Spear category weapons?

[buddahcjcc]

Dragoon Fighter archetype abilities work mainly with weapons of thew "spear category" is there somewhere I can find a list of that category?

[Erian El'ranelen]

They are listed in the Fighter class entry:

Spears: javelin, lance, longspear, shortspear, spear, and trident.

[Imbicatus]

It's worth noting though that other than weapon training, all the Dragoon's abilities specify the Lance only. It's useful if you want to carry javelins as a backup ranged weapon, but your primary weapon as a Dragoon should always be a Lance.

[KainPen]

only banner, Spinning Lance and weapon mastery has to be used with lance. leaping lance,pericing lance can be done with any weapon. it does not say lance or spear only or while wield a lance like the other ablities.

the real joke of this archtype is the fact the majority of it ablitys are made to be used from mount with lance. The benfits from being on a mount. but the 2nd to last ablity requires you to dismount for no reasons other then to move 10 more feet and get another +2 to hit but take -4 to ac. to get mount damage which you could get by just staying on the mount.

[Imbicatus]

KainPen wrote:

the real joke of this archtype is the fact the majority of it ablitys are made to be used from mount with lance. The benfits from being on a mount. but the 2nd to last ablity requires you to dismount for no reasons other then to move 10 more feet and get another +2 to hit but take -4 to ac. to get mount damage which you could get by just staying on the mount.

It's good if the target of your charge is 10ft past the double move speed of your mount, or hiding behind a doorway your mount can't fit through, but it's REALLY situational.

That said, Spear Training has better effects than standard weapon training, and Spinning lance lets you have reach and non-reach combat options in one weapon which can be good for non-mounted combat. I could see it being a good archetype take for 9 levels or so before multiclassing into something else with more synergy like Barbarian/Paladin/PrC.

[buddahcjcc]

What do you all think of this archetype? Thew character is starting at lvl 5, but I see a definite weakness if he cant be on the horse all the time (which in most campaigns might be a problem - IE being in doors etc) but other than that, with things like Spirited Charge and eventually Unseat, it looks pretty neat.
What feats/abilities SHOULD I look to take? This is my first Dragoon/mounted combat type character and theres SOOO many choices for feats I get lost in them O.o

[Imbicatus]

It has the same problem as any martial class with a focus on mounted combat but without a Mount or Animal Companion class feature. It's going to be expensive to buy your mount, difficult to get your mount to do what you ant with handle animal checks, will not level with you, and will be relatively fragile. If you look at the class as a spear master with some bonuses while mounted, it's good (but two handed fighter may be better). If you are wanting to play a character who uses mounted combat as a focus, Cavalier, Paladin, Ranger, or Druid is better, eventually going to Mammoth Rider PrC.

[buddahcjcc]

Also; are the only ones who can get horses to wear barding ones where the horse is the animal companion? Normal horses dont seem to have the required feats, even combat trained ones

[KainPen]

Honestly I think it is poorly made and need to be rework. As Imbicatus said the some of the ablitys are very situational and not worth it.

Maybe if they changed it to spear speicalist not limited some of the ablitys to lance but maybe the spear group as a whole. Also changing that leaping lance ablity to maybe if you jump at least 10ft during a charge or Move normal you are treated as mounted would be good. not jumping off the mount.

The main problem with it is trying to fill two roles historical Dragoon where mounted soilders, and Final Fanstasy Dragoon that jump and use lances. it turned into nasty mesh. Looking at other archtype none of them that I know of limit you to one weapon from a weapon group. They all limit you a single weapon group but you get to pick the final weapon one for weapon mastery.

I got a moblity spear fighter build that is much more veristle that you chould easly swap ranged attack feats mounted ones. best with this class archtype would be to get take leadership and sometime of monster mount for cohort.

Spining lance does save you the advantage cost of enchanting more then one weapon. but you could easly use spiked guantlet, armor spikes. in its place. attack 5ft next to you.

Combat Trained lets them wear barding there a thread on the form some where about it. It give them the feats.