Paladin mount abilities and Ashworm Dragoon mount abilities. Do they stack?

[Laman Stahros]

Okay, I'm creating a character for a friend's campaign (a NPC) and he is a Paladin with the Ashworm Dragoon prestige class. I'm working on the Ashworm mount and I hit a minor wall.

The mount of an Ashworm Dragoon gain HD, natural armor, and Strength just like a Paladin's mount. In Sandstorm, it says that a Paladin with levels in Ashworm Dragoon counts the ashworm mount as the Paladin's special mount.

Do the HD, natural armor, and Strength gains stack between these two classes?

Also, the Paladin's special mount gains a 10 foot increase in movement speed, does this also add to the ashworm's climb and/burrow speed?

 

[Random Hero]

Hope this is some help...

The Ashworm counts as the paladin's mount for the purposes of empathic link, share spells, etc...It would gain the bonus as a paladin's mount of its "power level" would get until it

It would gain the bonus HD as a paladin mount until you went into Ashworm Dragoon, then its HD would progress as listed in the PrC description.

As for Nat armor and Str, as long as they are not enhancement bonuses to Str and Nat Armor I am almost positive that they would stack. If they are enhancement (don't have a book at the ready, sry) then you would use the higher of the two bonuses (from paladin OR Ashworm dragoon) to modify the mount's Nat armor and Str.

I would say that the mount's speed increase would only apply to ground movement speed, not burrow/climb speed.

Sorry that I could not be completely positive on the Nat armor and Str question, but as far as I know the bonuses would stack unless they are enhancement bonus (or another that does not stack) or unless it specifically lists otherwise.

 

[Laman Stahros]

Of the four, only HD is listed as a bonus, and only in the charts at that. The others are listed as increases/adjustments. Also, the character doesn't get the ashworm as a special mount until the first level of Ashworm Dragoon. I'm so confused.

 

[Random Hero]

Sorry If I confused you...

Ok...Paladins are able to get new special mounts, so the ashworm becomes his special mount at 1st level of the PrC, meaning that it gets the bonuses as a any special paladin mount (of an ashworm's CR) would recieve according to the chart in the Paladin class description, with respect to the character's Paladin level, etc...

After that, the mount then gains HD, Strength, and Natural Armor according to the chart in the PrC description. The mount will no longer gain bonuses as a special paladin mount listed in the Paladin class description, but it will retain the bonuses it has already been granted from the character's levels of Paladin.

The HD, Strength, and Natural Armor granted from the Paladin special mount ability and the ashworm dragoon's mount advancement chart will stack with one another and not act as a replacement effect.

So if your mount was granted 1 HD, +2 Str, and +2 Natural armor from your levels of Paladin (not sure if numbers are correct), and was granted 1 HD, +2 Str, and +2 Natural armor from your levels of Ashworm Dragoon (not sure if numbers are correct here either), then it would gain 2 HD, +4 Str, and +4 Natural armor by combining/stacking the bonuses from both the Paladin and the Ashworm Dragoon.

Got it??

As for my previous comment about the speed increase, I am still relatively confident that it would only apply to the ashworm's land speed, not its burrow or climb speed. So it would get +10 ft. land movement speed and no bonus would be added to its burrow or climb (or any other speeds) speeds.

Hope I cleared things up for you, if not, tell me what you don't understand again.
I would be happy to help

 

[Laman Stahros]

You didn't confuse me, I was already confused. I believe you are right about the movement, but I was hoping some others would post in. Nothing against you, its just nice to get multiple opinions.

Okay, I got the basics. Here's where it gets complicated (and where I got confused). Sorry I didnt post this part at the beginning (thought I did, oooops).

The character is a 20th level Paladin/10th level Ashworm Dragoon. If I'm right (and it sounds like you agree), then the Paladin special mount increases (+8 HD, +10 natural armor, +4 Str) stack with the Ashworm Dragoon's ashworm mount increases (+10 HD, +12 natural armor, +5 Str).

Agree / disagree?

 

[Random Hero]

No offense taken...

Yup, I agree with you on this one...
The HD, Natural Armor and Str from both will stack with one another.

That is certainly going to be one big/beefy ashworm!

So yes, I agree with you and hopefully some others will post to give some more support...

 

[Laman Stahros]

Your telling me!

Thanks for the help. I haven't had anyone take levels in paladin or any other class that grants a creature follower other than wizard or sorcerer since 3e came out, so I'm a little light on how this stuff works.

 

[Random Hero]

You're Welcome!

You're Welcome!

Being out of the DnD loop for a while sucks cuz things change so fast these days...I know your pain, lol.