Mounted combat

[silentspace]

This is how I've understood it (but now I'm starting to wonder):

Warhorses: You can direct your warhorse to move and/or attack in battle as a free action. But if you want the warhorse to attack, you lose all other actions for that round, unless you make the ride check (DC 10).

Non-warhorses: You need to make the ride check (DC 20) to direct your horse to move and/or attack in battle. If you fail, you lose all actions for that round, as you are too busy controlling your mount, but you don't go anywhere (you don't flee). Basically, you're just reigning it in. If you succeed the ride check, your mount will move or attack as you wish, and you can make your own action that round as well. It's best to dismount a non-warhorse in battle. If you dismount your non-warhorse, it will flee.

 

[billd91]

Well it makes sense after all.

I know that if you WANT to fight a mounted combat you take a warhorse, as well as good mounted feats and high Ride skill. But if they are not mounted-oriented PCs?

I was thinking like the PCs are riding to their destination and are suddenly attack by mounted bandits. It makes for a good scene . I don't think they will likely dismount, but rather they'll try to improvise something and then ride away if it gets too difficult.

Anyway, I really want to know how it works

If they aren't mount-oriented PCs, they probably have really bad Ride skills (though they can try it untrained). They'll still have reasonable chances to guide the horse with their knees and stay in the saddle when they take damagen (DC5). They'd be doomed if they tried to guide a non-war trained horse in battle (DC20).
There really wouldn't be much else as far as penalties. So, an untrained rider on a warhorse isn't in really bad shape. I'd consider that the horse might be a bit too aggressive for anyone who isn't a trained rider and maybe give them a DC10 to direct the horse AWAY from battle just because I'm sadistic.

 

[Lamoni]

Does the same hold true for special mounts? Such as my Paladin's celestial dire wolf? If I am mounted and want to use my melee attack and have the wolf use its bite, I have to use a ride check of DC 10. Correct?

I just always debate whether it is better for me to fight mounted, or to fight dismounted while the wolf helps me to flank. Usually I do the latter since I have no mounted combat feats.

The advantage of fighting dismounted is a +2 to hit (if you can flank) vs. a +1. And you don't need to make any ride checks.

The advantage of fighting mounted is you always stay within 5 feet and can share spells. Plus it is easier to charge to the next opponent or to flee. It is a toss up.

 

[The Souljourner]

Li Shenron - you said that they likely wouldn't dismount when attacked by bandits, and I whole heartedly disagree. I've actually been in that exact situation in a campaign, and the very first thing I did was attempt a rapid dismount (DC 20), since the only penalty for failure is it takes a MEA, which it takes anyway.

Trying to fight from the back of an animal not trained for war is foolish, IMO, unless you're a mounted combat expert. Unless there's some pressing reason why you must stay in the saddle, it's almost always a much better idea to dismount.

-The Souljourner

 

[Christian]

I just always debate whether it is better for me to fight mounted, or to fight dismounted while the wolf helps me to flank. Usually I do the latter since I have no mounted combat feats.

The advantage of fighting dismounted is a +2 to hit (if you can flank) vs. a +1. And you don't need to make any ride checks.

The advantage of fighting mounted is you always stay within 5 feet and can share spells. Plus it is easier to charge to the next opponent or to flee. It is a toss up.

It's probably a bit on the side of dismounting to fight, without the mounted combat feats. On the other hand, with said feats ...

I once saw a paladin with Spirited Charge score a critical hit on a lance charge while smiting evil. Pardon the irony, but that did an ungodly amount of damage.

 

[Darklone]

I once saw a paladin with Spirited Charge score a critical hit on a lance charge while smiting evil. Pardon the irony, but that did an ungodly amount of damage.

Rhinohide, True Strike potion, Power Critical, Divine Might, Power Attack, wielding a scythe... It could have been worse

 

[Li Shenron]

Ok, thanks everyone for your suggestion, but let's go back to the main topic if you don't mind... I am not trying yet to understand if mounted combat is worth or how to make it better, I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW IT WORKS!

 

[Darklone]

I didn't find anything new in the rules sadly, so it looks like it's up to the DM (if noone else is more able than I was).

But I don't see nothing wrong with the horse running away. The rules say, the rider loses his action, not the mount. And being frightened would be natural for the horse, we've seen that in many movies where the hero has to save a maiden whose horse runs away...

Confused; did we have any other open questions?

 

[FireLance]

Here are my views, for what it's worth:

1. Untrained mounts. Unless the mount is affected by some special effect, it doesn't actually have the frightened condition. You can still direct it to move how you want it to, or stand still if so desired. By a strict interpretation of the rules, the Ride check does not dictate whether you control the mount, but whether you need a FRA or an MEA to do so. By implication, controlling a mount is automatically successful. If you want a small chance that the mount becomes uncontrolled and bolts, you can always use the natural 1 = critical failure rule.

2. Fighting with war-trained mount. If you direct the mount to attack, the mount attacks. However, unless you make the Ride check, you (the rider, not the mount) lose your attacks. Makes sense to me - it's going to take some co-ordination to thwack your enemy when your horse is rearing up to attack with its hooves.

 

[Li Shenron]

Is there anything wrong in your opinion that with a war-trained mount both the mount and the rider gets a full round worth of actions?

I understand that the Ride check is required if you want your warhorse to attack (attack+move OR full attack), otherwise for this round the mount will not attack, but still has 2 MEAs.