A smarter/savvier monster might think to target the mount to prevent the samurai from using their mounted combat abilities. Certain other monsters might decide it's better to just kill the samurai and be done with it. But in general, I think most lesser foes would just attack whoever, whenever, without thinking too hard about it. That seems to be the way my GMs handle targetting.
Is it OP to start with a trained mount? Is it OP to start with more combat feats, or a spellbook with all cantrips, or the ability to fight unarmed? The answer is: I have no idea, because I'm still pretty new to the game. :P
All depends on the monster.
Goblins and Griffons should ALWAYS attack the horse first; goblins HATE horses and Griffons LOVE them (for a snack).
Monsters that like humanoid flesh (there are too many of these for me to compile) should ALWAYS attack the rider first.
Smart monsters should attack whatever makes sense to their tactics; knowing that taking the mount out from a skilled rider is difficult (Mounted Combat feat), they may just opt for the rider.
Average intelligence monsters should attack either the bigger threat (the rider) or the less armored foe (the mount) as their tactics dictate.
Dumb monsters should pick one at random.
And to answer the travel question: Yes to the travel, no to the trackless (unless they are an animal companion of a ranger in his favored terrain).
So long as there isn't some insurmountable obstacle for a horse (such as a 60ft cliff), the horse is as capable as any two legger at traveling them.
And to answer Anti; nope, mounts are not OP.
Keep in mind that mounts can be an issue in tight quarters and social situations.
You won't see a horse fitting through a 5ft hallway and the barkeep might just tell you that you can't have your horse at the bar.
All part of the balance of classes.
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And to answer Anti; nope, mounts are not OP.
Keep in mind that mounts can be an issue in tight quarters and social situations.
You won't see a horse fitting through a 5ft hallway and the barkeep might just tell you that you can't have your horse at the bar.
All part of the balance of classes.
That's sorta what I was getting at, but in a tongue-in-cheek way because I really shouldn't be calling the shots on what is or isn't balanced at this point in my career. I ASSUME that things are roughly balanced at level 1, but I wouldn't be comfortable saying it too strongly.
Horses can travel in a variety of terrains, but often run into some difficulty in forests, brush, caves or any tight or overgrown space. In dense terrain it is reasonable to say riding is not possible, but a horse could be led. If your players are having to clear vegetation with machetes to carve a path (pretty realistic in jungle environments) then making a horse-sized hole will take longer too. Horses are likely to struggle on very steep or mountainous terrain too. Let's not even discuss the problem of cliffs or ladders in a low-magic (or low level) setting.
From a mounted combat perspective, discuss limitations with the player. If they're riding a large-sized horse then they won't be mounted in most dungeons, and charge lanes will probably be an issue. For an outdoor campaign like Kingmaker this might not be a problem, but if you're doing an urban, underground or dungeon-centric adventure then a Horse is a logistical problem.