Can a goblin riding an ogre use Mounted Combat to defend the ogre?

[dcollins]

But is letting the goblin use Mounted Combat too cheesy? It'll make the ogre in question a lot tougher -- given the Ride score you can give a goblin (decent Dex, +4 racial bonus), it's pretty much guaranteeing one shot won't hit each round.

Back on the original question, note that at this point there's another thread on the subject of intelligent mounts (here: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=124322 ). In that thread, it's been pointed out out that the WOTC site has a "Rules of the Game" article that says for intelligent mounts, you do not make Ride checks (here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050222a ).

I think that ruling makes a lot of sense here (the ogre's really doing his own thing, not taking step-by-step cues from tiny goblin spurs or reins). It would imply that Mounted Combat is not useful here because the ability to make Ride checks is negated.

 

[Quidam]

diplomacy

the WOTC site has a "Rules of the Game" article that says for intelligent mounts, you do not make Ride checks (here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050222a ).

I think that ruling makes a lot of sense here (the ogre's really doing his own thing, not taking step-by-step cues from tiny goblin spurs or reins). It would imply that Mounted Combat is not useful here because the ability to make Ride checks is negated.

Very good point, and a good reference. Yet in that same article:

You also cannot make a Ride check to control the mount's actions, but you can make a Diplomacy (or possibly a Wild Empathy) check to get the mount to accept your direction. If you do, your mount acts just like a mount trained for combat riding.

Which leads me to believe that if, with a diplomacy check, your mount acts just like a mount trained for combat riding then Ride checks apply again and thus Mounted Combat would then apply as well.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I did this once, in MasterBlaster style, and it was great fun. Except the goblin was a cleric using a crossbow and spells, and the ogre had a reach weapon. They shut down the party in a hallway for a while, until the party took out the goblin with magic missiles.

 

[Sir Draconion]

did that, mountian giant, bag of ariel combat grappling trolls.
great for dragging down flying PCs