PC Riding Another PC

[supersonic29]

I'm in a campaign where I play a centaur. How would one operate with my friend using me as a mount while I am still a PC with his own turn?

[Segev]

The rules are fuzzy on this. The most humorous (and breakable) interpretation is that you can, in fact, benefit from your "rider's" Mounted Combat feat.

Other than that, if you can serve as his mount, normal rules would apply for the two of your actions, I think.

[Vaz]

Speaking is a free action which can be done even when it is not your turn. If the centaur can understand the rider, the rider can issue orders to you which you can choose to follow or ignore as you are an intelligent creature. Otherwise the roder is a roder for all purposes.

The problems come from when you have different initatives, meaning you'll need to ready your action to when the rider can.

[StreamOfTheSky]

You will need to have the person who wins Init delay for the other, and then act simultaneously. Yes, this isn't RAW....there is no RAW for mounted combat (not even just two intelligent creatures; a generic horse is still a creature with its own init count and actions, by strict RAW mounted combat is impossible). If your DM is nice he'll just let the one w/ lower Init roll for both of you, since 2d20 take the worst is a pretty hefty nerf to both of you.

[Psyren]

Take the new Undersized Mount feat from ACG, which lets you ride "creatures of your size category." Hop on the Fighter's shoulders!

Prereq: 1 rank in Ride.

[Owl Prowler]

Take the new Undersized Mount feat from ACG, which lets you ride "creatures of your size category." Hop on the Fighter's shoulders!

Prereq: 1 rank in Ride.

Get a hand crossbow and you can be like Rocket riding Groot!

[dextercorvia]

You will need to have the person who wins Init delay for the other, and then act simultaneously. Yes, this isn't RAW....there is no RAW for mounted combat (not even just two intelligent creatures; a generic horse is still a creature with its own init count and actions, by strict RAW mounted combat is impossible). If your DM is nice he'll just let the one w/ lower Init roll for both of you, since 2d20 take the worst is a pretty hefty nerf to both of you.

RAW, the mount acts on rider's init. Citation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#mountedCombat)

For fun, the Centaur can take White Raven Tactics, then use it on his rider, so they both get two full turns. For more fun, add Adaptable Flanker on the Centaur (and reach) with a Penetrating Strike Rogue rider. Now he gets two full attack sneak attacks every turn.

Edit: Hmm, now I'm seeing how I can build this into a special mount/animal companion hybrid.


Take the new Undersized Mount feat from ACG, which lets you ride "creatures of your size category." Hop on the Fighter's shoulders!

Prereq: 1 rank in Ride.

Thank you pathfinder for finally making it possible to be a bear riding a bear summoning bears.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Thank you pathfinder for finally making it possible to be a bear riding a bear summoning bears.

3E Druid Wild Shaped into a Black Bear riding his Brown Bear companion while spont. casting SNA for more bears doesn'r count?

[Snails]

You will need to have the person who wins Init delay for the other, and then act simultaneously. Yes, this isn't RAW....there is no RAW for mounted combat (not even just two intelligent creatures; a generic horse is still a creature with its own init count and actions, by strict RAW mounted combat is impossible). If your DM is nice he'll just let the one w/ lower Init roll for both of you, since 2d20 take the worst is a pretty hefty nerf to both of you.

That is how my Paladin does it. He rolls initiative and we run actions in parallel as much as plausible. So when the mount does a Move the rider spends a Move.

That is not necessarily correct by literal RAW, but to do otherwise is both an incredible headache and opens up weird potential abuses.

[StreamOfTheSky]

That is how my Paladin does it. He rolls initiative and we run actions in parallel as much as plausible. So when the mount does a Move the rider spends a Move.

That is not necessarily correct by literal RAW, but to do otherwise is both an incredible headache and opens up weird potential abuses.

Well, that's a little too strict. That makes it sound like if the mount moves, the rider can't full ranged attack (allowed normally by mounted combat) for example. Or if the mount moves to melee then attacks, if the rider wants to cast a spell, he's forced to wait until they're in melee (since it's a standard to cast, so it'd happen during the mount's attack action).

[Snails]

RAW, the mount acts on rider's init. Citation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#mountedCombat)

"Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move. "

Right, but that does not quite answer the hard questions. Does "the mount uses its action to move" mean the rider also uses her action, as well? Presumably, yes, but that is not precisely what it says.

Is this a legal sequence?
Rider: one attack
Rider & Mount: move
Mount: one attack

I would say No, because I would say the spirit of the rules is that directing the mount is free while doing similar things. But it certainly is not against the rules.

Is this a legal sequence?
Rider: Ready charge
Mount: move around enemy flank
Mount: move towards target | Rider: charge attack

Again, legal by a very literal reading of the rules. But certainly against the spirit of the rules.

[Snails]

Well, that's a little too strict. That makes it sound like if the mount moves, the rider can't full ranged attack (allowed normally by mounted combat) for example. Or if the mount moves to melee then attacks, if the rider wants to cast a spell, he's forced to wait until they're in melee (since it's a standard to cast, so it'd happen during the mount's attack action).

Your criticisms make sense, but those perhaps are just specific exceptions. Mounted combat does not meld well with the rest of the rules, once your put them side by side with Spring Attack and Flyby Attack.

[Psyren]

Get a hand crossbow and you can be like Rocket riding Groot!

Rocket could ride Groot without the feat - he's at least two size categories below :smalltongue: