Combat/Mounted Combat

These rules cover being mounted on a horse or similar creature in combat but can also be applied to more unusual steeds, such as a griffon or dragon.

Mounts in Combat
Various creatures can serve readily as a combat steed, improving the mobility of an attacker. Your mount acts on your initiative count, but still retains its own actions it may use as you direct it. When the mount moves you are moved with it until you dismount from it. A mount unless specified otherwise must be at least one size category larger than the creature riding it. While mounted you are treated as sharing your mount’s space.

Combat while Mounted
When guiding a mount of animal intelligence you must make a DC 5 ride check as a move action to direct it, usually requiring you to hold onto the reins or the creature itself to assist in directing it. If you wish to guide the animal without the use of reigns or your hands so you can perform other actions, it is instead a DC 8 ride check. If you fail this check and your hands are occupied you may always choose to simply not move or guide the mount that turn.

Mounts with greater than animal intelligence can easily follow orders and commands no longer requiring you to use an action to direct it, as it is able to act independently from you.

Melee Combat
When attacking a creature smaller than your mount you gain the +1 bonus to melee as long as that creature is on the same or lower elevation as your mount.

If you direct your mount to charge the enemy you may still make an attack at the end of the charge even if you used your move action to direct the creature that turn, instead using your remaining standard action to perform the charge attack, while still moving with your mount. You and your mount suffer the penalty to AC from the charge as well as gain the bonus to attack rolls gained from the charge.

In addition you may choose to make a ride-by attack allowing you to make an attack as a standard action while your mount is moving. If your mount makes a double move on its turn, it is treated as if there was no delay between movements and as such you may make a ride-by attack during this double move, but are limited to the standard action of the ride-by. If your mount uses the charge action you gain the benefits and penalties of the charge as normal, but you may instead choose to let your mount charge past your target rather than stopping at it; but doing so prevents the mount from making any attacks of its own against the target of the ride-by attack, though it may make an attack against a creature at the end of the charge should one be within reach when it finishes its charge action. The standard action used to make this attack may be used to make an attack action or perform any other action, but melee attacks used in this way take a -2 penalty due to rigorous motion and timing required to accurately hit your target.

You may attack normally without penalty if your attack occurs before or after your mount makes a single move, but not a double move.

Ranged Combat
Making ranged attacks while mounted normally provides no penalty as long as all attacks made are made before the mount begins moving. You may perform a ride-by using a ranged weapon, but unlike a melee weapon may be used to make a standard or full-round action to attack as you have greater range than a melee weapon; in addition you may target any creature within range of your bow during the movement of the horse rather than creatures adjacent to the horse on its path.

The rigorous motion of mounted combat makes it far more difficult to accurately hit a target. If you attack with your ranged weapon during or after your mount makes a double move or charge action, all ranged attacks made this way take a -4 penalty. If the mount took the run action this penalty instead becomes -8.

You may attack normally without penalty if your attack occurs before or after your mount makes a single move, but not a double move.

Certain weapons may gain additional benefits or have restrictions while mounted, check the weapon description for weapons such as longbows and shortbows for details.

Intelligent Mounts
Creatures with an intelligence modifier greater than 2 can serve as mounts but certain rules no longer apply or apply differently.

You and your mount still act on the same initiative, but the creature may use its actions without your direction. If the creature is under your control, such as through a class feature, you may still direct it but it no longer requires a move action to guide it as both words and more subtle communication may be used. If your mount is not under your control it does not need to listen to you and may choose to use its actions regardless of your direction.

Casting Spells While Mounted
You may cast a spell normally without penalty if your spellcasting occurs before or after your mount makes a single move, but not a double move. If your mount performs a double-move, charge, or run action you may still cast at any point during or after this movement, but doing so requires a concentration skill check due to the motion. Casting made during a doble move or charge action is treated as vigorous motion (DC 10 + ½ the BCB of the spell). Casting during or after a run action is treated a violent motion (DC 15 + ½ BCB of the spell)

Your Mount Falls
If your mount falls prone you must succeed a DC 15 Ride check to soften the fall to take no damage. Failing this check causes you to take 1d6 point of damage.

Unconscious Rider
If a rider is knocked unconscious they must roll a d100 to determine if they stay mounted. A mount without a saddle only has a 25% chance to keep a rider, a normal saddle offers a 50% chance, while a military saddle offers a 75% chance to remain upon the mount when unconscious. If your roll is equal to or lower than the percentage chance you stay in the saddle, while all rolls above the chance instead cause you to immediately fall off the mount in a random adjacent square taking 1d6 points of damage. An unguided mount of animal intelligence will usually attempt to avoid combat.

You must re-attempt this d100 roll to determine if you remain upon the mount for each hour you remain unconscious upon the mount.