Mount Question.

[xigbar]

Let's take two PCs for just a moment. One is made for Mounted Combat. The other can be used as a mount. How would this work, for the rider and mount to be in the same party? It would be easier if both PCs were played by the same person, but what if they're played by two different people (probably the case 90% of the time.)?

 

[frankthedm]

Let's take two PCs for just a moment. One is made for Mounted Combat. The other can be used as a mount. How would this work, for the rider and mount to be in the same party? It would be easier if both PCs were played by the same person, but what if they're played by two different people (probably the case 90% of the time.)?

Could be fun, could be ripe for abuse, will bring up many rules issues.

site:enworld.org "intelligent mount" - Google Search

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

It requires some housruling and decisions by the DM, mainly with the whole needing to act simultaneously on initiative thing. My friend and I did this once, and it was amusing while the game lasted. I was a Human Knight/Paladin working towards Cavalier. He was a Centaur starting out in Knight to also eventually go into Cavalier. Our dual lance charge could pretty much vaporize anything, I could protect him with the Ride skill, and I could drop down and use him as cover when I needed it, as well as being able to Shield Other each other.

As I said, pretty fun. Probably the most powerful sheer melee combat can be, aside from Tome of Battle (I WAS gonna dip Warblade...), but considering we had a Kineticist psion in the party, it wasn't like we were breaking the game.

 

[xigbar]

It requires some housruling and decisions by the DM, mainly with the whole needing to act simultaneously on initiative thing. My friend and I did this once, and it was amusing while the game lasted. I was a Human Knight/Paladin working towards Cavalier. He was a Centaur starting out in Knight to also eventually go into Cavalier. Our dual lance charge could pretty much vaporize anything, I could protect him with the Ride skill, and I could drop down and use him as cover when I needed it, as well as being able to Shield Other each other.

As I said, pretty fun. Probably the most powerful sheer melee combat can be, aside from Tome of Battle (I WAS gonna dip Warblade...), but considering we had a Kineticist psion in the party, it wasn't like we were breaking the game.

But shouldn't there already be rules for it, since it's easily possible to ride a creature capable of taking class levels? Did WotC just forget *again?*

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Basically, they just forgot, I think. Because yeah, it is easy to ride an (highly) intelligent creature, and even the standard human on a horse is odd by the rules. Most DMs will work out the initiative issues with you just fine; it's far from unreasonable to ask to adapt the initiative rules to make something so basic as a mounted character work.

 

[xigbar]

Basically, they just forgot, I think. Because yeah, it is easy to ride an (highly) intelligent creature, and even the standard human on a horse is odd by the rules. Most DMs will work out the initiative issues with you just fine; it's far from unreasonable to ask to adapt the initiative rules to make something so basic as a mounted character work.

That's true, but I'm a stickler for having an official source on things. However, I think it would be easy if you just have one of the character ready an attack action to go off at the end of a charge.

 

[frankthedm]

Mounts are a side set of the rules, often not being used significantly in many campaigns. Some of the mounted combat options are really only balanced by how easy it is to kill the mount from beneath the rider.

Issue to note:

Ride by attack requires bending the charging rules for it to work, and the feat only empowers the rider to make the attack by some peoples reading of it. I agree with those people.

EDIT: I'd say the mounted pair should have to act on the same initiative tick. Both roll, but whoever rolls highest has to Delay.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

EDIT: I'd say the mounted pair should have to act on the same initiative tick. Both roll, but whoever rolls highest has to Delay.

That's how my friend and I did it, I think. Either that, or only the person with the lower modifier rolled for initiative.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Once designed a Goliath character who was buddies with a halfling, which was carried in the equivolent of a baby front sling.
Like this:

It was good times.

 

[xigbar]

Once designed a Goliath character who was buddies with a halfling, which was carried in the equivolent of a baby front sling.
Like this:

It was good times.

That's.....terrifying....anyway, what did you say?