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@Selvaxri: Consider delaying your mounted feats until at least 4th level. Through 3rd level your mount will be Medium and thus too small to ride.
I'm building this character fresh at Lvl 9, so the whole feat progression is moot; just adds a sense of order as to how this character developed. True, i could have taken "Mounted combat" at 7th lvl vs 1st...
I don't need to ride my Axe Beak around, we could just charge in tandem. Riding would just give me a boost in speed.
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Riding also guarantees that your threatened spaces always overlap, guaranteeing those sweet dual +4 to hit Paired Opportunist Attacks of Opportunity.
I found that the axe-beaks contributions on its own turn were small compared to its contribution on the GM's turn.
Axe Beak: Special Charge & Trip attack, performed at 10' reach.
Danger from Foes: Your charge target can 5' step and attack, unless either your axe beak or you managed to trip it. Hopefully you finished your charge such that all other foes must cross your reach screen to attack. You present a tempting target, but your enhanced double reach screen will drop many foes before they can close the gap to attack you. Wise foes will refuse to approach and will find some other way to harm you.
Your next round: You hopefully now have several prone foes within easy 5' step + reach. You and your mount both Full Attack, with special attention given to standing targets. Prone targets are basically harmless until they stand up, which will bring them an almost-automatic 40 hp damage.
At 9th level you and your mount both get a 2nd iterative attack. Axe beak gets 4 AoOs & you'll probably get 3 AoOs. If foes draw every AoO, which sometimes happens, you'll get a total of 11 attacks in one round. Some may be trips. Each attack will hit for about ~20 hp. This assumes your pet takes the feats Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, and Paired Opportunists. Pretty respectable.
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You occupy the spaces in your mounts area too. So you ARE adjacent to the mount at all times. So there's no issue there.
Yep, that's the big plus of being mounted. When mounted your threatened zone always match up just right for teamwork feats.
Spirited Charge is something you do on your turn, while Paired Opportunists applies mostly during the GM's turn. Again, this pet approach gets the most done during the GM's turn.
My experience is that the Ride By Attack/Spirited Charge feat line does not shine for this pet approach. Double damage seems great. The problem is that you can't reliably charge, and sometimes you won't want to even when you can. Paired Opportunists accomplishes much the same thing (more damage per strike attempt plus better chance to trip) with higher reliability. That's been my experience, anyway.
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Hey, here's a thought, why it get the training enchant of spirited charge? You just need to qualify to use it, which you will once you take ride by attack. Save you a feat space and putting it on the weapon you plan on charging with just makes sense
This is Ironfang Invasion... we really haven't had the chance to sit down and just craft for weeks on end. We have befriended a few wizards, but we [the party] are so far from the main camp, we can't just run to camp, ask for the enhancement, and just sit around.
@magda- Do you think it'd we be worth it to go after the Mounted Skirmisher feat? i won't be able to get it until 15th [as it requires Ride 14 Ranks]
Human 18 (+2R, +1@4), 12 Dex, 14 Con, 13 Int, 14 Wis (+1@8), 10 Cha
Hunter-
1> Power Attack, Combat Expertise
2> *Outflank
3> Combat Reflexes, *Pack Flanking
4> -
5> ??
6> *Paired Opportunist
7> Mounted Combat
8> -
9> Vital Strike/Trick Riding? *Escape Route?
Axe Beak:
21 Str/19 Dex/16 Con/3 Int/11 Wis/10 cha
Toughness, Iron Will, Body Guard, (Valiant Steed)??
I still have one available Feat slot, and honestly don't think Ride-by-Attack would be worth it, especially if this prospective build is all about AoO's. Is there any feats that reduce ACP's while riding? I'd rather not take the Charger archetype, as Spell Sharing may be very useful.
Mounted skirmisher lets you take a full move and a full attack - but you can take a half move when mounted (30' on an axe beak w/longstrider) and a full attack without any feat. How large are the battle maps you're running into there?
& yes, you're going to want improved spell sharing. Which means you need to keep spell sharing.
Armored rider exists but you might prefer skill focus (ride) over it since that's about to become a +6 bonus. With a little rearranging that could mean your character might be a half-elf rather than a human if you like. Or, if you prefer, a human with the alt racial trait which gives you multiple skill focus feats.
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I was considering Animal Affinity for the +2 Handle Animal/Ride.
I could go Focused Study and get SF Handle Animal and SF Ride, then also take Heart of the Wilderness... since last time, my arcanist couldn't roll a death save over 10...
1> Combat Expertise, +Skill Focus (Handle Animal)
2> *Outflank
3> Combat Reflexes
4> -
5> Power Attack/Animal Affinity
6> *Paired Opportunist
7> Mounted Combat
8> +Skill Focus (Ride)
9> Trick Riding, *Escape Route
Alt. Racial Trait: Focused Study, Heart of the Wilderness
Traits: Armored Rider, ??, Unbreakable Survivor*
Why a feat to improve handle animal? It's a class skill for you, you get a +4 to use it on your animal companion and the DC in combat tops out at 12 for anything important. Out of combat the highest DC is 20 and you can probably take 10. Unless you're going for beastmaster style (and you're not) I don't see the need. Even with Cha 7 you can't really use more than 6 ranks, and you're 9th level.
Perception or stealth are opposed checks (or ones whose DC tends to get higher at higher levels) for the most part, either likes a feat if you've got one going free. You could knock skill checks on sense motive or on one knowledge skill out of the park.
Dunno what the unbreakable survivor trait is, but the narrows survivor trait might be it or might just be otherwise useful to you. It means you come from a dangerous neighbourhood and gives you +1 init., +1 sense motive and makes sense motive a class skill.
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Unbreakable Survivor is a campaign trait for this AP. it allows me, as a full round action, to immediately recover my con bonus plus HD as HP. as well as getting a +1 Dip/Int bonus towards Nirmathas inhabitants.
[I got a GM Boon from PaizoCon a couple years back at allowed me to take an Ironfang Invasion trait as playable in PFS... gave this one to my Ratfolk Barbarian.)
Not many of the other campaign traits are fitting, but there is Ironfang Survivor (+2 Dodge bonus vs Goblinoids; reroll Int/SM/Stealth vs Goblinoids 1PD) or World Weary (pic one- App/Heal/K.Hist/SM/Surv as Class Skill, +4 AC bonus to Aid Another)
@pad300- a Cavalier dip wouldn't hurt, but it doesn't bring much to the table.
Honestly the biggest benefit it would give me- a "third" teamwork feat, and the whole "no acp while mounted". imo, Orders would mostly restrict this character -doesn't feel like a character that would be bound to any tennants. If i were to go Cavalier, Order of the Beast (ACP), Green, or Reins would probably be the best bet for this character.
i am honestly, still dubious as to the purposes and effectiveness of Sense Motive. And if i go with a Cavalier dip, which has Sense Motive as a Class Skill, i can just get Reactionary.
Guerilla Mender seems somewhat fitting as a secondary trait- especially if i'm reliant on my Axe Beak.
Now there's also the skirmisher tricks i can teach my Axe Beak... Sic'Em seems rather prudent.
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Okay, I ran the numbers adding a dip of Cavalier. Biggest downside- loosing a spell slot.
Upsides? No ACP while Riding, AC gets Light Armor Prof, AC uses my Ride modifier for Acrobatics/Swim, and some other Challenge Bonuses [Seriously leaning towards Order of the Reins.]
so, yea- i'm thinking a cavalier dip would be helpful.
Didn't you have a trait which eliminated ACP for riding? Not for heavy armor but then you don't have proficiency anyway, or for shields - so use a darkwood or mithral shield if you use one at all. Light armor prof for an animal companion hardly matters, just get armor with no ACP for it. The mount getting acrobatics/swim and the challenge bonus is a definite plus I admit.
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I could have taken the Armored Rider trait, but with a 12 Dex my Initiative bonus is gonna suck. So Reactionary is a better trade off.
I may also take Improved Initiative over Power Attack at this point.
I'd also have to confer with the GM about availability of Darkwood/Mithral in the area we're in. Besides, i'm also going with a Reach build. Though, a quickdraw shield and a close range weapon as backup wouldn't hurt.
Light Armor proficiency isn't be-all/end-all, but we have a set of unfinished barding in another camp- why let it go to waste?
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UPDATE- so i got to play this character yesterday during the campaign, and the GM approved some reasonable gear requests- a +1 Weapon, +1 Armor, and a +2 Belt.
A friend and i laughed at the possibility of exploiting my request, and i could have gotten a Belt of Physical Perfection +2... but decided not to get the GM ideas for the campaign i'm running. So, with a Dex of 12, i opted for heavy armor- +1 Full Plate.
I have a +1 Glaive, and a Belt of Str +2, and salvaged a Cloak and RoP+1 from the fallen.
Well, in this leg of the campaign- i discovered the biggest weakness of this build: no ranged capabilities. We were fighting wyvern-riding hobgoblins. Thankfully, the Wyverns didn't have reach- so they had to get within mine :D.
With 12 Dex, i don't have nearly the number of AoO's my Axe beak does... not unless i use an Animal Focus.
We happened across their camp, and thought one of two things when we say three mature and three juvenille Wyverns; and opted to test out the option that would have lead to the least amount of combat- freeing the younglings, hoping the older would flee with... but nope.
My character failed a fort save- rolled a nat 1- and took a major 4 Con damage and suffered one more infliction of the poison, taking his con down to 8. Bear Aspect kept his Con at a decent level for a majority of the fight, before he managed to shake off the poison.
Even though i wasn't doing as much damage as the Bloodrager did before he died- 1d10+6 [+18 w/ PA] with my Glaive, and 1d8+6 from my Axe beak, the +4 to hit from the Pack Flanking/Outflank helps a lot.
The Bloodrager PC didn't show up for the game, and the GM hasn't heard from him lately- so it's still up in the air if he'll rejoin with a new build, or if he's dropped entirely.
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Performed Adequately? Yes, for the most part. Mounted combat is still a nuanced niche of stylized combat that has a lot going for it. i'm still get used to running it, and now the GM has to learn how to deal with my combat style
I did use the Cover ride trick to avoid getting shot up some times, was glad i had brought a standard morning star as my close range option when my axe beak got grabbed by a wyvern. Even with the Riders down, the Wyverns still attacked. [I didn't tell the party, but i stabilized the wyverns that survived- as per my order.]
Later the GM told us the hobgoblins weren't cavaliers of any sort, and the Wyverns were still mostly wild- so there was very little chance of my cavalier getting his own wyvern mount. bummer, would have been interesting if i had one [a spare mount] in reserve, if/when my Axe Beak dies.
There was one point, where the GM rolled to see i provoked while my axe beak fled [after i got the poison hit], even with escape route. Since i wasn't threatening [reach weapon vs close range wyvern] and it was axe beak running away.
I may still contemplate a Inquisitor build with a Giant Owl as the next build.