If you and your mount have distracting charge as a feat, how does this play out?
Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.
When your ally with this feat uses the charge action and hits, you gain a +2 bonus on your next attack roll against the target of that charge. This bonus must be used before your ally's next turn, or it is lost.
No prereqs, meaning a mounted Cavalier or Druid or Hunter can have his mount select this at level one, as well as himself. (or a Hunter selects it as his bonus teamwork feat, or the Cavalier magically grants it to the mount, etc)
So, let's say you charge a bad guy and your mount doesn't hit, but you do. But you missed by two. And you rolled both attacks simultaneously (as I believe is suggested by the CRB or GM guide, and as often happens at tables to save time). Does the mounts hit now resolve as a hit?
Or, must a mounted PC's player make this decision beforehand, and declare it at the beginning of a session? Like, "As a rule, the (character with better to-hit numbers) will always attack first."
Furthermore, when does "your ally's next turn" happen in the case of mounted combat? Like, say you've made a declaration like the one above, and the mount has better numbers but missed, while the rider hit. Assuming no opportunities for free attacks present themselves, can the mount benefit from the bonus at the start of the next turn? Or does the PC always count as "going" first, since he's giving the mount orders, either through Handle Animal or Ride checks? What if the mount has already been ordered to "Attack that Bunyan" on a previous turn, and is simply continuing in the absence of a "Down" order? Can the rider take a soft delay (not really delaying, but waiting to see if mount hits) as his mount takes a full attack?
Even though they run off the same initiative, they still take their actions separately. Now I'm not sure if you could ever get both characters to get the bonus. I think sometimes (maybe most times) you'll have it wasted if you use it for you and your mount.
If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).
Mounts use the charge action, and the mounted character gets the bonus/penalty for having done so.
If the mount and PC both have this feat, if the mount charges and hits, that completes the trigger for the PC to get the +2 on top of the +2 for being on the charging mount.
If you mount doesn't hit, then the requirements of the feat aren't met, so the PC only gets the normal +2 from the charge.
The PC can't ever give the mount the benefit of the feat because the PC does not take a charge action.
So, in your example: Your mount charges, and the mount doesn't hit. PC doesn't get benefit of the feat. PC does hit, but PC did not make a charge action, he merely used a standard action to attack after his mount charged. This does not trigger the bonus for the mount, so the mounts attacks still miss also.
I would say all attacks have to be declared which order they are happening. Whether mount then PC, or PC then mount, there is an order to the attacks, and that must be followed. I would tend to say that without reach, the attacks go Mount then PC, and if the PC has a reach weapon, they go PC then Mount.
If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).Mounts use the charge action, and the mounted character gets the bonus/penalty for having done so.
If the mount and PC both have this feat, if the mount charges and hits, that completes the trigger for the PC to get the +2 on top of the +2 for being on the charging mount.
If you mount doesn't hit, then the requirements of the feat aren't met, so the PC only gets the normal +2 from the charge.
The PC can't ever give the mount the benefit of the feat because the PC does not take a charge action.
So, in your example: Your mount charges, and the mount doesn't hit. PC doesn't get benefit of the feat. PC does hit, but PC did not make a charge action, he merely used a standard action to attack after his mount charged. This does not trigger the bonus for the mount, so the mounts attacks still miss also.
I would say all attacks have to be declared which order they are happening. Whether mount then PC, or PC then mount, there is an order to the attacks, and that must be followed. I would tend to say that without reach, the attacks go Mount then PC, and if the PC has a reach weapon, they go PC then Mount.
A PC doesn't take the Charge action while mounted? This doesn't sound right to me.
This feat makes total sense for a Cavalier to have, since they're going to do a lot of charges. Heck, they get a double bonus to charges at third level - but only while mounted. You're saying that using his standard action to grant the teamwork feat to a buddy (while the Cav is mounted) is useless because the Cavalier isn't doing the charge, but the mount is?
Citation needed.
Also, in your own quote:
When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).
Emphasis mine. It says right there that YOU can make a charge while on horseback (and by extension, other mounts).
It does not say, "When you are riding on the back of a horse that is charging."
As was pointed out in the other mount feat thread:
Mounted Combat: When making a charge while mounted, which creature charges? The rider or the mount?
Both charge in unison, suffer the same penalty to AC, the gaining the same bonus to the attack rolls and following all other rules for the charge. The mounted combat rules are a little unclear on this. Replace the third paragraph under the "Combat while Mounted" section on page 202 with the following text. Note that a "mounted charge" is synonymous with a "charge while mounted," and that when a lance is "when used from the back of a charging mount" it is during a mounted charge not when only the mount charges.
A mounted charge is a charge made by you and your mount. During a mounted charge, you deal double damage with your first melee attack made with a lance or with any weapon if you have Spirited Charge (or a similar effect), or you deal triple damage with a lance and Spirited Charge.
This change will be reflected in future printings of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook
So both charge now. Either way, Attacks should still be declared which order they happen in. Which prevents the schroedingers attack effect.