Talk:Dedicated Steed (3.5e Feat)

Mounts

What if a character takes two classes that have special mounts that can both be placed upon the same mount (like Paladin and Spider Rider), do you apply the best advancement for both classes, or do you have to apply them seperatly? --Sam Kay 06:56, 2 January 2008 (MST)

Seperately, you can take the feat again to apply to a different class mount. Short on time so you can add that if I don't get to it first. -- Eiji 11:13, 2 January 2008 (MST)

I ment that could you use it to apply Spider Rider bonuse rather than paladin mount bonuses to the spider mount when taking paladin levels? I suppose I should have worded it better. --Sam Kay 13:18, 2 January 2008 (MST)

Yes. You'd take something like "Dedicated Mount: Spider Rider". So you're a Spider Rider 10/Paladin 5. Your Spider Rider Mount level is 15 and your Paladin mount level is 5. I do wonder, that means you have two mounts, doesn't it? I'm assuming that's how the system works, similar to how you can have a familiar, an animal companion, a cohort, a special mount, and a normal mount all at once if you were some crazy Paladin/Ranger/Sorcerer. -- Eiji 13:21, 2 January 2008 (MST)

Dunno. My DM ruled that I could apply a paladin's mount benefits to my Spider, so long as I attained it before getting a paladins mount. --Sam Kay 13:23, 2 January 2008 (MST)

That sounds fair to me. I would also do that if desired (in which case you don't need Dedicated Steed, only if you were something like Paladin 5/Fighter 5, so you have a level 10 mount. Eiji 13:26, 2 January 2008 (MST)

One problem is that some mounts are better than others. For example, the paladin's mount improves slowly, but a Spider Rider's Spider increases rapidly, so the feat's strength varies. --Sam Kay 03:23, 3 January 2008 (MST)

That is a... good point. I hadn't thought of that. Do you know of a way I could balance this? -- Eiji 09:46, 3 January 2008 (MST)

Make it only apply to a paladin. Frankly though, this really lends itself to a Supermount style build. Get the Devoted Tracker feat from Complete Adventurer and then make a character that is Paladin 5/Druid 15... That is a huge abuse. 8th level druid spells, +18 HD, +20 natural armor, +9 str, +5 dex, improved evasion, multiattack, share spells, share saving throws, +10ft. speed, spell resistance (10, but sill better than 0). --Aarnott 10:51, 3 January 2008 (MST)

→Reverted indentation to one colon

Paladin only was how it was originally, but I did want to include Spider Rider and other odd mounts (like the Ashworm rider of Sandstorm I believe) without having to make an entry for each new mount. It is designed for those who would rather pimp their mount than themselves. I looked up Devoted Tracker, and that is some nasty synergy there. I edited it for clarity and to specifically address attempts at stacking benefits, since that wasn't rules as intended.

I still have no answer as to what to do with a spider rider's faster than normal progression, or the fact that you can complete Spider Rider 10 at say, lvl 15... and have 5 levels of unknown area. If you continue progression it seems you go epic before 21st. But it doesn't seem right for it to simply end there either. I'm not sure, so ideas are welcome. -- Eiji 20:54, 4 January 2008 (MST)

Why not half the spider rider's spider's progression to, say, half the normal amount, or x1.5 or something? A paladin's mount goes up by 2 HD every third level or so. --Sam Kay 04:35, 5 January 2008 (MST)

That works. -- Eiji 02:09, 6 January 2008 (MST)