Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Subedei 11-11-06, 05:38 PM	A Draconic Wyvern would probably also do, I just need it to have dragon blood in its veins. I'm currently playing in an Eberron campaign and in the event something were to happen to my current character I'd like to have a replacement handy and I'd like this replacement to ride a dragon. From this starting point I concluded that riding a Wyvern is almost as good as riding a Dragon and should be a lot more practical to acquire. It then occured to me that a half-wyvern, half-dragon would probably make for some fun story material. To top it all off I'd also like him to possess either a greater or syberis dragonmark and make use of some stuff from Dragonmarked. He'll probably be either human, half-elf or elf. I'll need a rideable (thus large size) Dragon by 12th level at the latest, as early as possibly would be best. *Celestial Wyverns (+2 LA) can be called by an 11th level Paladin. *Draconic is a +1 LA template. *Half Dragon is a +3 LA template. *Wyverns are listed as 12th level equivalent as cohorts (They have 5 LA!?) *Dragon Cohort Allows you to call a dragon cohort as if it was 3 levels lower *Improved Cohort allows you to call a cohort that's 1 level lower than you are. *The Dragon Rider prestige class is a 1 level dip that grants a dragon cohort at your ECL+3, making it one better than Dragon cohort and Improved Cohort. Requirements are steep though at BAB+10. I don't necessarily need it to be the strongest it possibly could be, just something a physical combatant of my level would think twice about messing with. I've been playing around with builds for a little while: Paladin5/Beastmaster1/Wild Plains Outrider2/Cavalier4 With Natural Bond and Devoted Tracker this would net me a Celestial Wyvern with fifth level Paladin bonuses and 8th level Druid bonuses. Not bad, I'm pretty sure I could get my DM to let me switch Celestial for Draconic, probably not Half-Dragon though so I'd be missing that stylish breath weapon. Knight4/Fighter4/Crusader2/Dragon Rider2 This'll accomplish it in the same amount of time and seems to produce a slightly more powerful character but a significantly weaker Dragon mount as it has no Special Mount or Animal Companion bonuses to pump it up. The up side of this is that I get to add class levels instead of just more dragon HD as it advances. Once I get my hands on Dragonmarked I'm probably going to want to use one of their prestige classes, making option 2 perhaps a bit more appealing. It still just seems so much weaker in the HD department though. Any suggestions on powering this option up a bit?
Bearded_baddy 11-11-06, 08:07 PM	Have you thought about using a Half-Dragon Drakkensteed? They are from Dragon Magic. They only have 4 HD which makes them better to get at an earlier level and fly as well as a wyvern (I think) and have a better land speed. They can also trample, which is always nice. I don't know, but I would allow one in my campaign.
Subedei 11-11-06, 08:31 PM	Just the kind of advice I'm looking for, thanks Baddy. It's a pretty nice mount and apparently has no adjustment for a Paladin. Just goes to show how incredibly inflated the Wyvern's ECL is. A Feral Drakkensteed would rip a Wyvern appart (Wyverns apparently have an adjustment of 12 to Paladin level). I'm a little put off by the whole half-horse thing though. The trample attack is awesome but it just loses some coolness points. Aren't there creatures called Elemental Drakes or something somewhere? I seem to remember running into them a long time ago.
runestar 11-11-06, 09:21 PM	Technically, wyverns are dragons. Do you have to have the draconic bloodline?:P
Nanshork 11-11-06, 09:22 PM	Wyverns are dragons, so you don't have to apply any template to them in the first place. (Edit: Bah, I was a minute too late because I had to check and make sure.)
Subedei 11-12-06, 03:18 PM	Oh, I'm aware of their type and technically I don't believe I can apply half-dragon to a dragon type creature. Half-Dragon and Draconic are, however, perfect templates for adding a touch of true dragon lineage to a lesser dragon. It fits so I'm not too concerned with the legality. I also find it interesting how elemental drakes are a good deal power powerful than wyverns yet have only a +3 LA. Dragon cohort looks like the option I'll be going with. The DMG states Special Mount and Cohort can be combined in some way, anyone have any idea how this actually works? It seems to me the only way it could work is if bonus HD from Special Mount were treated more like temporary HD and thus were not factored into ECL.
Tyco3110 11-12-06, 06:11 PM	The level of the cohort is +2 ECL extra due to the gifts the Special mount class feature gives. Thats what i remember anyways
Subedei 11-12-06, 09:49 PM	Yeah, but how do the mechanics work? I suppose I'll have to ask customer service.
Tyco3110 11-13-06, 09:06 AM	Opps, sorry for that answer that was off the cuff