Charging

[Mavrik]

If you are on a horse and charge a creature, the rules say you have to move to attack the nearest square.

If you have ride by attack you can continue on in the same straight line with no AoO

but

If you are charging on the diagonal then the nearest square is directly in front of you, and so you cant move around them to carry on past

Am I reading tis right?

 

[MarkB]

If you are on a horse and charge a creature, the rules say you have to move to attack the nearest square.

If you have ride by attack you can continue on in the same straight line with no AoO

but

If you are charging on the diagonal then the nearest square is directly in front of you, and so you cant move around them to carry on past

Am I reading tis right?

I think the official correction to this feat is that you must choose the nearest square from which you can attack your foe and continue to move in a straight line. However, I can't remember if that's a FAQ, errata, or Rules of the Game reference.

 

[Thanee]

The nearest square is one, which you can reach with the least amount of movement. There are often two or even three squares, that qualify.

You can use Ride-by-Attack, for example, if you have a setup like this:

(A)ttacker / (D)efender

A

|
v

A
_D

|
v

A

Bye
Thanee

 

[frankthedm]

The rules for actually performing a mounted charge were VERY hazy from the start of 3e. Since the feats themselves did not allow for any changing of direction, a strict reading could have required the rider to have to have his or her mount use the overrun maneuver to go through the foe’s space should it live through the rider’s attack.

The faq completely ignores one the most important parts of charging. If there are multiple spaces to charge to, the player does not get to choose.

Closest Creature: When it’s important to determine the closest square or creature to a location, if two squares or creatures are equally close, randomly determine which one counts as closest by rolling a die.

 

[Zamtap]

.

The faq completely ignores one the most important parts of charging. If there are multiple spaces to charge to, the player does not get to choose.

Closest Creature: When it’s important to determine the closest square or creature to a location, if two squares or creatures are equally close, randomly determine which one counts as closest by rolling a die.

Please can you (or someone who knows) tell me what are you quoteing from here? (page and book) cause that sounds fine for magic which has no thought or turning (again no thought). I'm not sure without context if it's relavent to charging

i'm slightly uncomfotable with this because a PC or NPC has thought and can make choices between equal possibilities. it's not as far as i can see in the special attacks section of the PHB

thanks in advance

Zamtap

 

[Mavrik]

Thanks for the feedback... it does seem very hazy without some kind or house/errata rulling

I can see the easy bit in Thanee's response if it's a straight line.

But looking at my battle mat and charging on the exact diagonal then it seems hard to pass on by for the ride by attack because the square on the edge directly in front of you is the nearest square, and would require an overun to carry on, but you cant do that in a charge, or change direction.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, when you charge on the exact diagonal, you are out of luck, unless you use a lance.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Whimsical]

You could also have your mount jump over the opponent.

 

[frankthedm]

Please can you (or someone who knows) tell me what are you quoteing from here? (page and book) cause that sounds fine for magic which has no thought or turning (again no thought). I'm not sure without context if it's relavent to charging

i'm slightly uncomfotable with this because a PC or NPC has thought and can make choices between equal possibilities. it's not as far as i can see in the special attacks section of the PHB

thanks in advance

Zamtap

In nearly all games it appears in, a charge is a straight line right to the target, not to the most advantageous position. That’s part of charging. If where the PC or NPC end up is important , then the onus is on the character to double move.

In games without grids, a charter charging follows a straight line to the foe, very simple, no room for arguments.

Since in the grid system, squares are counted to determine distance, one could attempt to veer of to one side or the other because the first diagonal is only 5 feet of movement. This is not how charging operates. To make sure charging can not be taken advantage of, chance determines which is the “closest square”, not which square gives flanking to the fighter and rogue against the opponent.

It is mildly buried.

Combat
MOVEMENT, POSITION, AND DISTANCE...

TACTICAL MOVEMENT...

Encumbrance:.....

Hampered Movement:.....

Movement in Combat:.....

Bonuses to Speed:.....

Measuring Distance......

Closest Creature: When it’s important to determine the closest square or creature to a location, if two squares or creatures are equally close, randomly determine which one counts as closest by rolling a die.

 

[Thanee]

I would only see that in context, Frank, when measuring distances, not for moving during a charge.

If an effect affects the closest creature, the positioning inside the squares the creatures occupy (more leaning to the left, or somesuch) becomes important. There is no indicator for this, therefore it is simply determined randomly.

When charging, you need to take the shortest route, if two routes are equally short, then taking either one qualifies for taking the shortest route.

Bye
Thanee