Oceanrider (Cavalier Archetype)
Whether they come from above the waves or below them, there will be those who seek to emulate mounted combat in the water.
While we’ve seen the wave rider archetype in the past, not everyone is lucky enough to have access to hippocampi, and so for those without such magical mounts, they make do with underwater calvaries of other mount-worthy ocean dwellers.
Though they likely lack the local prestige associated with hippocampi, there is no denying that these riders are just as worthy in their own right, fulfilling the role of knights and mounted warriors just as well.
Much like the wave rider, this archetype only changes the armor proficiencies to not include heavy armor, and it limits them to an aquatic mount, though in their case, rather than being limited to one option from the monstrous companion feat, they instead gain a much larger list, including orcas, dolphins, and giant sea horses. That being said, I can imagine that a benevolent GM will be more than happy to expand this list.
Feats and other options that help these riders fight underwater are a major boon, so if you’re interested in trying mounted combat underwater, consider taking those. Also keep in mind that many viable aquatic mounts can also be serviceable combatants on their own, so consider when to stay mounted, and when to get off and flank with them. Additionally, if you take the giant seahorse as a mount, consider how its anchor ability can provide a stable place when advanced underwater mechanics, such as currents and the like, are involved.
In some places, wave riders may be viewed as the elite members of the oceanriders, and the former may look down on the latter as a result. In other places, there may not be any formal distinction between the two.
Deemed unfit for such a career due to his shape, the drider Ilshanan still dreamed of someday riding with the calvary of the lightless ocean, protecting drow settlements. So he has trained every day, despite his difficulties in the water, and has managed to befriend a massive deep sea worm that he hopes to one day train as a mount.
They say that somewhere in the world is a nation where vishkanya make up the predominant culture, having no need to hide or use subterfuge to get by, where humans and other races are considered the oddities. They also say that the coastal borders of this fabled land are guarded by strong currents and the giant seahorse riders that patrol it.
It is a great honor to be chosen as a hippocampus rider, and every year young squires wade out and hope to be chosen. However, one year, a young girl wades out, and instead of a hippocampus, a juvenile orca appears! The squires all panic, but to everyone’s shock, the beast allows her to mount it!
