Overrunning while mounted

[shilsen]

Simple question - is it possible to make an attack while your mount is overrunning someone?

The description of a mounted overrun (pg.158) says that if "you attempt an overrun while mounted, your mount makes the Strength check to determine the success or failure of the overrun attack (and applies its size modifier rather than yours)." The phrase "if you attempt" implies that a mounted overrun counts as an action on your part, which would make it impossible to attack at the same time. I would prefer to allow the rider to attack (once) at the same time, but it looks like that would be a house rule.

Thoughts?

 

[Epametheus]

I don't see why you can't a single attack while your mount is trampling someone; it's not that different from a charge attack.

You're in trouble if the mount blows the check and gets tripped, though.

 

[FireLance]

I would treat the overrun attempt as an attack on the part of the mount. If the mount is war-trained, you would need to succeed at a DC 10 Ride check (fight with warhorse) to attack as well. If the mount is not war-trained, you would need to succeed at a DC 20 Ride check (one move action) to control it in battle. If it has been trained to attack (depsite not being war-trained), you would need to succeed at a DC 10 Handle Animal check (another move action) to get it to overrun, so you would not be able to attack anyway. If it has not been trained to attack, you would not be able to get it to overrun, since pushing it would require a full-round action.

Druids and rangers can handle and push their animal companions as a free and a move-equivalent action respectively, so they may be able to attack with their mounts even they are not war-trained, or push it to overrun if they have not been trained to attack.

EDIT - replaced all instances of "trample" with "overrun". I got my terminology mixed .

 

[shilsen]

I would treat the trample attempt as an attack on the part of the mount. If the mount is war-trained, you would need to succeed at a DC 10 Ride check (fight with warhorse) to attack as well. If the mount is not war-trained, you would need to succeed at a DC 20 Ride check (one move action) to control it in battle. If it has been trained to attack (depsite not being war-trained), you would need to succeed at a DC 10 Handle Animal check (another move action) to get it to trample, so you would not be able to attack anyway. If it has not been trained to attack, you would not be able to get it to trample, since pushing it would require a full-round action.

Druids and rangers can handle and push their animal companions as a free and a move-equivalent action respectively, so they may be able to attack with their mounts even they are not war-trained, or push it to trample if they have not been trained to attack.

Actually I'm thinking about the basic mounted overrun maneuver (for which you don't need any feats), as opposed to specifically trampling someone as allowed by the feat. Overrunning with a mount (and without the feat) does no damage and only knocks the target prone (if the overrun attempt is successful). I'm curious whether people would allow a rider to make a melee attack while the creature is being overrun by the mount.

 

[FireLance]

Actually I'm thinking about the basic mounted overrun maneuver (for which you don't need any feats), as opposed to specifically trampling someone as allowed by the feat. Overrunning with a mount (and without the feat) does no damage and only knocks the target prone (if the overrun attempt is successful). I'm curious whether people would allow a rider to make a melee attack while the creature is being overrun by the mount.

Gah! I meant the basic overrun, not a trample. I got my terminology mixed up . I'll go back and edit my original post.

 

[shilsen]

Gah! I meant the basic overrun, not a trample. I got my terminology mixed up . I'll go back and edit my original post.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. Allowing the rider of a battle-trained mount to attack with a Ride 10 check sounds good.

 

[reapersaurus]

I'm curious whether people would allow a rider to make a melee attack while the creature is being overrun by the mount.

Why not?
Overrun is part of the creature's attack routine - not the rider's.

 

[shilsen]

Why not?
Overrun is part of the creature's attack routine - not the rider's.

See the text I quoted in the first post, which describes the overrun as something "you attempt", simply using the mount for Str check and size bonus purposes. I agree that overrun should be considered part of the mount's attack routine, but noted that's not explicitly the way the rules describe it, hence my question. Anyhow, that's how I'm going to rule it (i.e. the rider gets to attack while the mount overruns someone).