Mounted combat: Do you bother?

[The_Gneech]

So far, when it's come up, the first action in combat for all the players has been "dismount/fall off" -- so it hasn't been real useful. But as the characters get more powerful, their foes are going to be mounted more and more often. (Orcs riding giant ravens is coming up soon...)

-The Gneech

 

[Henry]

It comes up about once per 4 sessions in a campaign not focused on it, and more frequently if a mounted combat specialist is in the group. The trick, for the DM is:

Have warmounts available frequently.

For the player, the secret is:

Don't hinge your abilities on one specific mount. If yours gets cut out from under you, go steal your opponents'! Your horse died to drow lightning bolts? Jump and grab the reins of a nearby warlizard with a dead rider, make a handle animal check to quickly dominate the animal, and high-yo, Scaly, away!

As a DM, don't be afraid to add a mounted challenge for your player who's invested in it. Don't be afraid to have a mounted Ogre-on-war-elephant, or a griffon-riding wizard. Everything's better when mounted. (There's a dirty joke in that, I'm sure. )

 

[Thomas Percy]

From the point of view of battlesystem "horse" feats are perfect for charging knights: spirited charge, trample etc.
From the point of view of role playing game there are a few chances of using of a mount at adventures, particulary in WotC's beloved dungeons. Not a surprise, that an artillerist or tank driver is not so versatile as Jack-Sparrow-like-character.

 

[EricNoah]

It doesn't come up much in my campaigns. Mostly because I don't think I would be doing it "right" (running NPCs effectively using it).

 

[Klaus]

It doesn't come up much in my campaigns. Mostly because I don't think I would be doing it "right" (running NPCs effectively using it).

Just assume the NPCs have the mount's speed, space, and size modifiers for overrun, and if they make their Ride checks to guide with their knees, can move about freely and still take their full suite of actions. That's close enough.

 

[sniffles]

I run a fighter who uses mounted combat. He isn't focused on that, but he does use it. The GM required us to choose a specific profession for our PCs at creation and I chose horse training because I wanted to use something that I had at least a familiarity with myself. We have had some combats in which my PC fought from horseback, but he usually dismounts if it looks like things are going to go too badly for his horse. He's 12th level now and has managed to keep his horse since the beginning of the campaign.

We also have a paladin in the party and she often rides into combat. So we do a moderate amount of fighting from horseback. I think Mounted Combat and the other riding feats are worth it. More importantly, I think you should do what you want to do and not worry about 'wasting' a feat. No feat is wasted if it's something you really find appealing. I would hope that your GM would make a point to give you some opportunities to use your character's abilities and skills, whatever they are.

 

[Aeric]

I like playing paladins and cavaliers, but the only time that mounted combat made a difference was in a two-player game about ten years ago. It was a low-magic, political war story.

As for mounts in regular- or high-magic settings, don't forget that you can put magic items on them, too. "Rings" of Evasion and Energy Resistance, Horseshoes of Striding and Springing (or Speed), Bracers of Armor, etc.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Here's a thought, Ari: throw at WotC the idea of a mounted-combat "Complete" book, like Complete Knight or Complete Rider.

Bundle it in with familiars and animal companions.

Rules for swarm companions, combining Leadership with Improved Familiar, Living Spell familiars, feats to add lesser companions like a Beastmaster, spells and feats from the website like Wild Cohort, undead familiar, planar familiar, elemental familiar, etc.

Stunts and Tactical Feats for mounted combat. More detailed rules for grappling etc vs a mounted opponent. Proper errata for Ride-By Attack. Rules for cavalry formations.

Paladin's Mount variations for those who don't like the Pokemount model. More detail on the Summoning variant for always summoning the same creature. Some long-duration Summoning spells for non-combatant creatures.

Lots of wondrous items for familiars, companions, and mounts.

Prestige Classes and substitution levels for awakened animals, with hints for how to make them work as PC races. Awakened horses with paladin cohorts, and awakened cats with gnome familiars...

You know, that could be pretty damned cool...

-Hyp.

 

[ForceUser]

I make it a point to include opportunities for mounted combat in my games, meaning that dungeoncrawling (indoor, on-foot adventuring) takes up less than half of my adventures. I make highly mobile NPCs, some of whom are mounted combtants themselves. Given all that, my players tend to prefer the simplicity and reliability of combat on foot. Since this isn't due to a failing on my part, it doesn't bother me much. Mounted combat IS more complicated. As is grappling. Or tripping. Or disarming or sundering. Or any cool combat manuever other than "I swing my sword." But that's a whole other gripe. :\

 

[Breschau of Livonia]

Seems to be a recurring theme in Eberron games...

In our game, there is a halfling ranger who goes everywhere with his Clawfoot, Fluffy. He has just gotten high enough level to make Fluffy an official animal companion (previously Fluffy was a purchased Clawfoot - as DM I allowed him to keep Fluffy now that he is high enough level to make him an animal companion).

The ranger has gotten really deadly as a mounted warrior. Since the clawfoot is medium sized, taking him into dungeons is not much of a problem and with his high riding skill, accompanied with all sorts of feats, they are a deadly team and hard to dismount.