doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
It’s possible that we agree, but I’m having trouble parsing your post. I’m sorry.
D&D 5E Mounted Beastmaster
Adb0782
Explorer
Well, i think we agree to0, but im not sure as i didnt understand parts of your post above this.
Anyway what i mean is simply: a beastmaster can mount his companion and still make it attack or take the help action sharing the same initiative with it, as they share initiative due the companion rule and not due the controlled mount rule, so even the companion will be an independent mount, they will keep sharing the initiative, as "An independent mount retains its place in the initiative order" is totally respected if the ranger and the companion share their initiative using the companion rule. The companion indeed ratains its place in the initiative order, this place is the ranger place in the order, it never changed, it just follow its own rule, and as the indipendent mount rule say that "the mount ratains its place in the initiative order", but it never say "the mount must roll its own initiative", the 2 rules perfectly work together.
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doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Yes, exactly. Which is great because it means the mount can move on the ranger's turn, allowing a melee mounted ranger on a flyer with Flyby to make their attacks and then bug out. The only issue is opportunity attacks, but seriously I can't imagine not giving those disadvantage.
Adb0782
Explorer
Well, the one flyer with flyby available is the pteranodon, but i was thinking also that this can become very useful from when the companion can perform the help action with the ranger bonus action, so from lv 7. This make me think about get shapershooter at lv 8 (changing also the fighting style to archery), because in this way the companion can go within 5 ft from the enemies for perform the help action, it than move to ranged reach with flyby, and the ranger shoot 2 times with shapershooter, the first with adavantage (or he can shoot just the fist attack with SS and advantage), also going on with levels will be easier to find resistant/immune enemies to poison and this switch of companion and fighting style can solve the problem.
About flyby: if what we assumed till here is right, being the companion an independent mount with flyby, the enemies cant target its movement with opportunity attacks, as its an independent movement, its not the ranger movement, even it happen in the same turn of initiative.
Ps this seem all also make sense to me because while a normal horse rider, for jump over an obstacle, have to calculate the distance, direct the horse with his buttocks and feet and his arms as well etc etc, a beastmaster have only to ask to his companion to jump over there (and i think this is the difference between "direct it" from controlled mount rules and "verbally command it" from the companion rule), so while a horse rider have to probably use some instruments, train and control his mount, a beastmaster get the same goal even without use any istruments like a saddle or bridle, without train his companion, and so leaving his companion uncontrolled and indipendent.
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Adb0782
Explorer
I was also making some considerations:
The snake at lv 3 has as same HP as a wizard and till lv 5 seem it still has around same hp the wizard have, than from lv 5 maybe aid can help with keep its hp similar to wizard, but i suppose the problem are area effect spells and crits that can kill the companion istantly. For other things cure wounds should be enough.
Spike growth can become a very useful spell, especially if the ranger dont mount the companion and keep the enemies in melee with him inside the spell area effect, while the snake attack them from outside with its 10 ft reach attack.
Being not so important my stats, as the snake will almost always attack, i was thinking different feats combinations, without bring dex and wis above 17:
- magic initiate (for mage armor to cast on the companion and ray of frost for keep enemies in the growth spike area longer), and shadow touched for false life that on single target is better than aid, plus invisibility that is always a good spell. Fighting style should be thrown weapons. (this is btw the one option that bring wis to 18, as this race have a +2 wis racial so it can start from 17)
- mounted combatant and defensive duelist for survivability. Fighting style: defense.
- Ritual caster (find familiar for help the snake attacks and scounting, comprehend lenguages and everything else ill find on the way) and magic initiate (mage armor that would enter at lv 8). Throw weapon fighting style.
- magic initiate at lv 4 and sharpeshooter at lv 8, so at lv 8 he gonna change his fighting style (switching to archery) and his companion (going for a pteranodon), for change play style and avoid situations where things immune or resistant to poison can be a problem.
Which do you think it works better?
I was considering also other thing:
if i dont pick mounted combatant as feat, the benefit to mount the campanion disappears (except the companion is a flying creature), because the enemies can anyway target my mount with everything and at this point being in a different place seem better because it allow them to flank an enemy and give advantage to each other's attacks. In any case the ranger AC isnt great while the companion AC go from 18 to 23 with mage armor. I suppose mostly crits and area effect spells will anyway kill the companion, but this is true even mounting it without the mounted combatant feat.
In this scenario anyway, giving already adavtage to each other via flanking, seem to me that a good way to go would be start with magic initiate and so mage armor at lv 4, and than choose artificer initiate at lv 8 if i want keep going with the snake, for sanctuary. In this way the ranger can even dont use any weapon (well, he gonna hold a staff as thats also his arcane focus), just shield, defense fighting style and sanctuary should make him able to keep enemies in melee inside the spike growth area while the snake attack them from outside the area with the 10 ft reach attack.
Even go for 5 BM/2 or 3 Twilight cleric seem a good idea to me, darkvision and temp HP from the cleric + sanctuary at lv 6 (instead than lv 8) and healing word as bonus action, possibily spiritual weapon (but im not sure it work together with sanctuary), some more spell slots, in exchange of 10/15 HP for the companion (anyway covered by the channel divinity of the twilight cleric) and of course 2/3 levels of delay on 3rd lv spells.
The snake at lv 3 has as same HP as a wizard and till lv 5 seem it still has around same hp the wizard have, than from lv 5 maybe aid can help with keep its hp similar to wizard, but i suppose the problem are area effect spells and crits that can kill the companion istantly. For other things cure wounds should be enough.
Spike growth can become a very useful spell, especially if the ranger dont mount the companion and keep the enemies in melee with him inside the spell area effect, while the snake attack them from outside with its 10 ft reach attack.
Being not so important my stats, as the snake will almost always attack, i was thinking different feats combinations, without bring dex and wis above 17:
- magic initiate (for mage armor to cast on the companion and ray of frost for keep enemies in the growth spike area longer), and shadow touched for false life that on single target is better than aid, plus invisibility that is always a good spell. Fighting style should be thrown weapons. (this is btw the one option that bring wis to 18, as this race have a +2 wis racial so it can start from 17)
- mounted combatant and defensive duelist for survivability. Fighting style: defense.
- Ritual caster (find familiar for help the snake attacks and scounting, comprehend lenguages and everything else ill find on the way) and magic initiate (mage armor that would enter at lv 8). Throw weapon fighting style.
- magic initiate at lv 4 and sharpeshooter at lv 8, so at lv 8 he gonna change his fighting style (switching to archery) and his companion (going for a pteranodon), for change play style and avoid situations where things immune or resistant to poison can be a problem.
Which do you think it works better?
I was considering also other thing:
if i dont pick mounted combatant as feat, the benefit to mount the campanion disappears (except the companion is a flying creature), because the enemies can anyway target my mount with everything and at this point being in a different place seem better because it allow them to flank an enemy and give advantage to each other's attacks. In any case the ranger AC isnt great while the companion AC go from 18 to 23 with mage armor. I suppose mostly crits and area effect spells will anyway kill the companion, but this is true even mounting it without the mounted combatant feat.
In this scenario anyway, giving already adavtage to each other via flanking, seem to me that a good way to go would be start with magic initiate and so mage armor at lv 4, and than choose artificer initiate at lv 8 if i want keep going with the snake, for sanctuary. In this way the ranger can even dont use any weapon (well, he gonna hold a staff as thats also his arcane focus), just shield, defense fighting style and sanctuary should make him able to keep enemies in melee inside the spike growth area while the snake attack them from outside the area with the 10 ft reach attack.
Even go for 5 BM/2 or 3 Twilight cleric seem a good idea to me, darkvision and temp HP from the cleric + sanctuary at lv 6 (instead than lv 8) and healing word as bonus action, possibily spiritual weapon (but im not sure it work together with sanctuary), some more spell slots, in exchange of 10/15 HP for the companion (anyway covered by the channel divinity of the twilight cleric) and of course 2/3 levels of delay on 3rd lv spells.
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