PFS seems to hate mounts, and I am playing a Gendarme

[Cyrus Robbell]

I have a 2nd level human cavalier (gendarme archetype) that is focused on, you guessed it, mounted combat. I started this big mow-down-the-enemy-and-lance-as-you-pass son-of-a-gun before I realized that apparently PFS absolutely hates classes that have pets and has every single adventure either in a cave or a library or somewhere else that horses just plain aren't allowed.

My plan was to go four levels of cavalier to qualify for Horse Master, then take a fifth level for the bonus feat gendarme gets and an improvement on my order's ability (order of the sword, fifth level'd let me get +2 to attacking my challenges), then finish the rest of the way with fighter for bonus feats galore.

My plan also was to be incredibly mounted focused. Old-school, knight style. Got me? My feats so far: Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge.

But I can't seem to take my mount ANYWHERE in PFS. Or if I do, I go into a cave, come out, and where's my mount? Who knows, cause the exit of said cave is nowhere near the exit.

Sure would be nice if I could just plan an Ocarina and have him come running like Epona.

Alas, I don't think that's an option, so does anyone know any magic items, tactics, or other ways of skirting around the "We Hate Horses" rules that PFS has?

I am already 2nd level, or believe me, I'd consider switching to a gnome and riding a dog. Actually...I wouldn't. I hate gnomes. But a halfling, maybe. In either case, it's not an option. Plus, I don't want the reduced damage potential if it were. Just my luck, they'd put up a "We Hate Dogs" sign, and I'd be down 4 strength (I put my +2 human bonus into strength) for nothing.

[Name Violation]

There's a great the mount can take called narrow frame. Let's it fit anywhere a medium creature can.

Get a wand or some scrolls of carry companion

[Name Violation]

Give the mount a 3 int so it can take whatever feats it wants.

[drbuzzard]

Considering the Pathfinder Society is about delving into tombs, ruins, and such place in search of historical facts and relics, I'm not quite sure how you expected any other situation. There are a number of adventures when you have outdoor combats though. I imagine you've just not hit those.

But yeah, narrow frame can give some relief.

[Cyrus Robbell]

Name Violation wrote:

There's a great the mount can take called narrow frame. Let's it fit anywhere a medium creature can.

Get a wand or some scrolls of carry companion

What book is that in? For PFS I need to at least have a PDF of it at-table to use.

[Name Violation]

Animal archive. Also had the new mount tricks

It's a must have book for anyone with an animal companion or mount

Yes it's pfs legal.

[Fomsie]

Narrow frame just removes the AC and attack roll penalties from squeezing, it still costs the extra movement. It also does nothing to alleviate the overall space/shape issues that plague many PF APs in general that just do not support mounted activity.

Mounted character types have always been somewhat awkward in the game, going back to the original Cavalier several editions ago, because so little adventure time is spent in open areas suitable for mounts. And considering the original title includes "Dungeons" in the name, introducing a character class based on riding a mount and needing open space has always seemed a bit silly, when most of the activities tend to take place in them.

[Lamontius]

Cyrus Robbell wrote:

Sure would be nice if I could just plan an Ocarina and have him come running like Epona.

Alas, I don't think that's an option, so does anyone know any magic items, tactics, or other ways of skirting around the "We Hate Horses" rules that PFS has?

What you're looking for is the Hosteling Armor enchantment from Ultimate Equipment combined with the Narrow Frame feat.

[Imbicatus]

You could just use a riding dog as your mount and have a wand of reduce person to be able to ride it when needed. Have the dog run under you and then you shrink down on to it.

[Name Violation]

With narrow frame, the mount squeezes into a medium space and can do the dungeon crawl with you. It doesn't solve all the problems, but helps.

Also get potions of fly or scrolls of air walk for the mount until you can afford some house shoes of cool stuff

[Hayato Ken]

Quesion is, what race and size is your character and what race and size is your mount?
I´m playing a halfling cavalier with a wolf right now.

In Animal Archive, there are also archetypes and an alternative progression for animal companions and mounts.
You can take the charger archetype and get some good stuff there.
Also a good tip is to get a small character with a medium mount and keep it medium. The mount will miss on STR and CON then, but as a mount you can keep it better.

If you are willing to somehow achieve a STR of 15, take improved unarmed strike and 3 points in acrobatics as well as INT 3 you can have dragon style on your mount and ignore difficult terrain for charging.

Alternatively get a wand of featherstep.

If you have a horse or pony you can get horseshoes of a zephyr later.

[Raymond Lambert]

A large size will always be problematic. Weather that be from permanent enlarge or something else. Maybe narrow profile from animal archive might be helpful. Even as a gnome on a medium sized Eidolon, I find it hard to charge. Please learn the rules for charge. It amazes me how many people don't know them and try to cheat. You need an entirely clear charge space encompassing the entire witdh of your charging body. Nit just a clearine if string. You cannot charge through allies. It us two different things to move or charge through an ally. You cannot charge through an ally, atrast nit without somtbing special. 

[Magda Luckbender]

If you want to play a mounted PC in PFS then you are best playing a Small character riding a Medium mount. That works well. The various ways to squeeze a large mount into a dungeon ... not so much.

[sunbeam]

What stops you from just having a riding dog if you are a medium Cavalier? You could buy a mount just as easily as another character, your mounted feats will work just fine, at least as well as another class' would for the most part.

Later on you could get a real flying mount, and still keep your attack dog.

[The Beard]

Should've gone halfling for a medium mount.

[LazarX]

Cyrus, PFS does not "hate" mounted characters.

Fact of the matter is, from your point of view, the world is divided into two types of player characters, the mounted folk, and the pedestrians. The bulk of player characters are unfortunately pedestrians, and that is how the modules are going to be written with that in mind.

The campaign simply does not have the flexibility to deal with every type of character so the more marginal ones are going to find constraints, it's not generally a good idea to build yourself as exclusively a mounted character, which cavaliers are not, given the class has a lot of features that don't depend on the mount.

[Sir Thugsalot]

Gnomes on badgers rock.

[Fomsie]

Badgers? We don't need no stinking badgers.

[Kazmüd Khazmüd]

Sounds like your best best is to tough it out until you can buy armor of hosteling. It stores your animal in the armor until you're ready to let her go. Even better than that ocarina imho.