Fighter & Druid advice?

[MelonFox]

In an upcoming campaign, each player will have access to 2 characters. As for mine, I was thinking a Fighter & a Druid.

The Fighter is to be a Kitsune who uses a spear, bastard sword & javelins.

The Druid is to be a human(?) who uses a bow(?).

The idea is that the Fighter will be using the Druid as a mount in combat. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for something like this? Good feats to pick up, items that could help, things like that.

Thank you in advance! <3

[Fruian Thistlefoot]

MelonFox wrote:

In an upcoming campaign, each player will have access to 2 characters. As for mine, I was thinking a Fighter & a Druid.

The Fighter is to be a Kitsune who uses a spear, bastard sword & javelins.

The Druid is to be a human(?) who uses a bow(?).

The idea is that the Fighter will be using the Druid as a mount in combat. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for something like this? Good feats to pick up, items that could help, things like that.

Thank you in advance! <3

If you Using the Druid as a mount why are you using a spear and not a Lance? Also the Bastard Sword requires an extra feat(unless some weird houserule).

The Druid who uses a Bow but will spend most his time Wildshaped to act as a mount.

My advice:

Don't worry about a Bow on a druid and focus on Wild Shaping and providing flank for the Fighter and your animal companion while doing damage.

For the Fighter don't spread yourself so thin trying to master so many different weapons. You could grab up mounted combat feats if you really want but your wasting the Druids potential as druid is one of the most powerful classes in pathfinder to be a mount for one of the most narrow focused and mundane classes in pathfinder.

My ending Advice:

Rethink Riding the stronger character like a mount and learn to tag team with a pissed off kitty (or other animal you transform into).

Take good feats like Outflank on Fighter, Druid, and Animal Companion.

On the Druid your 5th level feat will be natural spell of course.

On the Fighter I recommend a Big 2 handed weapon. The elven Curved blade would take an Exotic feat BUT would allow you to use Dex as your main attribute instead of Str. I recommend a Str of 13 just for Power attack and the ability to carry weight. I like Kitsune Pounce...it is a bit feat heavy but pure martial characters want pounce. they crave it and will do just about anything to get it. If you go dex Lore warden is a good choice cause you will get more out of Light armor and a huge dex. And you can pick up Combat Expertise at 2nd level that opens so many combat options.

[derpdidruid]

You will pretty much need a mule back cords and ant haul. Fighters are heavy and wild shape doesn't give you a to crazy bonus to STR.

As for the bow. Why? Just make him a wild shaping monster.

Then there's the problem of initiative when it comes to using PC's as mounts. Who's turn do you move on? Does the rider control the mount? Does the rider have to wait to attack when its the mounts turn?

[Atarlost]

Fruian Thistlefoot wrote:

Rethink Riding the stronger character like a mount and learn to tag team with a pissed off kitty (or other animal you transform into).

Don't think of the fighter as riding the druid. Think of it as the druid wearing the fighter. Movement is going to happen on the druid's initiative and based on the druid's desires. The fighter is just along for the ride making melee attacks when the druid ends his turn near an enemy, throwing stuff when it doesn't, tacking an extra strike onto his charges, and making extra AoOs for him.

A combat druid benefits greatly from having a fighter on his back for no downside. He gets more AoOs, more damage on a charge, and gets to use the fighter's ride check as his AC once per turn. And he can still cast a spell, move, and still get the fighter's attack. The fighter's full attack once he qualifies for mounted skirmisher.

He benefits a lot more from wearing a Sohei or Barbarian, though. Greater ferocious mount is a heck of a drug even if it does prevent casting. Monastic Mount is arguably even better with no downside.

I'd definitely agree on ditching the bow and bastard sword, though. You should get everything for the fighter from one weapon group. Your reach/thrown weapon group options are axes (contains bardiche and throwing axe), monk (tri-pointed double edged sword and wushu dart or shuriken), and spears (lance and ammentun or shortspear). The bow is just pointless since the druid will be shaped like a cat or dinosaur all the time starting at level 4. Just get a scimitar to hit people with until then.

You probably want a lance, trident, and a bunch of javelins with ammentum. Enhance whichever of the lance or trident you wind up using more as your primary magic weapon (it will probably wind up being the lance in the long run because it's closer to the natural reach of a huge animal, but if you mostly stick to large the trident will match range with more of them) and don't bother even getting the javelins masterwork until it becomes a trivial expense. They're just for opportunist attacks and you shouldn't invest too heavily in them. None of the thrown weapon retrieval tricks will re-wrap an ammentum on your javelin and without it the range increment in't really going to be worth the trouble: the druid will just charge the target next round and you'll want your attack action saved for sticking the lance in.

If you choose to switch to a Sohei you still care about weapon groups and spears are one of your options. If you choose to switch to barbarian the lance is still your best mounted reach choice because of its handedness and the javelin with ammentum is still your best thrown weapon. You'd pick a short range weapon other than the trident, though.

If you want a caster druid you should probably wear a reach AoO based hybrid caster build of some sort or possibly an archer. Someone that will benefit from the druid staying out of the way but won't be too uncomfortable when the druid's best choice is to put down mooks or get close to hostile squishies.

Your druid will be either a fairly standard melee druid or a caster druid modified for a strength of at least 13 (this gives 17 strength when in the form of a large bird or pteradon, which with the size adjustment gives a light load about 30 pounds above the weight of an average female kitsune. I'm having trouble finding any rules for flight and encumbrance, but I'm pretty sure you need to be in a light load. You should definitely use a female kitsune if not switch to an even lighter race.

A fighter, barbarian, or sohei would emphasize strength (for which being a kitsune is unfortunate) and take power attack, quickdraw, mounted combat, combat reflexes, and eventually mounted skirmisher (or immediately for the sohei), but everything else is optional. Iron Will is probably nice for fighters. A barbarian would obviously take ferocious mount and greater ferocious mount as well as probably the beast totem powers and probably superstition.

[claudekennilol]

Atarlost wrote:

Don't think of the fighter as riding the druid. Think of it as the druid wearing the fighter. Movement is going to happen on the druid's initiative and based on the druid's desires. The fighter is just along for the ride making melee attacks when the druid ends his turn near an enemy, throwing stuff when it doesn't, tacking an extra strike onto his charges, and making extra AoOs for him.

Uh, no. At this point it's mounted combat. It will need to follow the mounted combat rules. The druid will be going on the fighter's initiative. The fighter won't be full attacking unless he has mounted skirmisher and/or some kind of pounce ability.