Cavalier – The Orc Warlord – Pathfinder 1E
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The Orc Warlord
So…mounted combat is pretty neat, but what if I wanted to ride a beast into battle?
Well, be glad, as the Cavalier has a great archetype called Beast Rider which does just that. With a few levels of Barbarian and with the PrC Mammoth Rider, we can mount a truly ridiculous beast of war.
Class
Leveling up should go as follow: Cavalier(Beast Rider) 6/Barbarian 3/Mammoth Rider 10/Cavalier (Beast Rider) +1
Race
We are going for Orc here. Not Half-Orc. Orc. We are going to take the Dayrunner and the Smeller Alternative Racial Features.
Ability Scores:
Round up that Constitution then everything in Strength.
15Point-Buy
Str 20/Dex 10/Con 13/Int 8/Wis 8/Cha 10
20Point-Buy
Str 20/Dex 10/Con 13/Int 8/Wis 10/Cha 12
25Point-Buy
Str 22/Dex 10/Con 13/Int 9/Wis 10/Cha 10
Traits
Reactionary is going to be our main go to here, our secondary can go into Indomitable Faith for extra Will Save defense.
Favored Class Bonus: We are only going to get this for seven levels, so skills could give us a neat plus early on as our Intelligence is…not great.
Skills
We need Handle Animal, Ride and Survival. Our final points should go into Intimidation really. Leave our Perception to our Animal Companion for this one.
Order
We will go with the Order of the Cockatrice, mostly for the Dazzling Display to be quite honest here, although the Challenge Bonus can be fun if we sick our Animal Companion on some other target than ours.
Feats by Levels
1-Mounted Combat Braggard-Dazzling Display Tactician-Outflank
3-Power Attack
5-Ride-By Attack
Bonus Feat 6-Spirited Charge
7-Boon Companion
9-Cornugon Smash
11-Heavy Armor Proficiency
Bonus Feat 11-Iron Will
13-Extra Rage
15-Toughness
Bonus Feat 15-Greater Iron Will
17-Extra Rage
19-Extra Rage
Dazzling Display and Cornugon Smash are two great feats to use Intimidation in combat. The standard Mounted Combat-Ride By Attack-Spirited Charge for downright stupid Mounted Charge damage, we are getting back Heavy Armor Proficiency as we are losing it with the Beast Rider Archetype, Toughness and Extra Rage for more staying power for both ourselves and our mount. Boon Companion lets us ignore the fact that we multiclassed into Barbarian for our Mount progression. Iron Will and its Greater version add some well needed protection to our poor, poor Will Save.
Rage Power
8-Ferocious Beast
We get to share our Rage with our Mount for bonuses on Str/Con.
Mammoth Rider
We first get into this PrC by level 10 and stay with it pretty much until the end. But Boy does it make our already cranked up to eleven Companion into a Beast of War. By the end our Companion gets an extra +10 in Strength, +6 in Constitution and +4 to its Natural Armor. Oh, it also becomes Huge Size. Because screw all your enemies that’s why.
Mount/Animal Companion
So, until lvl 4 we are using a Horse. But by lvl 4, we can switch to a friggin Tiger. Riding a Giant Smilodon into war as an Orc is just the most badass thing I can imagine, and I am all there for it.
The Tiger also gets Pounce, Rake and Grab, making it a Super Charger. We once again at lvl 4 give it a +1 in Int for feats variety, and every other Ability Increase goes into Str.
Animal Companion Feats by Level
- Power Attack
- Light Armor Proficiency
5-Medium Armor Proficiency
8-Heavy Armor Proficiency
10-Martial Weapon Proficiency(Armor Spikes)
13-Improved Grapple
16-Intercept Blow
18-Improved Intercept Blow
What is more terrifying than a charging Smilodon? A Charging Smilodon covered in Spiked Plate Armor that’s what. This allows mixing of Iterative Attacks and Natural Attacks, which makes this whole thing just completely ridiculous. Improved Grapple doubles down on your mount’s Grab ability and Intercept Blow line allows your mount to tank for you if needed.
Animal Companion Skills
Perception and Stealth will be your definitive go to.
Equipment
A Greataxe and Spiked Armor of some sort, plus a saddle. Eventually, Spiked Full Plate for both yourself and your Tiger.
Final Thoughts on the Build
Pouncer[1] Builds have a reputation of being amongst the best damage dealers in the game and this build just proves it beyond the shadow of a doubt. Add to that that you do not actually need to be mounted yourself to kick asses, via Rage, and Cornugon Smash, and your mount by itself can deal downright stupid amounts of damage and this is just ridiculous.
Terms definitions
1. ↑ Barbarian – The Pouncer – D&D 3.5 ( Pouncer )
Categories: D&D 3.5 Barbarian Builds, D&D 3.5 Character Builds
The Pouncer
The young man, after his crushing defeat against the old man, understood that he was missing something no school could teach him, but he couldn’t understand what he was missing. His travelling companion, a young half-orc, was teasing him about it. Suddenly, she stopped and asked him
-Do you really wish to know what it is you are missing? The young man, hesitated a moment, before nodding.
-Very well then, she said as she grabbed her halberd. We are currently surrounded by bandits. Watch me, and you will know what you are missing.
She then ran straight to a tree and, without breaking speed, ran up against it, before jumping down in a bush, the joy of battle on her face, as her halberd, as a guillotine, spelled doom to the hidden bandit.
As he pulled his sword and the other bandits came out of hiding, he clutched his sword closely. He looked at her, and as he saw the smile on her face as she leaped high in the air, he felt the fire inside him that he was missing until now.
Race
Half-Orc
Class
Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian 11/Dungeoncrasher Fighter 6/Half-Orc Paragon 3
Ability Scores
Str 20/Dex 12/Con 14/Wis 10/Int 10/Cha 6
Skills
Jump
Equipment
Halberd. Aim to get a Valourous Halberd of Vaulting Specifically
Goal
This build is the toned down version of Red Raiding Hood(yes. Toned down. I will let you imagine at full power how ridiculous RRH is). Essentially your goal is to jump on your enemies, which is considered a charge for you, which allows you to pounce, so make all your attacks, and as a charge, you can activate Headless Charge, Leap Attack, Battle Jump, and your Valourous Halberd of Vaulting which makes you do so much damage reality breaks. Don’t believe me?
LvL 20, not raging. Walk up a wall, then jump down on target. Pounce. Use shock trooper for Power Attack into your AC instead of Atk bonus. Assuming no other magic item than a +1 Valourous Halberd of Vaulting.
+31/+26/+21/+16
5d10+465 damage per attack. Yes. Per Attack.
| Level | Class | HD | Feat | Special |
| 1 | Barbarian | 14 | Battle Jump | Pounce, Rage 1/Day, Illiteracy |
| 2 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Uncanny Dodge |
| 3 | Barbarian | d12+2 | Power Attack | Trap Sense +1 |
| 4 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Rage 2/Day, +1 Str |
| 5 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Improved Uncanny Dodge |
| 6 | Half-Orc Parangon | d8+2 | Leap Attack | Divided Ancestry, Monstrous Mien |
| 7 | Half-Orc Parangon | d8+2 | – | Rage 3/Day |
| 8 | Half-Orc Parangon | d8+2 | – | +3 Str |
| 9 | Fighter | d10+2 | Improved Bullrush, Heedless Charge | – |
| 10 | Fighter | d10+2 | – | Dungeon Crasher |
| 11 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Trap Sense +2 |
| 12 | Fighter | d10+2 | Shock Trooper | +1 Str |
| 13 | Fighter | d10+2 | Improved Sunder | – |
| 14 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Damage Reduction 1/- |
| 15 | Fighter | d10+2 | Wild Talent | |
| 16 | Fighter | d10+2 | – | Dungeon Crasher, +1 Str |
| 17 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Rage 4/Day |
| 18 | Barbarian | d12+2 | Up the Walls | Trap Sense +3 |
| 19 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Damage Reduction 2/- |
| 20 | Barbarian | d12+2 | – | Greater Rage |
Synonyms:
The Orc Warlord