Simplified mounted combat rules

[Li Shenron]

I'd like to run a couple of encounters soon where potentially everyone will be mounted (I'm thinking of a caravan-chased-by-bandits scene), but I don't want the battle to turn into a rules-lawyers spank inferno.

If you use the normal mounted combat rules, what are your suggestions to speed them up?

If you use house rules for mounted combat, what are they?

I'm even thinking about bluntly simplify them so that being mounted is reduced to these 2 benefits only:

- the character uses the mount's speed instead of her own
- +1 to attack rolls for being on higher ground

Which means I am not actually giving the mount a "round" of their own.

 

[Darren Ravenshaw]

Unless someone posts a good houserule I think the best option would be to use your simplified version, remember though the +1 to attacks is only vs. creatures small then their mount that are on foot.

Because by the RAW:

A: If they are not riding warhorses or similiar combat trained creatures they will not be able to do any thing. Since it requires(as a move action) a DC 20 Ride check each round to control a non-war/combat trained animal. Which means to do anything they have to dismount, which ruins the whole point of the encounter. Of course I'm guessing that they are standard character builds and that they don't have any ranks in the Ride skill(or if they do not enough ranks/bonuses to be making the DC with any consistency). This can be fixed simply by giving them war trained mounts.

B: It requires(as a free action) a DC 5 Ride check each round to use both hands. For those that don't have a total of +4 or better(from ranks and/or their Dex bonus) that means their is a chance each round that they can not attack(if using a two-handed weapon), losing their off hand attack(if two-weapon fighting) or lose the use of their shield. Which depending on your character's builds may really hamper their combat effectiveness.

C: Being a chase the mounts are going to be running which means that ranged attacks are going to suffer a -8 penalty. This will more then likely render ranged attacks useless. Even if the mounts are only making a double move each round that is still a -4 penalty which will hamper even a focused ranged combatant.

D: Attempts to cast spells well the mount is running will call for a Concentration check, DC 15 + spell level, or 10 + spell level if the mount is only making a double move. Depending on their level and build this could be a major issue.

Of course if the mounts are only making 1 move each round both C and D don't apply, but then they are not really in a chase but more of a stroll which again ruins the whole point of the encounter.

 

[Quartz]

Do you have any characters with mounted combat feats? Because I remember someone posting here about how he'd built such a character and was exceedingly annoyed when the GM handwaved it all.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Quartz... that would have been me

Yes, check your PC's builds. If someone has invested in being skilled at mounted combat, handwaving the rules away is a bad thing.

But on topic, you are looking at doing a chase encounter, something 3.x combat does not work for very well... I would suggest looking into 'Hot Pursuit' and its sequel, D20 supplements that handle chase scenes very well and don't require much in the way of rules-lawyerisms.

 

[Li Shenron]

No one in the current group has mounted combat feats.

I do not need rules to determine whether the caravan will escape the chase, because it won't... it just can't go faster than individual horses. And I'm pretty sure that the PCs will want to fight, not run! They will be escorting the caravan, although I don't know yet if some of them will choose to be on the chariots rather than have their own horse.

 

[the Jester]

Well, since you mentioned chariots, I'll mention that Sword & Fist had rules for chariots (3.0, but hey). They basically were exactly the same as mounted combat, except that you use Handle Animal instead of Ride.

 

[Li Shenron]

Hey I forgot about them... I still have S&F and it would be nice to finally use a rule that I never found a spot for

Thanks for the hint, but there's a good chance anyway that none of the PC will be actually riding any of the chariot. You never know, but my guess is that it's more advantageous for all of them to fight, leaving the driving to some NPC. But let's be prepared for anything...

 

[Li Shenron]

Ok, I checked S&F... well the rules there are about combat-chariots (like the roman bigae, specifically designed for battles), but what I mean to use in the game is simply some wagons which are used to carry people and/or trade goods.

But at least the rules for steering the wagon in order to avoid obstacles are useable for any kind of vehicles.