Mounted combat?

[kigmatzomat]

.... I still spend a lot of time keeping him safe. It get more ridiculous at the really high levels as mounts just dont keep up with the PC or the monsters. Sure you've got a 20th level mounted warrior, but his 30hp horse aint gonna last long against much.

One thing I did for the NPC ogre paladin was mix a few rules. A 6HD dire wolf, the smallest animal that can carry him, requires Pal:6 and I think CR4. I advanced the wolf +1CR (9HD) and then called it at Pal:7 (CR5). It means the mount will be 2 levels behind a horse and 1 level behind a standard dire wolf mount for special abilities but will usually be 3HD ahead. Natural armor is nice but an extra 30hp or so makes a bigger difference in my experiences.

I'm also a bit nicer about animal stats. If they hunt around (use appraise, speak with animals, powersight, etc) they can find superior animals. I forget the NPC stat blocks but all Paladin mounts and Animal Companions are automatically made with one of the elite stat groups.

I also allow normal animals to gain additional HD over time based on their combat experience and my whims. It roughly breaks down to 1HD/3 PC levels which is less than the Paladin/druid advancement and doesn't have all the extra bonuses.

It hasn't made a massive difference as real challenges that threaten the party are massively dangerous for the mounts, but they are still noticeably more durable than a freshly trained 2yr old horse. The only time it really showed up was when the 10th level PCs were attacked by a large group of 4th level bandits. The players were rolling utter crap; I don't think a single die rolled higher than a 5. The warhorses did the majority of the damage. The greatest point of humor was when the main tank fighter fell off his horse after a botched roll and the horse proceeded to kill the bandit chief.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I play a paladin with a Griffon mount and they are definitely the weak link in the whole mounted combat. A griffon is pretty superior to a horse in all measurable ways and I still spend a lot of time keeping him safe. It get more ridiculous at the really high levels as mounts just dont keep up with the PC or the monsters. Sure you've got a 20th level mounted warrior, but his 30hp horse aint gonna last long against much.

I always thought the trick at that level was to take Leadership, then combine your Cohort and Paladin Mount into a single beast.

Of course, this won't work in 3.5, what with the summoned mount and all, but I believe that if the 3.5 mount is killed, it can merely be summoned again the next day?

 

[Silveras]

I always thought the trick at that level was to take Leadership, then combine your Cohort and Paladin Mount into a single beast.

Of course, this won't work in 3.5, what with the summoned mount and all, but I believe that if the 3.5 mount is killed, it can merely be summoned again the next day?

3.5 DMG, p.200: Paladin Cohort Mounts: "At the DM's option, she may allow a Paladin or other character with a special mount class feature to combine the special mount with the cohort feat."

The 3.5 Paladin's mount is NOT summoned, it is called. The reason for the nit-picky insistence on the terminology is because, if the mount is killed, it is NOT available the next day; it is really "there", and so is also really dead.