Buff my phantom steed

[jasin]

I'm probably playing a Knight Phantom this Sunday. It's an Eberron
Ftr/Wiz class that uses phantom steeds for dragoon tactics: use mounts
to travel, dismount, fight on foot.

However, I've noticed that the ride DC for soft fall after you're mount
is dropped is relatively low (15), and since you're neither paying money
for the steeds nor are they your cherished companions, you might as well
go into battle on one. When it's killed, well, you're no worse off than
if you entered the battle on foot (if you made the DC 15 ride check to
land on your feet).

Of course, you're not getting that much benefit either, if you don't
take mounted combat feats, and if you do, the cost of a steed dying
suddenly goes sharply up: you have feats that are of no use now! Still,
a wizard charging into battle with a sword, mounted on an unnaturally
silent grey horse that just turns into fog when hit, with the wizard
dropping to his feet unfazed... very cool, IMO.

So if you make it standard practice to ride into battle on the steed...
why not try to make it more durable, if possible?

So is it? It doesn't seem to be, really. The steeds hp are terrible: 7
hp + 1/level mean they go down in one hit, and there seems really to be
little you can do about that.

But I might be missing something, so I call upon the collective wisdom
of ENWorld...

 

[DanMcS]

Well, it is a creature ("You conjure a Large, quasi-real, horselike creature"), so it's a valid target for spells with a target like "one creature" or "creature touched", so buff spells should affect it. Cast mage armor or greater mage armor on it for a AC boost. Haste, maybe, too. Heck, cast invisibility on it. It doesn't attack anyway, and now all attack rolls against it have a 50% miss chance

With a speed of 240 (at caster level 12), it has a rediculous jump check, like +84. Find some way to use that. Hmm. You can clear a 25 foot wall with no problem, anyway.

And a speed of 240, double moving every round is 480, is 54 mph. If they run, they break a hundred mph. My sorceror has conjured them before and used them to send noncombatants out of the area at a speed nobody can catch.

With Mounted Combat, you can evade one attack per round for your mount. With a lance, you do double damage on a charge, and that takes no feats at all, so you can be a passable mounted combatant without much feat investment.

 

[Thanee]

Heck, cast invisibility on it. It doesn't attack anyway, and now all attack rolls against it have a 50% miss chance

And you will look really funky, too, riding into battle on... nothing.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Someone]

"A guy charges you very quickly with his legs spread open!"

 

[blargney the second]

That's really a fun image for a character concept - I have to try that sometime! Yay for being a DM

-blarg

 

[boolean]

With a speed of 240 (at caster level 12), it has a rediculous jump check, like +84. Find some way to use that. Hmm. You can clear a 25 foot wall with no problem, anyway.

CL12 is an odd point to consider the jumping capabilities of a Phantom Steed, as that's exactly the point at which the Steed gains Air Walk at will, making jumping somewhat unnecessary.

 

[kjenks]

At caster level 14+, something strange happens to the Phantom Steed's fly ability. Since its fly speed goes way up to 240 ft. and its Average maneuverability requires a half move for minimum forward speed, it must move forward at least 24 squares to remain airborne. That's a heck of a lot of movement.

I don't think spells affect the Phantom Steed normally. For example, it doesn't have any saving throws. It doesn't have any ability scores. It doesn't have a BAB or a grapple check. It doesn't have a type (like Magical Beast or whatever).

It's a remarkably poorly written spell. And Phantom Stag (CD) seems to be based on it and seems to be even worse.