Near Immunity to AoO's ???

[Talic]

Ok, so I was thinking...

Level 5 goblin character. Mounted Combat Specialist. Has the mounted combat feat. At level 5, has a decent amount of WBL, and has invested some of it into a Shard (+10 competence bonus to Ride Checks, 1000gp, Psionics handbook). He's got 8 ranks in ride, a 20 dex, and skill focus: ride.

By my calculations, this critter has: 8 (ranks) + 5 (dex) + 3 (skill) + 4 (racial) + 10 (item) = +30 to ride.

He rides past an ogre, who elects to take an AoO on the rider. The rider takes cover with his mount, auto passing the ride check. If a target has cover relative to you, you cannot make an AoO against it. Thus, the rider has become impossible to target with an AoO. If the ogre decides to go for the mount, the rider makes a ride check (minimum 31, average 40.5), and changes that to the AC of the mount.

Thoughts?

[Reel On, Love]

The Skill Shard is a one-use item. A +10 skill item that works all the time costs 10,000 gp.

[rockdeworld]

Aside from what Reel On, Love said, it sounds like a good strategy, save that mounts in general have bad turning abilities (like average fliers).

[Talic]

I was thinking that it's more typical for them to have poor HP and saves.

The only mounts I've seen with poor turning abilities was that Centaur level 2 cleric. Yeah, I know, bad pun.

[Frosty]

How does Mounted Combat work with Touch attacks? Let's say the Ogre tries to trip the horse. All he needs to do it hit the horse's touch AC to initiate.

[Keld Denar]

You can only use the Ride-check-as-AC ability once per round. That means that after riding by the ogre, he then charges you and and impales your mount balls deep on a long spear. Now you have an obscenely high ride score that does absolutely jack due to the fact that the only thing you are riding is the seat of your pants. That function of mounted combat is good, but by no means perfect invulnerability for your mount.

As far as whatt he touch AC of a mount is when you use that trick, I'd say that the entire thing is touch AC, since you are guiding your mount in such a way that it avoids the attack, thus making it a non-armor based AC. Touch attacks only avoid armor based AC parts.