Holoma cavalier on dinosaur-back

[Balalyka]

I'm trying to build a first-level dinosaur-riding cavalier from Holomog, but the saurian champion archetype doesn't seem particularly simpatico with that region's flavour, and the lack of a cavalier order in particular wouldn't really work for this character. Is there any rules-related reason why you couldn't just give a standard cavalier (or any archetype that doesn't change the mount feature) a dinosaur mount? Any other relevant options I might be overlooking?

[Chuck Mount]

"The GM might approve other animals as suitable mounts."

I think that just about covers it. Find a dinosaur that's the same CR as one of the creatures they list and check with your GM.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Mount (Ex): A cavalier gains the service of a loyal and trusty steed to carry him into battle. This mount functions as a druid’s animal companion, using the cavalier’s level as his effective druid level. The creature must be one that he is capable of riding and is suitable as a mount. This mount may come from the following list:

Medium Cavaliers: Axe Beak, Camel, Elk, Giraffe, Horse, Seahorse, Giant, Tortoise, Giant, Zebra

Small Cavaliers: Antelope, Boar (requires 4th level), Capybara, Dog (requires 4th level), Kangaroo, Lizard (Giant Gecko), Pony, Ram, Reindeer, Stag, Weasel, Giant, Wolf, Wolfdog

The feat Beast Rider has a couple of dinosaurs on the list, but that feat has the prerequisites of character level 7 and half orc, or orc.

[Belafon]

Balalyka wrote:

Is there any rules-related reason why you couldn't just give a standard cavalier (or any archetype that doesn't change the mount feature) a dinosaur mount?

Rules-related? As Mysterious Stranger quoted it's right in the text of the cavalier's mount ability. Limited list (which does not include any dinosaurs). GM can approve another mount, though.

BTW, that list is taken from Archives of Nethys. It's a compilation of all the animals that have been called out in the many, many books of PF1. If you go back and read the description in Advanced Player's Guide the only options are Horse and Camel (for medium) and pony, wolf, boar, or dog (for small cavaliers). Which is to say that as options were added dinosaurs were deliberately left off the list of mounts any cavalier could take. Still fine for a GM to add, of course.

Spoiler:

I'm not even sure if the AoN list is completely accurate. The seahorse is listed as a druid companion in Bestiary 4, but I don't know of anywhere it's actually listed as a cavalier mount.

Any reason you couldn't take the Beast Rider archetype?

[Balalyka]

Belafon wrote:

Balalyka wrote:

Is there any rules-related reason why you couldn't just give a standard cavalier (or any archetype that doesn't change the mount feature) a dinosaur mount?

Rules-related? As Mysterious Stranger quoted it's right in the text of the cavalier's mount ability. Limited list (which does not include any dinosaurs). GM can approve another mount, though.

Any reason you couldn't take the Beast Rider archetype?

I guess it'd be more apt to call it a balance thing than a rules thing, my concern was whether giving the baseline cavalier a dinosaur mount would "take away" too much from the saurian champion and beast rider archetypes, in a sense.

Beast rider isn't a great fit either since it doesn't start out with a dinosaur mount at first level, and the progression centred around trading up to bigger, more "exotic" mounts doesn't really fit a character to whom dinosaurs aren't that unusual in the first place (plus, I don't think there are a lot of them to find out where she's going to be adventuring).

[I grok do u]

Probably too far off your ideal, but a different approach could be dinosaur druid with combat trained AC, and get VMC cavalier if you want some of the abilities from cavalier?