Mounted Enemies

[Ashenboychild]

According to the DMG, mounts use their rider's actions to move, attack, and use abilities.

From a PC standpoint, this makes sense (at least good balance) but what about NPC opponents? If the encounter is with a soldier and a horse, do they both attack?

And if the rider is using his actions to fuel the mount's abilities, do you still get xp for defeating the mount?

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

According to the DMG, mounts use their rider's actions to move, attack, and use abilities.

From a PC standpoint, this makes sense (at least good balance) but what about NPC opponents? If the encounter is with a soldier and a horse, do they both attack?

And if the rider is using his actions to fuel the mount's abilities, do you still get xp for defeating the mount?

Sharing actions is for PCs...

These rules exist to let the PCs use mounts in the easiest, most balanced way. When you decide that the evil wizard rides a wyvern, you add the NPC and the monster to the encounter as normal and let them take their full actions separately. The evil wizard moves along with the wyvern, but both monsters get to attack. The encounter is balanced because you accounted for both of their XP values.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Another option for mounted bad guys, is to stat the rider/mount up as one creature...

Someone who has read the rules better than I could probably gen up a template for 'mounted humanoid' to slap on your favorite Soldier ...

Perhaps something better than:
Lesser Mounted Cavalry {good for low Heroic Tier}
+ 150 xp
+ 30 hps
Speed = 8
Gain: Trample (at will) +4 vs Ref; 1d6+6 damage and target is prone
Gain +5 damage on charge attacks.

But that might be a HR thing