Mounted Blade feat

[thistledown]

I'm a little confused on how to use the Mounted Blade feat. I'm riding an axebeak (has reach) while wielding a lance (reach). I charge in using ride-by attack and hit the closest target and continue past it. Mounted Blade lets me hit someone adjacent, but I already hit the closest target, ie: the only person in range of my lance. Does this somehow bypass my reach limits?

If I was writing it, I'd say you can move another 5' down your charge line to hit the adjacent target. But I didn't write it, so I'm not sure how it's supposed to work.

[Sir Thugsalot]

You get to make two attacks (assuming two targets are adjacent).

(As far as I can tell, the second one doesn't even need to be in your threatened range, just adjacent to the first one.)

[thistledown]

That sounds too good to be true. Something that lets you go beyond your threatened range is strange limit to break.

[blahpers]

Seems like it isn't intended for reach weapons like lances. If you charge a foe while wielding a longsword (assuming a Small or Medium rider), you can hit the foe (5' away), then also hit the foe's buddy standing next to it (also 5' away but on a diagonal).

If you are using a lance, don't charge the closest target--charge the foe just behind and/or to the side of that target. This only works if the closest target isn't directly in your path but is 10' away of the endpoint of the charge (or 5' if you have an alternate weapon available).

Edit: The original method still works with a lance, but only if the buddy is right next to the original target and you end your charge 10' along a horizontal or vertical. The buddy is a knight's move away at that point, which is 10'.

[Sir Thugsalot]

Quote:

Seems like it isn't intended for reach weapons like lances

We would you assume that?

Mounted Blade wrote:

Prerequisite(s): Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Ride 3 ranks.

Benefit(s): When you use the Ride-By Attack feat, if your attack hits, you can also make an attack against a target adjacent to your original target. You take a -5 penalty on this additional attack, which does not benefit from any effects of a charge.

-- I would imagine that almost everybody taking this feat is expecting to use it with a lance, and the writers are not only hip to that, but catering to it. (I.e., "Pounce is broke, but we don't mind giving a type of Cleave to you cavaliers!)

Quote:

If you are using a lance, don't charge the closest target--charge the foe just behind and/or to the side of that target. This only works if the closest target isn't directly in your path but is 10' away of the endpoint of the charge (or 5' if you have an alternate weapon available).

Play it RAW, and everything is fine. If the GM overrules any particular target, that's OK too.

A) Let's say Dave and Bill are both adjacent, and both covered by your reach: If you successfully hit Dave on a Ride-by, you can attack Bill too at -5.

B) Like A), but let's assume Bill is 5' outside your threatened range. Per RAW, it works. But it's in the GM's hands. At the worst, yank the reins and slalom inbound since you don't have to approach in a straight line.

C) Like A) or B), but you're Spirited Charging (or just ordinary mounted charging w/Ride-by): Now you're +2 to hit Dave and -5 to hit Bill (no charge bonus to hit him). GM is likely to be pickier since charges must be in a straight line.