Mounts and Companions

by Purius

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Version 1.1














Rules

Mounting and Dismounting

  • Once during your move, you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15 feet of movement to mount a horse. Therefore, you can’t mount it if you don’t have 15 feet of movement left or if your speed is 0.
  • If an effect moves your mount against its will while you’re on it, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space within 5 feet of it. If you’re knocked prone while mounted, you must make the same saving throw. If your mount is knocked prone, you can use your reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet. Otherwise, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space within 5 feet it.

Mounted Position

Being mounted does not change your character's size. Your reach extends from your character, not your mount.

If your mount is a large creature occupying a 10 foot square, and you are a medium creature occupying a 5 foot square, then you must choose one of the four 5 foot spaces within your mounts 20 foot square to occupy while mounted.

You can use your movement to move to a different location on your mount.


Controlling a Mount

  • While you’re mounted, you have two options. You can either control the mount or allow it to act independently.
  • You can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and similar creatures are assumed to have such training.
  • Creatures with an Intelligence of 6 or greater, such as dragons, act independently.

Controlled Mounts

  • The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it.
  • It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge.
  • A controlled mount can move and act even on the turn that you mount it.

A controlled mount does not have the option to take the Attack or Help actions.



Independent Mounts

  • An independent mount retains its place in the initiative order.
  • Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes.
  • If the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount.

An independent mount can take any action on its turn, but acts in its own interest.


Adventuring Gear

Pack Saddle

  • A pack saddle is a blanket that covers the mount with a harness to strap saddlebags.

Riding Saddle

  • A riding saddle includes a seat for a rider allowing you to ride a mount with ease.

Military Saddle

  • A military saddle gives you advantage on any check you make to remain mounted.

Exotic Saddle

  • An exotic saddle is required for riding any aquatic or flying mount.

Riding a mount bareback or without a riding saddle, imposes disadvantage on any check you make to remain mounted.

Saddlebags

  • Saddlebags can be attached to a mount's saddle to allow the mount to carry items.

Bit and Bridle

  • A bit and bridle are used to direct a mount.

Barding

  • Barding is armor designed to protect an animal’s head, neck, chest, and body.
  • Any type of armor can be purchased as barding.
  • The cost is four times the equivalent armor made for humanoids, and it weighs twice as much.

Mounts

Draft Horse

  • A draft horse is not trained to take a rider, and is normally used to pull a cart, a plow or a barge.
  • It can carry a rider while someone else guides it, but the rider cannot control the mount from the horse's back.

Riding Horse

  • A riding horse is trained to take a rider.

Warhorse

  • A warhorse is a riding horse that has been bred for fighting in battle.
  • It does not require a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to control in combat.

Unless a mount is trained for combat the rider must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check whenever the mount they are riding takes damage.

On a failed save, the mount must spend its turns trying to move as far away from the source of danger as it can.

For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the mount can use the Dodge action.

Drawn Vehicles

Sled

  • A sled is 5 feet on both sides.
  • It can hold one medium size or smaller creature.

Cart

  • A cart is 5 feet on both sides.
  • It can hold one medium size or smaller creature.

Chariot

  • A chariot is 10 feet wide and 5 feet long.
  • It can hold two medium size or smaller creatures.

Wagon

  • A wagon is 10 feet on both sides.
  • It can hold four medium sized or smaller creatures.

Carriage

  • A carriage is 10 feet wide and 15 feet long.
  • It has a large sitting compartment that can hold four medium sized or smaller creatures.
  • It can be steered by a creature sitting on a bench at the front of the carriage external to the sitting compartment.
  • Creatures can enter or exit the sitting compartment through a side.

Magic Items

Saddle of the Cavalier

While in this saddle on a mount:

  • You can't be dismounted against your will if you're conscious.
  • Attack rolls against the mount have disadvantage.

Class Features

Ranger Beastmaster

Ranger’s Companion

Updated via Revised Ranger
  • It takes its turn on your initiative, it takes the Dodge action if you don't give it a command.
  • On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Dash, Disengage, or Help action.
  • When you take the Attack Action on your turn you can forgo one of your attacks to command the beast to take the Attack action.
  • If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself.
  • It never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

Fighter Cavalier

Born to the Saddle

  • You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount.
  • If you fall off your mount and descend no more than 10 feet, you can land on your feet if you’re not incapacitated.
  • Mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.

Feats

Mounted Combatant

You are a dangerous foe to face while mounted. While you are mounted and aren't incapacitated, you gain the following benefits:

  • You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than your mount.
  • You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead.
  • If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Spells

Find (Greater) Steed

  • If your steed has an Intelligence of 5 or less, its Intelligence becomes 6, and it gains the ability to understand one language of your choice that you speak.
  • Your steed serves you as a mount, both in combat and out, and you have an instinctive bond with it that allows you to fight as a seamless unit.

Per the spell descriptions from the Find Steed and Find Greater Steed spells the caster controls the mount.

However, the mount also has an Intelligence of 6 or greater, allowing the caster to control the mount or allow it to act independently.

Phantom Steed

  • The creature uses the statistics for a riding horse, except it has a speed of 100 feet and can travel 10 miles in an hour, or 13 miles at a fast pace.

Find Familiar

  • Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands.
  • In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn.
  • A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal.

Per the spell description of the Find Familiar spell the summoned creature cannot take the Attack action nor can it make an Opportunity Attack.

Since it cannot attack, you are still condsidered the attacker for any spell attack delivered through the familiar against a creature.