What are the rules for riding a horse in combat?

[Bigguyinblack]

My Witch will have better use for his move actions then moving so I bought myself a Heavy War Horse and bought it some light barding. I have 2 concerns.

1. As long as I'm not surprised then I can have the horse move near an enemy as a free action without any check then take both my move and standard actions right? Will I need to make any checks for this other then the DC 5 Guide With Knees? To be clear I'm not having the horse attack or even move adjacent to an enemy. Not if I can help it.

2. The horse is large. Corridors are sometimes 5 feet wide. How do I deal with this conundrum? I know the horse can squeeze and move at half speed. Can my allies move through the horse's square while it is squeezing and vice-versa? Do I need to make a handle animal check to get it to squeeze?

[gigyas6]

1. You can have the horse move towards an enemy in combat if it is combat trained. Technically you can't move because the horse is moving for you - you can still take swift actions and get off, but you won't necessarily be going further. Not that that's a problem - your horse can double move if you want it to since most of the time it won't be using its standard action. Guide With Knees is only necessary if you are using *both* hands. If you are, then you need to make this check at the start of your turn, before you move or attack. As you are a Witch, you should be able to get away with one-handed casting in most cases - check with your GM.

2. Horses are large, but horses are also *long*. They can fit in 5 foot corridors because they take up a space of 5 feet by 10 feet, not 10 feet by 10 feet. You can see this in the "Space" category on the horse stat block. Your allies should be able to move through the horse like they can any other ally (5 feet really is a lot), but your GM may rule otherwise.

[AmyGames]

Number 1 is incorrect,although very slightly, dismounting is a move action
You and your mount share a move action,
You can indeed make your mount do a double move and still have your standard, because the second move is considered the horses standard action

[RumpinRufus]

gigyas6 wrote:

2. Horses are large, but horses are also *long*. They can fit in 5 foot corridors because they take up a space of 5 feet by 10 feet, not 10 feet by 10 feet. You can see this in the "Space" category on the horse stat block.

Where are you getting this? Their stat block says "Space: 10 ft". Like any other Large creature, they take up a 10'x10' block.

[RumpinRufus]

And where are you getting the "share a move action" nonsense?

Mounted Combat wrote:

Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.

If you shared a move action, the witch couldn't cackle and cast on her turn if her horse moves, but could do so if the horse stayed still. That not only isn't how it works, it also makes no sense.

[Bigguyinblack]

Quote:

Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.

This does seem to read as if the horse uses it's actions to move while I can use mine to cast or hex and then cackle if necessary.

And yes the horse's stat block says Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. which I interpreted as a 2x2 square.

[Bob Bob Bob]

So the workaround to squeezing is the same as it is for anyone with an animal companion, find an animal trainer who taught his horse Narrow Frame to squeeze into dungeons. Otherwise just eat the penalties and the double movement cost. There do not appear to be any special checks for Handle Animal or Ride for squeezing.

What you can do with the horse is a little more complicated. First, make sure your horse is combat-trained. If it's not, then it's a move action and a DC 20 Ride check.

Ride wrote:

Control Mount in Battle: As a move action, you can attempt to control a light horse, pony, heavy horse, or other mount not trained for combat riding while in battle. If you fail the Ride check, you can do nothing else in that round. You do not need to roll for horses or ponies trained for combat.

If it is combat trained then it's just the DC 5 Guide with Knees, and that's only if you actually require a second hand free. If you only need one hand free anyway, it looks like it's not a check at all (though you want to always hit that DC 5 Ride anyway so you don't get knocked out of the saddle when you take damage). And yes, you keep your full set of actions, unless you're a melee attacker because clearly melee is overpowered. /sarcasm There's a set of rules here, but it basically boils down to "mount moves once, no checks, mount double moves or more, ranged attacks take penalty/spellcasting requires concentration".

[shadowkras]

It is only a move action to control a mount not trained for combat.
Otherwise most Ride skill checks dont take any action at all.

[Bigguyinblack]

If my horse is squeezing can my allies move past it during combat?

[shadowkras]

Technically the horse is an ally in combat, so you dont need him to be squeezing, you can simply pass through him.

Quote:

Friend

You can move through a square occupied by a friendly character, unless you are charging. When you move through a square occupied by a friendly character, that character doesn't provide you with cover.

So, the horse needs to squeeze to move through you or your allies, but not the opposite.

[LazarX]

RumpinRufus wrote:

gigyas6 wrote:

2. Horses are large, but horses are also *long*. They can fit in 5 foot corridors because they take up a space of 5 feet by 10 feet, not 10 feet by 10 feet. You can see this in the "Space" category on the horse stat block.

Where are you getting this? Their stat block says "Space: 10 ft". Like any other Large creature, they take up a 10'x10' block.

He's thinking 3.5 when they had distinctions between "Large, Tall" and "Large, Long". Such distinctions were dropped in Pathfinder.