Question on my Paladin and his mount.

[Dalrick Mordon]

Ok first off I am sorry if this has been brought up to clarified already but I was not able to find any recent posts that give an answer to my question.

Now I have a Paladin 5/ ranger 2. I took 4 Levels in Paladin then level 5-6 in Ranger. Upon reaching level 7 I took my 5th level in paladin thus allowing me an animal companion, my level 7 feat was also boon companion which negates the rangers -3 ratio for animal companions.

Now in the core rule book it says all my paladin levels count towards effective druid levels for choosing a mount and with boon companion my ranger levels stack so I can choose a level 7 mount. I took a Large cat, since at level 7 it is now a large creature which is what the criteria is for a paladin to have it.

I just wanted to make sure this all seemed correct so when I show up at Gen Con with this character people are not call me a cheater or anything.

[BigNorseWolf]

I think you can use the Ranger levels for your paladin horse (since horse would be a legal option for both) but I know you cannot use your paladin levels for your large cat because large cat is not a paladin legal steed, sorry.

You're not alone, this has come up a LOT.

[Lab_Rat]

^This.

You can either have a lvl 2 ranger animal companion (any animal on animal companion list) or a lvl 7 Paladin animal companion (horse or camel).

[EDWARD DEANGELIS]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

I think you can use the Ranger levels for your paladin horse (since horse would be a legal option for both) but I know you cannot use your paladin levels for your large cat because large cat is not a paladin legal steed, sorry.

You're not alone, this has come up a LOT.

But where does it state that it is not a legal steed? In the rule book it says it is "Usually" A heavy Horse, it does not say it has to be, and the only reason it is Usually, is because at that level that is one of the few large creatures available. If you do it that way with the Ranger and Boon companion you Gain your mount at lvl 7 and a Large cat at Lvl 7 is large.

[BigNorseWolf]

from the FAQ: As a paladin or cavalier, what mount can I have?

As a paladin, your divine bond mount must be at least one size category larger than you starting at 1st level. If you’re a Medium PC, your mount must be Large. If you’re a Small PC, your mount must be at least Medium. You may only select a mount from the listed mounts on page 63 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook unless another source grants access to additional creature choices. As a cavalier, you may select a mount from those listed on page 33 of the Advanced Player's Guide. No additional mounts are legal in Pathfinder Society Organized Play except when granted from another legal source.

[EDWARD DEANGELIS]

Ok , thank you that is what I was looking for, could not find the FAQ at first. Damn that makes me sad, but now the question is what do I do with my character who already has the Cat and has used him in few sessions. Do I need to remake him or what?

[BigNorseWolf]

EDWARD DEANGELIS wrote:

Ok , thank you that is what I was looking for, could not find the FAQ at first. Damn that makes me sad, but now the question is what do I do with my character who already has the Cat and has used him in few sessions. Do I need to remake him or what?

Well, the bad news is that you can't have the cat (baring some funky archetype that i'm not aware of). You have 2 levels of ranger, which doesn't get you an animal companion. You lost your meow mix and he's not following you around anymore.

The good news is that you took the boon feat illegally, since you don't have the pre prequisite of an animal companion to get the boon (a divine bond: horse isn't the same thing), so you're not out a feat that you can't use.

[Victor Zajic]

I think that paladin mount qualifies you for boon companion. Otherwise cavaliers and samurai couldn't take the feet to improve their 'Mounts'

[Bbauzh ap Aghauzh]

The mount class feature, as far as I'm aware, can qualify you for the Boon Companion feat.

Edward, you do not need to remake your character. Just dismiss your cat and build a horse. The horse just won't come with all his tricks (use the FAQ that tells you how to train a new AC for tricks).