So it says that the mount functions like the Druid AC and your Beast Rider level is equal to your Druid level. At level 4, a Beast Rider can choose between a large selection of new mounts. Let's say I go with Tiger.
So its Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 40 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10; Special Attacks rake (1d4); Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
Except, a Medium sized Beast Rider needs to have a Large sized mount and the tiger is only Medium. So what is the process for here? Do you not go by the AC chart, and instead choose the already Large version Tiger or Dire Tiger(and its stats) or add the level 7 advancement and that's your large sized Tiger?
Honestly I'm a bit confused on how building the mount works with this guy..
Be appreciated if someone would help explain, break it down and/or even show the progression
Looks like a mistake on the writer's part. Lions and Tigers both are Medium-sized until you reach an effective druid level of 7, so they are pretty bad choices for a Beast Rider until then. In fact, the text on Exotic Mount says: Exotic Mount wrote: The animal chosen as a mount must be large enough to carry the beast rider (Medium or Large for a Small character; Large or Huge for a Medium character) That would seem to indicate that you can't even choose a lion or tiger until you get that 7th-level advancement. I'd go with one of the other options first.
the reason they are on the list at 4 is that a small rider could mount them.
No, they make a separate list for small Beast Riders and it does not include the lion or the tiger.
Medium beast riders can choose a camel or horse mount at 1st level. At 4th level, a Medium beast rider can also choose an allosaurus, ankylosaurus, arsinoitherium, aurochs, bison, brachiosaurus, elephant, glyptodon, hippopotamus, lion, mastodon, megaloceros, snapping turtle (giant), tiger, triceratops, or tyrannosaurus as his mount. Additional mounts might be available with GM approval.
That's the list.. Lion and Tiger are there...
Looking at a few of them, lion tiger, allosaurous, ankylosauros, aurochs, hippopotamus, elephant etc, none of them become large until 7th level... so how does choosing one of them work at level 4?
I've also noticed, with Order of the Beast, the 15thth lvl ability lets you change your mount into a Medium or Large sized dragon, functioning as Form of the Dragon 1, which only changes you into medium.. did a google search which seemed to clear that up, but it got me thinking...
Level 4, a Medium Beast Rider can choose from that selection of animals as a mount, except they are all medium until 7th level. So what if they become large, but dont get any stat increases until they actually hit 7th level? Seems weird still, since it goes from Medium to Large but keeps the same stats, but that's the only possibilty I can come up with, since I can't see you getting the 7th level advancement at 4th...
Unless someone else has a better explanation or knows how it really works? Checked the FAQs and there's nothing about it either so I'm at a loss..
Beast Rider is a pretty poorly written archetype and it's never been FAQ'd despite at least a couple of threads asking about it. There's never been an official comment from Paizo on it that I have seen.
As it stands, most of the creatures on the Medium character 4th level mount option list cannot even be taken until 7th level, at which point the character is already given the ability to take just about any AC he wants.
Ya, if you go by the options in that list, none of them can be taken actually, they are all Medium until 7th. Only thing I can come up with is the 4th lvl should read 7th instead. Sure you can take a Tiger, but its now an Animal Companion for 3 levels and you have no mount which defeats your main goal.
Order of the beast seems a lil bad as well. You can make your mount a large dragon, but only get the benefits for being a medium dragon, so your large horse, etc, just became a large dragon, doing a medium dragons damage...
Like someone pointed out, a small character can take one of the medium mounts at 4th level. Medium characters have to wait until 7th level to get the good ones.
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