Cover from the Ride skill

[mikebr99]

Hey!

Should the use of the Ride skill to gain cover from an attack be considered an immediate action?

Cover (Ride DC:15): You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. This usage does not take an action.

thank you,

Mike

 

[moritheil]

Should the use of the Ride skill to gain cover from an attack be considered an immediate action?

RAW, no.

 

[Whimsical]

So, if I have at least +14 in my Ride skill, I can always get a cover bonus from my mount?

 

[Legildur]

I believe so, at the cost of not being able to make an AOO as this use of the skill prevents you from being able to make an attack.

Have a look on the WotC site for the Rules of the Game articles. There was one there, I believe, on mounted combat which covered this question.

 

[mikebr99]

I believe so, at the cost of not being able to make an AOO as this use of the skill prevents you from being able to make an attack.

Have a look on the WotC site for the Rules of the Game articles. There was one there, I believe, on mounted combat which covered this question.

Thanks Legildur!

Get Cover from Your Mount: Because you and your mount share a space on the battlefield, you normally cannot claim cover from your mount. Whenever someone attacks you, however, you can attempt a DC 15 Ride check to claim cover from your mount. If you succeed, you get the benefit of cover (+4 to AC). According to the D&D FAQ, the cover benefit applies to all attacks made against you during the same place in the initiative order. If foes attack you several different times during a round, you must make a new Ride check to get cover from your mount against those attacks. You cannot claim cover while you're casting a spell or making any kind of attack.

Using your mount for cover isn't an action, and you can do so anytime you're attacked (subject to the limits noted previously). The rules don't say so, but using your mount for cover represents you actively avoiding attacks, and it's reasonable to assume that you cannot do so when you are denied your Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class.

Mike

 

[Wolfwood2]

You know, it's amazing how many little bonuses there are to fighting mounted that I bet even a lot of mounted fighters overlook. A constant +4 to AC (assuming you make the ride checks) for the cost of giving up AoOs seems well worth it.

As far as I can see, it doesn't interfere with regular attacks. Right?

 

[Nonlethal Force]

I suppose this is a boon, but as a DM it is pretty easily stopped. If you use this tactic for even 1 round, pretty soon the enemies will just attack the mount. They typically have much less substantial hit point totals. Using this tactic just encourages your enemies to target your mounts first. It might gain you an extra round, but at the cost of a mount, typically.

 

[Wolfwood2]

I suppose this is a boon, but as a DM it is pretty easily stopped. If you use this tactic for even 1 round, pretty soon the enemies will just attack the mount. They typically have much less substantial hit point totals. Using this tactic just encourages your enemies to target your mounts first. It might gain you an extra round, but at the cost of a mount, typically.

Which is when you use your Mounted Combat feat to negate the hit on the Mount with your bodacious Ride check.

Granted, this is best used with a paladin who can cast Shield Other, Heal Mount, and has a pretty tough mount anyway. Or somebody with a strong cohort mount.

 

[Dross]

I suppose this is a boon, but as a DM it is pretty easily stopped. If you use this tactic for even 1 round, pretty soon the enemies will just attack the mount. They typically have much less substantial hit point totals. Using this tactic just encourages your enemies to target your mounts first. It might gain you an extra round, but at the cost of a mount, typically.

We also play that the horse could be hit if it used as cover (one of the side effects of the hitting cover option). But yes mounts used as cover should have the foe thinking about targeting the mount (as I'm sure PC would do against their foes). Any intelligent foe should consider the mount as a target, and some unintellegent sould as well (it is typically the largest single source of meat in the group afterall).

Also you can only use the mounted Combat feat once a round.

It appears by RAW that you could use your mount as cover, then use your ride skill as the mount's AC if it is hit.

 

[moritheil]

Which is when you use your Mounted Combat feat to negate the hit on the Mount with your bodacious Ride check.

I had a badass mounted fighter player ready to deal charging pain. He neglected to notice that our campaign had already been decided as a war against the goblin tribes.

Negating one hit per round is helpful, but when the sky rains arrows . . .