New Mounted prestige class to be torn apart and balanced!

[Shallown]

Trying to create a new Mounted warrior PrC. I took a little Cavalier and a little 1/2ling outrider and made this for one of my players. Now all I gotta do is balance it and that's where you good folks come in.

THe SILVER RIDERS

Background/roleplaying stuff still being created in my head. Probably working for the human kingdom or something like that. Realm protectors and first line of defense in the outer / frontier lands.

Requirements
BAB: +8
Skills :Handle Animal 8 ranks, Ride 10 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, Spot 4 ranks, listen 4 ranks, Survival 5 ranks
Feats : Mounted combat, Ride by attack, Spirited charge, Dodge, Mounted archery
Class skills : Intimidate, Profession, Knowledge (nature), Ride, Handle animal, Balance, Heal, Jump, Climb, Sense motive, Spot, Listen, Survival
Skill Points : 4 + Int Modifier.
Hit Dice : 1d10

BAB - As fighter
Saves Good Fort and Ref Poor will
Mounted AC bonus starts at +1 goes up every odd level to +5 at 9th

Abilities gained at what level.
1st - Ride Bonus +2 / Controlled charge
2nd - Defensive Ride 1/d
3rd - Deadly charge 1/d
4th - Ride Check +1 / Ride bonus +4
5th - Defensive ride 2/d / Improved ride by attack
6th - Deadly charge 2/d
7th - Ride check +2 / Ride bonus +6
8th - Full mounted attack
9th - Deadly charge 3/d
10th - Mount full attack

And what they mean


Mounted AC bonus - While mounted the Silver Rider gains a dodge bonus equal to this amount.

Ride Bonus - This is A class bonus to ride checks it increases at 4th and 7th level. (Use the highest bonus only)

Controlled charge - While performing a charge action the Silver Rider suffers no penalty to AC for charging (Normally a -2)

Defensive ride - As a free action, usable the # of times per day listed and lasting 3 plus Silver Rider's con modifier in rounds the following bonuses apply. The Silver rider gains +2 to dexterity and A +4 dodge bonus and A +2 to hit, The mount gains +10 ft of movement, +2 on will saves and a +2 dodge bonus. If the rider becomes dismounted or dismounts then the bonuses end.

Deadly charge - While performing a charge action damage is doubled for a single attack made by the rider or the mount. This follows normal staking rules so a spirited charge does X 3 damage and a lanced spirited charge does X 4. This is usable a number of times per day as listed.

Ride check - this allows the use of the mounted charge feat an additional use per round as a free action. The additional use is at -5 to the roll. At Ride check +2 a third ride check is allowed at -10.

Improved ride by attack - While performing a ride by attack the mount may make a single attack as well as the rider. This attack uses their primary attack form.

Full mounted attack - This allows the Silver Rider to perform a full attack action even if the mount takes more than a 5 foot step. The mount cannot perform more than a normal move but could attack as usual. This cannot be combined with a charge action.

Mount Full attack - At the end of a charge action the mount may perform a full attack. May not be combined with ride by attack since this is performed at the end of movement not during.


If it matters I made the class for a ranger(monte) 4/ Fighter 4/ windrider 4 - great sword using character that is the front line fighter but not really tunde for combat as much as he could be. And he really needs to be.

His mount is a Half silver dragon large wolf.

 

[Shallown]

I hate Bumping my own thread but I'm being forced into. Well not forced but you know... I would like some help...

Thanks anyone who comments.

Later

 

[tensen]

My take on it..

You seem to be giving 3 things at first level.. lets balance that out a little. You want to try and make it so that the player doesn't just take the first level of the prestige class to gain all those things.


First, move the mounted AC bonus so it doesn't start until 2nd level... this lets it max out at the 10th level, which makes a bit more sense anyway.

And change the Ride bonus so it is off the chart in the beginning and just give a +1 per level.

Now the Ride check... this occurs twice in the chart. But it is very odd that it is in the middle of the chart. Persumably you didn't want them to have more than 2 extra chances at it. But that doesn't explain why it is oddly placed. Perhaps making it at 4th and 8th would look better. Not sure how that would effect game balance.


What exactly is the rider doing in the defensive ride? I would presume that something defensively would add to reflex saves, not will saves. Why did you do it that way?

 

[Kodam]

Hi!

I think its quite powerful that way. Just compare it to the Halfling Outrider or the Cavalier from Sword & Fist. This is much more powerful than both of them. The Silver Rider has lots of requirements but none of it hurts in any way, all these feats would be taken by any mounted Fighter. There's no "price" to pay.

A closer look:

Controlled and Deadly Charge are fine but Controlled Carge could be a 2nd or 3rd level ability. At first level he'd still get the AC-Bonus, the Ride-Bonus, the Saves and the BAB.

An ability called "defensive ride" shouldn't provide an attack bonus. I'd even say that he can't attack at all when using it.

Full Mounted Attack would be fine as a 10th level ability.

But Mount Full Attack - a full attack after a charge is too much.


Just my thoughts...

Kodam

 

[Shallown]

Some Sound suggestions.

I tend to over do a class then back down. I thinking moving the ride check bonus to equal to level sounds good. I can also shift the Ac bonus up one level.

I can change defensive ride which I see as a sort of mount urging or driving that speeds them up or focuses their defense. I'll drop the bonus to attack and change it to a costing a move to maintain that way they couldn't full attack normally. I did the defensive ride like the halfling outrider is done with some minor changes. Maybe make the riders dodge bonus +2 instead of +4 ?

I had the ride check at fourth and every 3 levels therafter but thought that the 10th ability was powerful enough without adding the additonal ride check, as well so I left it off. I have seen how easy it is to prevent mount damage with ride checks already.

I don't think the Price is a big issue for me. I like PrC's to have logical requirements and stear away from useless sort of feats that don't fit well. I would prefer it just be higher requirements like skills and feats and BAB. That's why I have a +8 Bab requirement. A focused mounted person can get the class and not feel like the wasted anything. I don't have a problem with upping the skills or adding feats but I like them to flow naturally into the Prestige class. Sort of why I put dodge in to flow into the Ac mounted bonus. If you have some other ideas I'd love to hear them as to what I could do to make it more "pricey" Without putting in useless feat requirements.


CAvaliers get Full mounted attack at 5th I think so I upped it a few levels. I'd kind of like it there but how about if it was performed at some penalty like -4 Which is still significant at higher levels ( Minimum being 16th to have the ability)

The full mount attack is A pounce like ability perhaps make it only at the beginning of a combat or initiative. They have to do it off the rip to get it. I can see where otherwise it is a bit much.

Thanks for the help I really appreciate it. Hope I don't sound to defensive if I do that's just the way I sound in an arguement I'm not the best debater in the world.

Thanks Again Kodam and Tensen

Later

 

[Kodam]

Hi!

Thanks for the help I really appreciate it. Hope I don't sound to defensive if I do that's just the way I sound in an arguement I'm not the best debater in the world.

No offense taken.

Thanks Again Kodam and Tensen

Always welcome.

Kodam

 

[tensen]

Oh... on a side train of thought. Are you intending it solely for a straight fighter?

Asking, since it would seem to be a good possibility for a ranger.

And the question is, how focused to an original class do you want to make it?
I would probably think of lowering the hit points (d8), since it already gets a lot more abilities than a fighter would per level. And the possibility to not so much as focus on the BAB as the skills, since your class skills once you gain this seem to be of a ranger basis.

 

[Shallown]

I was thinking a fighter or ranger or mutli class of both. Either way would work but mostly ranger based. There wasn't a good mounted ranger class that I have seen but I see that as a possible ranger archetype.

Yeah I was thinking of lowrering the HD as a balance since they have two good saves and the decent skill list. I want to keep the Baa since they ar fighter/warfare types.

I need to sit down and rewrite it with the new options.

Thanks again
Later