrun, in case you need to get out of a bad position you can get your mount to move through the enemy.