Ninikilim's page

I'd have thought the actual Ride & Handle Animal skills are clear enough.

Me too, but his argument is that since you have to use Animal Handling to train the animal to have Combat Riding, then you have to make the Handle an Animal check to have it use the trick.

Combat Riding (DC 20)
An animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel. Training an animal for combat riding takes 6 weeks. You may also “upgrade” an animal trained for riding to one trained for combat by spending 3 weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew. Many horses and riding dogs are trained in this way.

Handle an Animal
This task involves commanding an animal to perform a task or trick that it knows. If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.

He said "heel" is using the reins to make it follow you.

From the rules this is what I understand:
If I use a combat trained mount, then I get to use "Control Mount in Battle" without a roll as a move action to ride the mount around in battle.

However I have someone saying that riding a horse in battle is using the "Heel" trick and it requires a Move Action Handle Animal check if it's trained.
Not trained: DC 20 Ride check
Trained: DC 10 Animal Handling Check

I don't think that is the case, "Heel" is for having the horse follow me while not riding it.

I would like some clear rules to settle this if they exist.

The Brawler gets an AC Bonus at 4 levels: 4, 9, 13 and 18

The strangler archetype says it replaces the AC Bonus. Exact wording posted below.

What I am not sure of is does it replace all 4 AC bonuses? Or just one at 9th level?

Is there a place in the rules that would clarify this better?

"
Practiced Strangler (Ex)
At 2nd level, when a strangler has the grappled condition, she does not take a –4 penalty to Dexterity and does not lose her Dexterity bonus to AC. At 9th level, a grappling or grappled strangler still threatens an area and is still able to make attacks of opportunity while grappling or grappled; when pinned, she is not denied her Dexterity bonus and does not take a –4 penalty to Armor Class.

This ability replaces AC bonus.
"

Thank you