[3.5]Cohort and Paladin's Mount

[Pax]

Ridley, I'd count the horse in and of itself before the special bonusses for being the Paladin's special bonded mount, when looking at what Cohort level-equivalent it is.

IOW, bonus HD for being the Paladin's mount wouldn't limit it's progression as a mount.

Does this let the Paladin double-dip in terms of gained HD for the mount? Sure. Then again, he's spending a feat AND a class ability for it. And the effect shouldn't be TOO pronounced.

 

[FireLance]

Okay, I am confused.

Let's stick with a very simple example.

An 8th level paladin recruits an 4 HD heavy warhorse as his cohort which has the effective level of 6 if this cohort becomes his special mount.

Question 1: Is the cohort special mount 4HD or 8 HD? Do you just slap the +4HD for being an 8th level paladin?

Question 2: What happens when the paladin levels? Does the mount level as a cohort would normally?

I ask because if the cohort levels at the same rate as the paladin (as per 3.5 rules for cohorts) and gains the bonus HD as well, then then a 15th level paladin could have a 19 HD warhorse (4HD start + 7HD for levelling + 8HD bonus for being a paladin mount.

First off, I don't think that you could use the Leadership feat to attract a cohort with animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2). That is what the standard paladin mount option (horses) and the "Unusual Mounts" option on DMG p204 is for.

Some of the creatures listed in the "Unusual Mounts" option are available to Paladins as mounts at lower levels than if he tried to attract them with the Leadership feat. For example, a griffon is the equivalent of a 10th-level cohort, but may serve as the special mount of a 8th-level paladin.

However, if you want another type of mount (a dragon, for example), you need to use the Leadership feat to attract it, and the Cohort Mount option allows a paladin to bond with it as a Special Mount.

Finally, I am thinking that the following may be a more balanced implementation of the Leadership and Cohort Mount rules:

The paladin can use the Leadership feat to attract a cohort to serve as a mount as normal, without the +2 LA or the -2 to Leadership score for having a bonded mount, but the minimum level at which the paladin can attract the mount as a cohort sets the baseline for the mount's Special Mount abilities. Its bonuses to HD, Natural Armour, Str and Int and other special abilities then follow the table on DMG p205.