LION RIDER OF THE HÜNDE
Requirements:
To become a lion rider, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:
Race: Hunde
Base Attack Bonus: +8
Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge, Mounted Archery, and Power Attack
Skills: Handle Animal 8 ranks, and Ride 10 ranks.
Alignment: Lawful Good or Neutral Good.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills
The lion rider’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge: Architecture (Int), Knowledge: History (Int), Knowledge: Nature (Int), Knowledge: Nobility (Int), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis)
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
BAB: Full
Saves: Good Fortitude, Bad Reflex, Bad Will
Table: The Lion Rider
Level Special
1 Lion Mount, Mounted Expertise +2, Lion’s Courage
2 Uncanny Dodge
3 Burst of Speed
4 Mounted Expertise +4
5 Lion’s Pounce, Improved Uncanny Dodge
6 Full Mounted Attack
7 Mounted Expertise +6
8 Leap Attack
9 Lion's Roar
10 Mounted Expertise +8
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the lion rider.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Lion Riders are proficient with simple and martial weapons. They are also proficient with all types of armor and shields, except tower shields. This ability does not extend to exotic armors and shields.
Lion Mount: At 1st level, the lion rider gains a Warbeast Lion mount. The lion rider’s mount is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has special powers, as described below. In addition do to breeding the lion’s of the Hünde are much larger than standard lions measuring 9 to 12 feet in length and weighing between 2000 and 2500 pounds.
Lion Rider’s Mount Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the mount’s kind, but make changes to take into account the attributes and characteristics summarized on the table and described below.
Level Hit Dice Natural Armor Strength Special
1-3_____ +2_____ +4_____ +1_____ Improved Speed +10, Improved Evasion, Feat
4-6_____ +4_____ +6_____ +2_____ Improved Natural Attack (claw)
7-9_____ +6_____ +8_____ +3_____ Improved Speed +20, Multiattack
10_____ +8_____ +10____ +4_____ Improved Natural Attack (bite)
Bonus Hit Dice: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the mount’s base attack and base save bonuses. A special mount’s base attack bonus is equal to that of a cleric of a level equal to the mount’s HD. A mount has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). The mount gains additional skill points for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice. The feats normally acquired for bonus hit dice have already been spent except where noted above.
Feat: The mount gains one feat from its bonus hit dice at this point. Other feats normally gained for bonus hit dice have already been spent.
Natural Armor Adjustment: The number on the table is an improvement to the mount’s existing natural armor bonus.
Strength Adjustment: Add this figure to the mount’s Strength score.
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a mount takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage if the saving throw fails.
Improved Speed (Ex): The mount’s speed increases by 10 feet. At seventh level the mount’s speed increases by an additional 10 feet.
Improved Natural Attack (claw/bite): The mount gains these feats at the respective level shown on the chart above. These feats take the place of two of the feats normally acquired by animals from the addition of hit dice.
Table: Example Lion Mount (in attachment only)
Mounted Expertise: The lion rider gains a bonus on all ride checks and jump checks by his mount equal to that shown on the chart above.
Lion's Courage: The lion rider gains immunity to fear and fear effects.
Burst of Speed: Once per day may spur mount to pounce with double normal distance. If done more than once mount takes 2d6 damage unless it passes a DC 20 Will save.
Lion's Pounce: When charging, mounted or unmounted, character may make a full attack. Only the first attack benefits from deadly pounce or unstoppable pounce ability.
Full Mounted Attack: Character may make a full attack even his mount moves more than five feet. The mount may not move more than his normal movement rate.
Lion's Roar: As a full round action, the character and his mount issue a devastating roar. All allies within thirty feat gain a +2 morale bonus on attack and damge rolls as well as a +4 morale bonus to saves against fear and fear effects. Any friendly character currently suffering from a fear effect may make a will save against the original DC with this bonus as a free action in order to overcome the effect. In addition, all enemies within thirty feet must make a will save (DC = 20 + lion rider's charisma bonus, if any) or become frightened, those who pass the will save become shaken for the duration of the effect. The effects of this action have a duration of 5 rounds. If the lion rider flees or is killed then the effect ends immediately.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a barbarian retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a barbarian already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level and higher, a lion rider and his mount can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the lion rider or mount by flanking him. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the lion rider can flank him (and thus sneak attack him). If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.
Leap Attack: At 8th level and higher, a lion rider gains Leap Attack as a bonus feat. In addition, when he is mounted, and his mount makes a successful jump check (clearing at least 10 feet) as part of a pounce attempt the lion rider can gain the benefits of the feat as well.
