D&D 5E Mounts in 5e

[Shades of Eternity]

I've been wanting to build some mounts in 5e so I got some questions:

1. What should the cr of the mount be relative to the rider?
2. If the mount is armed, are the attacks used by the mount or the rider (or would that be joined rules).
3. Is the initiative one big block, or are their separate initiatives.
4. If you are fought by a mount and rider, would you add on legendary actions to reduce the effect of the action economy, or would the standard actions more then apply. Or is there another option?
5. If your party is also mounted, would your monster /mount team up be more likely to go for the rider, or the mount?
6. are lances still a thing in 5e. If so just checking where to look for them.

any other mounted rules that a gm should be aware of?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Copied from D&DBeyond:

Rules Tip: Opportunity Attacks While Mounted

When a creature riding a mount exits a hostile creature’s reach, the rider doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack, but the mount does. When a mount provokes an opportunity attack, the attacker can target the rider or the mount. However, the pteranodon’s Flyby trait allows it to move without provoking opportunity attacks. In short, the Disengage action and the Flyby trait protects both the rider and the mount.

Rules Tip: Attacking While Mounted

While using its walking speed, a creature can move, take an action, and then continue using any remaining movement. However, a rider and their mount don’t share a turn, even if they’re acting on the same initiative. Thus, a rider can’t command its mount to move part of its movement, attack, and then command the mount to move away. Instead, the rider can use the Ready action to prepare to attack a target, then command its mount to fly into melee range, triggering the readied Attack action, and then fly out after the readied attack.

If this bit of rules minutiae is excessively complex for your table, you can safely ignore it during this encounter.

 

[Horwath]

Rules Tip: Attacking While Mounted

While using its walking speed, a creature can move, take an action, and then continue using any remaining movement. However, a rider and their mount don’t share a turn, even if they’re acting on the same initiative. Thus, a rider can’t command its mount to move part of its movement, attack, and then command the mount to move away. Instead, the rider can use the Ready action to prepare to attack a target, then command its mount to fly into melee range, triggering the readied Attack action, and then fly out after the readied attack.

If this bit of rules minutiae is excessively complex for your table, you can safely ignore it during this encounter.

This is complication without need.

Keep it simple:

mount acts on your turn.

While you are mounted you use your mounts speed and modes of movement instead your own.

Mount does not take any actions without direct orders except Dash, Disengage or Dodge. You must use Bonus action to order your mounts actions other than 3 mentioned. if you have Extra attack feature, you can sacrifice one of those attacks instead of Bonus action. You can still order only one action per turn for your mount.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

The biggest problem I had with mount rules in any edition of D&D was the action economy. If I'm riding a horse, I just want to be faster and to have more powerful charge attacks. I don't want the horse to attack. On the other hand, if I'm riding an owlbear, I want that thing to be mauling my opponent's face while I'm simultaneously chopping said opponent with my axe. There is no one set of rules that can really work for both types of mounts.

In some ways, the horse's CR shouldn't be relevant. It acts almost like a magic item enhancing the PC's speed and charge damage.

If your party is also mounted, would your monster /mount team up be more likely to go for the rider, or the mount?

The mount is larger and does not have human footwork (easier to hit) plus it is wearing less or no armor. I would expect opponents to hit the mount, assuming they've not gotten killed by the charge attack first.

 

[Ristamar]

Just a friendly reminder/suggestion to check out the first issue of Arcadia, the D&D zine from MCDM (Matt Colville), for expanded rules on mounts.

ARCADIA 1 | January 2021

Welcome to ARCADIA! Inspired by old-school tabletop magazines, one day we wondered "Why doesn't anyone make something like that anymore?" So instead of waiting for someone else to do it we made it ourselves and this is that! ARCADIA is MCDM's brand-new digital magazine for 5th edition GMs and...

shop.mcdmproductions.com

 

[Shiroiken]

The biggest problem I had with mount rules in any edition of D&D was the action economy. If I'm riding a horse, I just want to be faster and to have more powerful charge attacks. I don't want the horse to attack. On the other hand, if I'm riding an owlbear, I want that thing to be mauling my opponent's face while I'm simultaneously chopping said opponent with my axe. There is no one set of rules that can really work for both types of mounts.

This is why 5E has them separated. If your mount is quasi-intelligent, it has its own initiative and actions, with you just along for the ride. If not, you have to direct the mount on your turn and it doesn't have any action.

I've actually played a gnome who used a goliath PC as a "mount" before. We were in a swamp deep enough to be over my head, so I rode on his shoulders when combat broke out. Didn't work out great for me though, since I was a wizard on top of a war cleric wading into melee...

 

[Older Beholder]

I've been wanting to build some mounts in 5e so I got some questions:

1. What should the cr of the mount be relative to the rider?

I was thinking the other day that with the sidekick rules in Tasha's, you can give levels to anything that has a CR 1/2, which means you could have a warhorse (for example) that levels up with your character.

 

[jgsugden]

I've been wanting to build some mounts in 5e so I got some questions:

1. What should the cr of the mount be relative to the rider?

There is no hard and fast law here. It comes down to what role the mount is supposed to serve. A 20th level PC can be on a CR 1 mount and be effective. Unless the mount is an animal companion or something of that type, I would not want it to steal the spotlight.

2. If the mount is armed, are the attacks used by the mount or the rider (or would that be joined rules).

Each creature is separate - mount and rider (absent a special ability). There are mounted rules that allow it to be more of a "one with you" situation, but those mounts cannot attack.

3. Is the initiative one big block, or are their separate initiatives.

Separate unless you elect to merge them. See PHB 198.

4. If you are fought by a mount and rider, would you add on legendary actions to reduce the effect of the action economy, or would the standard actions more then apply. Or is there another option?

I'd let them each have their own turns (unless the merged initiative option is used) and not add legendary actions.
[/quote]5. If your party is also mounted, would your monster /mount team up be more likely to go for the rider, or the mount?[/quote]Every monster and combatant is different. An intelligent tactician fighter, a bear, a druid, a dragon ... all would look at the situation differently. Role play the foes and their motivations.

6. are lances still a thing in 5e. If so just checking where to look for them.

PHB, martial weapon.

any other mounted rules that a gm should be aware of?

Yes. In the PHB. Pg 198. It is listed in the index. There are also rules hidden in certain monsters, feats, etc... that change the basic rules. One key sentence elsewhere in the PHB is:

You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction. For example, you don't provoke an opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe's reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy.

This has an interaction with the last line of the Controlling a Mount section on page 198. When you're mounted, whether controlling the mount or independent, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount. However, if the mount moves you without you being mounted, it can protect you from an OA. This is relevant for more intelligent mounts, such as dragons.