Ranger/ Beast Master forgotten companions

[Jib]

I was shocked not to see the Horse amid the possible beast companions. We got a giant spider but no horse! I had hoped for Apes/ monkeys (and I know you were too!) and perhaps dolphins or sharks but no Horse!

 

[chitzk0i]

Shocked? It makes perfect sense to me. All the animals they have in the book are fighters. If I recall correctly, aside from the boar, they are predators that take down live prey. They have claws, bites, and tusks, not just hooves.

It's also probable that they didn't want to have to deal with combining the mount rules and the beast companion rules.

 

[HeirToPendragon]

Shocked? It makes perfect sense to me. All the animals they have in the book are fighters. If I recall correctly, aside from the boar, they are predators that take down live prey. They have claws, bites, and tusks, not just hooves.

You've obviously never played with a 3.5 paladin and their Horse. An animal that was better than some party members.

It's also probable that they didn't want to have to deal with combining the mount rules and the beast companion rules.

As per the other thread, not possible anyway. All the companions are medium or less.

 

[JPL]

I figure mounts are being reserved for paladins, to be introduced in Divine Power.

Tricky, though, because you don't want a major class feature that is awkward in a dungeon.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

I was shocked not to see the Horse amid the possible beast companions. We got a giant spider but no horse! I had hoped for Apes/ monkeys (and I know you were too!) and perhaps dolphins or sharks but no Horse!

For monkeys you just use the Spider stats: Climb speed, good Dex score, it works out.

 

[Klaus]

For monkeys you just use the Spider stats: Climb speed, good Dex score, it works out.

And for gorillas you can use Bear stats.

Boar go for Rams and Mountain Goats.

Horses and other mount-types can't be done, though.

 

[Skallgrim]

I was shocked not to see the Horse amid the possible beast companions. We got a giant spider but no horse! I had hoped for Apes/ monkeys (and I know you were too!) and perhaps dolphins or sharks but no Horse!

Well, aside from the more aggressive nature of many of the listed beast companions (all carnivores/omnivores, rather than herbivores), there's also the fact that the beast companions are envisioned as fighting alongside the Ranger, rather than underneath him. They flank, they move to engage other targets, they double-team the opposition. This is not generally the iconic image of a horse-warrior. Most knights, horse-archers, etc don't generally ride to the fight, get off their horse, and then fight next to them. A horse archer isn't noted for staying back from the fight and shooting arrows while his horse engages the enemy wizard.

I think that, especially given the uproar about how many exploits were already beast specific, that including an entire extra category of beast feats which were designed to be used while mounted, rather than while fighting adjacently, would have been a bad idea.

 

[Klaus]

Yeah, I think for mounts you have to go to the MM or Adventurer's Vault, and include the mount in the XP division, so it can level up alongside the rider.

 

[Nymrohd]

I'd expect a Talenta halfling ranger to be a beastmaster who can ride his lizard companion tbh (maybe some feat would be required) since their fastieth mounts were medium sized in 3.5. Still I don't expect we will ever see limited resources (especially encounter/daily powers) to be tied down by something as situational as mounted combat. I have some houserule feats available to my players for mounted combat but noone has taken them (They give a scaling power, like the weapon powers from Dragon which can be expended as minor action to recharge an encounter or daily power as appropriate up to level-8).