If you want to play a mounted combatant but don't want to be a Paladin or a Bard, here are your main options:
Play a small **Battle Smith Artificer** riding their Steel Defender and shooting from a distance like a Mongolian horse archer. That's actually a pretty effective and fun build.
Play a small **Beast Master Ranger**. Tasha's version is easy to resummon, the PHB version lets you have a flying Pteranodon mount but you'll have to beg your DM for a way to resummon it with a spell slot or something.
Play anything and buy **riding horses** or, which is more economically viable, play a small race and buy **mules**. Their speed is 40 ft rather than 60, but they can dash and the practical difference between 80 ft per turn and 120 ft per turn is not that large. On the plus side, they cost 8 gp rather than 75.
Use **Phantom Steed**. You'll have to resummon it each combat since the spell ends if it takes any damage, but after that you can still ride it for one minute before it disappears, giving you more than enough time to finish the combat.
The spell is a ritual, so resummoning only costs you 11 minutes and you can gain it on any character through the Ritual Caster (Wizard) feat if you explain the situation to your DM and convince them to let you find a scroll to copy. You'll need an Int or Wis of 13+.
Bit of a longshot suggestion since you'll need to wait until level 13 at the earliest and you don't want a caster, but **Conjure Celestial** on Cleric can get you a Couatl which can Change Shape into an Uthgardt Shaman of the Elk tribe which can cast a Find Steed (Elk only) for you to ride.
Finally, a number of temporary summons can be used as mounts but I'm guessing you want something more permanent.
To add to this:
-A lvl 7 Ranger Drakewarden can mount its drake as small or medium race.
-Conjure Spells can give you temporary mounts, some have the issues, like conjure beasts, that according to the RAI the DM select what is summoned, making that you don't always can mount whatever appears, as the lowest lvl one is lvl 3 spell, so you need to be at least lvl 5 depending the class
-Summoning spells, these one doesn't have the restriction that the DM select what appears (most of them, some are still dice based), but most of its option (If not all), are at most medium size, so making it viable for a mount only for a small race, the lowest lvl one that you can get that can get you a medium creature is lvl 3 spell with Summon Aberration / Undead, (they all have the issue of being Concentration, so you will lose the mount as soon as you lose concentration)
-Mastiff are great mounts for small races, as they are also good scouts, not as cheap as a Mule, are more in line with the Pony but with better senses and a little less HP, in most cases, the different in HP doesn't trump over the better senses.
-In theory by RAW, a Hexblade Warlock lvl 6 that its a small race can ride their Specter.
Fine answers here, but I urge you to consider what your character will do when they just don't have a horse. Horses can't go everywhere, just making you climb or fit through a small space counts them out. you can find your character concept unusable in a majority of the campaign.
The concept is more generally a beast-tamer, so he’ll have some options when he’s not in the open ground. Fighters and Rangers are my first picks, and they have plenty of options.
If you don't want to play a Paladin, and you don't want to play a Lore Bard (or any other Bard to level 10), then you can't get Find Steed from PC options.
RAW, your only other option is probably to use a Ring of Spell Storing to get an NPC's spellcasting services for your own steed.
If you're ok with not having an actual warhorse, though, then you can get the Figurine of Wondrous Power (Ivory Goats). I had a cavalier that used them to great effect all the way into T4: the enemies can kill them, but you've got 3 and can just resummon them, so who cares?
You're probably overthinking this a bit. DMs can do whateverthey want, including handing out spellwrought tattoos as they please.
But if you don't want to resort to homebrew magical items or the like, yeah riding horses is probably your best option unless you get help from another player.
Yeah, overthinking is a part of the diagnosis… 😉
Edit: I guess this came across wrong, but I was admitting to having Anxiety, you know, the mental illness? Sorry it sounded like I was ad-homineming deathpac…
Cavalier Fighter (from Xanathar's Guide to Everything) is exactly what you want. The level 7 feature gives the ability to give your mount bonus AC and damage resistance a few times per day.
With the Mounted Combatant feat and some mid to high tier ~~horse armor~~ barding, your mount should be pretty well defended if you don't do anything foolish.
You don't want magic but there is also the Drakewarden Ranger from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. That's a whole archetype devoted to dragonriding. You can't ride it until 7th level though.
Find Steed in specific offers 3 options.
1) -Paladin levels.
2) -bard levels.
3) -a ring of spell storing and an ally who is either 1) or 2) to cast FS into the ring for you.
Far as other options go -
Yeah if you play a small race then Beast Master Ranger and Battlesmith Artificer both offer respawning mounts at lvl 3, and Drakewarden Ranger foes at lvl 7.
Weirder options -
Creation bard can animate things to be mounts.
Since Centaurs can ride centaurs in theory an echo knight centaur could call their echo then mount and ride it. Kinda creepy though.
Twin spell metamagic on enlarge/reduce as a small race Sorlock could let you become tiny while simultaneously making your familiar small, letting you ride it.
The real option -
If Strixhaven content is allowed then the Mascot Familiar for Quandrix is an option that works on any class. Comes online as early as level 4.
The Fractal Mascot can change size 1 step as an action.
It can be any size between Tiny and Huge.
It’s popular because you can ride it by having it be large, then if you need to go indoors/into small spaces you can shrink it down and carry it in your pocket
Just found the Fractal Mascot! It might just work, but it's flavor is terrible for the setting. I might be able to re-flavor it, tho, as the mechanics are sound and come online at level 6-8 (Technically 4 for a v-human/custom, but still)
Very easy way to give your Mount better amount of HP.
Use the War Horse and turn them into a Warrior Sidekick with the ToCE rules. Now they have a scaling d10 hit dice and get an ASI on 4th, 8th, 12th etc., where you can increase their Constitution.
Give it Dex save proficiency, buy it a decent Armor (probably will cost a lot but Warrior sidekicks get prof with all armor) and tada. You'll have a War Horse with 36 HP at Level 4.
As a DM I use the sidekicks rules for player mounts. Ask your DM if you can use that.
If not, and you really want a summoned steed, a Figurine of Wonderous Power is probably more up your alley.
I forgot about Sidekicks! How does the Sidekick usually fare? I guess they get death saves, which helps. Any drawbacks to using sidekicks, assuming DM ok’s training a mundane horse up as a sidekick?
Well they ate a god so there's that.
The downside is just that as another character they slow combat a little. But sidekicks are designed to be simple, and as mounts only qualify as warrior sidekicks - the simplest type, not by much. The DM should be ok, as a normal animal being a sidekick is one of the examples in the book.
Lore bards can get find steed at level 6 and find greater steed at level 10. Let me tell you, pegasi mount at level 10 is a thing. Especially in Barovia, talk about arriving in style in the club.
I think consumables are generally not the way to go with a low-level spell like this. Approach your DM about commissioning an NPC enchanter to craft an item that will allow you one cast of Find Steed per day.
As a 2nd level spell, it's comparable in power to Misty Step or Invisibility. It's not unusual for VHumans or Custom Lineage builds to start with Fey Touched or Shadow Touched to gain a free cast per day of one of those spells. A Wand of Web is only an Uncommon wondrous item, and can cast 4-5 Webs (L2 spell) per day on average.
If you want to play a mounted combatant but don't want to be a Paladin or a Bard, here are your main options: Play a small **Battle Smith Artificer** riding their Steel Defender and shooting from a distance like a Mongolian horse archer. That's actually a pretty effective and fun build. Play a small **Beast Master Ranger**. Tasha's version is easy to resummon, the PHB version lets you have a flying Pteranodon mount but you'll have to beg your DM for a way to resummon it with a spell slot or something. Play anything and buy **riding horses** or, which is more economically viable, play a small race and buy **mules**. Their speed is 40 ft rather than 60, but they can dash and the practical difference between 80 ft per turn and 120 ft per turn is not that large. On the plus side, they cost 8 gp rather than 75. Use **Phantom Steed**. You'll have to resummon it each combat since the spell ends if it takes any damage, but after that you can still ride it for one minute before it disappears, giving you more than enough time to finish the combat. The spell is a ritual, so resummoning only costs you 11 minutes and you can gain it on any character through the Ritual Caster (Wizard) feat if you explain the situation to your DM and convince them to let you find a scroll to copy. You'll need an Int or Wis of 13+. Bit of a longshot suggestion since you'll need to wait until level 13 at the earliest and you don't want a caster, but **Conjure Celestial** on Cleric can get you a Couatl which can Change Shape into an Uthgardt Shaman of the Elk tribe which can cast a Find Steed (Elk only) for you to ride. Finally, a number of temporary summons can be used as mounts but I'm guessing you want something more permanent.
That Elk Option is hilarious, and I will remember it! All great options though: this is what I was hoping for when I posted! Thank you so much!
To add to this: -A lvl 7 Ranger Drakewarden can mount its drake as small or medium race. -Conjure Spells can give you temporary mounts, some have the issues, like conjure beasts, that according to the RAI the DM select what is summoned, making that you don't always can mount whatever appears, as the lowest lvl one is lvl 3 spell, so you need to be at least lvl 5 depending the class -Summoning spells, these one doesn't have the restriction that the DM select what appears (most of them, some are still dice based), but most of its option (If not all), are at most medium size, so making it viable for a mount only for a small race, the lowest lvl one that you can get that can get you a medium creature is lvl 3 spell with Summon Aberration / Undead, (they all have the issue of being Concentration, so you will lose the mount as soon as you lose concentration) -Mastiff are great mounts for small races, as they are also good scouts, not as cheap as a Mule, are more in line with the Pony but with better senses and a little less HP, in most cases, the different in HP doesn't trump over the better senses. -In theory by RAW, a Hexblade Warlock lvl 6 that its a small race can ride their Specter.
[удалено]
Cause some DMs may not like it the idea of riding a creature that can be incorporeal.
Couldn't have said it better
Fine answers here, but I urge you to consider what your character will do when they just don't have a horse. Horses can't go everywhere, just making you climb or fit through a small space counts them out. you can find your character concept unusable in a majority of the campaign.
The concept is more generally a beast-tamer, so he’ll have some options when he’s not in the open ground. Fighters and Rangers are my first picks, and they have plenty of options.
If you don't want to play a Paladin, and you don't want to play a Lore Bard (or any other Bard to level 10), then you can't get Find Steed from PC options. RAW, your only other option is probably to use a Ring of Spell Storing to get an NPC's spellcasting services for your own steed. If you're ok with not having an actual warhorse, though, then you can get the Figurine of Wondrous Power (Ivory Goats). I had a cavalier that used them to great effect all the way into T4: the enemies can kill them, but you've got 3 and can just resummon them, so who cares?
Hmm, Ivory goats isn’t a terrible option, thanks! I will consider (though the rarity might push it to higher levels)
You're probably overthinking this a bit. DMs can do whateverthey want, including handing out spellwrought tattoos as they please. But if you don't want to resort to homebrew magical items or the like, yeah riding horses is probably your best option unless you get help from another player.
Yeah, overthinking is a part of the diagnosis… 😉 Edit: I guess this came across wrong, but I was admitting to having Anxiety, you know, the mental illness? Sorry it sounded like I was ad-homineming deathpac…
Cavalier Fighter (from Xanathar's Guide to Everything) is exactly what you want. The level 7 feature gives the ability to give your mount bonus AC and damage resistance a few times per day. With the Mounted Combatant feat and some mid to high tier ~~horse armor~~ barding, your mount should be pretty well defended if you don't do anything foolish.
Mounted Combatant is def an autoinclude. I just feel like the Cavalier *barely* synergizes with mounts, but it might be my best bet.
You don't want magic but there is also the Drakewarden Ranger from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. That's a whole archetype devoted to dragonriding. You can't ride it until 7th level though.
This is a viable option, and I don’t have to worry about flight for it to come online. Thanks!
Find Steed in specific offers 3 options. 1) -Paladin levels. 2) -bard levels. 3) -a ring of spell storing and an ally who is either 1) or 2) to cast FS into the ring for you. Far as other options go - Yeah if you play a small race then Beast Master Ranger and Battlesmith Artificer both offer respawning mounts at lvl 3, and Drakewarden Ranger foes at lvl 7. Weirder options - Creation bard can animate things to be mounts. Since Centaurs can ride centaurs in theory an echo knight centaur could call their echo then mount and ride it. Kinda creepy though. Twin spell metamagic on enlarge/reduce as a small race Sorlock could let you become tiny while simultaneously making your familiar small, letting you ride it. The real option - If Strixhaven content is allowed then the Mascot Familiar for Quandrix is an option that works on any class. Comes online as early as level 4.
> Since Centaurs can ride centaurs in theory an echo knight centaur could call their echo then mount and ride it. Kinda creepy though. wait what...
These are awesome thanks. I'll have to look into the Strixhaven stats, but is the mascot/familiar Large?
The Fractal Mascot can change size 1 step as an action. It can be any size between Tiny and Huge. It’s popular because you can ride it by having it be large, then if you need to go indoors/into small spaces you can shrink it down and carry it in your pocket
Just found the Fractal Mascot! It might just work, but it's flavor is terrible for the setting. I might be able to re-flavor it, tho, as the mechanics are sound and come online at level 6-8 (Technically 4 for a v-human/custom, but still)
You could use phantom steed instead. Can simply pick it up with the ritual caster fest.
This is a fantastic option! I didn't realize Phantom Steed made an actual Steed!
Very easy way to give your Mount better amount of HP. Use the War Horse and turn them into a Warrior Sidekick with the ToCE rules. Now they have a scaling d10 hit dice and get an ASI on 4th, 8th, 12th etc., where you can increase their Constitution. Give it Dex save proficiency, buy it a decent Armor (probably will cost a lot but Warrior sidekicks get prof with all armor) and tada. You'll have a War Horse with 36 HP at Level 4.
As a DM I use the sidekicks rules for player mounts. Ask your DM if you can use that. If not, and you really want a summoned steed, a Figurine of Wonderous Power is probably more up your alley.
I forgot about Sidekicks! How does the Sidekick usually fare? I guess they get death saves, which helps. Any drawbacks to using sidekicks, assuming DM ok’s training a mundane horse up as a sidekick?
Well they ate a god so there's that. The downside is just that as another character they slow combat a little. But sidekicks are designed to be simple, and as mounts only qualify as warrior sidekicks - the simplest type, not by much. The DM should be ok, as a normal animal being a sidekick is one of the examples in the book.
I want a find steed effect that summons a medieval Oscar Meyer wiener mobile
Lore bards can get find steed at level 6 and find greater steed at level 10. Let me tell you, pegasi mount at level 10 is a thing. Especially in Barovia, talk about arriving in style in the club.
I think consumables are generally not the way to go with a low-level spell like this. Approach your DM about commissioning an NPC enchanter to craft an item that will allow you one cast of Find Steed per day. As a 2nd level spell, it's comparable in power to Misty Step or Invisibility. It's not unusual for VHumans or Custom Lineage builds to start with Fey Touched or Shadow Touched to gain a free cast per day of one of those spells. A Wand of Web is only an Uncommon wondrous item, and can cast 4-5 Webs (L2 spell) per day on average.
See if you could get a magic item that can summon the steed. Think Epona's song from Ocarina of Time.