Duck and Cover (and mounts)

[joeyfixit]

Duck and Cover wrote:

Benefit: Whenever you are adjacent to an ally who also has this feat, and both of you are required to make a reflex saving throw against a spell or effect, you may take the result of your die roll or that of your ally (your modifiers still apply to the roll, regardless of which result you take). If you take your ally’s result, you are knocked prone (or staggered on your next turn, if you are already prone or cannot be knocked prone). In addition, you receive a +2 cover bonus to your AC against ranged attacks as long as your ally is wielding a shield.

This feat might make sense for a PC that rides a mount, for example a Hunter.

Is a PC considered adjacent to a creature that he has mounted?

Can you be "knocked prone" from being mounted? How does this work? Does the rider choose between being knocked off the mount (and falling prone) or being staggered?

The last line mentions a cover bonus to AC against ranged attacks "as long as ally is wielding a shield". That "while wielding a shield" bit is the only condition given. Does this only take effect upon using the reflex save or while ally is adjacent? The latter does kind of make sense, but also seems like a separate feat.

[deusvult]

The rider is considered to be in all the squares his mount is in, so saying one is "adjacent" to one's own mount is dubious.

The language isn't as mount-friendly as Escape Route, and lots of GMs won't even let that work.

[VRMH]

Considering you can already get cover from your mount by using the Ride skill, I don't think the feat would work.

[joeyfixit]

VRMH wrote:

Considering you can already get cover from your mount by using the Ride skill, I don't think the feat would work.

Why? The mount would never be holding a shield. We're talking about the rider giving cover to the mount.

[Pizza Lord]

If your mount had the Duck and Cover skill as well, then I would probably allow you both to use the better save. That's my initial gut feeling at this point on the subject.

If the mount ended up using your save, it would wind up prone (or staggered if you were riding a snake or something that couldn't go prone) which would likely automatically remove you from your mount anyway. Ride check for soft fall. Although possibly, if you had a military saddle you might be able to make a Ride check to stay in the saddle, though I'd automatically rule you prone as well until the mount stands back up.

As for you using your mount's save (or using Duck and Cover while mounted and just next to any other ally with Duck and Cover) winding up prone would necessitate falling damage. I would allow a Stay in the Saddle check to avoid falling off and taking damage (I'd probably let a soft fall Ride check negate the damage but still rule you prone from the feat's effect not the fall as normal), but if the Stay in the Saddle check is successful (due to a military saddle or good roll) you would then receive the staggered condition due to not going prone.

I understand it may not be an official method, but that's how I would likely adjudicate it if the situation came up.