Unicorn cohort as a paladin mount?

[flamewolf393]

So I wanted a unicorn as my paladin mount. My DM said if I use leadership to get a unicorn cohort (at the appropiate level) I could declare that as my paladin mount. How would the mechanics for this work? Does it start as the base unicorn creature and then add the entire animal companion chart (up to my level) to its stats? That would give it the base 4HD plus the 9HD from the chart. Or do I just take the 4HD and advance it up to the appropriate 9HD for my level?

Then how does leveling up work? Cohorts are always two levels below you and can have class levels. Do I give it appropriate cohort class levels AND continue to advance it on the animal companion chart as well? Imagine a unicorn paladin mount with level in paladin itself.

Edit: the problem is the dm does not know how this should work either. The unicorn will be permanent and level appropriately as I do, but does it level as both the mount and the cohort at the same time, getting the benefits of both?

[thebigragu]

Get clear with your DM what he meant. My reading is that you expend your Cohort benefit from Leadership to gain a Unicorn as a Bonded Mount instead of the typical horse. Not a bad deal. Bonded Mount has some perks a Cohort doesn't. I assume you still get Followers.

[thebigragu]

Cohorts are great, I gots one! But really, using the Bonded Mount rules is so much simpler anyway.

[Volaran]

Yeah, I'd interpret that as the paladin having a unicorn cohort who accepts being a mount, rather than it also being a 'Paladin Mount' as per the class feature. Advancement would be as a cohort.

On the bright side, this might mean you can take the weapon bond as well. Not a bad investment for Leadership if your GM is behind it.

If your GM feels that it is powerful enough that it should count as a both a cohort and a paladin mount, I would suggest generally leveling it as a cohort, but allowing it the Link, and Share Spells abilities. I'd considered suggesting Devotion as well, but a Unicorn has an ongoing Magic Circle against evil effect anyway.

(A unicorn with class levels sounds pretty cool actually. Unicorn paladin with the weapon Sacred Bond on their horn...or a ranger unicorn...now I have to go write down some NPC ideas..)

[thebigragu]

My current character is as Volaran describes, though not with a unicorn. The main thing I'm missing is the level. Leadership is a 7th level feat and Bond is a 5th level benefit. What are you doing? I wanted a Paladin with a mount and bonded weapon, which is why I chose Leadership.

[flamewolf393]

Problem if I do it as just a straght cohort is the low hitpoints. As a level 9 party the unicorn would only have 4 hit dice. It would go down in just one or two hits. Thats why Im trying to beef it up as the mount as well.

[Volaran]

Keep in mind, if you're riding it, and have mounted combat, you can negate one hit per round with a successful check, and the unicorn has a fair amount of self-healing available.

If your GM agrees that it would be underpowered, and is making you use both the mount ability and leadership, then I would suggest compromising with a few extra hit dice initially (or maybe just treat the unicorn's hit points as the max possible for its starting hit dice).