Mounted Combat Nature Oracle

[ZanThrax]

Is it reasonable to build an Aasimar Nature Oracle into a mounted combatant? I'm not sure if there's enough feats to allow her to be effective. If it's doable, is it better done as an archer or a charger? Right off the top, the lack of bow & lance proficiencies seem to be a hindrance to making this work. If not, is it feasible for the Oracle to be casting while her horse is charging around, kicking and biting?

[Ahuru Mazda XTREME]

I wouldn't purely because the mount functions as your oracle level -3 (or -2 don't remember). Technically speaking yes you could cast spells while riding your mount, but IMO it should take a concentration check. That's just me though. I'd say it isn't really viable, but I suppose a faster movement speed due to a mount while casting from its back is better than nothing.

[GM Arkwright]

The Nature Oracle mount actually functions at full druid level.

Your difficulties will be no bonus feats, and 2/4 BAB, not great ingredients for a mounted combatant.

[Devastation Bob]

But if you're an aasimar, you can apply the feat that gives your mount the celestial template while still treating it as a regular animal for class abilities like animal friend (which i think is the one that buffs their saves...)

[ZanThrax]

GM Arkwright wrote:

Your difficulties will be no bonus feats, and 2/4 BAB

3/4. But yeah, the small selection of feats is what has me concerned. I could focus on casting, but would that prevent my mount from going to town on the enemies? Because with it progressing at a 3:2 rate, he should be getting pretty dangerous.

[ZanThrax]

Devastation Bob wrote:

But if you're an aasimar, you can apply the feat that gives your mount the celestial template while still treating it as a regular animal for class abilities like animal friend (which i think is the one that buffs their saves...)

I definitely would get that feat at some point.

I'm also wondering what would be the best feats to get for the mount. And if he should actually be played as a mount, or just as an animal friend. A small Aasimar can have a wolf instead of a horse after all.

[soupturtle]

I think as an aasimar oracle of nature you have so many ways to make your mount awesome that you definitely want to use your feats for that primarily. But your mount becomes so incredibly awesome that it will be a fine melee combatant in its own right, so you don't really have to worry about having few feats left.

That said, good strength and power attack are easy to get, and will already get you some spectacular charges with a lance. Beyond that, you could consider combat reflexes for some extra hits. I would play it a bit like the reach cleric from the interesting guide by Brewer. Play a part caster (with lots of buffing your companion or party members and summoning) part melee (mainly through AoOs) and let your companion do the serious hitting.

I don't think you can get a wolf as a mount though. Unless you're houseruling it in some way, I don't think there's such a thing as a small aasimar. So you'll have to make do with a basic horse. If you're in an outdoors campaign though, you might want to dip (or even switch to) the Mammoth Rider prestige class at some point.

[Devastation Bob]

Play the mount, the aasimar is his sidekick.

[ZanThrax]

Is the lance good enough to spend a feat on proficiency?

[sunbeam]

Devastation Bob wrote:

But if you're an aasimar, you can apply the feat that gives your mount the celestial template while still treating it as a regular animal for class abilities like animal friend (which i think is the one that buffs their saves...)

This is the feat:

"Celestial Servant (Aasimar)

Rather than being a normal animal or beast, your companion or familiar hails from the heavenly realms.

Prerequisites: Aasimar, animal companion, familiar, or mount class feature.

Benefit: Your animal companion, familiar, or mount gains the celestial template and becomes a magical beast, though you may still treat it as an animal when using Handle Animal, wild empathy, or any other spells or class abilities that specifically affect animals."

It's a really good feat. As I read it, becoming a Magical Beast gives you full bab, and d10 hit dice.

It also changes your skill points.

[ZanThrax]

I actually missed that the feat changes the mount's type. No change to she skill points, but it looks like it should improve the BAB to equal to hit dice which is a huge change for a mount. And I think that I now have yet another bug to submit for Hero Lab.

[RainyDayNinja]

I have one at level 5 in PFS that's pretty awesome. Granted, I've only played her once (the rest was from GM credit), but she kicked butt.

The concentration check for casting while riding a mount is only 10+Spell Level. Pick up Focused Mind or Abendego Spellpiercer for a trait if you're really worried about it (Combat Casting doesn't help).

After the first level of Oracle, I took 1 level of Cavalier*, with the Emissary archetype. That got me martial weapon proficiency, some bonus feats for mounted combat, and some other little stuff from the order.

Then for all my Oracle levels, use the special Aasimar favored class bonus to increase my level by 1/2 for the purpose of one revelation (in this case, Bonded Mount). So at level 5, I have an effective druid level of 7, plus the Celestial template from the Celestial Servant feat. Focusing on buff spells means I can turn my mount into a killing machine, or I can do melee myself when we're separated. I plan on eventually going into the Mammoth Rider prestige class at level 10. Mmm...

*I didn't start with Cavalier, because their mounts don't gain Share Spells at level 1. I wanted to make sure I already had it from the Oracle level. I'm not sure if that was strictly necessarily, but I'm playing it safe.

sunbeam wrote:

It's a really good feat. As I read it, becoming a Magical Beast gives you full bab, and d10 hit dice.

It also changes your skill points.

No, it only changes the type, not the basic rules of animal companion stats. But it's broken enough as it is.