So, I recently had a 4th player join the party, and they are stuck at 20ft movement currently. The rest of the party is far beyond him. He is a paladin that has yet to decide at 5th if he wants to go mounted or not, but I'd like to try to give him option before that.
The rest of the party is a Mounted Archery Cavalier, a Monk/Aegis (Psionics) Multiclass currently sitting at 55ft base speed with the ability to use haste on self only (psionics again) for 85ft, and a Fighter with a D&D convert race to be at 35 movement with a reach weapon.
Sitting at 20ft movement means that the first turn of combat is usually spent with a double move into a charge the next turn depending on the battle. Haste would be a great spell, but only one person can use it, but range is personal. The only options I know of are Fleet, which is a horrible feat, Boots of Striding and Spring for a permanent +10ft, Quick Runner's Shirt for another move action that ends your turn, or Boots of Speed for 10 rounds of self haste.
Beyond those, is there any way to increase his movement speed? He wants to be in the middle of battle, so archery or any ranged option as the "go to" for combat is out.
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Unsanctioned Knowledge could be used to add Expeditious Retreat to the paladin's spell list.
EDIT: UMD and a wand of expeditious retreat is also a possibility, although harder to use before battle starts.
Alternatively, a single level of Bloodrager isn't a bad dip for a Paladin, and gives +10 foot movement.
1 level of Bloodrager plus the Extra Rage feat gives 12 rounds of Rage per day, and with the Fatigue Mercy the Paladin can Rage-Cycle pretty easily. Won't be as much of a speed boost, but it gives a pretty hefty combat boost as well.
Dip Bloodrager, then dip barbarian, then dip a cleric with the Travel domain. +30' move, done. Assumes not heavy armour, of course.
So, I recently had a 4th player join the party, and they are stuck at 20ft movement currently. The rest of the party is far beyond him. He is a paladin that has yet to decide at 5th if he wants to go mounted or not, but I'd like to try to give him option before that.I love mounted paladins, and the Hosteling enhancement (in heavy armor) tames those rotten dungeons that run you through a crapton of chokepoints. (Irritations: mounts do need feats to watch over them, namely Mounted Combat and Indomitable Mount to keep in-bound damage and SoS to a dull ache, and 7500gp is a third the cost of a Carpet of Flying, which works all day long and doesn't need barding or food or protective feats. Boots of Speed are a cheaper alternative to the rug with limitations and benefits.)
Beyond those, is there any way to increase his movement speed? He wants to be in the middle of battle, so archery or any ranged option as the "go to" for combat is out.
05 Paladin [Weapon bond], Additional Traits (Dangerously Curious + 2nd trait)
....I assume he has an awesome Charisma score and 750gp for a cheap wand of Longstrider or Expeditious Retreat.
The Paladin is actually a Tortle translated over from D&D. He doesn't have armor except for his shell, so no armor tricks with Mithral armor. He can enchant his shell as armor, so Hosteling is an option.
I'll talk about level dips, but I'm not sure if my campaign is going to 20th and how much he wants to delay Paladin stuff for 10ft movement. Having Rage + Fatigue Mercy does sound nice and may make for a great level 2 dip with Bloodrager or Barbarian for rage cycling.
Due to the stat spread and current items, his Charisma is actually his highest score. He also hasn't selected a second trait, since I cobbled a character together based on what he wanted, and didn't have all the time I would have liked to give him random starting gear and remembering things like Traits.
I'll let him buy a wand for now and see how things go, talk with him about future options. Thanks everyone for the help.
Just FYI Paladins have to be Lawful and Barbarians can't be lawful. Bliodragers have no restrictions though, so you can multiclass fine there (also since it sounds like you're the GM feel free to ignore alignment restrictions, they're a little pointless).
As far as dipping I'd probably only dip 1 level (and take the Extra Rage feat) unless there's something you really need from a 2nd level. 2nd levdl Bloodrager is pretty underwhelming, but I guess if you're going Barbarian there might be a nice Rage Power you want (or a couple if you're willing to spend feats).
If charisma is his highest stat, I'll bet his Handle Animal score is pretty decent with so much as a single point in it. (It's a class skill for paladins.)
He'd look a little goofy riding a yak or a bison, but they're 24gp and have 42hp. Several of those could get shot out from under him while he's saving up for Boots of Speed or a carpet (my preference, because it seems like OoC movement is as much of a concern -- they are pricy, however...).
Is he medium or small size?
He is medium size. Being a Paladin that cares about nature, I doubt he would go for a cheap disposable mount.
Boots of striding and springing only cost 5,500 gold. They add +10 to your movement and give you a +5 bonus on acrobatics unlike boots of speed this lasts all day. This is a lot better option than dipping a class or using consumable items with a limited duration. As a rule it is better to spend gold than class abilities to fix problems.
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Presumably the issue is that the other three characters are racing into combat and leaving him behind? If so, rather than changing his speed, maybe suggest that they look at other tactics that allow the party to all hit the enemy force together.
Having the speedy ones go round the sides to hit the from the back whilst the paladin goes straight forward for example, or having him be out in the open whilst they use stealth.
After all, just because you can race ahead of the party into the fight, it doesn’t mean that you have to do so.
Disposable mount but not a real creature? Try the Mount spell. Have a friend cast it. At 4th level mount lasts 8 hours, so it would last all day.
/cevah
Speaking of other hours-duration 1st-level spells that a paladin could Dangerously Curious UMD off a cheap wand.
I'd grab some Boots of Speed for Free Action Haste (+30ft movement) just in case he wants to dismount and fight.