So a halfling cleric has a wolf animal companion via the Animal domain, and uses it as a mount. The cleric casts a touch spell (Let's say, FoD), and then has the animal companion attack an enemy. The wolf charges, hits, and succeeds on the followup trip attack. The cleric then delivers his spell as a free action on the now-tripped enemy.
Which of the following apply to the attack roll?
a) The cleric gets a +4 bonus for a melee attack against a prone enemy (I could see a GM discounting this because of the same timing issues that prevent a mounted PC from making a full attack after their mount moves).
b) The cleric gets a +2 bonus from the charge (Again, I could see this being discounted since the touch happens after a trip, but the PRD seems to say otherwise).
c) The cleric gets a +1 bonus due to higher ground because the mount is larger than an opponent (strictly RaW when facing a goblin, etc, but it seems like, if the prone opponent only reaches one or two feet off the ground, it would still apply).
d) The cleric can't make the attack at all, because he can't reach the enemy.
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So a halfling cleric has a wolf animal companion via the Animal domain, and uses it as a mount. The cleric casts a touch spell (Let's say, FoD), and then has the animal companion attack an enemy. The wolf charges, hits, and succeeds on the followup trip attack. The cleric then delivers his spell as a free action on the now-tripped enemy.
I don't know what spell you're referring to; if finger of death it isn't a touch spell. But, for the sake of discussion, let's say it is inflict light wounds.
You can cast a touch spell, hold the charge, move, and attack in the same round.
If your wolf charges, he attacks at the end of the charge. You gain the penalties to AC as if you had charged. You gain the bonus to attack as if you had charged. You, personally, have not charged, however.
You can take actions while your mount is moving. While my experience is that mounted combat is both incomplete and poorly understood, I think it is reasonable to use the idea that you cannot take move/standard actions before nor after the mount's movement; the timing is concurrent. So, casting here would be while the mount was moving, with the necessary Concentration check. Others might be of the opinion that casting while charging isn't an option.
For you to attack along with the mount, you would need a Ride check.
Which of the following apply to the attack roll?
a) The cleric gets a +4 bonus for a melee attack against a prone enemy (I could see a GM discounting this because of the same timing issues that prevent a mounted PC from making a full attack after their mount moves).
Either the attacks occur simultaneously at the end of the charge or they are sequential. I could see either ruling. I have generally ruled that they are are resolved sequentially. If simultaneous, no prone bonus. If sequential, yes to the prone bonus.
b) The cleric gets a +2 bonus from the charge (Again, I could see this being discounted since the touch happens after a trip, but the PRD seems to say otherwise).
I think this is always a yes to the +2 regardless of the ruling on the simultaneous/sequential matter.
c) The cleric gets a +1 bonus due to higher ground because the mount is larger than an opponent (strictly RaW when facing a goblin, etc, but it seems like, if the prone opponent only reaches one or two feet off the ground, it would still apply).
The cleric gets a +1 for higher ground vs. a Small or smaller creature only. Prone has no bearing on this; the +4 prone bonus accounts for that.
d) The cleric can't make the attack at all, because he can't reach the enemy.
I understand the issue, but it is a level of detail that I generally think is applying more detail than is intended. I think that the Ride check to attack with mount covers this; if you go in for this sort of detail, then bumping the Ride DC by +2 or +5 would be the appropriate thing to represent the tactic.
Thanks for the reply; it's considerably eased some of my concerns. Yeah, that was my bad on the Finger; none of the characters I've played have really been the sort to use that spell, leading me to skip over it.