I was looking for a way to boost the caster level of my BBEG to ridiculous heights for the usual ritual-to-bring-the-end-of-the-world scenario, when I stumbled upon something I liked and wanted to run it by the CO gurus to ensure it's legal.
The abjurant champion 5th level ability states:
Complete Mage, page 50 wrote:
I ... can't remember any rule about base attack exceeding character level, since it really just doesn't happen.
I think this one deserves a cookie!
I'd answer that no it shouldn't stack. This gives only the better benefit via the same "Instill benefit" even if it comes from 2 Kensai. However RAW, I think you do have got an arguement, since this isn't techinically a 'bonus'
This BaB trick allows minor cheating on many PrC's prereqs, given you can find an NPC kensei to give you an extra BAB right before taking a Full BAB class.
Its similar to a retraining trick except with a cohort or NPC Kensei instead of vague language abuse (and allowing retraining abuse makes it nearly impossible to check builds)
Well that's a nice little trick. :P
I ... can't remember any rule about base attack exceeding character level, since it really just doesn't happen.
I think this one deserves a cookie!
You mean, I've discovered something that no one else had before!? I'm flattered. Thanks for the
!Nice trick. You should have the Kensai give his BAB to a Warchanter, who then gives it to everyone.
...oh. Oh dear. And I thought my original idea was mean. Nice one.
If this does work BaB for PrC prereq's just got blown wide open
The best part? Kensai requires +5 BAB, so if you have potential Kensai being trained by more experienced ones, you can have a bunch of them constantly Instilling the trainee to let him enter the PrC faster. Fluff and crunch combine to form a cohesive (if somewhat cheddar-tasting) whole. :D
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Now, the major question is, can you stack this? 'Cause If you can, I think I've found an alternative to Circle Magic for ridiculously high CL. Yeah, a Red Wizard has CL 40 for 24 hours, but if you only need high CL for morning persistent buffs, 5 kensai will match the red wizard while you go into something else, which is simple if you have a 5-person party and everyone has Leadership, like my current party. Just think: One Clericzilla, one Druidzilla, a God wizard, one Archivist, a Warchanter, and their 5 kensai cohorts, and you give an entire party the benefits of circle magic in 1/60 the time.
And that only gets worse if you're a BBEG with access to, say, 10 kensai....So, what do you think? Stacking or not?
Cleric 7 / Kensai 8
Uses Kensai ability
Casts Divine Power (Persisted, Extended)...
maybe not that exciting, but still there might be other ways via UMD...
A Cleric gets "BAB=CL" from Divine Power...
Cleric 7 / Kensai 8
Uses Kensai ability
Casts Divine Power (Persisted, Extended)...
maybe not that exciting, but still there might be other ways via UMD...
That helps a bit, but unfortunately the kensai can't transfer more than his class level worth of BAB, so a max of +10 per kensai; under normal circumstances, since kensai is 3/4 BAB and it requires +5 BAB to get in, you have enough BAB to transfer the full amount anyway.
Now, something like Fighter 5/Bloodline 3/Kensai 10/Legacy Champion 2 using divine power somehow would be able to transfer 14 BAB, though it's a bit cheesy. And if you let Instill count for BAB prereqs, you could do Fighter 1/Bloodline 3/Kensai 10/Legacy Champion 6 for +18 CL! Oy. The party I mentioned last time with the 5 kensai cohorts would be getting +80 (!) CL at 20th level, +85 with that one feat (Improved Cohort?) that lets your cohort be 1 level lower than you. Now that's some serious firepower.
Anyone have any thoughts on stackability?
I don't really know, to be honest. There's other ways to get massive CL that works well, though - Consumptive Field trick, even Death Knell...
Multiple sources with the same name / function and no descriptor... I'd say they usually are not stackable, but you're the DM...
The issue I see here is that it's not a bonus--Joe Kensai transfers his BAB to an abjurant champion, and their CL is now X points higher; it's not "gains a bonus equal to the transferred BAB," "their BAB increases by X," or anything, it's "they get it." The only other instance of upping your BAB is through multiclassing, and that always stacks, so...I'm torn.
I don't really know, to be honest. There's other ways to get massive CL that works well, though - Consumptive Field trick, even Death Knell...
Well, of course, but (A) this was a new discovery that I wanted to check out and (B) who says I can't use those with this one? ;)
Maybe haunt shift him into his signature weapon so he is easy to carry around (Cast a spell to make him count as undead to stuff him in or make him a necropolatin). I wonder if you can use the weapon then yourself.
Fighter 4/Paladin 2/Kensai 10/Marshall 1 The paladin has the alternative class ability to add Cha to AC of allies. The marshall can add its Cha to your checks to overcome spell resistence. Or as suggested earlier mix in bloodlines ...
Fighter 2/Paladin 2/ 1x/ 2 Bloodline/ 10 Kensia
This would be great if you are allowed action points. You could take the feat that allows you to spend AP for your cohort, cast unfettered heroism on yourself, and feed your cohort an AP to get an additional use of a 1/day class ability (ie, transfer bab for another hour). This is assuming your cohort does not get AP, but if he does, he can have the spell cast on him instead.
Oh, that's sick! Just repeat ad nauseum, assuming they stack!
@Eldritch: I think not calling that a bonus is splitting hairs, but you're the DM.
Recently I've been working on some sort of marshall, warchanter, full BAB (or at least 16) class, on a wagon, surrounded by a 60 foot radius of War Hulks, perhaps some clerics with mass heals.....metamagicked. But....that just made this castle-sieging idea SO much more deadly 30 War Hulks with 50 BAB backed by some casters all with 50 CL????? WHAT?!?! owwy. I'd say it stacks, its like pretending someone is changing the BAB of levels they've already gained. If it was a bonus, then they Kensai would be taking a penalty, and if he could manage to use the ability twice at -5, -5 then he'd only lose 5 BAB while giving 2 other people 5 each. I think we need the entire ability quoted here so we can judge RAW
Oh, that's sick! Just repeat ad nauseum, assuming they stack!
I believe they do, but I'm not all that familiar with Eberron material.
@Eldritch: I think not calling that a bonus is splitting hairs, but you're the DM.
That's just the thing--I don't want to rule that it works just because I'm DM, which is why I'm here. I try to go exactly by the rules as much as I can, so I wanted to know if I was missing something that would disallow it. I'm biased towards it working, of course, but I'm basically waiting to see if there's a gaping flaw somewhere. If there isn't, I'll go ahead and use it, not because I'm DM, but because none of the CO gurus had any objections by RAW.
If only there was some way to fit Wu Jen 7th level spells in there before 21st level...
I'm away from my books; what's so good about 7th level wu jen spells in this case?
I'm away from my books; what's so good about 7th level wu jen spells in this case?
Giant Form, I think, might be what he's referring to... at that level, I do believe you become Colossal.
I'm away from my books; what's so good about 7th level wu jen spells in this case?
I'd guess Body Outside of Body, to make a bunch of clones of the guy donating BAB. :D
I'd guess Body Outside of Body, to make a bunch of clones of the guy donating BAB. :D
Precisely. With Abjurant Champion, every two clones created would increase your CL by 16, adding three clones to every subsequent casting, creating an exponential increase of caster level for each spell slot you spent doing this.
Precisely. With Abjurant Champion, every two clones created would increase your CL by 16, adding three clones to every subsequent casting, creating an exponential increase of caster level for each spell slot you spent doing this.
Just use a staff. Even 1 Wu Jen level is enough for it to work, then. I'd suggest adding a domain that includes both Divine Power and Holy Word via Arcane Disciple, to qualify for Abjurant Champion quicker and destroy your enemies once you jack your caster level up to an arbitrary amount. :D
Something like Wu Jen 1/Wiz4/Incantatrix 10/Abjurant Champion 5, to persist Divine Power at level 8 (need to jack your Spellcraft up hugely), entering Abjurant Champion then, and then going back and finishing Incantatrix.
Just use a staff. Even 1 Wu Jen level is enough for it to work, then.
It would work, but I'm not a fan of tricks that require consumable magic items to function.
Or you could take a domain via Arcane Disciple that has Miracle (and Holy Word, and Divine Power :P )to emulate BoB. I don't remember exactly how that works, though. I think for some kinds of casters, they aren't limited to 1xday casting domain spells granted in this way. You'd still be burning through 9th level slots like there was no tomorrow, but it might be worth it for some (ab)uses. :D
Edit: Ok, crazy abuse time. This requires a 17th level Egoist, the Wizard/Abjurant Champion, a 17th level cleric (or Gated creature that can cast cleric spells), and the Kensai. (You could build a party around this :P )
The psion uses Fusion to fuse with everyone. The cleric casts Divine Power. The cleric uses Miracle to emulate BoB. The clones donate their BAB to the fused being. The cleric casts BoB again. Etc.
Edit: This wouldn't work, would it? The cleric's CL isn't being boosted. The wizard would require Arcane Disciple (Luck) to cast Miracle. He'd also need Domain Spontaneity and Southern Magician...
Mmmm, Wizard2/AbjurantChampion5/Dragonslayer1/Spellsword1/ThrallOfWhatsHisFaceOrThatOtherOne1/EldritchKnight10...19 BAB and casting....
I am so making my friend play a kensai and rerolling a level 1 gish. I can't wait to scribe scrolls for 12 levels until the Kensai can give me some BAB!
Can't you add things to your spell list via Recaster? That might work as an alternative.
Or you could take a domain via Arcane Disciple that has Miracle (and Holy Word, and Divine Power :P )to emulate BoB. I don't remember exactly how that works, though. I think for some kinds of casters, they aren't limited to 1xday casting domain spells granted in this way. You'd still be burning through 9th level slots like there was no tomorrow, but it might be worth it for some (ab)uses. :D
Classes that know their entire spell list and can cast spontaneously from them (Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, and Warmage) ignore the 1/day limit on spells from Arcane Disciple, because the spell is added directly to their spells known list.
And clearly, the way to do this is dip Archmage 1 to get miracle/body outside body as a SLA, so that all of your clones will also have it as a SLA.
So, do something like Wizard 5/Incantatrix 8/Abjurant Champion 5/Archmage 2, taking Arcane Disciple (Luck) to get miracle and using High Arcana to make it a SLA usable 2/day.
Hmm, reading body outside body it says that your clones have all of your feats. If you have Leadership, they do as well. Does this mean that they get cohorts? If so, use body outside body to generate an arbitrary number of clones (each clone clones himself, etc) and thus an arbitrary number of Kensai 8 cohorts who can all crank your BAB through the roof.
For example, let's say we create 9 clones, giving us a total of 10 cohorts (1 original + 9 from clones with Leadership). Now, we cast divine power to set our BAB to 20. Then all of the cohorts use Instill to increase our BAB by 80 (assuming Kensai 8), giving us a final BAB of 100, and thus a CL of 100. Of course, this only lasts for 1 hour. Greater teleport + holy word will still kill anything evil. Or gate in 200 HD worth of ... something. I'm sure we can figure out how to abuse 200 HD worth of called creatures.
Alternatively, get a Psion with fusion and astral seed to fuse with you, allowing you to manifest astral seed. Kill yourself and then come back with a permanent BAB of 100. You can even do this repeatedly to increase your BAB each time.
I'd guess Body Outside of Body, to make a bunch of clones of the guy donating BAB. :D
I need to read the wu jen list more often. I didn't even think of that!For example, let's say we create 9 clones, giving us a total of 10 cohorts (1 original + 9 from clones with Leadership). Now, we cast divine power to set our BAB to 20. Then all of the cohorts use Instill to increase our BAB by 80 (assuming Kensai 8), giving us a final BAB of 100, and thus a CL of 100. Of course, this only lasts for 1 hour. Greater teleport + holy word will still kill anything evil. Or gate in 200 HD worth of ... something. I'm sure we can figure out how to abuse 200 HD worth of called creatures.
Good gods. What have I started!?
Wait.
I think it gets worse.The temporal reiteration power doesn't count the last round against the duration of any "ongoing effects on you such as rage, spell duration, and poison." Guess what? Instill is an "ongoing effect on you." Make your cohort a psion 9/metamind 10 (with Improved Cohort). Fuse with him, have him use schism and temporal reiteration while Font of Power is active. Not only does he have infinite PP while he keeps using temporal reiteration (which he will, forever), you now keep the increased CL forever as well.
Your cohort has a cohort, who is a, let's say, fighter 1/bloodline 3/kensai 10/legacy champion 4 with divine power. He fuses with you too. Cast body outside body however you wish; you now have as long as you want to increase your BAB and CL, and it stacks as long as you want it to. You can now get an arbitrarily high BAB and CL for your character at the cost of some time:
The unfettered heroism spell gives you one action point per round for the duration (which is now arbitrarily high). Body outside body, and your kensai can now cast this. Use Instill, use an action point to regain it, repeat. Let's see...14,400 rounds in a day, times +16 BAB per use of the ability, times 5 duplicates...whoa. Your BAB and CL increase by 1,152,000 after a single day. Permanently. And you have nothing but time.
Whaddya think?
Egoist 10/Thrallherd 10
Thrall 1: Wizard 1/Binder1/Abjurant Champion 5/Shadowcraft Mage 3/Anima Mage 7/Archamage 2
Feats include Arcane Disciple (Luck), Heighten, Earth Sense, Earth Spell, and Residual Magic. He has Miracle as a SLA.
Thrall 2: X/Kensai 10
Thrall 1 started out as something else, but a Thought Bottle and a few level drains later, and he usea the Kensai's ability to get into Abjurant Champion alot earlier than normal. He finishes it by level 10, and also has 3 levesl of SCM by 10th, both of which are somewhat important later.
Egoist manifests Fusion with SCM and Kensai. We'll call the fused being BOB. BOB uses a Silent Image Shadow Miracle to emulate Body Outside of Body (BoB), and makes clones of the fused being. These clones donate 10 BAB each to the fused being. The SCM was already hitting CL 30 before this, due to Earth Spell. Now his CL is through the roof.
Residual Magic lets him cast another BoB miracle using a 1st level slot. He then uses another 9th level and 1st level slot to cast it two more times. His CL should be astronomical by this point.
He then gates in a Great Wyrm Force dragon with double base HD (150). His CL should exceed the 75 needed to do this many times over. He asks the dragon to Polymorph itself into something smaller. Then BOB fuses with the dragon, and dismisses the Polymorph. We'll call this fused being SuperBOB.
SuperBOB then uses another 9th level slot to emulate Miracle and cast BoB again. These new clones donate 10 BAB each to superBOB, who then casts Similacrum via Miracle, using a 1st level slot. He makes a copy of SuperBOB, which has "only" 75 dragon hit dice plus half the class levels of each character, and a jacked up BAB. We'll call this BOBzilla.
BOBzilla has 5 levels of Abjurant Champion and a permanently inflated BAB, so his caster level is something ricockulous. He also has Arcane Disciple (Luck), 3 levels of Shadowcraft Mage, and he's a 75 HD force dragon. The egoist uses psychic reformation to give BOBzilla a bunch of crazy epic spellcasting feats.
Then whenever he needs to lay waste to a plane, BOB fuses with Godzilla, and the resulting GodzillaBOB then makes infinite clones of itself via the Archmage's SLA: Miracle.
Here is what I'd do with it:
Egoist 10/Thrallherd 10
Thrall 1: Wizard 1/Binder1/Abjurant Champion 5/Shadowcraft Mage 3/Anima Mage 7/Archamage 2
Feats include Arcane Disciple (Luck), Heighten, Earth Sense, Earth Spell, and Residual Magic. He has Miracle as a SLA.
Thrall 2: X/Kensai 10
Thrall 1 started out as something else, but a Thought Bottle and a few level drains later, and he usea the Kensai's ability to get into Abjurant Champion alot earlier than normal. He finishes it by level 10, and also has 3 levesl of SCM by 10th, both of which are somewhat important later.
Egoist manifests Fusion with SCM and Kensai. We'll call the fused being BOB. BOB uses a Silent Image Shadow Miracle to emulate Body Outside of Body (BoB), and makes clones of the fused being. These clones donate 10 BAB each to the fused being. The SCM was already hitting CL 30 before this, due to Earth Spell. Now his CL is through the roof.
Residual Magic lets him cast another BoB miracle using a 1st level slot. He then uses another 9th level and 1st level slot to cast it two more times. His CL should be astronomical by this point.
He then gates in a Great Wyrm Force dragon with double base HD (150). His CL should exceed the 75 needed to do this many times over. He asks the dragon to Polymorph itself into something smaller. Then BOB fuses with the dragon, and dismisses the Polymorph. We'll call this fused being SuperBOB.
SuperBOB then uses another 9th level slot to emulate Miracle and cast BoB again. These new clones donate 10 BAB each to superBOB, who then casts Similacrum via Miracle, using a 1st level slot. He makes a copy of SuperBOB, which has "only" 75 dragon hit dice plus half the class levels of each character, and a jacked up BAB. We'll call this BOBzilla.
BOBzilla has 5 levels of Abjurant Champion and a permanently inflated BAB, so his caster level is something ricockulous. He also has Arcane Disciple (Luck), 3 levels of Shadowcraft Mage, and he's a 75 HD force dragon. The egoist uses psychic reformation to give BOBzilla a bunch of crazy epic spellcasting feats.
Then whenever he needs to lay waste to a plane, BOB fuses with Godzilla, and the resulting GodzillaBOB then makes infinite clones of itself via the Archmage's SLA: Miracle.
I didn't even think of making the PC the Psion, but your method works far better. Bravo on making an uber-caster ... by breaking Kensai.Hmm, reading body outside body it says that your clones have all of your feats. If you have Leadership, they do as well. Does this mean that they get cohorts?
I'd definitely say no - even if they have the ability to lead, given the time to raise an army or find a cohort, it shouldn't make minions spontaneously pop into existence.
I obviously haven't been posting enough wacky concepts like one-dwarf pike regiments. Body Outside Body makes everything* better.
*except primary spellcasters
As a DM I hope you won't allow most of this stuff
Do consumptive field, the haunt shift trick, lots-o-clones, and astral seed (or its magic version) got you down? Go here.
Here is what I'd do with it:
[Win]
I approve. I'd personally go with the metamind trick over fusing with a force dragon to make it permanent, since you permanency your other buffs too, but yours definitely does it with more flair.
Bravo on making an uber-caster ... by breaking Kensai.
Hey hey hey...credit where it's due! I came up with the idea; he just broke it more. ;)
I agree with the 'what have I done?' sentiment :D
As a DM I hope you won't allow most of this stuff
Well, I outlaw any infinite loop tricks, but simply doing this with a kensai cohort isn't all that bad; my current group has pulled worse.
I approve. I'd personally go with the metamind trick over fusing with a force dragon to make it permanent, since you permanency your other buffs too, but yours definitely does it with more flair.
You can get an infinite caster level using what I posted, because the clones can infinitely clone themselves, and then all donate their BAB to you. Infinite CL = infinite buff duration. I was actually thinking of how many infinite stats you could get out of it.
You could get infinite manifester level via Mental Pinnacle, and via that you could get infinite AC (including Touch), saves, hit points, attack and damage rolls, and infinite DR/-. You can get an infinite enhancement bonus on your weapon via Metaphysical Weapon. You can get infinite Spell Resistance via emulating the Spell Resistance spell. What else?
You can get an infinite caster level using what I posted, because the clones can infinitely clone themselves, and then all donate their BAB to you. Infinite CL = infinite buff duration.
True, but if you do the metamind trick, all of your clones have infinite buffs too. (As if it's really that important.) :D It's a matter of personal style more than anything else, and I just find the metamind finally being made worthwhile by a melee PrC to be ironic enough to do it that way.
I was actually thinking of how many infinite stats you could get out of it.
You could get infinite manifester level via Mental Pinnacle, and via that you could get infinite AC (including Touch), saves, hit points, attack and damage rolls, and infinite DR/-. You can get an infinite enhancement bonus on your weapon via Metaphysical Weapon. You can get infinite Spell Resistance via emulating the Spell Resistance spell. What else?
Well, what would be useful aside from those?
--You can teleport anywhere you want, with dimension door and variations thereon.
--You can create infinite amounts of permanent materials with major creation and the like.
--You are completely undetectable to any creature in existence thanks to mass cloud mind.
I could go on, but those are the best three I could find.
Please use your massive profits from recent products to hire more proofreaders and keep sober the ones you have. CO boarders are typically happy to work for you for a modest fee.
-Endarire
Dear Wizards.
Please use your massive profits from recent products to hire more proofreaders and keep sober the ones you have. CO boarders are typically happy to work for you for a modest fee.
-Endarire
Dear Wizards,
An addendum to your recent message from Endirare: If you hire COers as proofreaders, please be sure to credit their username in the front of the books, so when a RAW vs. RAI debate comes up, the COer can say, "As a matter of fact, I do know what they hell they were thinking when they wrote this." And of course free pizza always helps.
--EL
"As a matter of fact, I do know what they hell they were thinking when they wrote this."
--EL
Most important part of this thread. For idea, you get
. OP gets one too.Most important part of this thread. For idea, you get
So, seeing as I'm the OP, I get
? Why thank you! :D for you!Hey hey hey...credit where it's due! I came up with the idea; he just broke it more. ;)
Granted. That was sort of a general kudos to the thread as well as PhaedrusXY's version.
Granted. That was sort of a general kudos to the thread as well as PhaedrusXY's version.
I know, I know, just defending my fragile ego. ;)
Phaedrus's comment on Mental Pinnacle sparked an idea--would the Magic mantle in Complete Psionics let you get a high manifester level as well? It says "You always treat magic and psionics as identical," so would that count for CL vs. ML as well?
If it does, then it gives this trick an additional use: After you've taken Wizard X/AC 5, take two levels of Ardent, choosing the Magic mantle and taking the Practiced Manifester feat. You have to pick two 1st-level powers at Ardent 1, but after that you can take any powers you can manifest (1 per Ardent level), i.e. those whose cost is at most your ML, i.e. at least 13+X (X being probably at least 4), i.e. most likely 9th level powers at the cost of two levels and a feat. Timeless body, intellect bomb, metafaculty, and more are options based on which mantles you pick.
Phaedrus's comment on Mental Pinnacle sparked an idea--would the Magic mantle in Complete Psionics let you get a high manifester level as well? It says "You always treat magic and psionics as identical," so would that count for CL vs. ML as well?
Not for Abjurant Champion. Even if it let your manifesting class count as a spellcasting class for the purposes of advancement with PrCs, it still wouldn't count as an arcane spellcasting class.
Not for Abjurant Champion. Even if it let your manifesting class count as a spellcasting class for the purposes of advancement with PrCs, it still wouldn't count as an arcane spellcasting class.
Well, this would be more of an "your ML = your CL" scenario, rather than a "This sets your arcane [whatever] to your BAB, so it sets your psionic [whatever] to your BAB" scenario, but either way if it's not rock-solid I'll call that a no.
Hmm...would the Erudite, with the Spell to Power variant, count for that?
Sick!
Correction:OMFGLOLBBQ SICK!!:OMG! this makes me :headexplo awesome work guys!
Correction:OMFGLOLBBQ SICK!!:OMG! this makes me :headexplo awesome work guys!
Wow, even with 4ed out we're still finding ways to break 3.5...
:D
I'm not switching over to 4e, so I've got to do something to keep myself occupied....
:D
I'm not switching over to 4e, so I've got to do something to keep myself occupied....
neither am I (I guess you could tell that from my sig) :P
All it took in the end was fairly simple:
wizard 20, leadership, cohort x/kensai 10
20 BAB, 20 CL
//edit: core + complete warrior, nice :p
All this time people were trying to build the perfect gish by multiclassing with +1 BAB +1 CL classes.
All it took in the end was fairly simple:
wizard 20, leadership, cohort x/kensai 10
20 BAB, 20 CL
//edit: core + complete warrior, nice :p
You know, people have been complaining for a while that Complete Warrior gives just as many options (if not more) to casters than to the warrior types the book was meant for.
Oh, how right they were. :D
If I'm reading this correctly, if I have a wizard 10/abjurant champion 5, he'd have a CL of 15; if his kensai cohort uses Instill on him, he'd have a caster level of 23 for the next hour.
Can you explain to me how this works? I'm kinda confused. A wiz10/ac5 has CL 15, and BAB 10, right?
A ftr5/Kensai10 would have BAB 15. So say he uses Instill to give your wiz 10 BAB. That would mean the wiz now has BAB 20, which means CL 20. How were you getting CL 23?
Can you explain to me how this works? I'm kinda confused. A wiz10/ac5 has CL 15, and BAB 10, right?
A ftr5/Kensai10 would have BAB 15. So say he uses Instill to give your wiz 10 BAB. That would mean the wiz now has BAB 20, which means CL 20. How were you getting CL 23?
An item of divine power sets your BAB equal to your hit dice. Wiz 10/AC 5 with that item boosts his BAB to 15 (as he has 15 HD), and then you'd add the other 10 from Kensai to get 25. My example had 23 because I was going for the earliest point at which you could use it, so the cohort only had 8 levels in Kensai, not 10.
Cleric or X1 needs to grant Ride as a class skill. Fighter and Druid work.