I want to ride my Chocobo all day


Advice


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Erhm, sorry there, got a song stuck in my head.... Anyways, can i get some help of building a theme character? i want to play a Final Fantasy-esque Chocobo Knight. i see maybe two viable routes to it but i am sure there are other ways to do this.

Option 1) An Eldritch Guardian Fighter can take a chicken familiar with the Mauler archetype, at level 3 that chicken can become a medium size uber-chicken that a small sized character could ride. So yay, its online super early!

Pros:
Super easy to get
Has a tiny form to help sneak it in places

Cons:
Abysmal strength score, starts at 3, at level 3 when you can ride it that score is only 6... It will never land a hit in combat., Its speed doesnt change when going from tiny to medium so its still no faster. and the rider would probably put it at least at a heavy load.
Requires a small sized rider to work.
Hilariously bad AC

Thats a lot to overcome to make it anything more than a sort of gag that there is a Chocobo just hanging around when the party makes camp.

Option 2) A Beast Rider Cavalier using something like a T-rex and the sound scientific argument that they were covered in yellow feathers. Also this particular one has stubby wings instead of stubby arms. And a beak.

Pros:
A good choice for small or medium PCs
Very useful attacks on its own.
At level 7 it has a monstrous strength score, give it power attack and Vital strike for rounds when you cant charge.

Cons:
Doesnt really look like a Chocobo.
Lots of people dont like Dinosaurs at their table.
At level 7 it goes large which makes it difficult to bring with you everywhere you go.

A GM might allow an Axe beak but the rules dont explicitly allow it. The Axe Beak starts out with better stats and has specific call outs to its carrying capacity that work well with a medium rider, odds are the bird would be in the medium burden range so its speed would still be at 40. If you take the Charger archetype for it than its speed will get back up to 50 eventually, or its strength score increases will move its total burden to light.

Pros:
It actually is a chocobo.
Free trips on its charge, so charge, Axe Beak trip, rider gets a +4 on their already ridiculous charge attack.
High speed, low drag (50ft movement speed and the run feat baked in)

Cons:
Requires GM permission, i think its right out in PFS and its not a sure thing with home games, especially with how powerful it is right out the gate. (Although i think it scales slower and ends up falling behind other options at level 7)
Always large sized, can be a little difficult in a lot of dungeons
Lower AC for a companion creature. need to get that feller some Barding.

Are there any other options to pull this off?


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Do you have stats for the Chocobo? If not, Dragon #323 page 34 has stats for them. I had an awesome paladin that got one as a mount. It was great :)


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Wow, they actually statted one up by name? isnt it copyrighted or trademarked?


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Another option, use an Axebeak.


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I found the article on Scribd, that is almost a copy of the Axe beak, In the end i would say there are about equal chances to get a GM to buy off on either one. Its looking like a beast rider would be my best bet to pull it off right now.


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Torbyne wrote:
Wow, they actually statted one up by name? isnt it copyrighted or trademarked?

They probably are, and I would think they got rights to stat it up. They do indeed call them by name. The image is even credited to Squareenix. It must have been legit.


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Rathendar wrote:
Another option, use an Axebeak.

That is the third option i went over. It would be my default except there is no sure fire way of getting one, it is subject to GM approval which is a quasi-legit place to be in the rules.


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Torbyne wrote:
Rathendar wrote:
Another option, use an Axebeak.
That is the third option i went over. It would be my default except there is no sure fire way of getting one, it is subject to GM approval which is a quasi-legit place to be in the rules.

If you want an Axebeak without needing GM permission you could be pick from these options.

-Hunter

-Druid

-Brawler (Wild Child)

-Inquisitor (Sacred Huntsmaster)

-Ranger (Beastmaster)

-Sorcerer (Wildblooded: Sylvan)


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Torbyne wrote:
Rathendar wrote:
Another option, use an Axebeak.
That is the third option i went over. It would be my default except there is no sure fire way of getting one, it is subject to GM approval which is a quasi-legit place to be in the rules.

I can't speak for PFS, but a GM should allow you to use one in a home game. It's not really any different than asking to use material from Ultimate Magic, or any other hardback that came out after the CRB. The rules for it are right here.


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Darigaaz the Igniter wrote:
Torbyne wrote:
Rathendar wrote:
Another option, use an Axebeak.
That is the third option i went over. It would be my default except there is no sure fire way of getting one, it is subject to GM approval which is a quasi-legit place to be in the rules.
I can't speak for PFS, but a GM should allow you to use one in a home game. It's not really any different than asking to use material from Ultimate Magic, or any other hardback that came out after the CRB. The rules for it are right here.

I think the main issue is certain classes features that give you an animal companion restrict to a certain list of creatures.

Example: A Cavalier is restricted to picking " A Medium cavalier can select a camel or a horse. A Small cavalier can select a pony or wolf, but can also select a boar or a dog if he is at least 4th level. The GM might approve other animals as suitable mounts."

Scarab Sages

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There is also a boon in PFS from playing a specific three part advent that will allow an axe beak companion for any class with a companion.

Spoiler:
Quest For Perfection

Scarab Sages

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I want to ride my Chocobo
I want to ride my bird
I want to ride my Chocobo
I want to ride it where I like!


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Imbicatus wrote:

There is also a boon in PFS from playing a specific three part advent that will allow an axe beak companion for any class with a companion.

** spoiler omitted **

That's how my samurai got one.


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Humans riding Ostriches for recreation and racing is an actual thing in South Africa, and there is evidence that they have been used similar to other riding animals as far back as Ancient Egypt. Youtube has videos of actual races, if you search.

So your ostrich is yellow, stronger and faster than normal, and answers to a funny name; the Bestiaries contain worse offenders.

Dark Archive

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You're forgetting that the mauler chicken would get an additional +8 bonus to strength from the size change. As well as a +2 bonus to constitution and a -4 penalty to dexterity. That would make it's strength 14 at level 3.

Quote:
Battle Form (Su): At 3rd level, a mauler gains the ability to transform into a larger, more ferocious form and back at will. In battle form, the mauler’s size becomes Medium and the mauler gains a +2 bonus to Strength (this stacks with the normal Strength adjustments for increasing in size). This ability replaces deliver touch spells.

Edit: The Mounted Combat feat should help a little bit with AC, and Armor Profiencies are also combat feats, so you could have your mauler chicken wear light armor. (Medium or heavy armor would hinder it's flight...)

An Amulet of Natural Armor might work. You could put some kind of ring around its leg. (Though that would probably count as the feet slot.)

I might do this myself, just for s~*~ and giggles.


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the David wrote:

You're forgetting that the mauler chicken would get an additional +8 bonus to strength from the size change. As well as a +2 bonus to constitution and a -4 penalty to dexterity. That would make it's strength 14 at level 3.

Quote:
Battle Form (Su): At 3rd level, a mauler gains the ability to transform into a larger, more ferocious form and back at will. In battle form, the mauler’s size becomes Medium and the mauler gains a +2 bonus to Strength (this stacks with the normal Strength adjustments for increasing in size). This ability replaces deliver touch spells.

Just +4 str & -2 dex from the size change so 10 str total @L3. It's as per polymorph effects, not as per the rules for making a monster at a larger size. There was a fair amount of discussion about it when the mauler archetype first came out.


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The axe beak is listed in Ultimate Equipment as purchasable.

I'd think it would be an easy sell to get a GM to let you buy one.
Even easier sell if you say you want to buy just the egg (also listed) and train it yourself.

Then its just a matter of picking a class that its a legal option for. (as mentioned, Druids and Hunters straight up, Beastrider Cavaliers (at level 7), Beast Master Rangers, probably a few others.


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Just so you know there is a Final Fantasy d20 put together by Viladin and company that lets you play as a ChocoBro Knight.

You can see it here.


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Thank you all for the input :)

I'm going to look into the inquisitor option mentioned upthread, that's one of my favorite classes anyways. Hopefully it stacks with sanctified slayer...

Dark Archive

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avr wrote:
the David wrote:

You're forgetting that the mauler chicken would get an additional +8 bonus to strength from the size change. As well as a +2 bonus to constitution and a -4 penalty to dexterity. That would make it's strength 14 at level 3.

Quote:
Battle Form (Su): At 3rd level, a mauler gains the ability to transform into a larger, more ferocious form and back at will. In battle form, the mauler’s size becomes Medium and the mauler gains a +2 bonus to Strength (this stacks with the normal Strength adjustments for increasing in size). This ability replaces deliver touch spells.
Just +4 str & -2 dex from the size change so 10 str total @L3. It's as per polymorph effects, not as per the rules for making a monster at a larger size. There was a fair amount of discussion about it when the mauler archetype first came out.

A quick search confirms this. That's too bad.


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I think I've found my preferred method, a sanctified slayer with the animal domain and the boon companion feat can get an axe beak at a rather low investment. I am not sure If a dip is worth it to pick up heavy armor and more martial weapons or not. I heard there is a new archetype that lets you grab the battle mystery from Oracles so there is some further reading to do but the Chocobo aspect seems locked in now.


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Torbyne wrote:
I think I've found my preferred method, a sanctified slayer with the animal domain and the boon companion feat can get an axe beak at a rather low investment. I am not sure If a dip is worth it to pick up heavy armor and more martial weapons or not. I heard there is a new archetype that lets you grab the battle mystery from Oracles so there is some further reading to do but the Chocobo aspect seems locked in now.

Good luck, and stay fluffy.

Scarab Sages

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Torbyne wrote:
I think I've found my preferred method, a sanctified slayer with the animal domain and the boon companion feat can get an axe beak at a rather low investment. I am not sure If a dip is worth it to pick up heavy armor and more martial weapons or not. I heard there is a new archetype that lets you grab the battle mystery from Oracles so there is some further reading to do but the Chocobo aspect seems locked in now.

Sacred Huntmaster is far more powerful than the Sactified Slayer. Pack Flanking + Outflank + Paired Opportunists + combat reflexes on you and your companion is worth much more than the sneak attack + studied target.


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Just saw this thread.

I don't know if you've heard of The Veranthea Codex, but it has the Bird Rider archetype, for cavaliers. You start at level one with a chocobo axe beak, which gets better and better, for example, being able to walk across swamps, water, etc and even air walk at higher levels.


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- The Ostrich is described in "Osirion, Legacy of Pharoahs"... as a Medium animal.

- The Yolubilis Heron is in "Hell's Rebels Part 1 - In Hell’s Bright Shadow", as a Large animal


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I was under impression that a beast rider cavalier could select an Axe Beak, but it seems they are still restricted, with the option to take any medium compaion creature that is normally large (like the bear a.k.a the animal Paizo so hates making a useful riding companion of). However, that does not let you use an ostrich or an axe beak. The divine bond says the paladin can select a more exotic mount, so an axe beak may be an option after level 7 (or if small).

In general, it is easier if you are a small humanoid like a halfling or gnome as both axebeak and ostrich are passable options. The heron and obviously the (mini-)Roc could work, but for a Chocobo I imagine having a flightless bird with good running speed. If you do not mind the reflavor, you could have the monstrous mount feat and take a hippogriph as a chocobo - if you do not get the mastery feat, it cannot fly while carrying a rider, which I consider close enough :) .


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Imbicatus wrote:
Torbyne wrote:
I think I've found my preferred method, a sanctified slayer with the animal domain and the boon companion feat can get an axe beak at a rather low investment. I am not sure If a dip is worth it to pick up heavy armor and more martial weapons or not. I heard there is a new archetype that lets you grab the battle mystery from Oracles so there is some further reading to do but the Chocobo aspect seems locked in now.
Sacred Huntmaster is far more powerful than the Sactified Slayer. Pack Flanking + Outflank + Paired Opportunists + combat reflexes on you and your companion is worth much more than the sneak attack + studied target.

I hadnt looked at how teamwork feats could make up for lack of Judgement or Studied Target so well... which puts the huntsman back on the list. I have some questions about a few of these feats though. and the build is looking very feat hungry.

So, Escape Route, if you are on your mount does this mean you never provoke AoO from moving?

Tandem Trip seems like a great investment since the Axe Beak gets a free trip on a charge anyways.

Pack Flanking, Paired Opportunist and Broken Wing Gambit, does this mean anyone who attacks the PC provokes an AoO from the mount and the PC?

The two flanking feats seem to be the biggest boost since the +4 to hit makes up for most of your trade aways for most of the game. But you do need to meet the prereqs so Combat Expertise and 13 INT. Too bad Dirty Fighting doesnt qualify you for that one.

Thats a lot to fit in to a mounted build...

Power Attack, Mounted Combat, Ride By Attack, Spirited Charge, Combat Expertise, Pack Flanking, Paired Opportunist, Broken Wing Gambit..

1: Power Attack
3: Combat Expertise
3 B: Pack Flanking
5: Mounted Combat
6 B: Outflank
7: Ride By Attack
9: Spirited Charge
9 B: Paired Opportunist
11: Broken Wing Gambit
12 B: Improved OutFlank

I think the free AoOs are better than the extra roll on trip attempts from tandem trip and combat reflexes is hard to fit in.

What domains would work well for this? my default is usually something like the Anger Inquisition.

I also usually go with Half-Orc with inquisitors for the FCB, senses, saves and falchions, is there a good god for getting a lance? I need to look into this new archetype that grants oracle mysteries to see what the trade offs are but getting heavy armor and all martial weapons would be nice on the build.

The Animal Focus looks like a nice to have for the PC and a great boost for the bird, basically use stag for movement and swift action shift to bull for extra hit/damage/tripping.


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So you're taking broken wing gambit for a flightless bird mount, well played. [tips hat] :P

Scarab Sages

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If you take a one level dip of wild child brawler, you can ignore the 13 INT and combat expertise requirements for pack flanking, and not lose any progression on your axe beak chocobo.


DOT


I am comparing options here and am a little confused, what is the Hunter better at than a Sacred Huntsmaster?

The Hunter does get full martial weapon proficiency, which is nice... and gets one feat up over the SH at level 2. And then what? some extra tricks, a few abilities early in comparison? Is the spell list that much better?

The SH gets the companion, the Animal Focus, the teamwork feats... and then add bonuses to all kinds of checks, gets freakin' BANE, a domain/inquisition... i cant figure out, its got to be the Hunter spell list being so much better some how?

It isnt even that attractive of a dip for martial weapons although it may be the best choice of dip since it doesnt affect your animal companion progression. I suppose you could dip Hunter 3 for weapons, Outflank and a team work feat and then go Inquisitor but that puts Bane back until level 8 which doesnt seem a worth while trade off for weapons and one feat.

Scarab Sages

Hunter spell list is better imo, but inquisitor gets bane. That's the real differences IMO.


Yeah, I actually think the Hunter's spell list is MUCH better, and is the reason I would usually take Hunter over Sacred Huntsmaster, but the Huntsmaster is very powerful.


Alright. I am sorry to ask since i could go through the lists myself but could someone give me the highlights from the ranger and druid spell lists that the Hunter gets? i am fairly familar with the Inquisitor list and it works really well for where the class's strengths are and for buffing up as a Melee character. Heck, a SH gets even better buffing thanks to Animal Focus, to drop Fate's Favored and Divine Favor on top of that is golden. one buff and Bane at level 5 puts your accuracy on par with a full martial and your damage probably a bit ahead. I know the SH and the Hunter both get the teamwork feats but in comparison to, say, a Cavalier, the feats by themselves put accuracy on par and then the buffs and bane are putting you well ahead. so for the hunter, what spells do they have to boost melee potential like that?

While i am asking for quick fixes, are there any other classes or archetypes that will come close to this?

I am looking for something with medium to heavy armor, shields, lance and maybe another martial weapon or two, obviously the animal companion class feature. hopeefully some skill or utility as well.

Is the Divine Commander Warpriest at all good at this? Their mount doesnt seem to be much of a focus of the class but they get a few bonus feats to help things out and a lot of proficiency/spells. I am not overly fond of the class though and am certianly not an expert on it.


I went through the first few levels of spells for rangers and druids and wasn't overly impressed. Lead blades,bark skin and tears to wine seemed like the only staple spells for my concept.

I went and took a look at fighter archetypes as well for the shuffles, hey maybe they could get all these feats online earlier, but of the two mounted fighters I saw neither gets a mount or companion class feature. How weird is that? Have I missed something about the Dragoon or Rough Rider where they do get something somewhere or are they locked into whatever is available at the local market and still using single HD horses when they are up against ancient dragons?

Scarab Sages

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Look, I'm all for having a good time and I try hard to not tell someone they are doing things in a "badwrongfun" sort of way...

BUT...

If you take the mauler chicken and don't name your character "The Colonel" I will forever disown you on these forums.


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To answer a feat question: Yes, if you and your mount both have escape route then you never provoke attacks of opportunity from movement. Until the devs nerf if in an faq, at least.


As far as I am concerned, "El Diablo" is just as acceptable a Battle Chicken name as "The Colonel". In the end though, it takes a while for the Battle Chicken to come online and even then, its not that impressive at anything other than being an emergency Thanksgiving solution.

The Escape Route mechanic seems like a lot of fun but as i realized when building out a Sacred Huntsmaster, there isnt much room for fun feats considering how many are needed for "core competencies".

Here is my current Standing on ways to get a Chocobo Knight:

I want:
The Chocobo
Medium armor, heavy preferred
Martial Weapons, or at least a lance
Minimum 3/4 BAB

I would like
Some out of Combat ability, either skills or class/spell abilities

-Hunter: Pros: Weapons, Armor, mount gets teamwork feats, Animal Focus, Skills, Spells, Free Feats
Cons: Spell list doesnt strike me as good as others are suggesting it is.

-Druid: Pros: Mount, Skills, Spells
Cons: Armor, weapons, feat hungry, a lot of cool abilities that dont do anything for the concept

-Brawler (Wild Child): Pros: HP, Full BAB, Mount, Free feats
Cons: Weapons, Armor, low skills and no other make up abilities

-Inquisitor (Sacred Huntsmaster) Pros: Mount, Armor, skills and spells, free feats, mount gets teamwork feats, Animal Focus
Cons: The only way to get a lance is to be evil or burn a feat or racial trait.

-Ranger (Beastmaster) Pros: HP, Weapons, Armor, Combat Style, Skills and Spells, Mount
Cons: Needs a feat to boost companion, doesnt share feats with mount

-Sorcerer (Wildblooded: Sylvan) Pros: Gets a mount
Cons: Doesnt get anything else for the build

-Fighter (Dragoon or Roughrider) WTF, where is their mount class feature?

-Barbarian (Mounted Fury) Pros: Gets an angry and fast mount. Weapons, armor, HP, Some skill and utility potential.

Or, on the short list and in more or less current order:

Sacred Huntsmaster, Hunter, Beastmaser Ranger.

Its hard to beat the ability to share teamwork feats with your mount or getting a lot of extra feats to play with.

I am not sure where i would grab a lance from but that is super tempting to make the build really effective. charging on an axe beak, trip, 2x or 3x lance strike with a +6-+10 hit bonus depending on if the trip lands.


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Belabras wrote:

I want to ride my Chocobo

I want to ride my bird
I want to ride my Chocobo
I want to ride it where I like!

CHOCOBO

CHOCOBO
CHOCOBO


avr wrote:
Just +4 str & -2 dex from the size change so 10 str total @L3. It's as per polymorph effects, not as per the rules for making a monster at a larger size. There was a fair amount of discussion about it when the mauler archetype first came out.

Did they finally make that official or is it just another thing that isn't supported by the text, like spell manifestations?

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