Mounts

[Diirk]

There are some pretty good mounts, and some soso ones that you'd just use for travel.

My favourites would be the blade spider for melee... free attacks that weaken the enemy? sign me up !
And for ranged.. the dire wolf. Due to poor wording on the mount ability, you get combat advantage if any ally other than your mount is adjacent to your target... but it doesn't seem to require that you or your mount are actually adjacent to the target as well! (Note: I've not actually tried to use this in a game for fear of my DM beating me to death with the rules book, but it does make me giggle)

 

[Garthanos]

So is that a Swordmage riding a Warwing Drake on the cover of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guilde?

 

[spayne]

Mounted Combat
Heroic Tier
Benefit: When you ride a creature, you gain access to any special mount abilities it confers to its rider. Not every creature has these abilities. The Dungeon Master’s Guide has more information on mounts and mounted combat.
While you are riding a creature, the creature can make any Athletics, Acrobatics, Endurance, or Stealth checks using your base skill check bonus rather than its own if yours is higher.

mount
A creature that has the mount keyword has at least one mount power. A mount power is usable only when the creature’s rider has the Mounted Combat feat. See also “Mounted Combat”

Mount Benefits: 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 you meet a minimum level and have the Mounted Combat feat. If you don’t meet a mount’s prerequisites, you can ride it, but you don’t gain the mount’s special benefits.

You get the "special mount abilities it confers to its rider" (the ones with the mount keyword) from the feat, and the mount can make skill checks with your bonuses.

Everything else works without needing the Mounted Combat feat.

 

[Garthanos]

The real world use of horses and camels was typically to let you move around faster, not to trample someone to death. An archer with a horse on an open field is a wonder to behold.

I seen one interpretation of King Arthur where he and his knights introduced fighting from horseback to England...On the other hand there were folks over on the russian steps who did everything including procreate and giving birth on horseback according to some stories so go figure. hehe

 

[armlocks101]

Thanks for the info guys. It cleared it up for me

 

[TimeOut]

Okay, since that seems to be the mount topic, I have another question that cropped up:

When you are mounted and attack using a power that allows you to shift (or other movement), what happens exactly?

Do you shift without your mount? Does your mount shift with you? Is the effect lost? There seem to be no rules in the compendium or books that I can find. The WotC boards are also silent on this issue.

It seems that the mounted rules are sadly somewhat incomplete, especially if you consider the awesome Vadalis PP introduced with the EPG.

Thanks for any ideas or insight. Maybe I have to houserule it somehow.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Okay, since that seems to be the mount topic, I have another question that cropped up:

When you are mounted and attack using a power that allows you to shift (or other movement), what happens exactly?

Do you shift without your mount? Does your mount shift with you? Is the effect lost? There seem to be no rules in the compendium or books that I can find. The WotC boards are also silent on this issue.

It seems that the mounted rules are sadly somewhat incomplete, especially if you consider the awesome Vadalis PP introduced with the EPG.

Thanks for any ideas or insight. Maybe I have to houserule it somehow.

It looks to me as if only forced movement is covered by the rules, not extra movement granted by powers.

I would take that to mean that you can't affect your mount by RAW with powers that are supposed to affect _you_.

But my inclination is to say that (as a house rule if nothing else) Mounted Combat should allow you using movement powers for your mount, but ... it might be broken.

 

[TimeOut]

But my inclination is to say that (as a house rule if nothing else) Mounted Combat should allow you using movement powers for your mount, but ... it might be broken.

I would restrict it a little bit further and would allow the movement only if the mount would be able to follow it, so no shifting in the air without having the hover ability. That leaves only teleportation as a movement mode, and I am not sure if it should be included.

I don't see it as broken, even with the "best" mounted PP (Vadalis Gryphonmaster) you are still restricted by the environment and the adventure. A large mount is not really useful in a small dungeon for example.

The "rule of cool" should also be applied here somewhat. The player spent a feat (and possibly a lot of money) to gain a cool enhancement for his character. That should not invalidate all of his movement based powers as soon as he wants to use his feat.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I think teleportation applying to mount and rider is okay. As I mentioned it to our mutal friend TheClone - a Fey-Stepping Mounted Eladrin certainly has its appeal.

The Dragonmark of Passage (House Orien) also applies its benefits both to shifts and teleports - I think there is an idea behind it that typically a class will mostly gain shift-related movement powers or a class will mostly get teleport-related movement powers.

 

[On Puget Sound]

Your mount CAN attack whether you have the MC feat or not. It uses your standard action, and if you don't have the MC feat it takes a -2 penalty to the attack roll. DMG page 47.

Page 46 also explains forced movement, and though it does not directly address powers that include movement, it seems reasonable to apply the same principle as this paragraph and allow them to affect you and your mount. At least it seems reasonable until you meet a Talenta halfling rogue perched on a Tumbling dinosaur.