Mounted Combat?

[Wolffenjugend]

The Mounted Combat feat allows a rider to make a Ride check once per round (as a reaction) to negate a hit that has been made on the rider's mount. If the check is higher than the AC struck, then the attack is negated.

My question is this:

Does a character with the feat get to choose which attack to attempt to negate? For example, let's say a fighter with 3 attacks hits a mount twice in the same round. The rider (with Mounted Combat) can try to negate one of these attacks. But which one? The one with the higher attack bonus or the lower? It would seem that the rider would always want to check against the lowest attack roll.

Would it make sense for the rider to declare after each hit whether or not the rider wants to try and negate it? If the rider passed on the first hit to wait and try to negate a hit that scored a lesser AC, what if subsequent attacks all missed? In that case, would the rider have given up the chance to negate a hit by waiting for an easier chance?

How do others handle Mounted Combat?

 

[silentspace]

I handle Mounted Combat and Deflect Arrow the same way. After a hit, before damage is rolled, the player has the option of trying to negate the hit. The player can choose to 'save' it and wait for a different attack (different combatant, different weapon).

 

[MichaelH]

I do the same. The rider must choose after the hit and before damage or other attacks are resolved. You certainly would not resolve all attacks and then ask the rider which one he wants to negate.

 

[dcollins]

Agree with the previous posters. I have Mounted Combat decided and resolved as each hit is resolved (similar to say, Concentration checks or AOOs). I might even go so far as to roll damage and allow them to still call for the Mounted Combat ability.

 

[Felix]

There wouldn't happen to be an Improved Mounted Combat somewhere is there? So that perhaps you could negate as many attacks to your mount as points of Dex bonus you have? Anyone seen that?

 

[Avalin]

Bit of a tangent but...

Personally I have played with requiring mounted combat for characters who want their war trained mount to get an attack while they are riding. There was some grumbling of course, but I found that my players never took the feat. Instead they would get a decent ride skill, buy a war trained mount (typically a war horse), and use their ride skill to make the check to permit the attack. While that is in the rules, and maby its just semantics, but I found that a feat called 'Mounted Combat' ought to imply more training that just dodging once per round.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

It also serves as a prerequisite for two of the most effective and deadly combat feats in the game: ride by attack and spirited charge. They may not always be available but when they are, they're incredibly effective.

That's plenty of advantage for the training as far as I'm concerned.

Bit of a tangent but...
Personally I have played with requiring mounted combat for characters who want their war trained mount to get an attack while they are riding. There was some grumbling of course, but I found that my players never took the feat. Instead they would get a decent ride skill, buy a war trained mount (typically a war horse), and use their ride skill to make the check to permit the attack. While that is in the rules, and maby its just semantics, but I found that a feat called 'Mounted Combat' ought to imply more training that just dodging once per round.

 

[Hypersmurf]

"I rolled a Natural 20 - a hit regardless of AC - with a +2 Attack Bonus. He rolled a 23 on his Ride check to negate the hit."

Discuss.

-Hyp.

 

[Saeviomagy]

"I rolled a Natural 20 - a hit regardless of AC - with a +2 Attack Bonus. He rolled a 23 on his Ride check to negate the hit."

Discuss.

-Hyp.

You miss. Full stop.

 

[Wolffenjugend]

"I rolled a Natural 20 - a hit regardless of AC - with a +2 Attack Bonus. He rolled a 23 on his Ride check to negate the hit."

Discuss.

-Hyp.

I would say the rider needs a 20 to negate. No rules to back it up but I'd say a natural 20 needs another natural 20 to cancel it out. Just my opinion.

As an aside, we ran a battle today with a dragon and its rider vs. the party. The dragonrider had a +32 Ride check. Mounted Combat ROCKS! That little feat earned its pay big-time. Pretty much a hit per round on the dragon was negated by its rider (as a free action to-boot!). I ran it that the dragonrider had to choose when to try to negate a hit. If he waited for a potentially big shot later on in the round, he risked wasting the attempt if that potential shot never materialized. Mounted Combat really lent itself well to showing how a rider and his mount work together. I was impressed.