4th Edition Mounted Combat ... did I miss anything?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

In the tiers excerpt they mentioned something about mounts (heroic tier has horses, paragon tier griffons, or something like that ). I suppose there won't be much on combat mounts, it might be more a matter of travel mode.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I could also see something where your command to do something is a minor-action. Which then gives bonuses onto the move and standard action.

So minor-action: Move
Move Action: Minor-Action gives +3 squares

Minor-action: Trample
Standard action: Minor-action gives stun/fall prone ability ontop of attack.

So you would sorta weave both the movement and commands of your mount into your own normal actions.

That sounds like a good idea. Combining the mounts activity with the characters. I see no real reason why the mount and the rider have to be able to attack at the same time, but the mount could give some advantages...

 

[TwinBahamut]

Nada, zip, zilch. Frankly, one of my biggest worry about the new skill list is that I don't see any mention of a ride skill, or any other skill it could have been folded into.

Actually, the lack of a ride skill makes me more hopeful about 4E's mounted combat system. I always thought that the ride skill was probably one of the worst possible implementations of mounted combat. It was the equivalent of having a "Use Shield" skill that required a DC15 check every time you wanted to apply your shield's bonus to your AC. It was a terrible implementation.

Right now, I am very cautiously optimistic that whatever mounted combat system is in 4E will be a decent one. The fact that the designers are at least mentioning that flying mounts will be an important form of transportation at Paragon level gives me hope.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

That sounds like a good idea. Combining the mounts activity with the characters. I see no real reason why the mount and the rider have to be able to attack at the same time, but the mount could give some advantages...

While your right they don't have to attack at the sametime, in some cases they would and probably be preferable. Fighter is attacking a specific opponent to his left, while horse tramples to keep others at bay.

There could be ones too, where say:

Minor-Action: Rolling Assault
Standard-Action: You can move a maximum of 6 squares before/after and attack. (So you could move normally for a move-action, move 2 squares, do your attack, then move 4 squares after).

 

[frankthedm]

Can you imagine what the response would be if they announced that you have to wait until Paragon Tier to get a mount

I'd cancel my preorder. I'd also wind up with a multi day ban from here for the inappropriate comments I would be making.

and you have a limited choice based on your race?

At least that would require more mount animals be on the market. It took 3 editions to get a canine on the PHB mount list, and the hippogriff and griffin still had their prices hidden in the MM.

A nice long list of mounts is needed for D&D.

Dark Elf Spider
Dark Elf War lizard
Dwarven War lizard
Dwarven War boar
Elandrin Horse
Elandrin Griffon
Elven dire wolf
Elfin eagle
Orcish dire wolf
Orcish war boar
Halfing wardog
halfling pony
Human warhorse
Human Camel
Dragonborn War lizard
Dragonborn wyvern

yeah, i know it looks like a unit list for Mage Knight: Dark Riders...

 

[Rabbitbait]

I just read Worlds and Monsters (slow I know), and they mentioned that mounts would be there, but it would be more than just horses - part of that whole upping the fantastic and getting away from medieval England/France.

I would like to see a change in the riding skill thing - instead of a generic skill, each mount should have powers attached to it and different mounts have different pre-requisites.

For instance -

Anyone can ride a horse, but you need to learn a feat or power in order to get it to attack, or to not potentially run away if it gets hit, or to do a charge.
You can ride a griffin if you are level x and have a high dexterity, and you have to learn a feat or power to stop it attacking whoever or whatever it feels like (if it gets hit/bloodied), or to use a fly-by attack.

So the different abilities that can be used with each mount would be printed with the mount description.

I like the idea that if you move the mount it uses your move action, if the mount attacks it uses your standard action etc - that evens things out a bit.

It might be that Paladins get certain abilities for free depending on what type of mount they ride, and this would also be in the mount description.

Just a thought - and too late too make a difference too.

 

[Celebrim]

My guess is that mounts are not considered part of the core experience of play of 4e, and as such you'll have to wait for support for it in the PH2 or so. Maybe longer.

However, when they do show up I expect (as others have suggested) that it'll give you new exploits which you can spend your actions on based on your level. So either you can attack, or the mount can use its attack, or you will be able to use a minor action to make 'follow up' type attacks with the mount under certain conditions (like when you knock an opponent prone). Riding a mount will be somewhere between getting an extra class and having a new suite of magic items.

I strongly suspect that the absence of the ride skill means that mounts will be treated much as rings or other tier specific enhancements. You can ride a mount based on your level. First level characters, if they have mounts available to them as an option at all, will have something like 'riding horse' which offers little or no combat advantages (for example, its additional mobility is gained only by spending a standard action and it has no attacks of its own).

 

[Roger]

As an interim measure, you could consider using the Mount rules from DDM2.0 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/DDM_ErrataFAQ.zip):

Mounts:
The Mount ability specifies a keyword, such as Dwarf, Orc, or Human, which permits a creature with that
keyword to become its rider. While mounted, both rider and mount are considered to occupy the mount’s
entire space, and are adjacent to one another, but do not provide cover for one another.
The mount and rider are separate creatures which move together. If movement would provoke an
opportunity attack, the attacker would need to choose either the rider or the mount for the target of the
opportunity attack unless the attacker can make more than one opportunity attack during a creature’s
turn.
A mount and rider activate separately.
Mount: On a mount’s turn, it is able to move and attack normally. Effects that move, shift, or change
position of the mount also change the position of the rider. While the mount is moving, you ignore
limitations to the rider's movement, such as those caused by Visejaw, Fear’s Dark Shadow, or standard
conditions such as staggered, slowed, stunned or helpless. If the mount has Flight, the rider also benefits
from Flight while the mount is moving. Other abilities of the mount do not benefit the rider unless
specified.
If the mount is eliminated, the rider is placed on the map in the space formerly occupied by the mount. If
the mount’s former space is not a legal position, place the rider in the nearest legal position.
When the mount charges, if an ability or effect allows the rider to make an attack as part of the mount's
charge, the rider also receives a +1 attack bonus to that attack against the target of the charge.
Rider: While mounted, a rider cannot move on its own but can otherwise act normally. It is still subject to
effects that push, pull, or otherwise transport it. Effects which move, shift, or change position of the rider
do not change the position of the mount. While mounted, a creature’s Speed is 0.
Mounting: To become a rider, a creature adjacent to a mount is removed as a move action that provokes
opportunity attacks. During setup at the start of a game, a player may elect to have a rider already
mounted.
Dismounting: To dismount, on its turn a rider can be placed adjacent to the mount in any legal position
as a move action.
Forced Dismounts: A mounted unit must always consist of an allied mount and its appropriate rider. If
the rider and mount are controlled by different players, even temporarily, dismount the rider (the mount
rejects the rider; place in a legal adjacent space). Similarly, if an inappropriate rider is somehow
transposed with a mount’s rider (a non-Dwarf on a thunder tusk, for example), that creature is also
automatically dismounted. A rider subjected to an attack, ability or special power that pushes, pulls or
slides is dismounted. The rider is considered to occupy the entire space of the mount – so pushing the
rider one space would place it in a space adjacent to the mount. Place effects, such as Abduct or Baleful
Transposition, could also be used to dismount a rider. Forced dismounts do not provoke opportunity
attacks.​

DDM2.0 stats for the Warhorse from the Desert of Desolation set:

Warhorse
Level 4
Speed 8
AC 17
HP 30
Attacks: +6/+6 (5)

Human Mount: Can have a Medium or smaller Human as a rider.

Charger +10: When charging with a rider, the rider gets damage +10.


Cheers,
Roger

 

[Clawhound]

My guess is that everyone will be able to do mounted combat. (SIMPLIFICATION) You can still use all your powers as well. However, extra cool stuff while mounted will be reserved for powers.

 

[Carnivorous_Bean]

Depending on how mounted combat is handled (or ignored), perhaps this will prompt my first foray into attempted pdf publishing .... something like "The Book of Mounted Mayhem" or something ....