Mount Ride Checks

[PrinceZane]

So I was reading up on handle animal and ride and such probably playing A. a mounted char for the first time and B. playing a ranger for the first time.

I noticed the "Cover" ability you can do while riding. There seems to be some things I'm not seeing I think. For a ride check of 15 you can get cover from your mount. Whats that, +4ac? For free? It specifically says it takes no action, so whenever you get attacked you can just randomly get +4ac for a low d20 roll? (I'm level 2 with a ride of 9 already). What is it to get back into riding position, another nonaction move?

It just seems like it's missing something to make it from being so sweet. Maybe its not +4ac and I've got that wrong, I dunno. With it being 8 in the morning without any sleep the night before, there's easily a chance I'm missing something

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Your mount can get shot (see what happens if you use someone for cover, and the attacker misses you by one to four points).

Of course, you can negate on hit per round with a Ride check if you have Mounted Combat.

Unless you have some way of beefing up your mount (I suggest the Wild Cohort feat from the WotC website) you'll just end up killing it.

 

[Thanee]

Your mount can get shot (see what happens if you use someone for cover, and the attacker misses you by one to four points).

Nope. Only if you use the optional rule from the DMG.

Of course, if you regularily use your mount for cover, the DM might consider doing just that.


I would probably require a move action (and DC 15 Ride check) to get back into the saddle properly after sliding down to the side for cover.

I suggest the Wild Cohort feat from the WotC website

Uhm... he's a ranger and the mount is his animal companion.

Bye
Thanee

 

[kjenks]

Thanee has it right, but there's no rule about what action is required to "get back in the saddle." I think that no action is required; this is just part of mounted combat.

 

[Thanee]

Oh, I also think there is no action required... but I would probably require one (as a house rule, that's what I meant).

Bye
Thanee

 

[kjenks]

(Duplicate post deleted.)

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Cover: 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.

(Emphasis mine)

I take this to mean that the Cover option lasts for the entire round until your next turn, during which you cannot attack or cast spells. So if you're riding across a plain to attack an enemy on the other side, you might drop down to give yourself cover. But you can't, by my reading, "nonaction" yourself into attack position, full attack, then "nonaction" yourself back into cover for the rest of the round. Like TWF, or Combat Expertise, or any other combat maneuver I can think of, the benefits and the penalties last the entire round. Each round you decide if you're going to use your mount as cover, and if so you make your Ride check to see if you're successful.

So no free +4 Cover bonus to AC all the time, anytime. But when you do want to use the option because you don't plan to attack or cast a spell in that round, it doesn't cost an action.

Also, while by the Core rules soft cover cannot be hit by anything attempting to strike the rider, one can still target the mount directly to kill it. And a smart enemy will either do that (in which case Mounted Combat can come into play), or simply concentrate his fire on one of the rider's companions.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Like TWF ... the benefits and the penalties last the entire round.

Quote the rules which say that the TWF penalties last an entire round.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Quote the rules which say that the TWF penalties last an entire round.

*shrug* I'm not going to waste the time. I'm not arguing about TWF. Let's assume, based on your comment, that it isn't explicitly spelled out, allowing one to fight with two weapons, then drop (as a free action) the second weapon in order to not suffer penalties for any AoOs, then quick draw another secondary weapon at the start of his next turn. I don't care, I'm talking about the Cover option of the Ride skill. Substitute TWF with the AC penalty from a Charge, then, and all is well.

And before you ask:

Attacking on a Charge: After moving, you may make a single melee attack. You get a +2 bonus on the attack roll. and take a –2 penalty to your AC until the start of your next turn.

 

[Thanee]

A full-round action consumes all your effort during a round.

If you wield a second weapon in your off hand, you can get one extra attack per round with that weapon. You suffer a –6 penalty with your regular attack or attacks with your primary hand and a –10 penalty to the attack with your off hand when you fight this way.

Since you need to perform a full attack to fight with two weapons normally (some exceptions exist), you have the penalties for the whole round, when you 'fight this way', since the full-round action represents the whole 6 seconds worth of time.

Any AoO being performed during the round obviously happen while you 'fight this way'.

Bye
Thanee