Mount Alternate Rules

[Rogue Drake]

There is one fairly large drawback to anyone who isn't a ranger or paladin who wants to ride a mount into combat past level 5. It dies. Usually if anything so much as looks at it funny. Horses just dont have any type of staying power. If you shell out the several thousand gp to buy something more exotic, then congratulations, you can ride into combat for maybe another 3 levels before it becomes spellfodder. What I propose is a mundane mount advancement table.

Use the below chart for animal advancement. Allow evasion when the mount has medium armor and light load. When an animal dies, allow replacement of animals at 500gp per level. For advancement, use the same XP chart as the rider, and grant the same XP as the rider.

The below table is basically 15 levels of a druid's animal companion stretched over 20 levels. Rangers have a slight disadvantage at early levels if they are wanting to ride their animal companion, however as the stats for the companion go up faster, and mundane mounts don't get the level adjustment, the disadvantage for the mounted companion doesn't last very long.

Animals adjusted in this way should be able to survive combat handily without turning their riders into juggernauts and don't invalidate the special mounts and animal companions already in the rules.

For the above mentioned exotic animals, start them off at a level roughly equal to their CR.

         HD    BAB    FORT    REF    WIL    SKILLS    FEAT    NA    STR/DEX     TRICKS  SPEC
1st      2      +1      +1      +1      +0          2           1     +0         +0               1       —
2nd      3      +1      +2      +2      +0          3           2     +0         +0               1      —
3rd      4      +2      +2      +2      +1          3           2     +0         +0               2      —
4th      4      +2      +2      +2      +1          4           2     +2         +1               2      —
5th      5      +2      +3      +3      +1          4           3     +2         +1               2      —
6th      5      +2      +3      +3      +1          5           3     +2         +1               3      Ability score increase
7th      6      +3      +3      +3      +1          5           3     +4         +2               3      -
8th      6      +3      +4      +4      +2          6           3     +4         +2               3      —
9th      7      +3      +4      +4      +2          6           4     +4         +2               3      Evasion
10th     7      +3      +4      +4      +2          7           4     +6         +3               4      —
11th     8      +4      +5      +5      +2          7           4     +6         +3               4      —
12th     8      +4      +5      +5      +2          8           4     +6         +3               4      —
13th     9      +4      +5      +5      +3          8           5     +8         +4               4      Ability score increase
14th     9      +4      +6      +6      +3          9           5     +8         +4               5      —
15th     10     +5      +6      +6      +3          9           5     +8         +4               5      —
16th     10     +5      +6      +6      +3          10          5     +8         +4               5      —
17th     11     +5      +7      +7      +3          10          6     +10        +4              5      —
18th     11     +5      +7      +7      +4          11          6     +10         +5              5      —
19th     12     +6      +7      +7      +4          11          6     +10         +5             6      Improved evasion
20th     12     +6      +8      +8      +4          12          6     +10         +5             6      Ability score increase

[zmanerism]

not to be snarly but isn't that what the cavalier did in the advanced players handbook. Basically fighter type on a horse.

[Bruno Kristensen]

Hmm...I like the idea of giving players the ability to get a sustainable mount, but don't know if this is the right way...it tends to water out Rangers, Cavaliers and Paladins who choose a mount. Of course, you could make it into a feat (which the aforementioned would receive as a bonus feat or something).

[Morgen]

I'm kind of leaning with the others that this might make the mounted classes a bit less special.

Of course I've never seen a game where it was that hard to keep a mount alive either....

[Rogue Drake]

Rangers and animal domain clerics are the only two classes that can get an animal companion that doesn't get fully charged; Paladins, Druids, and Cavaliers get access to the full table, and as such, lose nothing. The rest of the classes (with the exception of the monk) have basically no way to get an improved mount other than buying advanced animals and hoping they can keep them alive. This really puts a downer on those classes that have mounted alternates, specifically the fighter and barbarians. All it takes is one average 5th level fireball to kill a heavy warhorse. All the investment that they put into the horse in terms of feat selection, money, and special abilities wold be as good as wasted.

If youre worried that a two level difference between a maxed out mundane animal and a maxed out ranger companion isnt enough, just remember that the companion still has significant special abilities like multiattack and share spell that wouldnt be present on a mundane mount. Also, rangers can bump up the INT on their companions so gain access to more useful feats, mundane mounts do not have that option. In short, the Ranger mount would be far superior to the mundane mount, but the mundane mount would still be worth it for those who dont get an animal companion.