Griffonrider

Requirements

Alignment: Any nonevil.

Base Attack Bonus: +3.

Skills: Diplomacy (5 ranks), Ride (10 ranks), Spot (5 ranks).

Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack

Summary

If you're like some people that frequent 3.6e and appreciate griffons and what they can do, or prefer a different aerial mount than what the Dragonrider or Skylord favor than this is the class for you. This class would work best in a campaign setting that allows for open skies and space to manuever as the best aspects of this class require agile swooping and diving to deal maximum damage. You also become bonded with your mount which grows stronger as you do, improving in strength, hit dice, and natural armor, and gaining ability to fly.

Role: DPS

Characteristics: Aerial warriors that have tamed a griffon as their mount

Source: Unapproachable East

Game Rule Information

The Griffonrider has the following game statistics.

Abilities: You need Dexterity for your AC and your ride checks to remain mounted. Losing control in the air would have severe consequences. Constitution is needed for staying very much alive. Strength for fighting people

Alignment: Any Nonevil

Hit Die: d8

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Griffonrider's class skills are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (local, nobility) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Griffonrider.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Griffonrider is proficient with All simple and martial weapons, all light and medium armor but not shields.

Bonded Mount Ex: When a character becomes a griffonrider, she is gifted with a griffon as a willing, bonded mount. It gains the advantages listed on Table 1–2, based on the griffonrider’s level. The griffon retains its own type and gains no abilities other than those listed, although the griffonrider may be able to confer the ability to perform special maneuvers. The griffonrider can have only one bonded mount at a time, and either party may sever this relationship at any time without penalty (although the griffon almost never does so unless the griffonrider violates the griffonrider code described below).

If the griffonrider is a paladin, she may designate the griffon as both her bonded mount and her special paladin mount. In this case, the mount abilities described in Paladin in supersede those listed on Table 1–2 here, and the paladin adds her griffonrider levels to her paladin levels to determine which abilities her bonded mount gains.

Flyby Attack: While a griffonrider is on her bonded mount, both she and her griffon have access to the Flyby Attack feat.

Aerial Evasion Ex: Beginning at 2nd level, when a griffonrider is airborne on her bonded mount, both she and her mount gain the benefit of evasion. If exposed to any attack that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the character and her mount may attempt a single saving throw at the better of their two Reflex saving throw bonuses. If successful, both the griffonrider and her mount take no damage. Aerial evasion can’t be used if the griffon is carrying a medium load.

At 8th level, the griffonrider and her mount gain superior aerial evasion. This works like aerial evasion except they take only half damage on a failed saving throw.

Improved Mounted Combat Ex: At 3rd, 5th, and 7th level, a griffonrider increases by one the number of Ride checks she may attempt each round to negate a hit against her mount (two times per round at 3rd, three times per round at 5th, and four times per round at 7th). The hit is negated if the griffonrider’s Ride check result is greater than the attack roll.

Hover Ex: Starting at 4th level, when a griffonrider is on her bonded mount, her mount gains the ability to hover much as some dragons do. When flying, the griffon can halt its forward motion and hover in place, fly straight down, or fly straight up, regardless of its maneuverability. While hovering, the griffon can perform a full attack action but cannot rake.

Power Dive Ex: At 6th level, a griffonrider gains the ability to direct her bonded mount to perform a power dive attack while she is riding it. The griffon must begin its move at least 50 feet above its target, and it uses the charge action to attack with both foreclaws simultaneously, making a single attack that deals 2d4 + (Strength bonus × 1 1/2) points of damage. The griffon may fly past the target and alter course after it makes its attack.

Superior Flight Ex: From 9th level on, when a griffonrider is airborne on her bonded mount, her mount’s fly speed increases to 100 feet (good). The griffonrider knows how to encourage the best possible performance from her mount.

Fell Swoop Ex: When a griffonrider reaches 10th level, her mount deals double damage in a power dive attack, as if it knew the Spirited Charge feat.

Table 1-1: Griffonrider Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+0	+2	+0	Bonded mount, flyby attack
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+0	Aerial evasion
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+1	Improved mounted combat (1)
4th	+4	+1	+4	+1	Hover
5th	+5	+1	+4	+1	Improved mounted combat (2)
6th	+6	+2	+5	+2	Power dive
7th	+7	+2	+5	+2	Improved mounted combat (3)
8th	+8	+2	+6	+2	Superior aerial evasion
9th	+9	+3	+6	+3	Superior flight
10th	+10	+3	+7	+3	Fell swoop

Griffonrider's Mount

The Griffonrider’s mount is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has special powers, as described below.

Table 1-2: Griffonrider's Mount

Griffonrider Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Str Adj.
1st-3rd	+2	+4	+2
4th-6th	+4	+6	+2
7th-9th	+6	+8	+4
10th	+8	+10	+4

Griffonrider Level

The character’s griffonrider levels only. If the mount receives negative levels, treat it as the mount of a correspondingly lower-level griffonrider.

Bonus Hit Dice

These are extra ten-sided (d10) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier as normal. Extra Hit Dice also improve the griffon’s base attack and base save bonuses.

Natural Armor Bonus

This number is an improvement to the griffon’s natural armor bonus.

Strength Adjustment

Add this figure to the griffon’s Strength score. This is not a cumulative adjustment.

Griffonrider's Code

A griffonrider is sworn to defend the people, obey the orders of the clerics of the Griffonrider's god, or local authority of the region and uphold the laws of the land.

Replacement Mounts

If the griffonrider’s mount is slain, she may obtain a new mount at no cost the next time she gains a level in the griffonrider prestige class. (Some griffonriders prefer to have a slain mount raised or resurrected at their own expense to avoid the delay.) The griffonrider and her new mount require three days of training before the griffonrider’s special benefits accrue. If a griffonrider loses her third mount and does not replace the mount at her own expense, she becomes an ex-griffonrider as noted below.

Ex-Griffonriders

A griffonrider who loses three mounts or who fails to uphold the griffonrider code loses all special abilities derived from this prestige class.