Can you cast spells while your mount is fighting?

[Magus Coeruleus]

Can you cast spells from horseback while your mount is attacking? The rules explain making attacks while your mount is attacking (in the Ride skill description), and attacking or casting spells while your mount is moving (in the Mounted Combat section), but I can't find anything about casting spells while your mount is making attacks. I don't see anything that specifically prohibits it, but you'd think that with rules for Concentration checks when your mount is moving, you'd also have rules for such checks if your mount is attacking, unless you're not supposed to be able to attack in that situation.

Thanks,
MC

 

[green slime]

Of course you can.

Can't suggest a DC without my books here.

You would probably have to make both a Ride check and a Concentration check.

Casting defensively in this situation would probably be rather difficult.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

My question to Customer Service:

Greetings,

The PHB explains how you can cast spells while your mount is moving, but what about if your mount is making attacks? Is it possible, and are any checks required? The PHB (p. 157) says "You can cast a spell normally if your mount moves up to a normal move (its speed) either before or after you cast," and then goes on to detail Concentration checks required if you have your mount takes two move actions or runs, reflecting the difficulty of casting during all that motion. So can you cast a spell while your mount attacks, just as you can make attacks while your mount makes attacks? If so, do you need to make a Concentration check because of the motion involved in the mount's making attacks, or does nothing matter other than whether you are casting while the mount is moving?

The response:

Unfortunately we are unable to help you answer that question. We are only able to answer questions that can be answered by one of our books. This situation never comes up in any of our books, and really would be a DM's decision.

 

[green slime]

Customer Service is never really the people you need to ask for this sort of thing.

To me it seems obvious that you can cast spells while your mount is attacking.

I'd rule you need to have a Ride check (DC 10) as Fight with mount, and that an attacking mount counts as "violent action" similar to a galloping horse, small boat in rapids, or on the deck of a storm tossed ship. Therefore Concentration check would be DC 15 + spell level.

Now if you wanted to cast defensively, while on an attacking mount, I would rule it a DC 25 + spell level.