Hi there,
Since we will start a new campaign in the next weeks I'm thinking about a new character concept.
Since my last characters were all skill-based or caster I want to go with a mundane front-liner, this time.
I'm currently still working on the backstory, but I already have a very fix idea of the gameplay side.
My idea was a (medium sized) armored character who fights in tandem with a wild beast which he can also ride (best would be from start^^).
My first idea was the beast rider archetype of the Cavalier which really fits the idea thematically.
Unfortunately after checking the class rules and some forum posts I saw that this class is a hoax in some way…
While it sounds nice at first, the rule state that I can only use a horse at level 1 and get the ability to get a "monster-mount" (e.g. a Lion or Tiger) only at Level 7. :(
Did any of you guys have an idea which class/archetype would fit my idea?
I would suggest taking a look at the Mother's Fang archetype and the mammoth rider prestige class. Both of these give you animal companion options beyond just a horse.
The Monstrous Mount and Beast Rider feats grant additional options, but require you to be 4th and 7th level respectively which isn't much better then the cavalier option you've already explored.
I have some beast rider builds that I posted here but to be perfectly honest one of them delays getting a mount until 4th level and the other one uses a feat in a questionable manner in order to start off with a mount. So, they may not be quite what you're looking for. Though, you could always drop the heritage feats from build #2 and it remains perfectly serviceable, just a little weaker in the long run.
My gut would be that a mad dog barbarian might be what you want.
Most animal companions that are good at combat aren't going to be sized properly for a medium character to ride out of the gate though. Very few of the animal companions start out large.
Thank you for the suggestions.
The Mad Dog was also something I was looking in, but I wanted more of a classic fighter or even better knight (theme wise).
Looking over the animal companion list at d20PFSRD.com, only camels, horses, and seahorses start at Large. 4th level is the earliest that anything else becomes Large, and the majority of "monster mounts" seem to come online at 7th.
What about just a fighter going with the Animal Ally feat line? 3 feats for a full AC, but a fighter can afford that.
Still no riding a tiger before 7th (without undersized mount anyway) but that is a general problem.
Yeah, it wouldn't be a problem for me to run the first few levels "only" with "combat buddy", but I hoped to find a way to get a monster mount before level 7. :(
This would be a possible way, but I would like to have the companion as a class features.
Maybe I have to talk with my DM about it (e.g. taking the Beast Rider, but with a medium companion at first).
What about a divine commander warpriest?
You get a full animal companion at level 1 and heavy armor to start with. Some teamwork abilities that will help with mount coordination. Since the best use of Warpriest spells is usually buffs, you don't really need very much WIS so you aren't a lot more MAD than a martial and your spells (swift action for yourself) can keep you competitive.
For riding at 1st level I could see two possibilities, one is undersized mount, although if you go with heavy armor and a medium character encumbrance is going to be an issue for your mount. The feat could be retrained once you hit 7.
The second is ask your DM if he is OK with you riding your mount for 'flavor' but not mechanics. Basically when traveling and what not you ride him, but in any combat situation you won't. Flavor wise it could be treated as if he could carry you, but basically would be slowed down so in a combat situation you won't ride him until he matures further. I would be perfectly fine with that as a GM, and it would give you the 'Tiger Rider' motif from the beginning without changing anything mechanically.
Is it important to constantly be riding your mount, or just in combat? Goliath druids get enlarge person, get dino mounts, and can cast enlarge person on their mount. With a little bit of pre-combat prep you could be riding your mount for most combats even at level 1 (also, goliath druids are pretty good already).
Dire collars are fairly cheap options for the 5-7 range as you wait for your mount to hit large, consider picking up 1-3.
If that doesn't work, I believe chariots can be pulled by medium animals, giving you a psudo mounted combat for early levels.
The Divine Commander is a really good idea, I will take a look into this, thank you a lot. Same with the "talk to your DM" suggestion, since I don't really want to ride the companion in battle, more as a fluff thing when traveling around. :)