Riding a mount with Flyby Attack/Pounce...

[Lord Pendragon]

Say a fighter is riding a hippogriff, which has been advanced to the point where it gains Flyby Attack. Would the fighter also be able to make an attack at the point the mount does (in the middle of its movement), assuming he makes his Ride check?

[edit]Changed subject line to reflect additional question.[/edit]

 

[robberbaron]

I guess if he had the Ride By feat and knew what the mount was going to do I might allow it.

 

[FireLance]

A rider on a mount can make a melee attack against any creature he can reach at any point of his mount's movement (only a single attack if the mount moves more than 5 feet). A rider on a mount can even make a ranged full attack when his mount is moving.

Ride-by Attack allows you to gain the benefits of a charge against the opponent you ride by, and you and your mount do not provoke an AOO from your opponent. I would say that a rider without Ride-by Attack could still attack an opponent his mount passes by, but would not gain the benefits of a charge, and would provoke an AOO if he moves through his opponent's threatened space.

So yes, a fighter riding a hippogriff with Flyby Attack can attack at the same time as the hippogriff if he makes his Ride check. However, note that unlike Ride-by Attack, Flyby Attack does not negate AOOs.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Thanks guys!

FireLance, you pointed out some very important things I hadn't even considered with the AoOs. Another question about that:

Say the fighter had Ride By Attack, but the mount did not have Flyby Attack. Would the mount suffer any AoOs if the Ride By was performed in the air? Can it even be performed in the air, with a flying mount?

 

[Artoomis]

The Ride-By Attack feat does not allow an AoO on the mount, nor does it give the mount an attack while passing. The mount could be flying, swimming, whatever. That does not matter.

BTW: Using Fly-By Attack with Ride-By Attack is not possible since Ride-By Attack requires the mount to be charging, not an action that is possible with Fly-by Attack.

Thanks guys!

FireLance, you pointed out some very important things I hadn't even considered with the AoOs. Another question about that:

Say the fighter had Ride By Attack, but the mount did not have Flyby Attack. Would the mount suffer any AoOs if the Ride By was performed in the air? Can it even be performed in the air, with a flying mount?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

So it would seem, then, that Flyby Attack is much less useful for a rider/mount combo, since the mount suffers an AoO, whereas the mount does not suffer an AoO while executing an airborne Ride By Attack. Even though in the case of the Flyby Attack, the mount does gain an attack along with the rider at the point of contact with the target.

Then again, the rider might use Mounted Combat to try and negate the AoO on the mount. It all depends on whether the rider believes the mount's attack is worth the risk of the mount being hurt.

Another "unusual mount" question:

Say the mount has Pounce. Would the mount be able to pounce while bearing a rider? Would the rider also be able to attack? Full attack? Standard attack?

 

[FireLance]

So it would seem, then, that Flyby Attack is much less useful for a rider/mount combo, since the mount suffers an AoO, whereas the mount does not suffer an AoO while executing an airborne Ride By Attack. Even though in the case of the Flyby Attack, the mount does gain an attack along with the rider at the point of contact with the target.

It depends on what tactics the rider and mount are using. Flyby Attack can be quite useful for a spellcasting mount and a ranged combat rider as the mount can move and still cast spells while the rider can make a full ranged attack and still benefit from the mount's move.

For melee combatants, the advantage to Ride-by Attack is that the rider and mount do not suffer AOOs, and the attack is a charge. The rider can gain additional benefits if he uses a lance or has Spirited Charge, or both. However, the mount would not get to make an attack. The advantage to Flyby Attack is that the mount can also attack, but the rider or the mount would be subject to an AOO (possibly both if the opponent has Combat Reflexes), and the rider can only use Mounted Combat to negate a hit on his mount.

Say the mount has Pounce. Would the mount be able to pounce while bearing a rider? Would the rider also be able to attack? Full attack? Standard attack?

I would say the mount with Pounce can charge and make its full attack even when bearing a rider, but the rider would not benefit from the mount's Pounce (although he would benefit from the charge as normal). He can only make a single attack.