Paladin's Mount question

[Shadeus]

How do you calculate the stats for a paladin's mount and the four different levels listed in the PHB? It indicated in the description of "bonus HD" that its base attack bonus and base saves should improve. But when I checked out the Mounted Combat example in Sword & Fist, it doesn't appear to increase their BAB at all!

I checked out the Advancement tables in front of the MM and that indicates Magical Beasts have the fighters BAB. So an increase of 2 HD should increase its BAB by 2, right?

From SRD:

heavy warhorse; CR 4: Large animal; HD 4d8+12; hp 30; Init +1 (Dex); Spd 50 ft.; AC 14; Atk 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4 hoof); bite +1 melee (1d4+2 bite); SQ scent; Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2; Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 6;

Thanks for your help.

 

[jRocket]

I believe that they advance as animals, even though the text would suggest otherwise.

 

[Mahali]

They're bonus HD and not advancement HD.

They don't get any skills or stat increases from them.

 

[Shadeus]

They're bonus HD and not advancement HD.

They don't get any skills or stat increases from them.

Okay, I get that. The text specifically says their BAB and Saves increase. In the paladin's mount example in S&F for a 7th-level paladin, its BAB and saves were identical to that of a normal heavy warhorse.

It wouldn't shock me if the example in S&F is just wrong. But does anyone know the right way to do it?

 

[Artoomis]

The "right" way is a subject of some dispute. Some say treat it as animal and advance the BAB and saves per animal advancement.

To me the text in the PHB and the monster rules in general make it failry clear that is is a magical beast except for having d8 hit die. This is the way the rules are written, and makes sense to me. It only helps the mount to survive better.

If the mount got no "advancement," and thus no skill points or feats, for example, it becomes quite difficult for the Paladin to keep his mount alive.

In my particular case, my DM allowed my mount to advance, and I have a celestial mount (which delays advancement by one level). Additionally I spent a LOT of money of defenses for the mount.

The net result is a mount that is pretty survivable, but has little direct effect on combat except for providing the platform on which to launch charges.

I've still had problems getting him to survive - there have been several close calls due to missed saving throws. This caused even more spending .

 

[Shadeus]

A paladin's mount should have the same saving throws as the paladin (or the base creature...whatever is better). So by getting your character a cloak of resistance +5, you are actually helping your mount! (That's story we'll stick with anyway )

Thanks for the advise! Anyone else?

 

[shilsen]

A paladin's mount should have the same saving throws as the paladin (or the base creature...whatever is better). So by getting your character a cloak of resistance +5, you are actually helping your mount! (That's story we'll stick with anyway )

Thanks for the advise! Anyone else?

Actually it's the same base saves as the paladin or itself, so a mount doesn't benefit from the character wearing a cloak of resistance.

 

[thundershot]

We're about to finalize my wife's Battle Bunny (see this thread: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39523 ), and this issue just came up. Should her mount get the feats it deserves? I'd probably say yes, given that it will allow it to survive longer...



Chris