I am about to try to make my first mounted character as an NPC. The reasons are two-fold.
1. It is the only thing I have yet to do in the game so it will be a nice learning experience.
2. It will be something new to do against the players, and if I want to try it as a PC I will have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of it, it I try it first hand.
My questions are:
What Class is the best charger if all I care about is damage? I am looking at the fighter.
The other question is that assuming I don't get an animal companion like the Cavalier what animal should I use from the MM(3.5 series) or Bestiary. Magical Beast are an option. They should be large since the rider will be medium, and trampling or overrunning might be necessary.
PS: I would prefer a bestiary mount, but I am willing to accept and convert a 3rd edition creature if it is really good.
Cavaliers and Paladins make the best mounted characters. Fighters can do the schtick ok. Rangers can do mounted archery pretty well.
Going to caution you on this as a PC though. Know your GM. Mounted characters draw a TON of GM aggro from the most common sorts of GMs and a fair bit even from simulationists like myself. Because of this GM aggro effect, small chargers (on things like riding dogs, of which you can have a bunch of spares) are actually the most effective overall, because they can most easily evade the machinations of the GM to deny them a charge.
I am the DM, and when I play I will be sure to have a second offensive option. I have never been a fan of one trick ponies. I might have to combo(multiclass) a fighter with another class to pull it off though, if the other class does not have the feats to pull off two different ways to fight.
Edit: For the NPC I will probably go the one trick route,
Cavaliers and Paladins make the best mounted characters. Fighters can do the schtick ok. Rangers can do mounted archery pretty well.
Going to caution you on this as a PC though. Know your GM. Mounted characters draw a TON of GM aggro from the most common sorts of GMs and a fair bit even from simulationists like myself. Because of this GM aggro effect, small chargers (on things like riding dogs, of which you can have a bunch of spares) are actually the most effective overall, because they can most easily evade the machinations of the GM to deny them a charge.
I am the DM, and when I play I will be sure to have a second offensive option. I have never been a fan of one trick ponies. I might have to combo(multiclass) a fighter with another class to pull it off though, if the other class does not have the feats to pull off two different ways to fight.
Edit: For the NPC I will probably go the one trick route,
i'll second the suggestion for paladin or cavalier over fighter as choices. and also the static damage mods being how to give it oompf.
as a secondary idea, consider the mounted barbarian from the APG. i rage! and so does my mount! Fear my triceratops!
I've been tinkering with Cavalier/Rogue (scout variant)... I charge, you're flat-footed, here's my 2d6 sneak attack damage too!
If all you care about is damage? Paladin. The ability to gain 2/level on your spirited charge, combined with the new APG Paladin spell Saddle Surge, makes paladins the best charger class in raw damage. Also they have mounts that can smite for 2/level damage as well, further helping them.
If you don't want roleplay restrictions, Cavalier is next best in damage, and is a better leader for a party, with much more team benefits.
I'd also put Rangers before fighters, due to gaining a decent mount, and they can also pull off a mean Mongol/Turkic warrior build by chosing archery combat style and investing in Spirited Charge/Power Attack/Mounted Archery for feats.
That is true, unless the Paladin is fighting an undead, dragon, evil outsider or anti-paladin, a Sword Cavalier will likely out damage him, especially if he uses his lance two handed. Something I forgot about cavaliers is that they also get great attack bonuses on the charge from Mighty Charge and their banners (especially with the human favoured class bonus), without needing to challenge.
I'm not sure if the paladin is really better than the cavalier. Saddle surge is nice, but an order of the sword cavalier gets to add his mounts strength bonus to his damage.
So if the mount has a strength bonus of +5(20), and the cavalier's is +3(16) his virtual strength for the purpose of the attack he uses a mod of +8(26) when determining damage.
Speaking of, here's a related question:
The feat Charge Through (APG), if I have a mount, is it me or the mount who needs it? Since I'm mounted, I'm inclined to say it is the horse that's doing the charging through, but what's the verdict?
I've asked this very question myself last week on threse boards. I think the general concensus is that the mount takes Charge-Through.
I'm not sure if the paladin is really better than the cavalier. Saddle surge is nice, but an order of the sword cavalier gets to add his mounts strength bonus to his damage.So if the mount has a strength bonus of +5(20), and the cavalier's is +3(16) his virtual strength for the purpose of the attack he uses a mod of +8(26) when determining damage.
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I'm not sure if the paladin is really better than the cavalier. Saddle surge is nice, but an order of the sword cavalier gets to add his mounts strength bonus to his damage.So if the mount has a strength bonus of +5(20), and the cavalier's is +3(16) his virtual strength for the purpose of the attack he uses a mod of +8(26) when determining damage.
That's one way to interprete this ability.
Mounted Mastery (Ex)
At 8th level, the cavalier ignores the armor check penalty when using the Ride skill, regardless of whether or not the creature he is riding is his mount. Whenever he makes a charge attack while mounted, he receives a +4 dodge bonus to his AC to avoid attacks set against his charge. When making such an attack, he can add his mount’s Strength modifier to the damage roll, in addition to his own. He also receives a bonus feat, chosen from the following list: Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Skill Focus (Ride), Spirited Charge, Trample, or Unseat. He must qualify for the feat selected.
Another would be to see the mount's strength modifier as an additional bonus to damage. The difference is mostly of importance if the cavalier charges with a two-handed weapon like a lance. Some would argue that the mount's strength modifier is either multiplied by 1.5 or added to the cavalier's strength bonus before multiplication, but in my opinion it's safer to assume that it's just an additional untyped bonus. A charging cavalier is still a potent damage dealer, especially against the target of his challenge.
I'm not sure if the paladin is really better than the cavalier. Saddle surge is nice, but an order of the sword cavalier gets to add his mounts strength bonus to his damage.So if the mount has a strength bonus of +5(20), and the cavalier's is +3(16) his virtual strength for the purpose of the attack he uses a mod of +8(26) when determining damage.That's one way to interprete this ability.
Another would be to see the mount's strength modifier as an additional bonus to damage. The difference is mostly of importance if the cavalier charges with a two-handed weapon like a lance. Some would argue that the mount's strength modifier is either multiplied by 1.5 or added to the cavalier's strength bonus before multiplication, but in my opinion it's safer to assume that it's just an additional untyped bonus. A charging cavalier is still a potent damage dealer, especially against the target of his challenge.Mounted Mastery (Ex)
At 8th level, the cavalier ignores the armor check penalty when using the Ride skill, regardless of whether or not the creature he is riding is his mount. Whenever he makes a charge attack while mounted, he receives a +4 dodge bonus to his AC to avoid attacks set against his charge. When making such an attack, he can add his mount’s Strength modifier to the damage roll, in addition to his own. He also receives a bonus feat, chosen from the following list: Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Skill Focus (Ride), Spirited Charge, Trample, or Unseat. He must qualify for the feat selected.
I did not read the ability. I think your interpretation makes more sense, and is the actual intent. Thanks.
As PCs the Paladin and Cavalier are obvious choices. Barbarians could be good too. You might want to determine whether you'll be outdoors enough to make a large mount viable or if you're better off being a gnome or halfling on a medium mount. If you're going for a large mount allow me to suggest ditching the obvious mounted chargers for something a little different based on another recent thread I was part of.
#1 - Plains Druid (APG pg100)- The Plains Druid can charge at double speed, turn during a charge, and even charge through allies. He can also get mounts much better at charging than horses. The big cat can probably pounce for over 100 damage itself with a buff spell.
#2 - Beastmaster Ranger - No special charging abilities, but you can still get the big cat.
#3 - Summoner - The eidolon can potentially get even more attacks on a charge than the druid's big cat.
Multiclassing any of these with Barbarian to give your mount rage could also be fun. If cats aren't your style there's always the rhinoceros or maybe a dinosaur (some of them have some nice abilities like a stun or trample attack). As a Druid or Ranger the Strong Jaw spell is a great way to boost the mount's damage.