Halfling flying mount question.

[Having fun]

First off I am a level 2 Halfling ranger soon to be level 3. So now I face my first hard choice. Beast Master or Hunter?The campaign we are in started off on a new world with no humanoid inhabitants, naked with no tools. So we have literally had to survive from scratch. The DMs are not trying to kill us but then again in the 6 sessions we have played only 8 of the 20+ original characters are still alive. My reason for Halfling is Nat 1s are almost a 50/50 death trap and my hiding ability. Ranged character seemed appropriate for staying alive in the wilderness combined with Ranger bonuses was my reason for going going Ranger. But now that i have managed to survive long enough to build a bow, concoct paralyzing poison for my arrows and reach level 3 the question becomes Beast Master or Hunter. I Really like Horde Breaker and Volley but wonder if having a companion instead of just a mount would be better? Should I go Beast Master for the flying dinosaur or just try to capture a giant buzzard or eagle or the like to train as a mount?Considerations1) I will probably never use my companion to attack anyway.(2) This campaign is all about surviving not max DPS.(3) I like to help my team mates and contribute to the group but my life comes 100% first.(4) Seriously thinking of picking up 3 levels of rouge for the assassinate bonuses.(5) Seriously thinking of going at least 2 fighter maybe as much as 10 for the perks.(6) Maybe going as high as 11 ranger for Volley.(7) Took archery style at level 2.(8) 18 Dex.(9) Thinking sharpshooter > Lucky > +2 dex. My ideas being1) Do aerial scouting for group.(2) Fight at max range concentrating on crowd control (with paralyzing poison and spells) when necessary.(3) Stay alive at all costs.Any constructive advice will be appreciated.

 

[XMorsX]

Having a flying mount is great, but you have to bear in mind that the best bet for surviving as a team is to stick together and providing maximum effectiveness while covering each other. It may be very effective riding a pteranodon and raining arrows when you solo an enemy that cannot harm you in the air, but as long as it has an other ally of yours to maul on, then it makes no difference for the survivability of the team as a whole.

It turns out though that you can have a serious impact on damage if you ride a giant poisonous snake and actively using it to attack the enemy, since it deals great damage. Check the guide below and the ranged options, build 16 is considered to be optimal.

Hunter is typicaly strong vs hordes, but i would prefer to go with beastmaster and stay single classed (since if you multiclass you weaken your companion) since you play a small race and can ride your companion.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?476182-Guide-Small-size-Beastmaster

If you stil want to take a pteranodon it is fine and has certainly a lot if advantages, but then you will be underperforming in combat when measured against other martials.

 

[Having fun]

Thanks for linking that post. I had already read it and used a lot of the ideas in it before I started my build. It was actually my inspiration for going small being as I had planed on Wood Elf with the 35 movement speed and giant snake for DPS. However after missing the first 2 of 6 days of play and seeing so many deaths in this campaign I decided to go small so i could ride a flying mount. In this campaign because of role playing constraints I am way more concerned about me staying alive then putting myself at risk buy being stuck on the ground with a 25 movement speed. And if you noticed how many players we have lost already you can see the DMs are not cutting us any slack at all.

 

[XMorsX]

You are welcome. Then go with Pteranodon (check the builds 14 and even better 15 for guidance), using you mount only for kiting and relying completely on the crossbow expert + sharpshooter for damage. You will be a little bit underperforming compared to a more typical ranged Hunter Ranger (and more so to a ranged battlemaster fighter) but you will still do respectable damage and enjoy the relative safety of the flying mount. In the end, if this makes the difference between dying and surviving, you have achieved your purpose.