Any way to get larger ranger animal companions?

[Klaus]

I haven't read up on mounts at all, but if you just didn't allow the use of any powers that had the BEAST keyword while mounted... would that work?

I don't know.

But now I'm envisioning a "Rider" class as a Martial Controller, with "mount keyword" powers... After all, cavalry is great for crowd control.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I haven't read up on mounts at all, but if you just didn't allow the use of any powers that had the BEAST keyword while mounted... would that work?

Actually sounds like a pretty good idea to me. There may be many of them that would be fine, but then there are some that wouldn't be. The ranger can always dismount. Maybe another feat could be Expert Rider, which could allow quick mount/dismount as a minor action and some small bonus like a special save vs being dismounted or something like that. Maybe a small damage bonus when using a melee weapon mounted, something.

I could see a few of the Martial classes, and Paladin having special 'Cavalier' builds too. They could have a somewhat less powerful equivalent of the animal companion and a class feature to do some neat thing with it. Even maybe a couple of mount keyword powers. Maybe those would be a PP. Like I said above, it does limit the character a bit if he HAS to have his mount around to be full strength, but it can work fine in a lot of campaigns.

 

[cmbarona]

As Rangers got their companions back in Martial Power, I can easily see Paladins getting their mounts back in Divine Power as an alternate build as well. Hopefully, the designers will have the foresight to make them effective both with and without their mounts.