Mounted Archery

[Snig]

Can someone explain to me how mounted archery works?

Can my mount make a full move and I can still make take a full round action to make a full attack? If so do I get penalties if my mount just takes a normal move?

Now i'm pretty sure that if my mount takes a double move I get minuses to my attack, and even more if my mount runs.

I am trying to figure out what benefit I am getting by taking the mounted archery feat, I know it reduces the penalties if I make a full attack when my mount moves at double speed, but what about if my mount just moves at regular speed? Does the feat do anything for me then?

I plan on using my mount as a combatant aswell as my mount so most of his actions will be a single move action and then an attack.

Also just out of curiosity, can my mount charge an enemy and attack, while I also make a full attack with my bow?

[CaladanMoonblad]

Benefit
The penalty you take when using a ranged weapon while mounted is halved: -2 instead of -4 if your mount is taking a double move, and -4 instead of -8 if your mount is running.


Fight with Warhorse
If you direct your war-trained mount to attack in battle, you can still make your own attack or attacks normally. This usage is a free action.

Spur Mount
You can spur your mount to greater speed with a move action. A successful Ride check increases the mount’s speed by 10 feet for 1 round but deals 1 point of damage to the creature. You can use this ability every round, but each consecutive round of additional speed deals twice as much damage to the mount as the previous round (2 points, 4 points, 8 points, and so on).

Control Mount in Battle
As a move action, you can attempt to control a light horse, pony, heavy horse, or other mount not trained for combat riding while in battle. If you fail the Ride check, you can do nothing else in that round. You do not need to roll for warhorses or warponies.

It's a useful feat for a double moving mount (or a charging mount coupled with Trample). If you want to take a full attack action, then your mount continues on its previous trajectory barring impediments. So when that dragon is flying after you, and you're double moving your warhorse through the trees, you can still fire behind you for a full attack as long as you trust your mount not to hit you with a tree limb. Or something.

Mounted Archery is exactly the tactic that the Golden Horde used to conquer much of Asia.

[Namfuak]

It looks like there is a specific rule that you can make full attacks with ranged weapons while your mount is moving, despite the fact that you cannot do the same with a melee weapon (most likely the "realism" justification for this is that you are firing in conjunction with the move, while with a melee weapon you have to wait until you are next to your opponent to attack them, meaning you only get one attack that round). There is never a penalty mentioned for firing after you mount only takes a move action, so mounted archery does not affect that.

As for your question about charging, charging is either a special move action or a full round action (the former only available when the latter is not), which means that no matter how far your mount charges it is considered a full round of movement in terms of penalties (thus, a -4 penalty or -2 with mounted archery). If you plan on being an archer it may not be in your best interest to be right next to the enemy, but that's up to you. If you do want to have your mount charging, you should grab a dire lion or some other animal with the pounce special ability (if I recall your character is a goblin, so a fleshraker might be better if you plan on being in a dungeon often, because it is medium and has a really nifty special ability with charging, source is MM3).

[Slipperychicken]

While your mount moves up to its speed (normal move), you may make a ranged full attack without penalty.

While your mount moves up to double its speed (double move), you may make a ranged full attack at -4. (With the feat mounted archery, this is only a -2)

While your mount moves faster than that (run or withdraw action), you may full attack with a -8 penalty. (With the feat mounted archery, this is only a -4)

You can make it charge, attacking at the end of the movement with you.

Ranged Full Attacking while your mount charges... I can't find anything to contradict that, so I guess it works. Since a charge involves double-movement, you should take the appropriate penalty.

[Snig]

Well I was just thinking that with the feat "Ride by Attack'" a great strategie for my character would be to have my mount charge by the enemy making a charge attack and somewhere during this charge I could unleash a volley (full attack) of arrows.

At the end of the movement I would be back out at range having just landed a charge attack with my mount and a full attack with my bow.

Alternatly I could attack with my lance for triple damage or greataxe for double damage with the spirited charge feat (3d6 for lance vs 2d10 with greataxe), my mount could also attack although i'm not sure we would both benefit from the +2 to attack from the charge? Then we continue on our path to end safely at range where I can continue to use my bow.