Ride-By Attack Clarifications

[kmdietri]

This is how I understand Ride-By Attack. It prevents the target you attack with a charge action, while mounted, to make an AoO against you. However unless your mount has spring attack, it doesn't prevent the target from making an AoO against your mount.

Further Ride-By Attack only applies to the target you are attacking.

Is this all correct or is something wrong.

Thanks

 

[Dr. Zoom]

When it says "you do not provoke an AoO from your target," I read the "you" as plural, meaning you and your mount. After all, the feat allows you to accomplish this with your mount, so the mount should benefit with you. That is how I read it, anyway.

 

[kmdietri]

That makes sense. I had thought that myself but for some reason I thought I remembered reading somewhere it didn't protect the mount.

Thanks

 

[Dr. Zoom]

There have been discussions of this feat on this board. There are those who would not agree with my reading of it. For me, however, it is the most straightforward way to read and understand it.

 

[kreynolds]

*waves flag of "I agree with Dr. Zoom" around in the air*

 

[Ranger REG]

Unfortunately, the SRD's Ride-By Attack feat description indicate singular as in "the character."

 

[kreynolds]

This is the other reason I waved my flag around...from the Sage...

Does your mount avoid an AoO when the rider has Ride-By Attack?

Yes.

The feat states "Prerequisites: The character does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that the character attacks," which refers to the character only, not the mount.

No, it refers to the character and the mount.

Of course, the feat also states: "...the character may move and attack as with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). The character's total movement for the round can’t exceed double the character's mounted speed," which also refers to the character's move, but of course it's really the mount that is moving.

See previous answer.

Here's another reply from the Sage as well...

The ride-by attack feat states that you do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent who's threatened area you move through. It does not state that your mount is also protected. Hence why I thought mounted combat was a prerequisite to ride-by so you could protect your mount with a ride check.. In the game stoppers, this doesn't come up and as Krusk cannot be flat-footed, he still threatens an area right? Would Krusk get an attack of opportunity against the hell hound for moving through his threatened area? Or is the hell hound protected by his rider's feat even though the hell hound didn't attack Krusk----(Sword & Fist, pg 66 says ride-by attack only protects against attacks of opportunity from your target)?

Help please?

Your movement during a Ride By Attack does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the foe you attack. This extends to your mount also (after all, it's your mount that is doing the moving).

Skip Williams
Wizards RPG R&D

 

[Dinkeldog]

Were it to allow an attack of opportunity of the mount, you still have to have Mounted Combat as a pre-requisite, so you can replace your mount's AC for one attack in the round to the result of a ride check.

Very handy, that.

 

[kreynolds]

Heck, the ride check is still useful. You never know when you might need to soak up a couple AoOs to Ride-By the one guy that you desperately need to drop. Quite handy indeed.

 

[Spatzimaus]

Now, imagine if your mount is intelligent and has classes of its own. Correct me if I'm wrong:
Let's say our Paladin, named Bob, has Ride-By Attack and is riding his intelligent warhorse named Mr. Ed.

There are two enemies in a 10' passage, one 20' behind the other. Bob does a Ride-By Attack on the front one, ending his move at the back one (which Mr. Ed then attacks). Since Bob has that Feat, moving past that front one doesn't draw an Attack of Opportunity. So, looking at it from the horse's point of view, I just tumbled past the front guy to get to the back one, automatically succeeding because I have a guy on my back with a certain Feat?