Mounted Charging and Ride-By Attack

[LentilNinja]

So it seems to be a thing that the mounted combat rules aren't fleshed out very well.

My problem here is whos actions are being used when charging? The PHB/DMG are leading me to believe that on a charge its the mount taking a full-round action while the rider takes a standard action to attack. Is this true?

If it is, then how does Ride-By Attack work? It says when "you take a charge action", but how will it trigger if you're not the one charging?

The reason I ask is the mount I'll have is gonna be an intelligent spellcasting shapeshifter so I have reason to believe they aren't like a regular mount and get their own set of actions.

[Darrin]

If it is, then how does Ride-By Attack work? It says when "you take a charge action", but how will it trigger if you're not the one charging?


Ride-By Attack is dysfunctional. Your mount has to charge (the rider cannot charge from a saddle), and your mount has to end its charge in a square that it can attack from. So you have to house-rule Ride-By Attack to let you to attack from the nearest square that allows your mount to continue moving in a straight line.

Then you need to resolve where you want the mount to attack. Some mounts are large enough or have enough reach that you can ride a little bit past your target and the mount can still attack, but this generally leaves you within melee range of your target, and avoiding this is kinda the whole point of Ride-By Attack. The best solution might be allowing your mount to get one attack during the charge, similar to how Spring Attack works.



The reason I ask is the mount I'll have is gonna be an intelligent spellcasting shapeshifter so I have reason to believe they aren't like a regular mount and get their own set of actions.

The DMG says you use Diplomacy with intelligent mounts instead of the Handle Animal skill, but rules-wise it assumes you use the same Ride checks and follow the same mounted combat rules as mounts with animal intelligence. It's kinda clear that the designers didn't understand their own rules all that much, as the most obvious question with an intelligent mount is, "Can't I just delay my turn until after my mount goes?" This is a DM's call, as he'll have to houserule that you ignore that "If your mount moves for than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack" nonsense.