A few thoughts, though cavaliers & samurai aren't my greatest interest in PF1.
Attack bonuses are worth more than damage bonuses in PF1; power attack, weapon focus/spec. & similar value them at least twice as highly and that's not a coincidence. Orders which give a damage bonus on challenge are just worth less than those which give an attack bonus. It annoys me. I'm not sure whether you mentioned it is all.
If variant multiclassing (VMC) is available the order of the blossom is strikingly good for a spellcaster. It's not just gestalt.
Order of the Eastern Star and daring champion have a fair bit of synergy.
Battle herald also works with exemplar brawler and storyteller medium.
There's a couple of feats I disagree on, but whatever. It's your guide not mine.
Hope some of this helps.
Definitely want to check this out when I get a chance -- marking for interest.
Also, re: daring champion, amateur swashbuckler was errataed to not get OP&R some years back.
One feat we probably do agree on is Erastil's blessing; since this guide is not about druids I think we can agree your copy/paste from that guide needs an update.
Just now getting a chance to start to read this. I have to say at the outset: That cover picture is awesome. Now if only 1st Edition Kobolds weren't pathetic . . . .
That said, I wouldn't rate Mount as Purple, because lots of campaigns have a LOT of places where your Mount can't go.
Roles (general): All of the ability score priorities follow the same order, including but not limited to having Strength first, which is bad news for Kobold Cavaliers/Samurai.
Roles: Melee Support: "Banner puts you a cut above the rest, but you aren’t a god of this. That said, with smart use of your Animal Companion" -- seems like something got chopped off here.
Orders: Order of the First Law: I recommend removing the reference to the specific extant Earth religion. Although if you said you want to punch those proselytizers that keep coming to your door . . . can't pass that up.
Finished!
Orders: Order of the Reins: "Control the heard?"
Notable Cavalier Archetypes: Add Daring General -- what's better than getting limited Leadership (like Esquire)? Getting limited Leadership 3 times. Admittedly Esquire's Aide-de-Camp just has to have proficiency with all Martial Weapons, and isn't restricted to being full BAB, so you could pick up a Magus, that you can't do with Daring General.
Notable Cavalier Archetypes: Add Disciple of the Pike -- a Hellknight archetype that doesn't require you to be a jerk, and gives bonuses against fighting BIG monsters. Losing Mount and Expert Trainer hurts (since when you are fighting monsters in the wilderness, you probably actually DO want a Mount), and losing Banner hurts, but you get Weapon Training with Polearms or Spears, which unlocks Advanced Weapon Training and Weapon Mastery Feats (the latter of which otherwise has the feat tax of Martial Focus). Eventually, you get to charge through Difficult Terrain. Not sure how Deadly Charge would stack up with Criticals -- if interpreted favorably, this could get pretty insane, although not very reliable.
Notable Cavalier Archetypes: Add Huntmaster -- if you want a full progression Animal Companion but can't fit a Mount where you're going, this is for you. You can even get multiple Animal Companions, in which case you need to steal from this guide.
Notable Cavalier Archetypes: Add Standard Bearer -- if you want a boosted Banner AND a full-progression Mount, but you're willing to wait until 5th level for the latter, this is for you. You even keep Expert Trainer, so you still qualify for Horse Master.
Prestige Classes: Evangelist: The degradation to d8 HD (especially while losing Favored Class Bonus unless you invest a feat) and 3/4 BAB REALLY hurts.
Prestige Classes: Battle Herald: This is the guide that you want to steal from. I wouldn't say go along with Bard or even Evangelist Cleric for your Inspire Courage class -- this gives you spellcasting that isn't going to progress, and has d8 HD and 3/4 BAB, which hurts. Go with one of the martial Inspire Courage options, or use Cavalier VMC Bard (which is a pretty good VMC in its own right) if you can afford the feats (an Inspire Courage martial archetype VMC Cavalier would be another pretty good option). Note that one of Battle Herald's 1st level abilities improves Leadership, so if you don't have Leadership, you don't get the ability of that Leadership -- recommended house rule: If you don't have Leadership, this ability instead gives you Leadership.
General Feats: Add Cunning -- it's not for everyone, but if you're short on skill ranks per level, this is for you.
Animal Companion Feats: Boon Companion: Worth another mention that if you qualify for Horse Master, you really want that (effectively unlimited Boon Companion instead of just +4 levels) instead of this.
Animal Companion Feats: Nature Soul/Animal Ally: You really also need Boon Companion or Horse Master to make this work, except that all archetypes (unless I missed one) that trade out Mount also trade out Expert Trainer, so you don't qualify for Horse Master. That said, if your archetype traded out Mount and didn't get you a different Animal Companion (like Daring Champion), and you want an Animal Companion but can't fit in a Mount, this will do it. Also, Nature Soul isn't totally useless -- if you are invested in Knowledge (Nature) and Survival anyway, it's a decent boost.
I should also mention in regards to Mounts that if you are Small, it makes it easier for you to use a Mount that fits into dungeons (not only smaller, but more agile -- even among just normal domestic Animals, good luck getting a horse to navigate stairs, but a dog? -- no problem).
Additional thoughts:
Archetypes: (Assuming that the entries for Huntmaster and Standard Bearer are still in progress, but it looks a bit messed up in the Table of Contents sidebar.)
Add Archetype: Musketeer -- you give up Mount and Expert Trainer to become a Gunslinger. This isn't great, but at least you aren't going VMC Gunslinger (see below).
Prestige Classes: Mammoth Rider: If you're willing to spend 2 levels on the dip, you can get bonuses against big creatures AND a bonus feat -- limited list, but it includes candidates that you might actually want (especially Iron Will, if you haven't picked it up already . . . or if you did, you could retrain out the original one and pick it up again here, and then use the feat slot you freed up for something else). More levels of Mammoth Rider aren't all bad either -- in particular, 5th level gives your Mount bonuses against some very nasty effects, and 10th level gives YOU immunities against some moderately nasty effects and gives you the equivalent of Evasion on Fortitude and Will Saves (which can get you off the hook for some even nastier effects).
Add Section Variant Multiclassing (the wimpy but sometimes still useful predecessor to Pathfinder 2nd Edition multiclassing): You want this guide and this guide. Good standouts, if you can afford the feats, are Barbarian, Bard (good for late entry but powerful Battle Herald), Sorcerer (if you need Eldritch Heritage but can't afford the Charisma investment), and Cavalier (if you aren't actually a Cavalier but want to fake it -- not bad if you are of an Inspire Courage class/archetype wanting to become a Battle Herald). Bad standouts are Gunslinger (worst VMC ever -- does nothing you couldn't do better with fewer than 5 feats, even if you weren't willing to dip Gunslinger, and doesn't even do a good job of that), and Witch (saved from being the worst VMC ever only by VMC Gunslinger, but still does a really bad job of being a fake Witch).
Still vacation zone (especially when trying to get this done before COVID-19 Delta hoses everything), so probably going to take a while.
Just a reminder that I did post a few suggestions above.
Totally reasonable! Gives me more time to work on the sorceror guide
You're coming out with an updated Sorcerer guide? Awesome! And you will definitely want to check out this guide in the process, even though it is missing some stuff. (Not totally off-topic for this discussion thread -- I did mention Eldritch Heritage and VMC Sorcerer above as being something that some Cavaliers/Samurai might want.)
Is it possible to make something interesting from a Castellan - cavalier?
The Musketeer archetype feels like it should have been errata'ed, because... what's the point of keeping the charging abilities if you don't have a mount anymore?
At least you can combine Musketeer and Luring Cavalier, because you don't have to worry about depending on your mount.
It sure hasn't gotten enough love lately. Admittedly, the terrible organization of the Bloodlines (including Wildblooded) makes this tough. For the future, if you do a Bloodrager guide, Bloodrager has a different bad organization of Bloodlines -- fewer Bloodlines, and no Wildblooded, but some Bloodrager Bloodlines don't match up with Sorcerer Bloodlines, and things that are a Bloodline in one (like Psychic Bloodline) may be an archetype in the other (correspondingly, Id Rager). Wish we would have gotten a Pathfinder Further Unchained that would have fixed this (wouldn't even need more than minor tweaks to the class chassis -- just reorganize and rebalance the Bloodlines and relevant archetypes), but instead we got Pathfinder 2nd Edition, which just took a Greataxe to the Sorcerer Bloodlines (and still no hint of a Bloodrager unless Secrets of Magic stealths it in by feats or something).
On topic: The Cavalier section of the Archetype Guide says about Castellan: "This archetype and boon companion is the easiest way and one of the best ways to get a flying mount as a Cavalier."
Good to have the 'Knight' stuff [from all corners of the globe] out there for PF1e. ;)
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^Especially since before this came out the only reasonably up-to-date guide was specific to dipping Cavalier to get a Mount.
I'm so tired of all these mounts suck because they are too big! nonsense comments. I ran my halfling cavalier through pfs just fine (hes level 11 currently) and ave only had to get off my mount twice... cause it died. Step 1 be a cavalier. Step 2 take 1 level of hunter before your mount becomes large. (make sure your mount is compatible with your animal companion so they stack) Step 3 wand of reduce animal. Thats one hour of a smaller animal, plus you should have a few yourself to cast. Problem solved. There is also undersized mount if you dont want to be small, that can allow you to do the same damn thing, Humans could ride medium mounts etc. My "cannonballer" never gets charge lanes blocked, has issues with difficult terrain or dismounts (unless its a quick dismount because for some reason i need a few more feet of movement.)
Also you didnt mention halflings whcih are amazing cavaliers. Yes their str is a bit lower (cry me a river!) but they can with the right racial archtype, increase any stat oif their animal companion by +2(con or dex, a dead mount is a very heavy weight) as well as get a bonus to ride.
Archtypes= Emissary and beast rider bend together flawless to build a crazy charger. Yes you lose teamwork feats, but you also dont need them as you should be charging into then past most enemies anyway.
Its also a fairly well known but not mentioned in your guide, fighting fro ma mounts back that is the same size as your enemy gives you higher ground which is a +1 to hit, suck that annakin!
For gear, Rhino hide armor if you are charging, pad a bit more damage! I can give an example of all of this in my cannonballer build is someone wants it, just let me know!
I'm so tired of all these mounts suck because they are too big! nonsense comments. I ran my halfling cavalier through pfs just fine (hes level 11 currently) and ave only had to get off my mount twice... cause it died. Step 1 be a cavalier. Step 2 take 1 level of hunter before your mount becomes large. (make sure your mount is compatible with your animal companion so they stack) Step 3 wand of reduce animal. Thats one hour of a smaller animal, plus you should have a few yourself to cast. Problem solved. There is also undersized mount if you dont want to be small, that can allow you to do the same damn thing, Humans could ride medium mounts etc. My "cannonballer" never gets charge lanes blocked, has issues with difficult terrain or dismounts (unless its a quick dismount because for some reason i need a few more feet of movement.)
The thing is that it's not just "too big", it's also too impractical. Mounts cannot be used in caves, mountain passes, rope bridges and buildings.
Your halfling cavalier can pretty much get by unnoticed if your have a dog as a mount, which is Medium anyway.
As for Reduce Animal, this is what people kinda got with the Mauler Familiar, except taht it's stuck on Medium, not even going Large, which would have made the archetype much more interesting.
probably mentioned already, but i recall there was a slim body companion feat/archetype or something, that allowed large mounts to fit into places easier
probably mentioned already, but i recall there was a slim body companion feat/archetype or something, that allowed large mounts to fit into places easier
Narrow frame. Not really worth a feat IMO; it's unlikely to help out of combat, and will rarely help in combat.
The choice of mounts gets a lot better when you are Small. The following isn't the only good choice, but it's a very good one: Giant Gecko -- once you get to 4th level, you can ride it without needing Undersized Mount (so if you got that feat to be able to ride it from levels 1 - 3, you can retrain it), and you get 40 foot running AND 40 foot Climb speed with effectively Spider Climb as an Extraordinary Ability. That's probably the best Mount for going almost everywhere you can go -- going in dungeons problem basically solved. Wolf (or big dog) is not too shabby either (has Trip and Scent, and is even faster, but has no climbing ability).
I'm so tired of all these mounts suck because they are too big! nonsense comments. I ran my halfling cavalier through pfs just fine (hes level 11 currently) and ave only had to get off my mount twice... cause it died. Step 1 be a cavalier. Step 2 take 1 level of hunter before your mount becomes large. (make sure your mount is compatible with your animal companion so they stack) Step 3 wand of reduce animal. Thats one hour of a smaller animal, plus you should have a few yourself to cast. Problem solved. There is also undersized mount if you dont want to be small, that can allow you to do the same damn thing, Humans could ride medium mounts etc. My "cannonballer" never gets charge lanes blocked, has issues with difficult terrain or dismounts (unless its a quick dismount because for some reason i need a few more feet of movement.)The thing is that it's not just "too big", it's also too impractical. Mounts cannot be used in caves, mountain passes, rope bridges and buildings.
Your halfling cavalier can pretty much get by unnoticed if your have a dog as a mount, which is Medium anyway.
As for Reduce Animal, this is what people kinda got with the Mauler Familiar, except taht it's stuck on Medium, not even going Large, which would have made the archetype much more interesting.
except my mount is an axebeak now, and prior to that was an ankylosaur at level 4, at level 1-3 yes it was a wolf because i didnt have any other choice. No issues with bridges, caves mountain passes, or anything else you can list (except maybe underwater?) Shrinking the mount to medium remove every one of those issues. Now the gm can make scenarios like dinners and such where the mount cannot enter because fancy people wont allow it in there, but that should also stop any other animal companion/familiar and not just the mounts. Mounts have no flaws when made correctly, and thats the point of my post. You are once again imagining difficulty where there could easily be none.
except my mount is an axebeak now, and prior to that was an ankylosaur at level 4, at level 1-3 yes it was a wolf because i didnt have any other choice. No issues with bridges, caves mountain passes, or anything else you can list (except maybe underwater?) Shrinking the mount to medium remove every one of those issues. Now the gm can make scenarios like dinners and such where the mount cannot enter because fancy people wont allow it in there, but that should also stop any other animal companion/familiar and not just the mounts. Mounts have no flaws when made correctly, and thats the point of my post. You are once again imagining difficulty where there could easily be none.
Shrinking a mount is possible... if you have the resources. Last time I've checked, there isn't an amulet that allow a mount to "become a familiar", such as transforming a tiger into a housecat, size and all, or even store it inside the amulet to call it out when needed.
A Ghost Rider Cavalier... is the only archetype who can summon its mount out of thin air, but then you realize that unless the ghost mount gaisn Str/Dex modifiers like an animal companion, it will have low Dex and useless Cha.
The difference is that for druids and rangers, animal companions don't have exclusive class features. You don't lose 25% of your class levels if you can't bring your companion along. This is not the same with a mount. A Cavalier without its mount is just worthless, and the class doesn't have core alternate options if you are not mounted.
The Paladin, Druid and Ranger got something different if you don't want a companion/mount. The Sorcerer and Wizard got something different if you don't want a familiar. You have to accept a Cavalier's or Samurai's Mount, when it would have been simplier to just offer the Fighter's Weapon Training feature as an option.
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^Well actually, if you chose an Animal Companion as a Druid or Ranger, you do lose quite a bit if you unexpectedly can't bring it along. Fortunately, Druid, Hunter, and Ranger (and Paladin and Sorcerer(*)) get access to Carry Companion, although for Ranger (and Paladin) the access is delayed into the mid levels. Since Cavalier doesn't have spellcasting, they can't do this except by UMD of a Scroll or Wand.
(*)Usually this would be for a Sylvan Sorcerer.
{. . .} Last time I've checked, there isn't an amulet that allow a mount to "become a familiar", such as transforming a tiger into a housecat, size and all, or even store it inside the amulet to call it out when needed. {. . .}
Is the Subtle Companion feature of the Courtly Hunter what you're thinking of? (Related to this, Feral Hunter outright doesn't have an Animal Companion.)
For a Cavalier to not have an Animal Companion, you have to choose an archetype that doesn't have one; these are limited, but some decent choices are available:
- •Constable -- a support archetype, notable for being able to get an ally to cram 2 Standard Actions into 1 round at the cost of being Dazed next round, and for handing out Morale Bonuses.
•Daring Champion -- this is actually a Not-Swashbuckler.
•Disciple of the PikeDisciple of the Pike[/url] -- a Hellknight archetype, in one of the few Hellknight Orders that doesn't require you to be a jerk, and in exchange for not having a Mount, you get a sort of Defensive Training against creatures larger than you; later you get bonuses to Knowledge checks for identification, and you get Weapon Training (Spears or Polearms) (which sadly replaces Banner, but Weapon Training is good in its own right if you've got a plan, because it qualifies you for Advanced Weapon Training); eventually you can charge through Difficult Terrain.
•Esquire -- traces out Mount for somewhat restricted Leadership, marred only by envy for Daring General getting triple Leadership (somewhat more restricted than for Esquire) without trading out Mount.
•Ghost Rider -- actually has a Mount, but you can turn it on and off.
•Green Knight -- technically qualifies, but it's just a bad archetype.
•Musketeer -- this is actually a Not-Gunslinger; probably best stacked with •Luring Cavalier.
•Sister-In-Arms -- technically qualifies, but this archetype is exclusive to the Gary Maidens.
Edit: Consider Huntmaster Cavalier if you want an Animal Companion (or more than one) that isn't a Mount. Since by the exact wording, this archetype modifies rather than replaces Expert Trainer, it seems that you should still qualify for the Horse Master feat if you want to multiclass.
Also see above for Mount choices if you are Small, that are greatly improved in portability even if you don't have an awesome UMD score or a friendly spellcaster who can cast Carry Companion.
I was not aware of those tricks... Thanks a lot ^_^
For prestige classes -- Any comments on Sentinel? Unlike the Evangelist, it is a full BAB class, but it offers its own combat bonuses instead of nearly full class feature advancement.
Reduce animal is a level 2 druid spell 1/hr per cast. Easy peesy.
^If you don't have a Druid or Ranger ally, better invest in UMD and get a Scroll or even a Wand, depending upon how often you plan to use this.
^If you don't have a Druid or Ranger ally, better invest in UMD and get a Scroll or even a Wand, depending upon how often you plan to use this.
Exactly
Nothing prevents you from asking your ally to make an item that can cast Carry Companion 1/day though.
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I would like to point out, the sword saint isn't quite as bad as you say it is. Its bad, but I'd give it a 2 or 3/5 (depending on campaign). The only period where its not a good idea to use the Iaijutsu strike are levels 6-9. At level 10, you can do so as a standard action. Which is basically a free vital strike against challenge targets. In other words, there are few instances where it isn't free damage post level 10. Since you likely will be forced to move towards your enemy to actually hit them anyway.
I also find that Order of the Ronin and order of the warrior are fairly even. Ronin skills are more useful (local is used a lot more than history or nobility) and survival is, situationally, much more useful than the knowledges.
Also, to point out- a challenge, a smite, a quarry, or similar effect
This could (and should) cover things such as studied combat, studied target etc. Which makes it slightly more useful. It is also quite a good bonus when it does come up.
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SA requires specific situations (though not uncommon ones) our little strike is often a free xd6 on a challenge. Many enemies don't survive more than a couple rounds. And you can easily get several uses of this ability via chain challenge.
A horse isn't a particularly great DPS companion. Nor is it going to be in dungeons with you most of the time (at least in many APs as dungeons are incredibly cramped) even with ways to carry it through more difficult terrain situations. It could even prove to be more of a liability in some APs than a boon.
I've never said it was overall better than the base class. Many archetypes are not better than their base class. Only that it's better than a 1/5.
Hi, just wondering if anyone has looked at the Nagaji as a cavalier, and their race-specific archetype, First Mother's Fang. I was looking for a class to build around a Nagaji, but there's so many different components to put together for a cavalier that it's a bit overwhelming. Thanks.