D&D General What ever happened to the Cavalier?

[Lanefan]

I would call fantasy air forces rather rare in my experience.

Fantasy air forces comprised of a party of flying PCs are - in play - as common as dirt IME after about 5th level.

In a setting where it's known powerful people can fairly often get into the air somehow (e.g. flight spell, devices, airships, natural wings, etc.), one would probably build one's castle with defense against that in mind.

That said, if your castle courtyard has some sort of anti-flight magic above it such that anything bigger than a hawk flying over or into it crash-lands on the spot, then now you're talking.

 

[amethal]

Pathfinder 1st edition treats the Cavalier's mount the same way as the Druid's animal companion, and it improves with levels the same way the animal companion does. You're probably still not taking it into the dungeon, however.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Yeah, this is a less extreme case of why you don't see a lot of attempts at a Seaman class; in a lot, maybe most campaigns, too much of the game takes place in situations where a horse is a non-starter, and that's not getting into the problems of equine survivability in a game like D&D.

I can honestly see other problems than a fringe need for ships and water in trying to create a class of Seamen, in a game that is working hard to hook young consumers in a country with Florida in it.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Even though doing so is often the most effective option if you can pull it off, particularly if your foe is mounted and you are not.

Yes, but that has as little to do with most people's expectations as any number of reality-based issues.

 

[Undrave]

I can honestly see other problems than a fringe need for ships and water in trying to create a class of Seamen, in a game that is working hard to hook young consumers in a country with Florida in it.

Eh????

 

[Vaalingrade]

I can honestly see other problems than a fringe need for ships and water in trying to create a class of Seamen, in a game that is working hard to hook young consumers in a country with Florida in it.

It's kind of weird they never made a Seafairers considering how thirsty (heh) the game traditionally is to make players go into the water despite its other goal of making underwater adventuring as miserable as possible.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

Eh????

"Seamen"

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's kind of weird they never made a Seafairers considering how thirsty (heh) the game traditionally is to make players go into the water despite its other goal of making underwater adventuring as miserable as possible.

There is the Oath of the Open Sea paladin. Technically it's 3PP, but it's on D&D Beyond. But that is thematic, rather than mechanical.