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One of my players is playing a cavalier (beast rider), and the group will hit 3rd level after next session. It's difficult designing encounters for the group because of the cavalier's horse. I designed one adventure specifically for him (horse chase and outside combat afterward), and the rest of the adventures he's had to leave his horse. I get the feeling he's getting tired of not being able to use his horse, but I'm having trouble designing encounters in which he can take full advantage of his mount. He particularly likes the mounted charge with lance.
So my question is this: What can I (or he) do to make the game more fun for him?
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Well, one thing to really consider is that when you sign on to a mounted class, you accept the reality that your mount isn't always going to be there.
Try to avoid things where his mount is going to just be completely shut out as much as you can. It happens obviously, but try to make up for it with stuff that his mount can shine with.
Overland journey stuff really suits mounted characters because they have big, open spaces to make use of their mounts.
Remember that a large creature can squeeze through an opening sized for a medium creature.
What kinds of enviroments was it where he could not take his horse? Do you do a lot of dungeon crawl?
You could instead use more wilderness focused adventures. Something like: Find the old temple hidden in this forest. So at least on the road to the temple he can stay on horseback. If the ruins above ground level are large enough it works there, too. That the last part could again be below ground, but if it doesn't take up too much game time (say about a third of the adventure) it should be ok.
Just make sure that a good portion of the game time and of the fights is where he can ride. It doesn't have to be 100%.
This is why players often choose halflings for their tiny mounts if they want to run mounted combat. you shouldn't be required to force the adventure down paths that take "full advantage" of the horse just to satisfy the player who chose the cavalier class.
One of my players is playing a cavalier (beast rider), and the group will hit 3rd level after next session. It's difficult designing encounters for the group because of the cavalier's horse. I designed one adventure specifically for him (horse chase and outside combat afterward), and the rest of the adventures he's had to leave his horse. I get the feeling he's getting tired of not being able to use his horse, but I'm having trouble designing encounters in which he can take full advantage of his mount. He particularly likes the mounted charge with lance.
So my question is this: What can I (or he) do to make the game more fun for him?
I've been playing a samurai (cavalier alternate class) in RotRL and having a blast whether or not my horse can come with me everywhere. Charging is great and all but a cavalier is still a full BAB martial class with team work feats, challenge, and order abilities. If your player has built his cavalier completely around lancing you might consider letting him swap out a feat or two to give him a bit more balance.
Also, at lower levels dungeons tend to feature medium creatures. At later levels parties tend to be fighting larger monsters and anywhere a large monster can go so can the horse.
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Lots of dungeons have corridors that are 10 feet wide. As long as the adventure isn't taking place entirely in taverns, kobold tunnels, and gnomish labyrinths, there should be enough places for a cavalier to ride a horse. Even if he can't get in a charge, he can take advantage of teh high ground and make use of the wider threatened area that comes with sharing your square with a Large creature.
I tried a Cavalier in RotRL too, and it was terrible. That campaign is full of buildings with 5' hallways and corridors. It doesn't help that my GM kept giving me this look like I was a fool for choosing a mounted class.
As for what you can do for him, the simplest thing I can recommend is just taking your map and drawing it twice as big. It might require a bigger table to play on but it'll ensure that the cavalier has room to ride without significantly hosing anybody else.
I'm running RotRL right now and there is a gnome cavalier riding a wolf that I get to deal with. In the open shes a wrecking balls and the party makes the choice to try and keep space open for her. She has learned that sometimes she has to dismount or accept that she can't charge, which is something she was warned about.
I recommend what Silent Saturn said, try to open up the map and corridors a bit more and throw the occasional outdoor/open area fight their way. Just remind them that like rangers and paladins, they can't always get to use their nifty class features.
I'm running RotRL right now and there is a gnome cavalier riding a wolf that I get to deal with.
I am/was, too! But my player latched onto...
and is now having a blast with that!
Thanks Sara!
Also for a Cavalier PC you might add in a few more Outdoor Encounters that are common enough to get use out of their Mount. You might use the next Slower XP Progression to account for the additional encounters.
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You might want to look into the animal companion feats like Narrow Frame and Lithe Attacker. Those deal with a lot of problems mounts have in dungeons.
As for what you can do for him, the simplest thing I can recommend is just taking your map and drawing it twice as big. It might require a bigger table to play on but it'll ensure that the cavalier has room to ride without significantly hosing anybody else.
This. In a prior campaign, someone played a cavalier and that is what the DM did. There are also options in the class to get a new mount, so you could hint the party's upcoming path and he could choose an appropriate ride.
At later levels parties tend to be fighting larger monsters and anywhere a large monster can go so can the horse.
Not necessarily. They may have come through an underground river, up from the deeps, or have been created in that space. But if they're capable of fighting in a space, there's a good chance the horse will be too.
I recommend a heavy armor with the Hosteling enchant to get it there.
Magic item Pokemon ball to put the Mount/AC in. It let summon it to use the it going back in when you do not need it. Or figur of wonderous power mount.
Also check out the carry companion spell in Knights of the Inner Sea. You could get it made into an oil if you don't have a caster to use it for you.
I dont understand why this is such a problem for cavalier players.
Where exactly is it you can't fit your mount most of the time?
RotRL I dont know that AP but isn't there a bunch of giants? If I giant can fit your horse can.
If a player is upset about the horse not fitting in every encounter, that's like a wizard getting upset he's got 12 spells that really dont do anything in THIS particular situation.
Cavalier comes loaded with tons of goodies besides a mount and charging, EVERYTHING.
If the PC is trying to one trick wonder every encounter, there in lies his problem.
Mobility around the battlefield has advantages when not charging.
If there is difficulty getting in charging as much as the player likes perhaps changing archetypes is in order? Emissary changes the way charging rules work, however looses a lot of iconic cavvy abilities so the trade is a bit harsh, IMO.
We have had mounted characters in SS and CotCT and have had no problems in most situations. But I think that's because the characters were both ronins, and not emphasized for charging.
So it's not the mount I think that's the real issue but the player can't charge everything, and IMO...that's just plain ridiculous.
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I wouldn't change anything to ensure this player gets to use his charge. If you open that can of worms, next you'll need to put more demons in so the paladin can use his smite. You'll have to take out undead so the illusion-specialized sorcerer feels useful. You'll have to keep those undead so your cleric can use his channeling. And so on...
Having seen a cavalier in action, they can do quite a bit even without a mount.
RotRL I dont know that AP but isn't there a bunch of giants? If I giant can fit your horse can.
The first two chapters of the AP involve a lot of time dungeon delving in areas two small for a horse to comfortably negotiate. If the player put together a medium (riding a large horse) cavalier that focuses entirely on charging then he's probably not going to have a great time (always a potential trap with new players building a Cavalier).
By the third chapter the enemies are much larger and open ground much more common.
I wouldn't change anything to ensure this player gets to use his charge.
Agreed with Touc.
The character needs to learn to be versatile with and without his mount.Not all adventures of exploration will be outside and have enough room for his mounted charges.
This has been an issue since AD&D with the paladin's warhorse. But it has become a more acute issue since the game started adding a lot of features based around mounted combat - like the feats. I've used a few different answers to it when running 3.0/3.5 with a PC who had a lot of development up the mounted combat chain:
1) Don't gloss over the overland journey to an adventure site. This is where mounted characters and nature-based characters like druids and rangers get chances to shine. Include side-trek style encounters (Dungeon Magazine used to be great for having these). I've had them run into dire bears, massive manticores, weird kobold sorcerers, giants, predators of all sorts, bandits, and wyverns. None of these were a major part of any particular adventuring sites, just fun stuff to do on the way.
2) Provide for an alternative mount for the PC. Horses and other mounts eventually become a lot easier to kill than their riders, particularly when facing off against bestial opponents who may be inclined to attack the horse first because it's the easier (and more filling) prey. The mounted fighter in the game I run has a stone horse to use when her flesh and blood horse is too vulnerable.
3) Have some adventures geared for non-dungeon-style environments. I've tossed festivals and weddings at the party, all of which give the PCs something more to do than explore tombs and dungeons. The tournament they had for Brewfest allowed me to give the mounted fighter a chance to joust. She came in second overall - losing to the final champion - but coming away with a pretty fat purse.
RotRL I dont know that AP but isn't there a bunch of giants? If I giant can fit your horse can.The first two chapters of the AP involve a lot of time dungeon delving in areas two small for a horse to comfortably negotiate. If the player put together a medium (riding a large horse) cavalier that focuses entirely on charging then he's probably not going to have a great time (always a potential trap with new players building a Cavalier).
By the third chapter the enemies are much larger and open ground much more common.
So at lower levels he might actually have to use things like his full BAB (shudders) High AC (oh no)
In fact the only thing I see for low level cavalier that is a must have your horse for is the cavaliers charge at level 3. You can still "charge" on foot with your horse left outside the dungeon, just like the wizard who prepared color spray and ends up fighting skeletons all day. Oh well.This isn't tragedy. I would play a cavalier in any AP, without a second thought. Not only because it would be fun trying to ride my horse up stairs or try to obnoxiously fit in places with it "what do you mean he can't sleep in the tent? This horse is more important to me than your hireling! Why don't you leave HIM outside the tent?"
and for the simple fact, batman cant bring the batmobile everywhere he kicks tail!