By eldritch knight I don't necessarily mean the PrC. I just mean an arcane spellcaster who can also do melee. In this case, on a mount.
The idea just occurred to me, but I have no idea how you'd do it. I was thinking cavelier/wizard or sorcerer/EK, but I'd have to take 4 levels in cavelier early on for horse master.
So, pathfinder community, how could this be done?
What about all those fighter archetypes based around mounts? Was there an FAQ to give them mounts even though they didn't get them before? Maybe they'd work.
You could go for an Oracle of Nature and use divine spells, of course. Just pick up heavy armour proficiency and you're good to go - or stick to a breastplate, since you'll be able to get Cha to AC, anyway. That should max out even a mithril breastplate, at higher levels. If you're an Elf, you could take the Ancient Lorekeeper archetype and get your favourite arcane spells added to your spell list, without spell failure.
Anyone: Take the appropriate monster cohort
Summoner: Obviously, a beastlike eidolon
Wizard/Witch: Craft Construct, or Craft Wonderous item to make figurines of wonderous power.
Necromancer: Zombie horse/skeltal horse
Conjurer: Ride summons, Mount, Phantasmal Steed, Planar Ally
Illusionist: Shadow Conjuration, Simulacrum
Enchanter: Dominate Monster, Charm Monster
Transmuter: (Permanent) animated object
Sorcerer: As above, plus the sylvan wildblooded bloodline for the animal companion, then use boon comapnion.
Bard: Dirge bard or Animal Speaker, maybe?
Tangaroa wrote: Anyone: Take the appropriate monster cohort
Summoner: Obviously, a beastlike eidolon
Wizard/Witch: Craft Construct, or Craft Wonderous item to make figurines of wonderous power.
Necromancer: Zombie horse/skeltal horse
Conjurer: Ride summons, Mount, Phantasmal Steed, Planar Ally
Illusionist: Shadow Conjuration, Simulacrum
Enchanter: Dominate Monster, Charm Monster
Transmuter: (Permanent) animated object
Sorcerer: As above, plus the sylvan wildblooded bloodline for the animal companion.
Bard: Dirge bard or Animal Speaker, maybe?
The problem with a lot of these is "great, I have a mount, but I'm too squishy to do mounted ANYTHING."
I'll have to look at Ancient Lorekeeper. You made it sound great. I would say no normally to divine casters for this idea, but if I can get some arcane spells... Yay.
Take toughness?
If you are looking for a BAB>.75 and d8 HD or greater, you can also do a Nagaji aspirant druid - another divine caster with arcane spells (without a level bump, like the lorekeeper).
A lot of this depends on what you want each piece for. What spells and abilities are you looking for out of arcane? What do you need out of mounted melee?
The easiest build if you want to stay true arcane is to go summoner. 3/4 bab and d8 plus arcane spells including some nice buffs and controls. Top that off with a super speedy/resistant eidolon and the stats/feats you want for melee.
Otherwise I'd go elven nature oracle. It's awesome, but you're only pretendig to be arcane.
If this isn't PFS, which it isn't, can I do a scion of humanity aasimar, take racial heritage elf, and use the ancient Lorekeeper? I just remembered the celestial servant feat.
Tangaroa wrote: Take toughness?
If you are looking for a BAB>.75 and d8 HD or greater, you can also do a Nagaji aspirant druid - another divine caster with arcane spells (without a level bump, like the lorekeeper).
There's two problems with this...
1. Druids aren't based around mounted combat (i.e. I'd be squandering the hordes of other abilities).
2. Someone in the game I might use this in is already doing a Druid. Perhaps I should have mentioned that earlier.
I'll look at that archetype again, but I don't think it fits.
So far I'm leaning towards ancient lorewarden
Are you permitted 3rd party material, and how castery do you want to be. The supergenius Dragon Rider is a 4 level caster (like a paladin) Full bab d10 hd character who's focus is a dragon mount. So if you dont mind just 4 levels of spell casting, it is a great option.
Kolokotroni wrote: Are you permitted 3rd party material, and how castery do you want to be. The supergenius Dragon Rider is a 4 level caster (like a paladin) Full bab d10 hd character who's focus is a dragon mount. So if you dont mind just 4 levels of spell casting, it is a great option. Nope, no 3rd party. If I could have, I would have loved to make a dragon rider. They're so cool :P I don't have to be too castery, but if like it to be either arcane or divine with some arcane. No paladin with the mount.
I Hate Nickelback wrote: By eldritch knight I don't necessarily mean the PrC. I just mean an arcane spellcaster who can also do melee. In this case, on a mount.
The idea just occurred to me, but I have no idea how you'd do it. I was thinking cavelier/wizard or sorcerer/EK, but I'd have to take 4 levels in cavelier early on for horse master.
So, pathfinder community, how could this be done?
It can be done with considerable sacrifice of magical ability. You just have to figure out how much magic you're willing to give up to take the levels in the classes you need, in this case either cavalier, or samurai.
Your other options would be go Magus, scrapping the EK route altogether (if you want to be serious about melee and not just a wizard poseur), and seek the alliance of a suitable powerful creature that would be willing to demean itself to the status of being your mount. (for presumably a suitably huge reward or favor)
Maybe I could pull off a sylvan sorcerer eldritch knight...
... But I hate the fey bloodline. What bloodlines would be an effective mix with sylvan for a mounted build?
The best mounted arcane caster would probably be a summoner, with the obvious benefits of bigger Hit Dice, better BAB progression and light armor proficiency, comparing him with a sorcerer. Eldrich knight and sylvan bloodline will not really work well because EK does not raise the lvl of your companion. I also like the half-elven Wild Caller archetype for the mounted summoner. Only drawback I can think of is that you don't start to play mounted, you must wait until your 8th lvl.
Here is a build of a mounted summoner made by Wiggz.
Half-Elven 19th level Wild Caller Summoner / 1st level Dragoon Fighter
Attributes: (20 point buy)
STR - 16 (+2 racial mod, +2 @ 11th, 15th & 17th level)
DEX - 12
CON - 14
INT - 12
WIS - 8
CHA - 13 (+1 @ 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th & 20th)
Traits:
Reactionary
Focused Mind (even better Opportunistic Gambler if it is allowed)
Feats:
1st - Arcane Strike
1st - Skill Focus: Survival
3rd - Power Attack
5th - Furious Focus
7th - Eldritch Heritage: Orc Bloodline
9th - Mounted Combat
9th - Skill Focus: Ride
9th - Ride-By Attack
11th - Improved Eldritch Heritage: Orc Bloodline
13th - Extra Evolution
15th - Extra Evolution
17th - Greater Eldritch Heritage: Orc Bloodline
19th - Quicken Spell
Dragoon is taken at 9th lvl.
There's a feat chain (2 feats) that lets you get a pet at level -3, which can be fixed with yet another feat. A mounted magus would be interested. (Though I'm not sure if you could spell strike and spell combat with a lance, technically.)
Magi can Spell Combat/Strike with a lance on a mount, as while on a mount it is considered a 1h weapon for feats and effects. There is an FAQ about it somewhere, but I can't find it right now.
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