Can someone who multiclasses as two classes that get a horse, do they get two horses?

[Michael Grate]

A friend of mine is an anti-paladin (seal-breaker) who is now also multiclassing as a samurai. Both of these gain a 'horse' (though the seal-breaker is somewhat different in that it's a resurrected undead quadruped that acts as a horse). Does he need a special feat for this (ie leadership), is there a confliction because of the differences in the two 'horses' or is this legitimate?

[Ciaran Barnes]

My suggestion is probably not backed up by the written rules, but the simplest way to avoid headaches is to let the levels in paladin and samurai stack to determine the level of the horse. The important thing is to approach your GM about it and get his or her approval.

[Nohwear]

I am not sure of the specific wording in this case, but in general the two classes would stack when determining the abilities of your horse.

[Darrell Impey UK]

Whilst I agree that they sometimes stack, things like that are usually specified within the rules. (Levels from classes that grant Uncanny Dodge stack, or similar.) And there is certainly precedent for them not stacking. (Feats which give level bumps to multiclass characters' abilities to bring them on par with single class characters requiring you to choose which class it applies to.)

Which is a long winded way of saying that reading the specific abilities carefully is probably the best way to start...

[Ciaran Barnes]

Nohwear is correct in that the levels in paladin and samurai stack for the purpose of determining the character's effective druid level. Your effective druid level is used to determine how many hit dice the mount has, as well as base attack, saving throws, and bonuses to AC, strength, and dexterity. It also determines a few other things, but all of that appears on the animal companion chart.

The one difference is that there are some benefits granted only by paladin levels, and the samurai levels do not stack for determining when these benefits are gained. So if you are a 6th level paladin and 6th level samurai, you count as being a 12th level druid, but your mount does not gain the celestial template until you have 11 actual levels in paladin.

[BigNorseWolf]

They stack, as long as they're both legal critters for the class.

A paladin and cavalier would stack... its under the druid of all places

Under druid:

Unlike normal animals of its kind, an animal companion's Hit Dice, abilities, skills, and feats advance as the druid advances in level. If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion

They FAQ'd this one

Cavalier: Do animal companion levels from the druid class stack with cavalier mount levels?

If the animal is on the cavalier mount list and on the list of animal companions for your other class, your cavalier and druid levels stack to determine the animal's abilities. If the animal is not on the cavalier mount list, the druid levels do not stack and you must have different animals (one an animal companion, one a cavalier mount).

So the question is whether the undead skeletal thing is on the cavaliers list.

I would be inclined to say yes, because taking your loyal, trusted steed and raising it as an unholy mockery of paladins mount is a very antipaladin thing to do.

[Michael Grate]

I would like to thank everyone who has posted so far but there is one issue that I should probably clarify here. What he is looking to do is use both classes to get two [technically] different creatures at the same time. In other words, could he use two different classes (in this specific case a seal-breaker anti-paladin and Samurai) to get two horses and would they both use the total effective druid level (he is level 9 total currently, 8 anti-paladin, 1 samurai) or would there be something different in this case.

Also, can he take them both with him into a dungeon at the same time by say riding one and commanding the other or is there something specific he would have to do for this to work?

[Duiker]

You get two horses only if you duct tape them together and call it Sleipnir.

[Mighty Squash]

If the different classes lead to animal companions who can't be stacked in to one, as seems to be what you are working with here, then they function separately so the samurai mount would have an effective druid level of 1.
Personally, if I was GMing, as the cavalier/samurai mount type isn't that thematically important I would simply allow them stacked in to one - but that is a call for your GM.

As for taking them both in to the dungeon at once, you would need to make handle animal checks on the samurai mount to keep it on task as it is really just an animal and will behave as such. Also, as it has only 2 HD (as an effectively 1st level animal companion), it will probably die pretty quickly.

[kestral287]

There's no scenario in which you get two separate companions using your combined level.

You can have two companions at the individual classes' levels or one companion at the total level, but not two at full level.

[Michael Grate]

Mighty Squash wrote:

If the different classes lead to animal companions who can't be stacked in to one, as seems to be what you are working with here, then they function separately so the samurai mount would have an effective druid level of 1.

Personally, if I was GMing, as the cavalier/samurai mount type isn't that thematically important I would simply allow them stacked in to one - but that is a call for your GM.

As for taking them both in to the dungeon at once, you would need to make handle animal checks on the samurai mount to keep it on task as it is really just an animal and will behave as such. Also, as it has only 2 HD (as an effectively 1st level animal companion), it will probably die pretty quickly.

So because he is using two animal companions, the effective druid level doesn't stack but instead works similar to a multi-class in that the druid levels are split among the two mounts depending on which class he takes a level in?

I just have to know what I can show him to tell him this. He read the rules on stacking druid levels between classes and they don't seem to specify one mount (though it seems to be implied) so is there anything specific that says this?

[Snorb]

Kerry the Cavalier: :D (he's straddling so that one foot is on one horse and his other foot is on another horse)

Freddy the Fighter: .....You can't be serious.

Derril the Dorfen Druid: He says he can ride two horses at once, lad. I tol' 'im that was a stupid idea. Looks like I owe him ten gold. Damn.

[kestral287]

There's an FAQ:

Quote:

Cavalier: Do animal companion levels from the druid class stack with cavalier mount levels?

If the animal is on the cavalier mount list and on the list of animal companions for your other class, your cavalier and druid levels stack to determine the animal's abilities. If the animal is not on the cavalier mount list, the druid levels do not stack and you must have different animals (one an animal companion, one a cavalier mount).
For example, if you are Medium druid and you choose a horse companion, levels in cavalier stack to determine the horse's abilities. If you are a Medium druid and you choose a bird companion, levels in cavalier do not stack to determine the bird's abilities, and you must choose a second creature to be your mount (or abandon the bird and select an animal companion you can use as a mount).
This same answer applies to multiclassed cavalier/rangers.
(Note that the design team discourages players from having more than one companion creature at a time, as those creatures tend to be much weaker than a single creature affected by these stacking rules, and add to the bookkeeping for playing that character.)

If they are on both lists: one companion at combined level.

If they are not: two companions at separate levels.

[Entryhazard]

It says it works as the Druid animal companion. If you choose a skeletal horse is reasonable to say the levels stack

[Michael Grate]

Entryhazard wrote:

It says it works as the Druid animal companion. If you choose a skeletal horse is reasonable to say the levels stack

Right, but he basically wants two (skeletal horse and regular horse).

[kestral287]

Michael Grate wrote:

Entryhazard wrote:

It says it works as the Druid animal companion. If you choose a skeletal horse is reasonable to say the levels stack

Right, but he basically wants two (skeletal horse and regular horse).

It's frankly the GM's call:

If the Skeletal Horse is close enough to 'horse' to be on the Cavalier list, he gets one mount at level 9.

If it's not, he gets two mounts, a skeletal at 8 and a horse at 1.

[Michael Grate]

kestral287 wrote:

Michael Grate wrote:

Entryhazard wrote:

It says it works as the Druid animal companion. If you choose a skeletal horse is reasonable to say the levels stack

Right, but he basically wants two (skeletal horse and regular horse).

It's frankly the GM's call:

If the Skeletal Horse is close enough to 'horse' to be on the Cavalier list, he gets one mount at level 9.

If it's not, he gets two mounts, a skeletal at 8 and a horse at 1.

We've been considering it as basically an undead horse so if he multiclassed as he is we would have considered it at level 9. The issue I'm having is that he is looking to multiclass as a samurai, take the mount one gets from becoming a samurai, and have both the undead mount and the samurai mount be level 9.

[kestral287]

Right.

As the FAQ I quoted/BigNorseWolf linked explains, it does not work like that.

There is no scenario in which a multiclass grants what he wants.

Not one. Either the levels stack to keep a single companion up to snuff, or they don't stack and you have two companions at the levels of the classes that granted them. I understand what he wants, but he can't get it through a multiclass.

[Michael Grate]

kestral287 wrote:

Right.

As the FAQ I quoted/BigNorseWolf linked explains, it does not work like that.

There is no scenario in which a multiclass grants what he wants.

Not one. Either the levels stack to keep a single companion up to snuff, or they don't stack and you have two companions at the levels of the classes that granted them. I understand what he wants, but he can't get it through a multiclass.

Thank you for the help. Thanks for the help everyone.

[Samasboy1]

kestral287 wrote:

There is no scenario in which a multiclass grants what he wants.

Not one.

Well, not multiclassing by itself. There are ways to get two full character level animal companions.

[I'm Hiding In Your Closet]

Two words: Chariot time!!!