Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jfh33 12-15-05, 11:37 AM	Assuming a druid has the right feats (mounted combat and ride by attack) can the mount make attacks as it passes by a target? I have a gnome druid with a wolverine as a companion and was hoping to have him ride the critter as a mount, sometimes in gnome form, but other times as a bird or something. If the feats work when he's a gnome, would they work if he's a bird or something else?
kjenks 12-15-05, 12:53 PM	A strict reading of the PH mounted combat rules says that the mount takes a full-round action to charge, which should include a singe melee attack at the end of the charge (where the rider may attack, too), then if the rider has the Ride-by Attack feat, the mount may continue moving in a straight line. However, the Main 3.5e FAQ significantly modifies the rules for Ride-by Attack, and it strongly implies that the mount cannot attack during a Ride-by Attack: FAQ === Suppose you have a flying mount: a griffon. What do you have to do to use the ride-by tactic in the air or in swooping down on a target? Do you need to take the Flyby Attack feat? Or does the Ride-By Attack feat cover flying mounts as well? For the mount to make a single attack when riding or flying by, does it also need to somehow gain a feat? If so, which one? If the example rider wants to make attacks while flying by foes, she needs the Ride-By Attack feat and needs to charge (and fly) in a straight line (see the next question). For the mount to attack in the same situation, it would need the Flyby Attack feat. The rider’s Ride-By Attack feat won’t help the mount attack, and the mount’s Flyby Attack feat does not help the rider attack. ... ===
kjenks 12-15-05, 12:57 PM	I have a gnome druid with a wolverine as a companion and was hoping to have him ride the critter as a mount, sometimes in gnome form, but other times as a bird or something. If the feats work when he's a gnome, would they work if he's a bird or something else? The feats work the same way, but your saddle won't work very well. Expect to take a -5 on your Ride checks, depending on your DM. You'd take that same -5 on Ride checks if you rode your wolverine bareback. You'd probably need an exotic military saddle or an exotic riding saddle. Consider buying a Masterwork Skill Kit, 50 gp, from the equipment list in the Player's Handbook, to give a +2 bonus to your Ride checks. I think of it as breeches, chaps, spurs, riding gloves, a martingale and a crop.
Madfox11 12-16-05, 06:59 AM	Consider buying a Masterwork Skill Kit, 50 gp, from the equipment list in the Player's Handbook, to give a +2 bonus to your Ride checks. I think of it as breeches, chaps, spurs, riding gloves, a martingale and a crop. Also known as a military saddle... remember that a DM is free to disapprove any masterwork tool kit unless specificly mentioned in the PHB. As for the original question, taking that quote from the FAQ: (1) The rider can attack and make his mount moving afterward. (2) The mount can only attack at the end of the charge. So you need to designate another target for the mount - which only works with (a) an intelligent mount or (b) with an animal companion (free action to give a command) - and they have to be in a perfect line of each other. Rare circumstances...