Small + Lance, Ideas?

[LovesTha]

So I'm trying to design up a character, but I'm having some trouble finding the right options. I want a character that pokes things with a lance. But I don't want the large mount annoyances, so that leads me to a small character race. I'm happy to take the -2 on strength because the lance does good damage anyway.

I can't figure out the optimal class for the character though. Ranger looks good, but so does Paladin. A class that gives an AC to ride is probably best I assume.

Also why is their no awesome flying mount for small characters at high levels. There is no small flying AC that gets bumped to medium or any medium flying AC that stays medium after the L7 stat bump. Can you just choose to not have your AC get the L7 stat bump?

[Cheapy]

Cavalier?

[tonyz]

Talk to the DM about the flying mount issue. Personally I like paladin with the shining knight archetype, and there are some interesting halfling racial variants from APG that work well with that.

[wraithstrike]

I think a ranger beastmaster(get something with pounce) or the horselord both work well.

For the level 7 bump you don't have to take the size increase. You can instead choose to increase dex and con.

prd wrote:

Instead of taking the listed benefit at 4th or 7th level, you can instead choose to increase the companion's Dexterity and Constitution by 2.

[LovesTha]

Hrm, that is a good option. Hadn't noticed that before.

[Aoth Anskuld]

Wayang are small but take a wisdom penalty instead of strength.

I like Cavalier (beast master, emissary) for small characters.

[Halfling Barbarian]

I'm a big fan of halfling cavaliers and mounted halfling paladins. Flying mounts are hard to come by, but nothing stops you from putting an item that grants fly onto your mount (or if you're a pally UMD and a wand). Halflings do take a strength hit, but they make great mounted paladins because they can go pretty much everywhere and they get a CHA boost (combined with the +1 halflings already get on saves you'll probably never fail one).

[Ironic Hero]

If you want to be lance-focused, I'd go with a halfling (outrider alt trait) Beast Rider / Gendarme. Order of the Sword allows you to add mount's STR mod in addition to your own on a charge.

[Azten]

Summoner, so you can have a mount with all the movement speeds!

[qutoes]

Ironic Hero wrote:

If you want to be lance-focused, I'd go with a halfling (outrider alt trait) Beast Rider / Gendarme. Order of the Sword allows you to add mount's STR mod in addition to your own on a charge.

I'm playing one right now that is 6 the level and he rocks. He is riding a boar named bacon :-)

[rat_ bastard]

Its not the size of your lance, its the motion of your mount.

[LovesTha]

Ironic Hero wrote:

If you want to be lance-focused, I'd go with a halfling (outrider alt trait) Beast Rider / Gendarme. Order of the Sword allows you to add mount's STR mod in addition to your own on a charge.

Is Outrider better than Wayang not having -2 to STR?

[dunebugg]

Goblin Beastmaster... on a triceratops.

[peterrco]

For any small melee character a Hat of Disguise is a bit of a gamechanger - Greater (pathfinder module: Curse of the Riven Sky) allows you to use Alter Self at will.

Means your gnome/halfling could switch from small mounted to medium foot at will, getting a +2 Str on the increase. Half Orc also gives you darkvision.

If you choose Gnome then one of the advanced options is to give you proficiency with any weapon that you have crafted yourself, which is really nice if your cleric is able to cast masterwork transformation, so you could have a really nice character with your choice of any weapon in the books with only a short period of preparation. Lasso is a great option for mounted warriors.