Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Puggle Halfwine 12-12-05, 01:01 AM	Hey guys, I play a mounted character in the Living Greyhawk campaign (Named Puggle Halfwine, strangely enough). I took all the nice feats, spirited charge, power attack, etc. I don't have an animal companion, but I bought a mount with my starting gold and he has been with me since day one. As a halfling, this means I can charge pretty often (more often than one with a large mount, say) but it does lead to frustrating gameplay. There have been some mods where the module specifically outlines that you cannot charge anywhere in the module due to XYZ, or modules played in cramped corridors, etc. That's fine; spirited charge is powerful. As such, it takes three feats to get and it's not designed to be used every round. I accept that. Still, I find that more and more I'm forced to sit back and plink with my bow or be useless. Does anyone have any advice on how I can make more use of charging? Feat choices, etc? A complete build is posted below, in the spoiler section. Puggle Halfwine, currently Level Four. Male Halfling (Tallfellow) Stats: Str: 15 Dex: 16 Con: 14 Int: 14 Wis: 8 Cha: 8 1st Barbarian Feats: Mounted Combat 2nd Fighter Feats: Ride By Attack 3rd Fighter Feats: Spirited Charge Power Attack 4th Ranger <-- Current Level Favoured Enemy: Human (AKA Big people) Stats: 1+ Str 5th Ranger Feats: Rapid Shot 6th Animal Lord (Wolflord) Feats: Skill Focus (Handle Animal) 7th Beastmaster 8th Wild Plains Outrider Stats: 1+ Str 9th Wild Plains Outrider Feats: Extra Rage 10th Wild Plains Outrider
Puggle Halfwine 12-12-05, 01:02 AM	If anyone can think of a way I could grab an extra feat (weapon focus springs to mind) or especially improve my animal companion when I get one, that'd be cool too.
Namarus 12-12-05, 10:16 AM	Taking a level of beastmaster will give you an effective 4 levels of druid pet. So you could get a 4 HD advanced riding dog. You could then try and pick up access to the natural bond feat which would add another 3 levels to the pet's advancement. You haven't said if your a paladin or not, if you are, there is also a nice feat called Devoted Tracker that allows your paladin and ranger pet advancement to stack. So your companion would be pretty tough. Halfling outrider comes to mind though, when thinking of your character.
kjenks 12-12-05, 02:14 PM	A flying mount makes charging much easier in most circumstances. My 15th mounted fighter mutt uses a Figurine of Wondrous Power: Ebony Fly (10,000 gp, access Any from COR3-19 Folly). He also uses a variety of other mounts, depending on the circumstance. If you adventure with a druid, you might be able to borrow your buddy's Dire Bat animal companion, or get the druid to summon something for you to ride. Your party's arcanist could use Polymorph to turn your normal mount into a flying mount like a hippogriff or a pegasus. The Mount spell can make you a wimpy mount in situations where you can't bring your usual mount with you; buy a scroll or two and loan them to your party's arcanist. At higher levels, Bottle of Smoke, Phantom Steed and Phantom Stag spells can serve you well. It's very, very rare to find access for a fighter-type to buy a flying mount in LG. It's probably easier to get that Ebony Fly. But even if it can't fly, you should know that your mount can leap over obstacles as part of a charge. See the PH Ride skill and the Main 3.5e FAQ for more information.
ezreal2001 12-13-05, 04:08 AM	A flying mount makes charging much easier in most circumstances. My 15th mounted fighter mutt uses a Figurine of Wondrous Power: Ebony Fly (10,000 gp, access Any from COR3-19 Folly). He also uses a variety of other mounts, depending on the circumstance. If you adventure with a druid, you might be able to borrow your buddy's Dire Bat animal companion, or get the druid to summon something for you to ride. Your party's arcanist could use Polymorph to turn your normal mount into a flying mount like a hippogriff or a pegasus. The Mount spell can make you a wimpy mount in situations where you can't bring your usual mount with you; buy a scroll or two and loan them to your party's arcanist. At higher levels, Bottle of Smoke, Phantom Steed and Phantom Stag spells can serve you well. It's very, very rare to find access for a fighter-type to buy a flying mount in LG. It's probably easier to get that Ebony Fly. But even if it can't fly, you should know that your mount can leap over obstacles as part of a charge. See the PH Ride skill and the Main 3.5e FAQ for more information. My 12th level mutt uses a Bronze Griffin and achery. Anyway, don't forget Mass Fly - your dog is great here since its never likely to be more than 30 feet from you. So when the party Wiz casts make sure that the dog gets it too. Of course, just relying on charge attacks makes you a one trick pony. So rather why not develop some alternatives - archery perhaps - beats the out of "And once again my PC is nullified". e
draxynnic 12-13-05, 05:14 AM	Yes, versatility has its advantages, and your charging, when you get it, is powerful enough. You've already demonstrated your ability to break at least one encounter into little, little pieces... :rolleyes:
Puggle Halfwine 12-13-05, 05:46 AM	True, that's why I'm picking up Rapid Shot with my second level of Ranger... The problem with Halfling Outrider is that it has two feat prereqs (one I meet, one I don't), and it's a 10 level class yet Wild Plains Outrider has easy prereqs and gives much of the same stuff in only three levels... poor halflings... :( Still, I might pick up Mounted Archery as my 12th level feat and start taking Halfling Outrider then, but this is a LONG way off...
copper_wyrmling 12-14-05, 09:22 AM	Anyway, don't forget Mass Fly - your dog is great here since its never likely to be more than 30 feet from you. So when the party Wiz casts make sure that the dog gets it too. Just make sure your dog is durable enough to survive at levels where Mass Fly is available. I remember the time our wizard cast Mass Fly on us and our horses, the idea being that each of us would remain close to our horse and thus remain flying. It worked really well for about three seconds, then we found out the bad guys had Flamestrike as a spell-like ability. Horses got toasted pretty fast, and as some of us had already gotten more than 30ft away from the main group... :weep:
ezreal2001 12-14-05, 05:54 PM	Just make sure your dog is durable enough to survive at levels where Mass Fly is available. I remember the time our wizard cast Mass Fly on us and our horses, the idea being that each of us would remain close to our horse and thus remain flying. It worked really well for about three seconds, then we found out the bad guys had Flamestrike as a spell-like ability. Horses got toasted pretty fast, and as some of us had already gotten more than 30ft away from the main group... :weep: True, but my PC was using a companion animal, stayed clear of the main group - and had an uber Ref save :) Of course the Bronze Griffon has become the prefered battle mount. Durabilty is a very common problem with mounts after APL 2. And its not just the combination of low AC and Hit points, its also problems such as getting the mount to operate in the face of unnatural environments or opponents. Not alot of point in relying on lance attacks if the your mount is getting aced. Something our Halfling Hero needs to consider sooner than later. E