Chosen Mount: The windrider may designate any one mount she has previously ridden as her chosen mount . This creature may not be a bonded companion (such as a familiar, paladin's mount, or animal companion) to anyone else at the time, and if its intelligence score is 3 or higher, it must also agree to this relationship. The windrider can use any means desired to obtain this agreement-the Diplomacy skill, bribery, or even magical persuasion-but the creature must be willing. The windrider must spend a minimum of three days training her chosen mount before any benefits accrue . Thereafter, the creature gains the advantages listed on Table 5-21 based on the windrider's level. The creature retains its own type and gains no abilities other than those listed, though it is considered a bonded companion for the unbond ability (see the blighter prestige class earlier in this chapter). TABLE 5-21 : THE WINDRIDER'S MOUNT Windrider Bonus Natural Level Hit Dice Armor Bonus 1-3 +2 +4 4-6 +4 +6 7-9 +6 +8 10 +8 +10 Windrider Level: The character's windrider
Strength Adjustment +2 +2 +4 +4 levels only. If the as the mount of a
mount suffers a level drain, treat the creature lower-level windrider. Bonus Hit Dice: These are extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which provides a Constitution modifier, as normal . Remember that extra Hit Dice also improve the mount's base attack and base save bonuses . Natural Armor: The amount by which the creature's natural armor bonus is increased . Strength Adjustment : Add this figure to the mount's Strength score. The windrider may have only one chosen mount at a time, and either party may sever this relationship at any time without penalty. Once it ends, the mount loses the benefits it gained according to Table 5-21. If the chosen mount is a paladin's warhorse, the rules in the Paladin's Mount sidebar in the Player's Handbook supersede those given here. Empathic Link (Su): The windrider has an empathic link with her chosen mount . This ability works like the empathic link that a paladin has with her mount (see Paladin in Chapter 3 ofthe Player's Handbook). Mount Proficiency: At 1st level, the windrider gains a +2 competence bonus on any check to avoid being unseated while riding her chosen mount. In addition, she can ride any mount with 4 Hit Dice or less at the full benefit ofher Ride skill, suffering neither the -2 penalty for riding similar mounts nor the -5 penalty for riding dissimilar mounts. The Hit Dice of the mounts to which this latter benefit applies increase with windrider level: 8 Hit Dice at 4th level, 12 Hit Dice at 6th level, 16 Hit Dice at 8th level, and any mount at loth level. Mount Assistance (Ex): At 2nd level, the windrider can assist any mount she is riding in one of two ways per use of the ability. First, she can use the cooperation and aid another rules (Chapter 4 and Chapter 8 respectively of the Player's Handbook) to provide a +4 bonus
(double the usual amount) to her mount's Armor Class or on any single attack roll or any skill or ability check the mount attempts. Alternatively, she can provide her mount a +10 competence bonus to speed for 1 full round. Mount assistance is usable once per round and requires a standard action. Mount Feat: At 2nd level, a windrider can grant her chosen mount one bonus feat from the Mount Feats list, below. This feat does not count against the creature's normal feat capacity, though it must still meet all prerequisites for it, as noted in the appropriate feat description in this book or Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook. To grant a bonus feat, the windrider must spend one month training the mount . The windrider can bestow a second bonus feat on the same mount at 5th level, and a third at 9th level. These additional bonus feats require the same training time as the first . The windrider can train only one mount at a time. Bonus Feat: At 3rd and again at 7th level, a windrider may take a bonus feat from the windrider bonus feats list below. This feat does not count against the windrider's normal feat capacity, though she must still meet all prerequisites for it, as noted in the appropriate feat description in this book or Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook . Mount Healing (Ex) : At 3rd level, A windrider gains a +4 competence bonus on any Heal checks she makes on a creature ofthe same species as her current mount and a +2 bonus on any Heal checks made on other creatures capable of serving her as mounts (see sidebar). Mount Friendship : At 5th level, the windrider gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Animal Empathy and Diplo-
