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Why does mounted combat feel underwhelming in 5e?
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<blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 9012750" data-attributes="member: 63"><p>Historically, the first advantage of cavalry simply was the ability to choose whether to engage infantry, and to go around foot soldiers. They would seldom be forced into a fight they did not expect to win. This is not something that really comes up during tactical combat on a 5-ft. grid.</p><p></p><p>Add the invention of stirrups and compound bows, and now you can kill your opponents from range and then withdraw before their arrows can hit you back. Again, most D&D battle maps are too small for these tactics. I did, however, run a mounted archer ranger back in 3.5 in Red Hand of Doom, to great effect - though a lot of that was not due to me being able to attack from range, but simply because 3.5 was <em>ridiculous</em>, and the rules let my horse kick/kick/bite, then 5-ft. step back out of melee so I could go arrow/arrow/rapidshotarrow, <em>and</em> I could still make opportunity attacks with my spiked gauntlet.</p><p></p><p>(Yes, the famed ability of a mounted warrior with a pointy glove to wallop anyone who might pass by them!)</p><p></p><p>The mounted lancer ought to be threatening, and in 5e you might actually have enough movement to ride in, stab from reach, then ride away without provoking an opportunity attack. And in a world of 'realistic' people who are no higher than 3rd level, a single hit from a lance would often be fatal. The design of 5e causes higher level combat to be a death by a half-dozen cuts instead of rocket tag. Which is more balanced for gameplay purposes, and which offers more counterplay, but which removes the occasional fun of pwning a mofo.</p><p></p><p>I think it is important for GMs to include a variety of foes, including low-level ones, even at high level, so the players can still experience the joy of wiping out mooks. Ten CR 1/4 warriors can pose a threat even at 10th level, thanks to bounded accuracy. </p><p></p><p>Or we could give high level fighters abilities that are flavored as "your attack deals +20 damage because it's actually your posse of 20 guys swarming whoever you attacked." Then you just have the fields of Agincourt every session.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]283652[/ATTACH]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RangerWickett, post: 9012750, member: 63"] Historically, the first advantage of cavalry simply was the ability to choose whether to engage infantry, and to go around foot soldiers. They would seldom be forced into a fight they did not expect to win. This is not something that really comes up during tactical combat on a 5-ft. grid. Add the invention of stirrups and compound bows, and now you can kill your opponents from range and then withdraw before their arrows can hit you back. Again, most D&D battle maps are too small for these tactics. I did, however, run a mounted archer ranger back in 3.5 in Red Hand of Doom, to great effect - though a lot of that was not due to me being able to attack from range, but simply because 3.5 was [I]ridiculous[/I], and the rules let my horse kick/kick/bite, then 5-ft. step back out of melee so I could go arrow/arrow/rapidshotarrow, [I]and[/I] I could still make opportunity attacks with my spiked gauntlet. (Yes, the famed ability of a mounted warrior with a pointy glove to wallop anyone who might pass by them!) The mounted lancer ought to be threatening, and in 5e you might actually have enough movement to ride in, stab from reach, then ride away without provoking an opportunity attack. And in a world of 'realistic' people who are no higher than 3rd level, a single hit from a lance would often be fatal. The design of 5e causes higher level combat to be a death by a half-dozen cuts instead of rocket tag. Which is more balanced for gameplay purposes, and which offers more counterplay, but which removes the occasional fun of pwning a mofo. I think it is important for GMs to include a variety of foes, including low-level ones, even at high level, so the players can still experience the joy of wiping out mooks. Ten CR 1/4 warriors can pose a threat even at 10th level, thanks to bounded accuracy. Or we could give high level fighters abilities that are flavored as "your attack deals +20 damage because it's actually your posse of 20 guys swarming whoever you attacked." Then you just have the fields of Agincourt every session. [ATTACH type="full"]283652[/ATTACH] [/QUOTE]
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Why does mounted combat feel underwhelming in 5e?
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