Mounted Combat
Mounted Combat
Embedded Files
Knights, cowboys, samurai, and natives, and other adventurers often fight from the saddle.
A mount not only provides additional mobility, but it’s extra height and momentum can make the rider’s attacks more effective, while the shock of a mounted charge can panic unprepared opponents. Some mounts even fight in their own right!
With the exception of the occasional camel or elephant, mounted warriors usually ride horses, and these rules assume that. For the differences between horses and various mounts from fantasy and science fiction, see the pertinent animal descriptions.
Ordinarily, a rider can direct a war-trained mount by voice and foot pressure, leaving both hands free for weapon use. However, all Riding rolls are at -3 for “no hands,” or -1 if only one hand is on the reins. Riders who need both hands to control their mount may drop what they are holding. It requires a Ready maneuver and DX-3 roll to return a weapon to its scabbard while a mount is bucking; a critical failure means you drop it!
Non-sapient mounts without war training are liable to “spook” at danger – especially at the sounds of gunfire and injured animals of their own species! All combat Riding rolls are at -3 for a well-broken mount without war training – and at -6 or worse for one that is not fully broken.
The rider must make a Riding +2 roll to get any mount except a war-trained mount to charge into or over any obstacle, or onto bad footing, or to perform risky maneuvers like jumps, tight turns, etc., unless they’re a matter of life and death for the mount!
Failure means the mount disobeys; see Spooked Mounts, p. 397.
Mounting Up
Mounting a horse or similar creature takes two consecutive maneuvers:
Move: to jump or climb up
Change Posture: to seat yourself
You can leap astride in only one turn if you make a Riding, Acrobatics, or Jumping roll at -3 (no penalty if you are using stirrups) – but on any failure, you fall!
Movement and Maneuvers
When you are using Tactical Combat, a rider is in the center of a 3-hex mount like a horse, or the front of a 2-hex mount like a gryphon. An elephant or similar mount would have a flat back, and a rider could stand up and move around; traditionally, an elephant carries the driver, or mahout, on its neck, and a howdah, a platform with several fighters, on its back.
See Riding and Draft Animals for the Move of various mounts.
See Riding and Draft Animals for the Move of various mounts.
Donkeys, Horses, and Mules
These animals were domesticated in Europe and Asia before recorded history. They were introduced to the Americas in the late 15th and 16th centuries.
Camels
A dry-plains native, the camel can go for four days without drinking. Its stubborn temper gives -4 to Animal Handling rolls.
ST 22; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 12.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 5.25; Dodge 8; Move 7.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,400 lbs.
Traits: Bad Temper (12); Domestic Animal; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 14); Hooves; Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Reduced Consumption 3 (Water Only); Stubbornness; Weak Bite.
Skills: Survival (Desert)-12.
Cost: $1,500.
Cavalry Horse
A light warhorse.
ST 22; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 11.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 5; Dodge 9; Move 8.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,400 lbs.
Traits: Combat Reflexes; Domestic Animal; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 16); Hooves; Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Weak Bite.
Skills: Brawling-10; Mount-12.
Cost: $4,000.
Donkey
Sturdy, but too small for an adult to ride.
ST 15; DX 10; IQ 3; HT 11.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 5.25; Dodge 8; Move 5.
SM +1 (2 hexes); 500 lbs.
Traits: Domestic Animal; Enhanced Move 1/2 (Ground Speed 8); Hooves; Quadruped; Weak Bite.
Cost: $1,000.
Draft Horse
ST 25; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 12.
Will 10; Per 11; Speed 5.25; Dodge 8; Move 6.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 2,000 lbs.
Traits: Domestic Animal; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 12); Hooves; Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Weak Bite.
Cost: $2,000.
Heavy Warhorse
ST 24; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 12.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 5.25; Dodge 9; Move 7.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,900 lbs.
Traits: As cavalry horse, but with Bad Temper (12) and Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 14).
Skills: Brawling-12; Mount-13.
Cost: $5,000.
Large Mule
ST 22; DX 10; IQ 3; HT 12.
Will 12; Per 12; Speed 5.5; Dodge 8; Move 6.
SM +1 (2 hexes); 1,400 lbs.
Traits: As donkey, but Enhanced Move 1/2 (Ground Speed 9) and sterile.
Cost: $2,000.
Pony
ST 18; DX 10; IQ 3; HT 11.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 5.25; Dodge 8; Move 7.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 800 lbs.
Traits: As draft horse, but Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 14).
Cost: $1,500.
Racehorse
Some are faster!
ST 20; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 11.
Will 11; Per 11; Speed 5; Dodge 8; Move 9.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,100 lbs.
Traits: As draft horse, but Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 18).
Skills: Mount-12; Running-12.
Cost: $4,000+.
Saddle Horse
An ordinary riding horse.
ST 21; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 11.
Will 10; Per 12; Speed 5; Dodge 8; Move 6.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,200 lbs.
Traits: As draft horse.
Skills: Mount-11.
Cost: $1,200.
Small Mule
ST 18; DX 10; IQ 3; HT 12.
Will 12; Per 12; Speed 5.5; Dodge 8; Move 5.
SM +1 (2 hexes); 800 lbs.
Traits: As donkey, but sterile.
Cost: $1,000.
Elephants
Often domesticated. Intelligent, loyal, and hardworking.
ST 45; DX 12; IQ 5; HT 12.
Will 10; Per 10; Speed 4; Dodge 7; Move 4.
SM +3 (10 hexes); 12,000+ lbs.
Traits: Crushing Striker (Tusks); Domestic (or Wild) Animal; DR 4; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 8); Peripheral Vision; Quadruped (but replace No Fine Manipulators with One Arm); Trunk (Extra-Flexible; Long, +1 SM; Weak, 1/4 ST); Weak Bite.
Cost: $10,000.
Oxen
Oxen are steers trained to work in the fields. They are hardier and easier to keep than horses.
ST 27; DX 8; IQ 3; HT 12.
Will 12; Per 10; Speed 5; Dodge 8; Move 4.
SM +2 (3 hexes); 2,500 lbs.
Traits: Domestic Animal; DR 2 (Skull only); Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 8); Impaling Striker (Horns); Neutered; Quadruped; Weak Bite.
Cost: $1,500.
The animal’s Basic Move is the pace it can achieve while walking or trotting; its Enhanced Move is for a gallop, and uses the rules under High-Speed Movement. Encumbrance penalties apply normally but few mounts willingly carry more than Medium encumbrance.
In combat, the mount can take any maneuver, unless it’s moving at high speed. Then it is limited to Move or Move and Attack.
The rider can take any maneuver.
Use the Change Posture action to dismount safely from a mount that hasn’t moved, or that has moved only a step. Otherwise, the only way to get off is to jump or fall. To jump off safely, take a Move or Move and Attack maneuver and make an Acrobatics or Jumping roll. On any failure, you fall!
Falling Off:
If the mount makes a successful DX roll for a difficult action like a jump, tight turn, or hasty deceleration, the rider must make a Riding roll. On a failure, the rider is unseated, even though the mount performed the maneuver.
If the mount fails its DX roll for a risky action, see result 12 on the Mount Loss of Control Table for effects.
Spooked Mounts
If a mount fails a Fright Check, or refuses to perform a particular feat, it will usually shy and buck. The rider must make a Riding roll and take a Ready maneuver every second to regain control. A critical success calms the mount immediately; three ordinary successes in a row will have the same result. Three failures in a row, or a single critical failure, means a total loss of control (see below). A long alternation of successes and failures means you spend your time fighting your mount instead of the enemy! Fortunately, a bucking mount is still free to dodge, as is the rider – although no other defenses are possible.
Mount Loss of Control Table:
Attacks by Mounts
A war-trained mount can attack if it takes an appropriate maneuver; see Chapter 16 for details. A horse can bite, kick with hooves, or trample; iron horseshoes give +1 to kicking or trampling damage. The rider’s attack is at an extra -2 if the mount attacked on its last turn.
Panic:
If a mounted fighter charges directly toward an NPC who is unused to facing cavalry (GM’s option), the GM may require him to make a Will roll to stand his ground and fight. If he fails, he’ll try to run instead. Anyone with Combat Reflexes gets +6 to this roll. Those with a SM equal to or greater than that of the mount do not have to roll! Cavalry Weapons Melee Weapons: A rider uses melee weapons at the lower of his Melee Weapon skill or Riding skill. Thus, a trained rider has no penalties to use melee weapons while mounted. If the mount’s velocity is 7 or more relative to the foe, the attack has -1 to hit but +1 damage. Use the same rules when attacking from a motorcycle or similar open vehicle (substitute Driving skill for Riding skill above).
Lances:
Lance skill appears on p. 204. To couch a lance, a rider must have a saddle and stirrups. A couched lance’s damage depends on the mount’s mass and velocity. Work out damage for a collision between the mount and the target – (mount’s ST) ¥ (distance moved last turn)/100 dice of damage, rounded down – and add the lance’s thrust/impaling bonus of +3. Example: A ST 25 warhorse charging at Move 8 inflicts 2d+3 impaling damage. Tournament jousting uses blunted wooden lances, specially designed to break if they strike very hard. These inflict the same amount of damage, but it is crushing – and if the damage exceeds 15 points, the lance snaps, limiting damage to 15 points.
Using Ranged Weapons While Mounted Attack:
Firing from atop a moving animal tests both marksmanship and riding. Roll against the lower of Riding or ranged weapon skill to hit. If you are firing a noisy weapon (e.g., an unsilenced gun), you must make a Riding roll after each attack. On a failure, the mount is spooked (see Spooked Mounts, above); on a critical failure, you lose control (see Mount Loss of Control Table, above).
Aim:
You may Aim a ranged weapon while mounted, but if the mount moves more than a step, you suffer the same penalties that you would if firing from a moving vehicle: you can’t benefit from extra turns of Aim, or from telescopic scopes and other targeting systems.
Tricks:
To turn in the saddle and fire at the foe behind you: -4 to weapon skill, and -1 to any Riding roll made that turn. To hang on the far side of the mount and shoot over it or underneath it: -6 to weapon skill, -3 to any Riding roll. This latter move means your foe’s only targets are your foot, face, eyes, skull, and one hand. But if he attacks and misses by 4 or less, he hits your mount!
Mounted Defense
A mount’s only defense is Dodge. Some mounts may have barding (see Horse Armor (Barding) Table, p. 286) or natural DR. A rider can Dodge, Block, or Parry. If he has Riding at 12+, all of these defenses are at normal levels. For a less-skilled rider, reduce active defenses by the difference between 12 and the rider’s skill; e.g., someone with Riding-9 would have -3 to all active defenses.
Height Difference
A cavalryman on horseback is effectively three feet above a standing foe. See Combat at Different Levels (p. 402).
Mounted Combat Results
A rider who is stunned must make a Riding roll at -4 or fall off. A rider who suffers any knockback is automatically knocked off unless he has a saddle and stirrups, in which case he gets a Riding roll at -4 per yard of knockback to stay on. If any attack aimed at a rider misses by 1, it hits the mount unless it makes its active defense roll; the reverse is true for attacks aimed at the mount. Of course, either may be
attacked intentionally! If the mount is hit, the rider must roll vs. Riding, minus the shock penalty suffered by the mount, to keep it from spooking (see p. 397). If the mount is crippled and falls, effects are as per result 12 on the Mount Loss of Control Table.
Multiple Riders
On a horse-sized or larger mount, a second human-sized or smaller rider can hang on behind the one controlling the mount. The controlling rider has an extra -1 to Riding skill. The passenger uses the lower of the controlling rider’s skill or his own ST on any roll to avoid falling off, but do so at -3.
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