Mounted Combat

Mounted Combat is a necessity for cowboys, knights, and cuirassiers. While some post-gunpowder forces (such as Dragoons) would move mounted but fight dismounted, players may wish to bring their horses (or camels, or hadrosaurs) with them!
== Mounting Up ==
Mounting a horse or horse-sized creature takes two consecutive maneuvers -- a Move (to jump or climb up), followed by a Change Posture (to get seated).Basic Set, p.396
You can mount in one turn with an acrobatic leap -- use Riding, Acrobatics, or Jumping; -3 to any of these if you don't have stirrups!The little "foot holsters" attached to saddles. Stirrups appear around late TL2 in Central Asia and TL3 elsewhere. With a bit of practice, a character might get quite good at this -- see Quick Mount. Once you're mounted, you can move around -- see Movement and Maneuvers below! 
=== Mounting Huge Mounts ===
Elephants, triceratopsids, and other massive mounts will often require a rider to climb up onto onto the back of the neck or onto a howdah, a platform for fighters.(As of the writing of this article, the writer is not aware of how long it normally takes to mount on an elephant.) For allied creatures, the beast can simply lie down, which lets the rider hop on -- this uses the normal mounting rules, but the animal itself will need to change posture to get moving.
In combat (or while moving in general), a huge creature has to be climbed. If it's an ally, it's a matter of finding something on the animal or its barding and climbing up. Some creatures may even be able to use their anatomy to help an ally up onto their backs -- elephants can lift adult humans with their trunks while lowering their heads, for instance.
If a large mount is unfriendly (for instance, an enemy war elephant) there should be skill penalties from the beast shifting its weight and speed to avoid being climbed, -2 at least. These can be made worst if the climber in question has to avoid being struck by its riders! 
== Moving While Mounted ==
By default, riding uses the hands (on the reins) and feet (in stirrups). In combat, the user's hands may be a bit busy fending off mortal danger --guiding a creature by one hand, or with just the feet is a -1 or -3 to Riding skill,Low-Tech, p.12Low-Tech, p.133 respectively. Most knights and horse-archers will use Hands-Free Riding to improve this default!
=== Encumbrance ===
Remember that a mount's full speed is when it's unencumbered. If the GM or Players wish to save on math, use Light encumbrance for lightweight characters or those with little armor (Move x0.8,Round down! Dodge -1), and Medium for most others (Move x0.6, Dodge -2).
== Fighting While Mounted ==
A rider can take any maneuver, and can parry, block, and even dodge. Typically they will be guiding the mount to Move (else, Do Nothing) while the rider uses Attack. Mounts usually have to rely on their armor (see Barding)Basic Set, p.286 and dodging. The latter is limited by their encumbrance (see above).
=== Melee on Mounts ===
A mounted rider uses melee weapons at the lower of their Riding skill and the skill for the weapon they're using. A mount moving at Move 7 or higher (relative to the foe) gives the rider a -1 to hit but +1 to damage. Note that in a charge, a horse may choose to slam the enemy. Longer weapons help ensure the enemy is hit before they hit you -- a prepared enemy may use a Stop Thrust. Someone mounted on a horse-sized creature is effectively three feet above a standing foe -- this gives the rider +1 to defenses, and their standing foes -1 to defenses!
=== Lances ===
Lances require stirrups and saddle--a proper war saddle will have a high back for proper bracing. The lance gets to do its collision damage at: (Mount's ST x Distance Moved)/100, with +3 from the lance itself. For a charging warhorse (ST 25), at Move 8, this is around 2d+3!Basic Set, p.397
=== Mounts Attacking ===
Some war mounts (such as horses) have their own attacks. Doing so may be powerful for some creatures (unicorns or triceratopsids), but also cause a -2 to the rider's hit until the mount's next turn.
=== Ranged Attacks ===
Like with melee, ranged attacks are "capped" by Riding skill, and attacks while moving have a penalty equal to the weapon's Bulk -- this can also be bought off through techniques. Horse Archery, for instance, allows one to use the Horse Archery technique instead of the penalized Bow skill.
You cannot gain benefits from extra turns of Aim if the mount has moved more than a step. Firearms and explosive spells may spook the mount--see Spooked Mounts below!
There are many tricks for ranged combat: Firing behind oneself (a parting shot) is typically -4 and -1 Riding. To hang over the side and fire under or over it is -6 to hit and -3 to Riding. The former is useful for firing while retreating, while the latter is useful if your horse is much tougher than you are!Riding on the "side" of a horse or horse-like mount means a foe can only target your foot, head, and one hand. If they miss by 4 or less, they hit your mount!
=== Dismounting ===
A rider can dismount with Change Posture if the mount hasn't moved, or has only moved a step. To dismount while moving, you may jump off using Move or Move and Attack, which requires an Acrobatics or Jumping roll to land safely. On particularly tall mounts, you may even be able to attack from above!
== Forcing Dismounts ==
There are many potential sources for forcing a foe to dismount:
* Their mount is spooked and throws them
* If they're stunned and fail a Riding at -4 roll, falling out of the saddle
* If they're hit with any knockback (if riding bareback, or without a proper saddle and stirrups)
** With a saddle and stirrups, they may roll Riding at -4 per yard of Knockback.
== Spooked Mounts ==
Mounts that are not trained for war are liable to "spook" at danger -- gunfire, explosive spells, or the sounds of other injured mounts can often cause them to panic. For all but the most rugged warhorses, the rider needs to roll Riding to retain control every time the rider fires a noisy weapon. A failure means the mount is spooked. 
=== Mount Loss of Control Table ===
Roll 2d on the following table if you completely lose control of a mount. Also refer to the appropriate result – without rolling – whenever a rider is thrown, a mount falls, etc. 
* 2 – You are thrown from your mount. Take damage for a three-yard fall (adjust this for an unusually tall or short mount). If you remain conscious, you may attempt an immediate Animal Handling-3 roll to call your mount back. If you fail, you may make a repeated attempt every 5 minutes. 
* 3 – You lose your grip and fall. Take damage for a two-yard fall; a Jumping or Acrobatics roll will negate this. Otherwise, as 2, above. 
* 4 – You drop whatever you were holding. Now roll again! 
* 5 – The mount charges directly toward the foe, hazard, etc. 
* 6-7 – The mount is exhausted and will not fight, or move at faster than a slow walk (Move 2), until it gets several hours of rest. 
* 8-9 – The mount seems to settle down, but is now fractious: -1 to all Riding rolls for the rest of this engagement. 
** If you get this result multiple times, the penalty is cumulative. 
* 10 – The mount charges directly away from the foe, hazard, etc. 
* 11 – The saddle comes loose. All Riding rolls and attack rolls made while riding are at -3 until you dismount and spend 4d seconds tightening the straps. 
** If you’re riding without a saddle, treat as 3, above. 
* 12 – The mount falls! It must make a DX+1 roll or it breaks a leg. In any case, the rider must roll vs. Riding-2. 
** On a failure, he is unseated and takes damage for a three-yard fall. 
** On a success, he must make another Riding roll, this one at a penalty equal to his Encumbrance, to leap clear of the falling mount. 
*** On a success, he leaps clear and takes damage as per 3, above. On a failure, the mount falls on him, inflicting thrust/crushing damage based on its ST, plus the damage for a 2-yard fall.
== See Also ==
* Mounted Combat <- you are here
** Techniques
*** Horse Archery
*** Mounted Shooting
*** Mounted Reload
* Related Skills
** Mount skill
**Rider skill
* Other Situations
** Flying Combat
** Vehicles
== Notes ==
* Mounted Combat is a section from Chapter 13: Special Combat Situations in Basic Set, p.396
== References ==