Mounted Combat

[CrazedGoblin]

With mounted combat, does the mount attack at all, or is it just the guy in the saddle?.

Is there a specialised book for the rules of mounted combat, ive looked through the player handbook and i can't find it.:smallfrown:

[Stormcrow]

It's definitely in the players handbook, it should be in the combat chapter and possibly in the Paladin Entry.

To answer the question its a Ride check to controll your mount in combat, if you make the check, it can attack aswell, if you dont. It cant.

[CrazedGoblin]

i shall have a look again, thanks :smallbiggrin:

[Quincunx]

Try looking up the particulars for the Ride skill.

[Zeb The Troll]

I actually just looked this up for the game I'm in last weekend. There is a reference to it in the Ride skill as being a DC10 check to guide your horse with your legs and make an attack. There is also a section in the combat chapter titled Mounted Combat which lists it as a DC5. Since the character in question had a +15 ride skill it wasn't a factor but I would be curious if someone could explain the difference in DC's to me.

[Matthew]

You are confusing the Difficulty Class of guiding the Mount with your Knees (DC 5) with the Difficulty Class of directing it to attack at the same time you do (DC 10).



Mounted Combat

Horses in Combat
Heavy warhorses (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#warhorseHeavy), light warhorses (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#warhorseLight) and warponies (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ponyWar.htm) can serve readily as combat steeds. Light horses (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#horseLight), ponies (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/pony.htm), and heavy horses (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#horseHeavy), however, are frightened (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#frightened) by combat. If you don’t dismount, you must make a DC 20 Ride (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/ride.htm) check each round as a move action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions) to control such a horse. If you succeed, you can perform a standard action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#standardActions) after the move action. If you fail, the move action becomes a full round action and you can’t do anything else until your next turn.
Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.
A horse (not a pony (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/pony.htm)) is a Large creature and thus takes up a space 10 feet (2 squares) across. For simplicity, assume that you share your mount’s space during combat.

Combat while Mounted
With a DC 5 Ride (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/ride.htm) check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a free action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#freeActions).
When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground. If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can’t make a full attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#fullAttack). Even at your mount’s full speed, you don’t take any penalty on melee attacks while mounted.
If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#charge). If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#lance).
You can use ranged weapons while your mount is taking a double move, but at a -4 penalty on the attack roll (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatStatistics.htm#attackRoll). You can use ranged weapons while your mount is running (quadruple speed), at a -8 penalty. In either case, you make the attack roll when your mount has completed half its movement. You can make a full attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#fullAttack) with a ranged weapon while your mount is moving. Likewise, you can take move actions (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions) normally

Casting Spells while Mounted
You can cast a spell normally if your mount moves up to a normal move (its speed) either before or after you cast. If you have your mount move both before and after you cast a spell, then you’re casting the spell while the mount is moving, and you have to make a Concentration (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/concentration.htm) check due to the vigorous motion (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. If the mount is running (quadruple speed), you can cast a spell when your mount has moved up to twice its speed, but your Concentration (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/concentration.htm) check is more difficult due to the violent motion (DC 15 + spell level).

If Your Mount Falls in Battle
If your mount falls, you have to succeed on a DC 15 Ride (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/ride.htm) check to make a soft fall and take no damage. If the check fails, you take 1d6 points of damage.

If You Are Dropped
If you are knocked unconscious (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#unconscious), you have a 50% chance to stay in the saddle (or 75% if you’re in a military saddle). Otherwise you fall and take 1d6 points of damage.
Without you to guide it, your mount avoids combat.




Ride (Dex)

If you attempt to ride a creature that is ill suited as a mount, you take a -5 penalty on your Ride checks.

Check
Typical riding actions don’t require checks. You can saddle, mount, ride, and dismount from a mount without a problem.
The following tasks do require checks.
Ride DCsTaskRide DC

Guide with knees 5
Stay in saddle 5
Fight with warhorse 10
Cover 15
Soft fall 15
Leap 15
Spur mount 15
Control mount in battle 20
Fast mount or dismount 20 (Armor check penalty applies)

Guide with Knees
You can react instantly to guide your mount with your knees so that you can use both hands in combat. Make your Ride check at the start of your turn. If you fail, you can use only one hand this round because you need to use the other to control your mount.

Stay in Saddle
You can react instantly to try to avoid falling when your mount rears or bolts unexpectedly or when you take damage. This usage does not take an action.

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 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#freeActions).

Cover
You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm#cover). You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. This usage does not take an action.

Soft Fall
You can react instantly to try to take no damage when you fall off a mount—when it is killed or when it falls, for example. If you fail your Ride check, you take 1d6 points of falling damage. This usage does not take an action.

Leap
You can get your mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement. Use your Ride modifier or the mount’s Jump (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/jump.htm) modifier, whichever is lower, to see how far the creature can jump. If you fail your Ride check, you fall off the mount when it leaps and take the appropriate falling damage (at least 1d6 points). This usage does not take an action, but is part of the mount’s movement.

Spur Mount
You can spur your mount to greater speed with a move action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions). 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 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions), you can attempt to control a light horse (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#horseLight), pony (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/pony.htm), heavy horse (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#horseHeavy), 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.

Fast Mount or Dismount
You can attempt to mount or dismount from a mount of up to one size category larger than yourself as a free action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#freeActions), provided that you still have a move action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions) available that round. If you fail the Ride check, mounting or dismounting is a move action. You can’t use fast mount or dismount on a mount more than one size category larger than yourself.
See also: epic usages (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#ride) of Ride.

Action
Varies. Mounting or dismounting normally is a move action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions). Other checks are a move action, a free action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#freeActions), or no action at all, as noted above.

Special
If you are riding bareback, you take a -5 penalty on Ride checks.
If your mount has a military saddle you get a +2 circumstance bonus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#circumstanceModifier) on Ride checks related to staying in the saddle.
The Ride skill is a prerequisite for the feats Mounted Archery (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#mountedArchery), Mounted Combat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#mountedCombat), Ride-By Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#rideByAttack), Spirited Charge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#spiritedCharge), Trample (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#trample).
If you have the Animal Affinity (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#animalAffinity) feat, you get a +2 bonus on Ride checks.

Synergy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/usingSkills.htm#skillSynergy)
If you have 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/handleAnimal.htm), you get a +2 bonus on Ride checks.

[CrazedGoblin]

cool thanks

[Matthew]

No problem. Glad to be of service.

[Rockphed]

I have one problem. Why can I make only 1 attack when riding? I get the only one attack against any one opponent, but why can't I attack two different opponents, one at the end of each move?

[Matthew]

Short Answer:
For the sake of simplicity.

Long Answer:
It is just the way the rules are organised. If a Character moves more than 5' then he can only make one Melee Attack, just the same as when he moves whilst dismounted. If the round was broken down into smaller phases you could further divide when a Character attacks and when he moves, but as it is, if a Character moves more than 5' he loses the opportunity to make more than one Melee Attack.

[Desaril]

Harder question: Soft fall indicates that you don't take damage, but are you prone?

Also, does the rider get and provoke AOOs according to the horse's size? It seems like the rider shouldn't realistically occupy or move through the same 4 squares as the horse, but the rules say that you share the mounts space?