Which is the better choice? Friend of mine says the weapon, as if you take the mount you are basically a weak version of the Cavalier. I have had this character concept of a gnoll paladin for a few months now, but the divine bond feature trips me up. I have always liked the prospect of the animal companion (which the mounts count as), and even made my cleric take the animal domain to get one. But my friend's comment threw me off.
Is the mount really that bad compared to the weapon? Is a mounted paladin really worse at mounted combat than a cavalier of the same level? I looked at the 3 guides to the paladin in the sticky up top, and each have said to only take the mount if you are Small.
So, which should I choose if ever I can be able to create this character (so many DMs say CRB + aasimar + tiefling for race)?
I love animal companions myself. However, it sucks when they die. Worse for a paladin because he has to wait 30 days for it to come back, and you take a -1 to attack and damage rolls while its gone. Honestly I suggest the weapon for simplicity, and to buy a mount if you really want one. Animals are cheap.
I looked at the 3 guides to the paladin in the sticky up top, and each have said to only take the mount if you are Small.
Medium sized mounts take up less space and have less trouble getting around and charging. Having to leave your horse behind and wanting to be mounted is an awful feeling. Also the choices for mounts for small I think are better, but that may be personal preference.
Well, it does have an intelligence of 6. That is the same as a starting familiar, so it should be much easier to handle than a regular animal companion. If you somehow get knocked out while riding it, the animal should be able to make intelligent choices that could save your a raise dead.
The main reason people might suggest against the mount is because there can be problems with mounted combat at times. Overall, a horse is still a rather decent animal companion that is mostly limited by the fact it relies on mutliple natural attacks (which can be troublesome with DR). It can't follow you into cramped quarters, but dungeons will eventually be made for large and larger sized monsters as you level anyway, so it should not be impossible to take along with you.
While a cavalier with beast rider might be able to get a more powerful animal, a horse is a nice, standard mount that will not cause any complications going into town. The only real problem I can find with it is the '30 day wait if it dies' bit.
I would go with the weapon, but I'm biased against animal companions/mounts/familiars of all types.
If you're allowed the Leadership feat, take the weapon bond then take a cohort mount at 7th with Leadership. You basically get both, and cohort is overall better than bonded mount, though it lacks some of cool "bond" benefits.
Yeah, the downside of the mount is a lost of small locations. Not just about the horse being to big for a hallway, but a lack of space to move in is just as bad. A 4 x 4 square grid will accommodate you and friends but you have no where to move really, and you can't use a lot of your mounted combat feats.
The mount is great if your in wide open areas and can take all the mounted combat feats to pump up your attack and damage. Outside of that, the bonded weapon is better, and can save you a lot of money on a weapon (at times). The only caveat is if you are playing a small character on a medium size mount then you don't have to worry about space and movement really, but I've never looked closely at the potential DPR of a small mounted paladin vs a medium size mounted paladin. The one time I played a mounted paladin it was in King Maker and my paladin rode a wooly rhino. Eventually he made himself large and his wooly rhinoceros huge with magic. Combine it with a lance, with the impact enchant, and Spirited Charge. Now you will deal an insane amount of damage with your lance and your faithful rhino will be dealing large amounts with his powerful charge. But, if you can't charge 10ft, your whole style of combat falls apart.
An archer paladin could use a mount for mobility, but of course an archer really likes a highly enchanted weapon too.
Weapon bond always favors out for me. I find mount/animal companions just too abusive-able for the game.
If you love animal companions and mounts, go for the mount! Just make sure to tell your DM that you really want a mount so she doesn't put all your adventures in cramped dungeons.
If you're in a game where you can't affect that... Well, save the character for another day.
Yeah, the downside of the mount is a lost of small locations. Not just about the horse being to big for a hallway, but a lack of space to move in is just as bad. A 4 x 4 square grid will accommodate you and friends but you have no where to move really, and you can't use a lot of your mounted combat feats.
The mount is great if your in wide open areas and can take all the mounted combat feats to pump up your attack and damage. Outside of that, the bonded weapon is better, and can save you a lot of money on a weapon (at times). The only caveat is if you are playing a small character on a medium size mount then you don't have to worry about space and movement really, but I've never looked closely at the potential DPR of a small mounted paladin vs a medium size mounted paladin. The one time I played a mounted paladin it was in King Maker and my paladin rode a wooly rhino. Eventually he made himself large and his wooly rhinoceros huge with magic. Combine it with a lance, with the impact enchant, and Spirited Charge. Now you will deal an insane amount of damage with your lance and your faithful rhino will be dealing large amounts with his powerful charge. But, if you can't charge 10ft, your whole style of combat falls apart.
there might be a small tradeoff in dmg. But being small and riding your mount anywhere, you make up for that dmg. In my games my small gnome is still the top dmg dealer.