Save my build: Human Übermount in need of dip!

[Karlton]

I am working on a toon for an upcoming game that will supposedly require a lot of optimization, and I have hit a major stumbling block! The DM has ruled that anyone can take levels in the Scion classes, and I take that as an open invitation to cook up a griffon übermount. I want to do well enough even without my mount, meaning that I want to be able to hold my own against monsters in melee and have 9th level spells available to me before we hit epic levels, but the prereqs for Beastmaster is proving difficult for me to fulfill.

My stats (28 PB):
Str: 15 (+1 at lvl 4)
Dex: 8
Con: 14
Int: 14
Wis: 8
Cha: 15 (+1 at lvl 8, 12, 16 and 20)

The build:
-1: Cleric 1 Feat (Dynamic Priest), bonus feat (Skill Focus: Handle Animal), bonus feat (Weapon Focus: Longsword), bonus feat (Law Devotion - Traded in for the Law domain)
-2: Cleric 2
-3: Cleric 3 Feat (Mounted Combat)
-4: Cleric 4
-5: *** OPEN ***
-6: Beastmaster 1 Feat (Ride-By Attack)
-7: Prestige Paladin 1
-8: Prestige Paladin 2
-9: Aglarondan Griffonrider 1 Feat (Devoted Tracker), bonus feat (Fly-By Attack)
-10: Faith Scion 1
-11: Faith Scion 2
-12: Faith Scion 3 Feat (Power Attack)
-13: Faith Scion 4
-14: Faith Scion 5
-15: Faith Scion 6 Feat (Improved Initiative)
-16: Faith Scion 7
-17: Faith Scion 8
-18: Faith Scion 9 Feat (Natural Bond)
-19: Faith Scion 10
-20: Prestige Paladin 3

The problem:
I need 8 ranks in Handle Animal by level 5, but it is not a class skill for cleric. I cannot afford to loose more caster levels than I already do, and the build is already feat starved.

Possible solutions:
- Find a 1-level dip into something that is easy to qualify for, that confers a caster level and has Handle Animal as a chase skill. I have left the 5th level open for such a dip.
- Take a feat that grants me Handle Animal as a class skill, and hopefully find a dip that grants me a bonus feat to make up for what I loose.
- Find a LA 0 template or a trait that lets me have Handle Animal as a class skill.

Material allowed:
Anything 3.5 with WotCs seal on the cover, including Dragon Magazine.

Restrictions:
- No flaws.
- No further stretching of the rules.
- I would prefer to remain human.

What can I do?

[muktidata]

Marshal? Bump your Init checks with the aura?

[Karlton]

Marshal? Bump your Init checks with the aura?

I already lose 3 caster levels in this build (Beastmaster 1, Aglarondan Griffonrider 1, Prestige Paladin 2), and losing a 4th will mean losing out on 9th level spells, which is a price I do not want to pay.

[Kasz]

Well, I can suggest the Church Inquisitor for your dip, able to qualify at level 3, take it as your 4th level, put your 5th level in Cleric which would allow you to bump handle animal up to 5. Which I believe solves your problem.

The only issue is the RP requirement regarding the corruption.

As far as getting Handle Animal as a class skill via a feat there is Skill Knowledge (at the bottom of that page) but it's not a core rule.

The Church inquisitor at level 4 method doesn't need that feat though.

Best way I can think of doing it.

EDIT: Aereni Focus, but it requires being an Elf from a specific region.

[parinho7]

ignore this post

[Karlton]

While Church Inquisitor is a neat class, it still won't grant me Handle Animal as a class skill, and without that I won't be able to hit 8 ranks before Beastmaster 1 at level 6. I may take two levels of Church Inquisitor anyway, should I decide to sacrifice Dynamic Priest and all of my delicious charisma/Divine Grace synergy in favor of a feat that grants Handle Animal as a class skill.

[Foo123]

I didn't really come up with anything.  Seems silly that the Animal Domain doesn't have Handle Animal as a class skill and instead has Knowledge (Nature).  I know you're looking for a RAW solution, but it might be worth asking your DM if you can make that switch. 

Alternatively maybe you could rework things so Prestige Paladin goes before Beastmaster.  But I couldn't figure out a way to get the BAB prerequisite for PP without losing a caster level or waiting longer... like you could go Cleric 6 / Prestige Paladin 2 / Beastmaster 1....  Or maybe Cleric 3 / Church Inquisitor 3 / PP 2 / Beastmaster 1.  You wouldn't get the last level of PP at level 20, but you wouldn't lose a caster level.

[Iainuki]

After searching through the early-entry PrCs and ACFs for cleric, I'm fairly confident that no such way exists.  No domain or ACF gives cleric Handle Animal as a class skill.  (It's weird that nothing does, but there you go.)  You need a PrC that advances casting at the first level, is accessible at 5th level, has Handle Animal in-class, and doesn't have any feats as prerequisites, and I haven't been able to find any such PrC.  I think your choices come down to burning a feat to get Handle Animal in-class or reorganizing your levels so you put prestige paladin before beastmaster.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Skills
http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=9691.0

[phaedrusxy]

I came here expecting something like this... I was disappointed.

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