I'm a halfling archer mounted on a riding dog. Was wondering if my dog is actually considered "threatening" the squares around it and, subsequently, whether they can flank an enemy and/or get AOO against them.
yes, though you will have to make a ride check to be able to attack yourself every round, also it will need to have combat training otherwise you will need to make a DC 20 ride check as a move action every round to be able to do anything that round at all. There is nothing in the rules which says the mount can not act or threaten the area around it as normal.
Halfling warrior types on riding dogs are quite fun, I wish there was a pathfinder PrC to make full use of it, not just for rangers but also to make it a better choice for fighters.
yes, though you will have to make a ride check to be able to attack yourself every round
Not quite sure how this would work though. 2 methods I can think of:
1) If the mount has an opportunity to threaten a square, then it automatically does but then the next time I want to make an attack, I have to roll the check
2) I have to decide, each turn, whether the mount is threatening or not. If I choose to do so, then I make the ride check right then and there to see if I can attack. This leads me to believe that I kind of have to have an on/off switch for it and make the decision to flip the switch @ the beginning of my turn.
also it will need to have combat training otherwise you will need to make a DC 20 ride check as a move action every round to be able to do anything that round at all. There is nothing in the rules which says the mount can not act or threaten the area around it as normal.
Can I assume a riding dog is combat trained? If not, is there a "fee" that I can pay to make it so?
Halfling warrior types on riding dogs are quite fun, I wish there was a pathfinder PrC to make full use of it, not just for rangers but also to make it a better choice for fighters.
Well, I'm basically only doing it so my bard can move 40' a round and still shoot-off full-round attacks ;)
Thanks for your help so far.
yes, though you will have to make a ride check to be able to attack yourself every roundNot quite sure how this would work though. 2 methods I can think of:
1) If the mount has an opportunity to threaten a square, then it automatically does but then the next time I want to make an attack, I have to roll the check
2) I have to decide, each turn, whether the mount is threatening or not. If I choose to do so, then I make the ride check right then and there to see if I can attack. This leads me to believe that I kind of have to have an on/off switch for it and make the decision to flip the switch @ the beginning of my turn.
* The checks you make effectively are made to allow you to attack, not to turn the dog on or off. A dc 10 ride check as a free action allows you to act / attack freely.
Unless you are a ranger or druid you will need to make a DC 10 handle animal check to put it in attack mode as a move action, a combat trained animal will always be ready to defend you however.(I also assume this includes AoO). A good ride skill might clear you of making checks at all (at least +9)
also it will need to have combat training otherwise you will need to make a DC 20 ride check as a move action every round to be able to do anything that round at all. There is nothing in the rules which says the mount can not act or threaten the area around it as normal.
Can I assume a riding dog is combat trained? If not, is there a "fee" that I can pay to make it so?
After reading the riding dog's description it seems to me it is combat trained, as it should for that pricetag, I suggest you read up on handle animal and the ride skill thoroughly, for what you can command it to do and what kind of action if any it takes, I very much recommend you to put some points in both skills.
Halfling warrior types on riding dogs are quite fun, I wish there was a pathfinder PrC to make full use of it, not just for rangers but also to make it a better choice for fighters.
Well, I'm basically only doing it so my bard can move 40' a round and still shoot-off full-round attacks ;)
Thanks for your help so far.
I allowed a fighter to take the leadership feat to get an enhanced mount, much like an animal companion, perhaps your DM likes that idea ? You might even get a refund for buying your riding dog ;)
The checks you make effectively are made to allow you to attack, not to turn the dog on or off. A dc 10 ride check as a free action allows you to act / attack freely.
Unless you are a ranger or druid you will need to make a DC 10 handle animal check to put it in attack mode as a move action, a combat trained animal will always be ready to defend you however.(I also assume this includes AoO). A good ride skill might clear you of making checks at all (at least +9)
Let's forget the animal attacking, for a second. My primary use of the mount is to ride around with it shooting my bow. In my interpretation, as long as I don't have the dog attacking anything, I can do this via a normal 'Guide with knees' check. After all, the 'Fight with a Combat-trained Mount' specifically states: "If you direct your wartrained mount to attack in battle, you can still make your own attack or attacks normally". Doesn't this imply that you only need to make this check if your mount is actually attacking??
After reading the riding dog's description it seems to me it is combat trained, as it should for that pricetag, I suggest you read up on handle animal and the ride skill thoroughly, for what you can command it to do and what kind of action if any it takes, I very much recommend you to put some points in both skills.
I have read both skills extensively. My brain hurts, haha. From my interpretation, I don't need Handle Animal @ all, if all I am doing is riding around on it, shooting my bow.
Sorry for the back-tracking, but I think it would be valuable to get a complete understanding of what can and cannot be done with a mount not attacking before I understand what can be done while attacking.
* yes, you can usually ride your dog guiding it with the knees, you would have to make a ridecheck when it makes an attack (AoO or otherwise).
* no, you don't, I am saying it is useful though, if someone attacks your dog you might want it to back down from a grudge match.
• Combat Training (DC 20): An animal trained to bear
a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come,
defend, down, guard, and heel.
“Push” an Animal: To push an animal means to get
it to perform a task or trick that it doesn’t know but is
physically capable of performing. This category also covers
making an animal perform a forced march or forcing it
to hustle for more than 1 hour between sleep cycles. If the
animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage
or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your
check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on
its next action.
I assume you want to have some control over 'your legs' they are afterall considerably less intelligent than you are, too bad as a bard neither ride nor handle animal is a class skill, on the plus side you probably will have a decent dexterity and charisma. At times you might want the dog to fetch an item, stay put, track or to pull or push stuff. The handle animal skill describes as much the things you can not do as the things you can do, for the mentioned tricks you will need a DC 25 check probably impossible without ranks. A 2HD dog might not be worth investing in though, if only you could train a Dinosaur, Deinonychus :p
So hence, I go back to my ORIGINAL question ;P Is there anyone out there with super-duper knowledge of mounting able to answer this??
Does my riding dog threaten its surrounding squares?
If yes, then I'm all set.
If not without a ride check, then when the heck do I make the ride check so that it's "prepared" to threaten the squares around it?
There simply is no reason why it wouldnt threaten the squares around it in the rules, ingame this probably is simulated by the 'defend' trick, it's one of the few that do not need a skillcheck for regular use.
Basically you can assume a combat trained mount it threatens squares just like it usually would.
The ride checks you make when you want to use both your hands in a particular round (guide with knees), if your ride check is high enough you might not have to make it because it succeeds automatically.
If your dog attacks, then you will need to make another ride check to be able to attack yourself, again it would be easier if your ride check is high enough to avoid making checks at all.
EDIT: the simple answer was YES
There simply is no reason why it wouldnt threaten the squares around it in the rules, ingame this probably is simulated by the 'defend' trick, it's one of the few that do not need a skillcheck for regular use.
Basically you can assume a combat trained mount it threatens squares just like it usually would.
The ride checks you make when you want to use both your hands in a particular round (guide with knees), if your ride check is high enough you might not have to make it because it succeeds automatically.
If your dog attacks, then you will need to make another ride check to be able to attack yourself, again it would be easier if your ride check is high enough to avoid making checks at all.
EDIT: the simple answer was YES
Well, this is the way we have been playing, so we'll continue to do so.
Thanks for the help!