Mounted Ranger

[The_If]

I'm throwing together a Dire Badger riding Gnome Ranger. Standard 32 points for a level 12 build. My goal is to keep my Effect Druid Level as close to my normal level as possible.

Ranger8(PHB,Races of Stone)/WildPlains Outrider3(Complete Adventurer)/Beastmaster1(Complete Adventurer).

Ways of keeping EDL up

• Level 4 Gnome Racial Substitution from Races of Stone (+3)
• NaturalBond Feat(+3)
• WildPlains(+3)
• BeastMaster(+3)
• RangerLevel/2(+4)
• Mount(-3)(Not a buff, but needs to be noted)

Total being 13 EDL for a level 12 character.


Feats so far: Mounted Combat, Natural Bond, Skill Focus(Handle Animal), Mount Gets +10 movement, I get a full melee attack if my mount use a move action or less.

Firstly, is everything presented here legal within the rules? Secondly, I have two more feats and I'm not sure what else to take? Thirdly, assuming this continues to level 20, where should I plan on going from here?

 

[Flatus Maximus]

Why do you want to max out EDL? Your Ranger isn't going to do anything but ride the badger, right? Once you have the EDL to get this mount, you don't really need to pump it at all. It would be far better, IMHO, to focus on getting Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, and anything that increases the speed of your mount. Your job is to charge, so get yourself a nice lance and you're ready to blow stuff up. BTW I've played this before and it's a lot of fun, has cool flavor, and you can go anywhere the other Medium PCs can go. There are some other good feats and spells to consider, which I'll post if I can find my old character sheet....

 

[The_If]

I was thinking it would be doing overrun attacks and a higher level would mean more damage, also, it allows for me to jump from the mount and not worry about it in combat.

However, I'm just starting in DnD, so if this is ridiculous tell me.

 

[Flatus Maximus]

I was thinking it would be doing overrun attacks and a higher level would mean more damage, also, it allows for me to jump from the mount and not worry about it in combat.

However, I'm just starting in DnD, so if this is ridiculous tell me.

Well, a Medium mount isn't going to consistently overrun anything larger than Small, not to mention that targets can simply choose to side-step your overrun attempt. Occasionally, you might pull it off, but I'm not sure it's worth the considerable investment of resources (skills, feats and gp). If you have a Larger or larger mount, then it might be worth thinking more about, but I assumed you went with a Small PC/Medium mount because you wanted mobility and flexibility. As far as attacks go, your mount just isn't going to keep up with you and your allies (overcoming DR, etc.), so having it attack is costing you movement without much in return. Again, I'd focus on taking advantage of the mobility that mounts give you, then talk to your allies about keeping the charging lanes clear. You can do some major damage with a nice lance + charge + Spirited Charge. Throw in crab walk from Spell Compendium, and you're on your way. (There are other feats to consider, for example Combat Brute and Shock Trooper....)

 

[The_If]

Good to know about not being able to consistently overrun. The other possibility is a large Wolverine... but that does lose out on the mobility thing. I think I'll rework it into a straight charge/melee character. I'd hold the WPO because it's some class bonuses. Is cavalier a good optioin, or should I start looking elsewhere for levels 9 to 20?

 

[Herzog]

Not sure if this anywhere near what you're looking for, but if you take paladin levels and ranger levels, the Devoted Tracker feat from Complete Adventurer allows you to designate your special mount as your animal companion, gaining benefits from both to your mount/animal companion.

 

[Flatus Maximus]

Good to know about not being able to consistently overrun. The other possibility is a large Wolverine... but that does lose out on the mobility thing. I think I'll rework it into a straight charge/melee character. I'd hold the WPO because it's some class bonuses. Is cavalier a good optioin, or should I start looking elsewhere for levels 9 to 20?

Yeah, I think cavalier is good. Deadly Charge + even a little bit of optimization will be a good finishing move when something needs to go down now.