RIDING AND MOUNTED COMBAT GUIDE

Moderators: ALFA Administrators, NWN1 - WD DM

Post Reply
User avatar
Burt
Nihilist
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:23 pm
Location: In-and-Out Burger, Camrose

RIDING AND MOUNTED COMBAT GUIDE

Post by Burt »

So you want to be a badass knight and ride a warhorse into battle? Good news; ayergoland 8.0 has mounts...and they are badass!

However, unless you want to end up in the mud being chowed on by rats and rolling up your next PC, there is some stuff you need to know. This guide will be updated as these noble beasts become better understood.

Why become a mounted badass?

Riding grants a slew of benefits that will make you the envy of your peers (and soon to be inferiors):
  • Increases movement speed, depending on the quality of mount
  • Boosts your Discipline skill, depending on the quality of mount
  • Grants temporary hitpoints, depending on the quality of mount
  • Provides significant combat benefits depending on your feats - more on this below
  • Makes you cool!
Are there downsides?

Riding is a significant investment. Aside from gp cost to buy and maintain a horse you will have to invest in the Ride Skill and, to really reap the benefits, the various associated combat feats. In addition (most?) mounts can only be used outdoors, so you will not usually be able to take advantage in dungeons (and you can't sit astride your glorious warhorse in the Safehaven Inn).

Where to buy horses, and upkeep costs

Horse bridles are sold either in the OOC starting area merchant, or in Hemerman's Stables in the Adventurer's Quarter. There may be other places to acquire mounts (horses and otherwise) but you will need to find these in game. An old nag will set you back ~50gp. Superior beasts will cost significantly more!

Horses are expensive to maintain. They need to be groomed, nourished, and treated like princesses. Every time you summon your horse it has a cost.

You can Examine a Bridle at any time, including prior to purchasing it, to find out not only the summoning cost, but also helpful information on the Mount Base DC for that horse, as well as how to use the Bridle. For example:

Image

How to summon and mount your faithful/fickle companion

Once you have acquired a bridle you can summon your trusty steed. First equip it, then use it. Simple.

To mount the beast navigate to the radial menus (think 'South West') to find the mount option. Select 'Individual Mount' then with the cursor choose the horse. A short animation will play and voila, you are now literally on your high horse. Similarly, you can find an 'Individual Dismount' option in the same radial wheel. Click this then select yourself to rejoin the mere mortals on the ground.

ImageImage

Ride Skill and Feats

While non-combative riding is achievable by even the most ordinary adventurer, (successful) mounted combat is dependent on the Ride Skill and Feats.

The Ride Skill is the same as any other Skill and you can invest in it via the usual menus in the character creator/level up screens. Ride is Dexterity based, and there is no Skill Focus Feat option due to NWN's core limitations.

ayergoland has several feats relating to Mounted Combat and to have any realistic chance of jousting, or just not ignobly falling face first in the mud, you will need to invest in at least the first of these. The feats are:
  • Mounted Combat
Image
  • Ride by Attack
Image
  • Trample
Image
  • Spirited Charge
Image
  • Mounted Archery
Image


Enough background, show me the good stuff. MOUNTED COMBAT

So you've bought a horse, spent all your skill points and feats, and now you're ready to ride valiantly into battle? Before you click red be aware of the basics.

Mounted combat requires Ride skill checks. As above the base Mount Base DC for a mount is given in the bridle's details. There are various scenarios in which you must make a Ride skill check, and failing any of these has the same result; you will be thrown from your horse and spend the next round knocked down and regretting your life choices while your enemies take full advantage. Assuming you survive, you can remount after combat has ended. You cannot mount your steed during combat (and attempting to do so may result in bugs).
  • If you have the Mounted Combat feat, at the end of melee combat. Or without the Mounted Combat feat, at the end of every combat round. The DC is simply the Mount Base DC per the bridle information (it is currently unknown if this there is a penalty without having the Mounted Combat feat and it is not recommended you attempt to find out). Note that if making ranged attacks (arrows, throwing axes, sling, etc) this DC is increased by 10 unless you have the Mounted Archery feat too.
  • Upon receiving damage. The DC is: Mount Base DC + damage received. Note that if you receive damage outwith combat, such as via mundane healing items like leeches, you will have to make this skill check. Certain weapons, namely polearms, receive a significant bonus (+10) to dismount a rider!
  • Using a potion, item with spell like ability, or casting a spell on yourself does not require a check, but doing so on another PC does! The DC for this is currently unknown as of 23/01/22.



CHARGE ATTACK

This is the mounted warrior's most devastating advantage. Charge Attack is available via the radial menus (Protip: Quickslot it). When selecting an enemy with it you will make a high speed charge toward them, and perform a powerful single attack. If successful this attack performs additional damage depending on your melee weapon.

With the mighty lance: +1d8 +2 damage! (and +1d8 with Spirited Charge Feat)
With all other inferior weapons: +2 damage (and +1d8 with Spirited Charge Feat) (further testing required to verify)

The charge attack can be further enhanced with the Trample Feat to cause a Knockdown effect on enemies foolish enough to get between/around you and your foe.

Image

Note however that charging is taxing on your mount. There is a cooldown of (100 seconds - 2x mount speed) before you can charge again, and this is indicated by a red glowing vfx on your PC.

Protip: Use the mighty lance to charge attack.

KNOWN ISSUES

The below bugs are currently known to affect riding as of 17/01/2022
  • While the bridle description advises a mount can be added back to the party (for example after entering an indoor area and being automatically dismounted) by using the bridle on the mount this is not the case; doing so will instead dismiss the mount. Instead simply remount using the radial menu option.
  • If you attempt to AT to an indoors area while mounted you will automatically be dismounted, but the mounted combat scripts will continue to apply. Furthermore you will not be able to remount your horse. FIXED AS OF 17/01/2022
  • Attempting to mount your horse during combat, or being disrupted by combat while doing so, can cause mounting to fail and render you unable to mount your horse until dismissed and re-summoned.




That's it - congratulations, you are now a mounted badass. Unfortunately you are still lame when not mounted, but nobody is perfect!
Jagoff.
Post Reply