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Saddle Up! - A guide to mounts and mounted combat (by RuinsFate)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nibelung" data-source="post: 6709592" data-attributes="member: 74499"><p><strong>Originally posted by RuinsFate:</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #800000"><u><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px">Rules and Notes</span></p><p></u></span></p><p></p><p><img src="http://community.wizards.com/sites/all/modules/custom/forest_site/smileys/wizards/cloud9.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><strong> Important:</strong> I am now expecting major changes (improvements?) to the Mounted Combat rules when the Rules Compendium comes out later this year. Obviously, we'll all have to wait and see until this actually comes out, but it's nice to know something's coming. </p><p></p><p>Before we go anywhere, let's start with the basics:<strong></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Mounted Combat</strong>, Heroic Tear Feat, PHB1, PG 199. This is the key to the whole shebang. It is important to note that your character does not need this feat to ride a mount. You are a heroic character, it is generally assumed you can ride a horse, or wolf, or lizard, or velociraptor for you Eberronian Halflings. However, this feat grants you two key benefits. </p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You gain access to the special ability(ies) of your mount. These are powers in the mount's monster stat block with the "Mount" keyword, usually with a requirement of 'When mounted by a friendly rider of at least x level'. These range from extra attacks to better movement to defence bonuses and a few other effects. I will outline these powers in the Mounts Section.<br /> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">While riding your mount, it can make any Athletics, Acrobatics, Endurance or Stealth check using your modifier if it is better than it's own. Useful to those with training or a degree of optimization into these skills.<br /> </li> </ul><p><strong>The "Mount" keyword:</strong> Monster Manual, pg 282; "Mount [Keyword]: Not all monsters that can be ridden asmounts have the mount keyword. This keyword is applied only to creatures with special mount rules, such as an ability gained when ridden or an ability granted to the rider. These</p><p>rules and benefits only apply if the rider has the Mounted Combat feat." This means that you are not limited to what I have listed in the mounts section. Theoretically, any creature you want to ride, you can. Those I have provided and evaluated are merely those with the Mount keyword, ie, those that are designed to be used as mounts and have powers or abilities that require or benefit a rider. If none of them fit your campaign, concept or setting perfectly, feel free to make your own, refluff one of the existing ones, or just add a 'mount' power to an existing creature.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Mounted Combat (and Flight) Rules.</strong> These can be found on pages 46-48 of the DMG, however these were majorly changed in the <a href="http://wizards.com/dnd/files/UpdateMay2010.pdf" target="_blank">May 2010 errata</a> (Click link to open a copy). Any DM planning on using Mounts in their campaign should read over these, especially the errataed Flight rules, as they're vastly superior and a lot more fun and easier for you and your players. There are a few of note for players as well, I'm providing these here as a reference for players to know the limitations and capabilties of a mount:</p><p></p><p><strong>Key Rules Players should know when using a Mount</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p></p><p>All rules are taken from the May 2010 Errata versions. Major disparities with the DMG will be noted.</p><p></p><p><strong>Saddles: </strong>Ignore this rule, it was errataed out.</p><p></p><p><strong>Size: </strong>Ignore the 'no smaller than large' part, also errataed out.</p><p></p><p><strong>Space: </strong>The rider and mount both occupy the mount’s space. However, the origin squares of the rider’s powers and other effects do not change to the mount’s size. Whenever the rider uses an effect that has an origin square (such as a melee, a ranged, an area, or a close power), the rider first picks where that square is located in the mount’s space, and the effect uses that origin square. For example, if a Medium rider uses a close burst attack power, the rider chooses a single square within the mount’s space, and the burst emanates from that square. This rule means that if the burst targets each creature within it, rather than each enemy, it can hit the mount. (Please note that when using Blast powers, you can choose an edge square of your mount, and thus never have to include it the effect. Also - this rule interacts a little oddly with effects that state 'within x squares of you', for example the Bard's Virtue class features. Because you share the mount's space, which is larger than your's, the range of these effects increases. This rule also does not specify whether you count as adjacent to your mount when on it. Personally, I say you do, as it makes sense logically and mechanically, but this is open to DM interpretation. Where it is relevant, I will be assuming that you do count.) Also: Damon_Tor put rather nicely in the Rules Q&A forum:</p><p><strong>Quoted for elegance</strong></p><p>[sblock]</p><p></p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Targeting the Mount and Rider: </strong>Even though the mount and rider occupy the same space, they are still separate creatures and are targeted separately. For example, an attack that targets only one creature can target either the mount or the rider, not both. In contrast, area and burst attacks can affect both mount and rider, since the two are in the same space.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mount Benefits: </strong>Many mounts offer special attacks or benefits they can use or grant to their riders. These abilities range from flat bonuses, such as an AC bonus to the rider, to special attacks that the mount can use. The Monster Manual details the benefits that many creatures grant if the rider meets a minimum level and has the Mounted Combat feat. If the rider doesn’t meet a mount’s prerequisites, he or she can ride it but doesn’t gain the mount’s special benefits.</p><p></p><p><strong>Provoking Opportunity Attacks: </strong>If the mount’s movement provokes an opportunity attack, the attacker chooses to target either the mount or the rider, since the two of them move together. However, if the mount or the rider provokes an opportunity attack by using a ranged or an area power, the attacker must target whichever one of them provoked the opportunity attack.</p><p></p><p><strong>Forced Movement: </strong>If the mount is pulled, pushed, or slid, the rider moves with it. If the rider is pulled, pushed, or slid and the mount isn’t, the rider can have the two of them move together. Otherwise, the rider is dismounted and falls prone in the destination space of the forced movement.</p><p></p><p><strong>Teleportation: </strong>If either the mount or the rider is teleported, the other does not teleport with it. If the mount is teleported without the rider, the rider is dismounted and falls prone. (There is an item, the Saddle of the Nightmare, that allows you to teleport with your mount. Please see it's section below for details.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounting and Dismounting:</strong></p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mount (Move Action): The rider mounts a creature adjacent to it and enters its space.<br /> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dismount (Move Action): The rider dismounts, moving from the mount’s space to a square adjacent to it.<br /> </li> </ul><p></p><p>(DMG lists these as Standard actions)</p><p></p><p><strong>Initiative: </strong>The mount and rider act on the rider’s initiative count, even if the mount had a different initiative before the rider mounted it. The two continue to act on the same initiative count after the rider dismounts. A monster and its mount have separate turns, whereas an adventurer and his or her mount have a single turn.</p><p></p><p><strong>Actions: </strong>An adventurer and his or her mount have one combined set of actions: a standard action, a move action, and a minor action. The player chooses how the two creatures use the actions on the adventurer’s turn. The adventurer and the mount also share a single immediate action each round and a single opportunity action each turn. If the adventurer dismounts, the two still share one set of actions on that turn, but have separate sets of actions thereafter.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mount Attacks: </strong>(Replaces the poorly-named Attacking Mounts passage) The mount takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls unless the rider has the Mounted Combat feat. (The errataed version of this rule makes no mention of the previous ability to use standard actions to use the mount's attacks instead of your own. Given that the -2 penalty still applies, it can be assumed that this is still allowed, and I will be rating mounts on the assumption of being able to do so.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Charging: </strong>When the rider charges, the rider and mount move up to the mount’s speed and then the rider makes the charge attack. When the mount charges, it follows the normal rules for a charge. (The DMG specifies that either the rider or the mount may make the charge attack.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Squeezing: </strong>When the mount squeezes, the rider is also considered to be squeezing. (And takes the relevant penalties.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Falling Prone: </strong>If the mount falls prone, the rider is dismounted and falls prone in an unoccupied space of the rider’s choice adjacent to the now-prone mount. However, if the mount is flying when it falls prone, it instead falls and the rider isn’t dismounted unless the mount lands and falls prone itself. A rider who is knocked prone can immediately make a saving throw. On a roll lower than 10, the rider is dismounted and falls prone in an unoccupied space of the rider’s choice adjacent to the mount. On a roll of 10 or higher, the rider is neither dismounted nor knocked prone. A rider who voluntarily drops prone falls prone in an unoccupied space of the rider’s choice adjacent to the mount.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounts and Items: (AV pg 122) </strong>A creature serving as your companion or mount has a single magic item slot that you can activate using your own actions (and not the creature's). A companion that doubles as a mount can use a mount slot item in place of a companion item, and vice versa. (This does not allow a mount to use companion items, these are specific to the ranger beast companion. The same goes for familiar slot items. Also, Barding items, while listed seperately in the CB and the Compendium, still use up this one item slot. I have seen it played where they don't, citing AV pg 14, which describes barding as 'Armor for your mount', however this is a slight bend in the rules when using magical barding.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Is your, or one of your party members' mounts your ally?</strong> This is important for effects that rely on adjacent allies, allies in burst powers, etc. The answer is yes, yes they are. See here(x) for confirmation from Greg Bilsland. Even without that though, it is logical that a mount willingly serving you is your ally.[/sblock]</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounts and Levelling: </strong>Mounts are creatures. They have stat blocks given. This means that due to having a set level, your mount will become obselete over time. That loyal Warhorse might have been the scourge of the battlefield in the heroic tier, but it's suddenly a lot less impressive when it's eaten out from under you by an Elder Red Dragon in one turn. If you're only using them for a few key encounters, then finding ones of appropriate level is easy enough, but if they're the main-stay of your campaign, you've likely chosen one that will be a keeper for various role- or roll-play reasons. For this reason, discuss with your DM allowing the mount to level, there are rules and utilities provided to level creatures.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounts and Encumberance: </strong>Encumberance is almost a dirty word to some players. However, it needs to be mentioned. Encumberance limits are only given for those mounts listed in the AV. For any other mount, it will need to be calculated along the usual strength load rules. The problem is that the limits given are fairly low. Your Dragonborn Paladin might want to charge into battle on a mighty Warhorse, but at it's 262lb weight limit, trying to carry you, your plate armor, weaponry, gear, etc, it will be slowed. If you are tracking the encumberance rules, be sure to work out the weight limit of your prospective mount, and how much of it you will use up. It may be worth looking for a stronger beast. However, as heavy load is defined as 'the maximum weight you can lift off the ground' I would perhaps recommend that this be treated as the mount's normal load. This is assuming you haven't chucked the encumberance rules into a corner, of course.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounts and Healing: </strong>As creatures, mounts are subject to the 'one healing surge per tier' rule. This means that healing them between battles is difficult without means of surgeless healing or regeneration. Having your mount die can be an important part of a story, but having it happen every second or third encounter will get wearisome quickly. This is the element of mount usage that will likely require the most house-ruling, as there is no quick and easy way around it within in the rules. The Fortify Beast martial practice can give your mounts THP, and technically Comrade's Succor can grant them surges, but they will still be limited by their daily maximum of 1/2/3. The Bridle of Flame item (listed below) is the only reliable way to heal a mount using healing surges. There are several ways to fix this - granting mounts additional surges, healing them between battle (either by DM fiat, or perhaps use of the Heal skill?), treating them as non-targets, or just part of their rider in battle, etc. I will leave the solution that works for you completely up to you, your group and your DM, but be sure to think of something to make it work in your campaign. It will be much more enjoyable to roleplay out your Loyal Steed if you're not having to pop down to the market for a new one each day.</p><p></p><p><strong>Movement (Teleportation) Powers while mounted:</strong> By RAW, powers that involve or bestow movement may move you and not your mount, primarily teleportation. Good examples are the Eladrin's Fey Step, or the Swordmage's Aegis of Assault, and many character attack/utility powers involve teleportation. To my knowledge, there is no way within the rules to share these effects, so if you use such a power, you'll move off your mount. Even the Saddle of the Nightmare is no help as it is a one-way teleport share. Proof of this can be found in <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=3780" target="_blank"><strong>Najid</strong></a>, an Eladrin NPC from Dungeon 169's Oasis of the Golden Phoenix. Notice that his version of Fey Step has been altered to allow his mount to go with him? This limitation really weakens a lot of player powers. The obvious solution is to allow such powers to work both ways, provided the players want to take the mount with them. (How many times have we seen an action hero(ine) leap from the back of his mount into furious combat? You know you want to do something that cool with your character.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounts and Action Points: </strong>Obviously, if you spend an action point, you can do what you want with the action gained. But what happens when your mount has an action point? Some mounts are elite and have an action point because of it. It's fine for monster's mounts, as the mount takes it's own turn, but for player mounts, this gets a bit vague. Allowing a player to use his mount's AP effectively gives them an AP every encounter, as they can just stagger it's use. This does go against the intention of one AP per milestone. It may be best from a balance perspective to not allow the use of a mount's AP for players. Up to you, as the DM.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mounts and Conditions: </strong>For the most part, conditions affecting a player's mount resolve obviously. Ongoing damage, weakened, slowed, etc all affect a mount as they're supposed to. One problem comes up when dazed and dominated are being thrown around. What happens when a mount is dazed, but the player riding it isn't, and vice versa? Due to the shared pool of actions involved, this is an iffy case. If a player is dazed, he can only use one action on his turn, which includes allocating them to his mount. However, his mount is free to use opportunity and immediate actions as it isn't dazed - this is especially important to mounts with immediate action powers. The other problem comes up if the mount is dazed. Obviously, it loses it's immediate and opportunity, but an impeded player can still use a move action on it, and then a standard to make it move again, or use one of it's attacks. This will require some thought on the DM's part as to how to handle this situation. </p><p></p><p>Dominate also brings up a problem when applied unevenly. A dominated rider can still command his mount, but does the mount regard the player as an ally or enemy at that point? A dominated mount obviously can be ordered to attack it's rider, and the player riding it loses the ability to command it on his turn as he is no longer friendly to it. It's almost more a role-playing question of loyalties and the intelligence of the mount in question.</p><p></p><p>As a side-effect of this, certain conditions lessen slightly in threat. If a rider is immobilised or restrained, his mount can still move for him. If the rider is taking a penalty to attacks, or is blinded, he can use his mounts attacks instead. Blinded becomes interesting from a role-playing perspective. A blinded mount may be unwilling to move at all, or have to be moved slower with it's rider guiding it. Again, this requires legwork from the DM.</p><p></p><p><strong>So, you killed a bunch of Dragon-riding Githyanki Bandits and want to use their mounts?:</strong> By RAW, the answer is pretty much 'Too bad'. The use of 'willing' and 'friendly' in the mounted combat rules, powers and feats pretty much forbids it. But that's no fun!</p><p></p><p>The Nature skill allows you to calm an animal or train it, as per the PHB, pg 186:</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><u>Handle Animal:</u> Make a Nature check to calm down a natural beast, teach a natural beast some tricks, or otherwise handle a natural beast. Handling a natural beast is usually part of a skill challenge that requires a number of successes.<br /> </li> </ul><p></p><p>Obviously, there might be other skills involved, for example, Intimidate to bring the critter inline, Arcana for a magical beast (Or the relevant Monster Knowledge skill for it's creature type), perhaps even Diplomacy if it's a somewhat intelligent creature.</p><p></p><p>One suggestion, given to me by Alcestis, is to use a modified version of the Artifact Concordance chart to determine how friendly a mount is to you. With just a little imagination and improvised conversion, this could work out really well for you.</p><p></p><p><strong><u><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 15px">Vehicles</span></p><p></u></strong></p><p></p><p>The vehicle rules given in AV1 are, like the mounted combat rules, not completely up-to-scratch. For those wanting to use vehicles, such as wagons, in their campaign, I would ask that you read page 9(x) and especially page 11(x) for posts from those with ideas and experience using vehicles in actual play (Especially those by helphelpe on pg 11, who's advice I will be working into the guide).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nibelung, post: 6709592, member: 74499"] [b]Originally posted by RuinsFate:[/b] [COLOR=#800000][u][CENTER][SIZE=5]Rules and Notes[/SIZE][/CENTER] [/u][/COLOR] [IMG]http://community.wizards.com/sites/all/modules/custom/forest_site/smileys/wizards/cloud9.gif[/IMG][b] Important:[/b] I am now expecting major changes (improvements?) to the Mounted Combat rules when the Rules Compendium comes out later this year. Obviously, we'll all have to wait and see until this actually comes out, but it's nice to know something's coming. Before we go anywhere, let's start with the basics:[b] Mounted Combat[/b], Heroic Tear Feat, PHB1, PG 199. This is the key to the whole shebang. It is important to note that your character does not need this feat to ride a mount. You are a heroic character, it is generally assumed you can ride a horse, or wolf, or lizard, or velociraptor for you Eberronian Halflings. However, this feat grants you two key benefits. [LIST][*]You gain access to the special ability(ies) of your mount. These are powers in the mount's monster stat block with the "Mount" keyword, usually with a requirement of 'When mounted by a friendly rider of at least x level'. These range from extra attacks to better movement to defence bonuses and a few other effects. I will outline these powers in the Mounts Section. [*]While riding your mount, it can make any Athletics, Acrobatics, Endurance or Stealth check using your modifier if it is better than it's own. Useful to those with training or a degree of optimization into these skills. [/LIST] [b]The "Mount" keyword:[/b] Monster Manual, pg 282; "Mount [Keyword]: Not all monsters that can be ridden asmounts have the mount keyword. This keyword is applied only to creatures with special mount rules, such as an ability gained when ridden or an ability granted to the rider. These rules and benefits only apply if the rider has the Mounted Combat feat." This means that you are not limited to what I have listed in the mounts section. Theoretically, any creature you want to ride, you can. Those I have provided and evaluated are merely those with the Mount keyword, ie, those that are designed to be used as mounts and have powers or abilities that require or benefit a rider. If none of them fit your campaign, concept or setting perfectly, feel free to make your own, refluff one of the existing ones, or just add a 'mount' power to an existing creature. [b]The Mounted Combat (and Flight) Rules.[/b] These can be found on pages 46-48 of the DMG, however these were majorly changed in the [URL=http://wizards.com/dnd/files/UpdateMay2010.pdf]May 2010 errata[/URL] (Click link to open a copy). Any DM planning on using Mounts in their campaign should read over these, especially the errataed Flight rules, as they're vastly superior and a lot more fun and easier for you and your players. There are a few of note for players as well, I'm providing these here as a reference for players to know the limitations and capabilties of a mount: [b]Key Rules Players should know when using a Mount[/b] [sblock] All rules are taken from the May 2010 Errata versions. Major disparities with the DMG will be noted. [b]Saddles: [/b]Ignore this rule, it was errataed out. [b]Size: [/b]Ignore the 'no smaller than large' part, also errataed out. [b]Space: [/b]The rider and mount both occupy the mount’s space. However, the origin squares of the rider’s powers and other effects do not change to the mount’s size. Whenever the rider uses an effect that has an origin square (such as a melee, a ranged, an area, or a close power), the rider first picks where that square is located in the mount’s space, and the effect uses that origin square. For example, if a Medium rider uses a close burst attack power, the rider chooses a single square within the mount’s space, and the burst emanates from that square. This rule means that if the burst targets each creature within it, rather than each enemy, it can hit the mount. (Please note that when using Blast powers, you can choose an edge square of your mount, and thus never have to include it the effect. Also - this rule interacts a little oddly with effects that state 'within x squares of you', for example the Bard's Virtue class features. Because you share the mount's space, which is larger than your's, the range of these effects increases. This rule also does not specify whether you count as adjacent to your mount when on it. Personally, I say you do, as it makes sense logically and mechanically, but this is open to DM interpretation. Where it is relevant, I will be assuming that you do count.) Also: Damon_Tor put rather nicely in the Rules Q&A forum: [b]Quoted for elegance[/b] [sblock] [/sblock] [b]Targeting the Mount and Rider: [/b]Even though the mount and rider occupy the same space, they are still separate creatures and are targeted separately. For example, an attack that targets only one creature can target either the mount or the rider, not both. In contrast, area and burst attacks can affect both mount and rider, since the two are in the same space. [b]Mount Benefits: [/b]Many mounts offer special attacks or benefits they can use or grant to their riders. These abilities range from flat bonuses, such as an AC bonus to the rider, to special attacks that the mount can use. The Monster Manual details the benefits that many creatures grant if the rider meets a minimum level and has the Mounted Combat feat. If the rider doesn’t meet a mount’s prerequisites, he or she can ride it but doesn’t gain the mount’s special benefits. [b]Provoking Opportunity Attacks: [/b]If the mount’s movement provokes an opportunity attack, the attacker chooses to target either the mount or the rider, since the two of them move together. However, if the mount or the rider provokes an opportunity attack by using a ranged or an area power, the attacker must target whichever one of them provoked the opportunity attack. [b]Forced Movement: [/b]If the mount is pulled, pushed, or slid, the rider moves with it. If the rider is pulled, pushed, or slid and the mount isn’t, the rider can have the two of them move together. Otherwise, the rider is dismounted and falls prone in the destination space of the forced movement. [b]Teleportation: [/b]If either the mount or the rider is teleported, the other does not teleport with it. If the mount is teleported without the rider, the rider is dismounted and falls prone. (There is an item, the Saddle of the Nightmare, that allows you to teleport with your mount. Please see it's section below for details.) [b]Mounting and Dismounting:[/b] [LIST][*]Mount (Move Action): The rider mounts a creature adjacent to it and enters its space. [*]Dismount (Move Action): The rider dismounts, moving from the mount’s space to a square adjacent to it. [/LIST] (DMG lists these as Standard actions) [b]Initiative: [/b]The mount and rider act on the rider’s initiative count, even if the mount had a different initiative before the rider mounted it. The two continue to act on the same initiative count after the rider dismounts. A monster and its mount have separate turns, whereas an adventurer and his or her mount have a single turn. [b]Actions: [/b]An adventurer and his or her mount have one combined set of actions: a standard action, a move action, and a minor action. The player chooses how the two creatures use the actions on the adventurer’s turn. The adventurer and the mount also share a single immediate action each round and a single opportunity action each turn. If the adventurer dismounts, the two still share one set of actions on that turn, but have separate sets of actions thereafter. [b]Mount Attacks: [/b](Replaces the poorly-named Attacking Mounts passage) The mount takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls unless the rider has the Mounted Combat feat. (The errataed version of this rule makes no mention of the previous ability to use standard actions to use the mount's attacks instead of your own. Given that the -2 penalty still applies, it can be assumed that this is still allowed, and I will be rating mounts on the assumption of being able to do so.) [b]Charging: [/b]When the rider charges, the rider and mount move up to the mount’s speed and then the rider makes the charge attack. When the mount charges, it follows the normal rules for a charge. (The DMG specifies that either the rider or the mount may make the charge attack.) [b]Squeezing: [/b]When the mount squeezes, the rider is also considered to be squeezing. (And takes the relevant penalties.) [b]Falling Prone: [/b]If the mount falls prone, the rider is dismounted and falls prone in an unoccupied space of the rider’s choice adjacent to the now-prone mount. However, if the mount is flying when it falls prone, it instead falls and the rider isn’t dismounted unless the mount lands and falls prone itself. A rider who is knocked prone can immediately make a saving throw. On a roll lower than 10, the rider is dismounted and falls prone in an unoccupied space of the rider’s choice adjacent to the mount. On a roll of 10 or higher, the rider is neither dismounted nor knocked prone. A rider who voluntarily drops prone falls prone in an unoccupied space of the rider’s choice adjacent to the mount. [b]Mounts and Items: (AV pg 122) [/b]A creature serving as your companion or mount has a single magic item slot that you can activate using your own actions (and not the creature's). A companion that doubles as a mount can use a mount slot item in place of a companion item, and vice versa. (This does not allow a mount to use companion items, these are specific to the ranger beast companion. The same goes for familiar slot items. Also, Barding items, while listed seperately in the CB and the Compendium, still use up this one item slot. I have seen it played where they don't, citing AV pg 14, which describes barding as 'Armor for your mount', however this is a slight bend in the rules when using magical barding.) [b]Is your, or one of your party members' mounts your ally?[/b] This is important for effects that rely on adjacent allies, allies in burst powers, etc. The answer is yes, yes they are. See here(x) for confirmation from Greg Bilsland. Even without that though, it is logical that a mount willingly serving you is your ally.[/sblock] [b]Mounts and Levelling: [/b]Mounts are creatures. They have stat blocks given. This means that due to having a set level, your mount will become obselete over time. That loyal Warhorse might have been the scourge of the battlefield in the heroic tier, but it's suddenly a lot less impressive when it's eaten out from under you by an Elder Red Dragon in one turn. If you're only using them for a few key encounters, then finding ones of appropriate level is easy enough, but if they're the main-stay of your campaign, you've likely chosen one that will be a keeper for various role- or roll-play reasons. For this reason, discuss with your DM allowing the mount to level, there are rules and utilities provided to level creatures. [b]Mounts and Encumberance: [/b]Encumberance is almost a dirty word to some players. However, it needs to be mentioned. Encumberance limits are only given for those mounts listed in the AV. For any other mount, it will need to be calculated along the usual strength load rules. The problem is that the limits given are fairly low. Your Dragonborn Paladin might want to charge into battle on a mighty Warhorse, but at it's 262lb weight limit, trying to carry you, your plate armor, weaponry, gear, etc, it will be slowed. If you are tracking the encumberance rules, be sure to work out the weight limit of your prospective mount, and how much of it you will use up. It may be worth looking for a stronger beast. However, as heavy load is defined as 'the maximum weight you can lift off the ground' I would perhaps recommend that this be treated as the mount's normal load. This is assuming you haven't chucked the encumberance rules into a corner, of course. [b]Mounts and Healing: [/b]As creatures, mounts are subject to the 'one healing surge per tier' rule. This means that healing them between battles is difficult without means of surgeless healing or regeneration. Having your mount die can be an important part of a story, but having it happen every second or third encounter will get wearisome quickly. This is the element of mount usage that will likely require the most house-ruling, as there is no quick and easy way around it within in the rules. The Fortify Beast martial practice can give your mounts THP, and technically Comrade's Succor can grant them surges, but they will still be limited by their daily maximum of 1/2/3. The Bridle of Flame item (listed below) is the only reliable way to heal a mount using healing surges. There are several ways to fix this - granting mounts additional surges, healing them between battle (either by DM fiat, or perhaps use of the Heal skill?), treating them as non-targets, or just part of their rider in battle, etc. I will leave the solution that works for you completely up to you, your group and your DM, but be sure to think of something to make it work in your campaign. It will be much more enjoyable to roleplay out your Loyal Steed if you're not having to pop down to the market for a new one each day. [b]Movement (Teleportation) Powers while mounted:[/b] By RAW, powers that involve or bestow movement may move you and not your mount, primarily teleportation. Good examples are the Eladrin's Fey Step, or the Swordmage's Aegis of Assault, and many character attack/utility powers involve teleportation. To my knowledge, there is no way within the rules to share these effects, so if you use such a power, you'll move off your mount. Even the Saddle of the Nightmare is no help as it is a one-way teleport share. Proof of this can be found in [URL=http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=3780][b]Najid[/b][/URL], an Eladrin NPC from Dungeon 169's Oasis of the Golden Phoenix. Notice that his version of Fey Step has been altered to allow his mount to go with him? This limitation really weakens a lot of player powers. The obvious solution is to allow such powers to work both ways, provided the players want to take the mount with them. (How many times have we seen an action hero(ine) leap from the back of his mount into furious combat? You know you want to do something that cool with your character.) [b]Mounts and Action Points: [/b]Obviously, if you spend an action point, you can do what you want with the action gained. But what happens when your mount has an action point? Some mounts are elite and have an action point because of it. It's fine for monster's mounts, as the mount takes it's own turn, but for player mounts, this gets a bit vague. Allowing a player to use his mount's AP effectively gives them an AP every encounter, as they can just stagger it's use. This does go against the intention of one AP per milestone. It may be best from a balance perspective to not allow the use of a mount's AP for players. Up to you, as the DM. [b]Mounts and Conditions: [/b]For the most part, conditions affecting a player's mount resolve obviously. Ongoing damage, weakened, slowed, etc all affect a mount as they're supposed to. One problem comes up when dazed and dominated are being thrown around. What happens when a mount is dazed, but the player riding it isn't, and vice versa? Due to the shared pool of actions involved, this is an iffy case. If a player is dazed, he can only use one action on his turn, which includes allocating them to his mount. However, his mount is free to use opportunity and immediate actions as it isn't dazed - this is especially important to mounts with immediate action powers. The other problem comes up if the mount is dazed. Obviously, it loses it's immediate and opportunity, but an impeded player can still use a move action on it, and then a standard to make it move again, or use one of it's attacks. This will require some thought on the DM's part as to how to handle this situation. Dominate also brings up a problem when applied unevenly. A dominated rider can still command his mount, but does the mount regard the player as an ally or enemy at that point? A dominated mount obviously can be ordered to attack it's rider, and the player riding it loses the ability to command it on his turn as he is no longer friendly to it. It's almost more a role-playing question of loyalties and the intelligence of the mount in question. As a side-effect of this, certain conditions lessen slightly in threat. If a rider is immobilised or restrained, his mount can still move for him. If the rider is taking a penalty to attacks, or is blinded, he can use his mounts attacks instead. Blinded becomes interesting from a role-playing perspective. A blinded mount may be unwilling to move at all, or have to be moved slower with it's rider guiding it. Again, this requires legwork from the DM. [b]So, you killed a bunch of Dragon-riding Githyanki Bandits and want to use their mounts?:[/b] By RAW, the answer is pretty much 'Too bad'. The use of 'willing' and 'friendly' in the mounted combat rules, powers and feats pretty much forbids it. But that's no fun! The Nature skill allows you to calm an animal or train it, as per the PHB, pg 186: [b] [/b] [LIST][*][u]Handle Animal:[/u] Make a Nature check to calm down a natural beast, teach a natural beast some tricks, or otherwise handle a natural beast. Handling a natural beast is usually part of a skill challenge that requires a number of successes. [/LIST] Obviously, there might be other skills involved, for example, Intimidate to bring the critter inline, Arcana for a magical beast (Or the relevant Monster Knowledge skill for it's creature type), perhaps even Diplomacy if it's a somewhat intelligent creature. One suggestion, given to me by Alcestis, is to use a modified version of the Artifact Concordance chart to determine how friendly a mount is to you. With just a little imagination and improvised conversion, this could work out really well for you. [b][u][CENTER][SIZE=4]Vehicles[/SIZE][/CENTER] [/u][/b][u][/u] [u][/u]The vehicle rules given in AV1 are, like the mounted combat rules, not completely up-to-scratch. For those wanting to use vehicles, such as wagons, in their campaign, I would ask that you read page 9(x) and especially page 11(x) for posts from those with ideas and experience using vehicles in actual play (Especially those by helphelpe on pg 11, who's advice I will be working into the guide).[b][u][/u][/b] [/QUOTE]
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Saddle Up! - A guide to mounts and mounted combat (by RuinsFate)
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