Ride
Full rules text, use cases, and edge-case handling for this skill.
Description
Ride governs your ability to control and direct a mount in all conditions — from guiding a calm horse down a road to staying in the saddle while under attack. A skilled rider can push a mount beyond its normal limits and perform mounted combat maneuvers with ease.
Check
Typical riding tasks do not require a check — you guide a docile mount without rolling. Checks are needed when you push the mount or face difficult circumstances.
| Task | DC |
|---|---|
| Guide with knees (free hands for combat) | 5 |
| Stay in the saddle (no action) | 5 |
| Fight with a warbred/trained mount | — |
| Cover (total cover from one side while mounted) | 15 |
| Soft fall (avoid damage when thrown) | 15 |
| Leap (mount jumps an obstacle; you stay mounted) | 15 |
| Spur mount (extra move, fatigues mount after 1 minute) | 15 |
| Control untrained mount in combat | 20 |
| Fast mount or dismount (as free action) | 20 |
Mounted combat: If your mount takes damage in combat, you must make a Ride check (DC 5 + damage taken) to remain in the saddle. If you fail, you are dismounted and must succeed on a DC 15 Ride check or fall prone.
Untrained mount: An untrained animal is unaccustomed to combat. You must make a DC 20 Ride check each round in melee or the mount becomes uncontrollable.
Action
Most Ride tasks are free actions (guiding, staying in saddle). Fast mount/dismount is a free action on a successful check. Soft fall is a free action when triggered. Spur mount is a move action.
Try Again
Most Ride checks may not be retried in the same round — the situation has either resolved (you fell or didn't) or progressed. Spurring a mount can be attempted each round.
Special
- Armor Check Penalty: Applies to all Ride checks.
- Mounted Combat (feat): Once per round, use a Ride check (DC = attack roll) to negate a hit on your mount.
- Ride-By Attack (feat): Move before and after a mounted charge. Requires Mounted Combat.
- Spirited Charge (feat): Double damage on a mounted charge (triple with a lance).
- Cavalier: Gains Ride as a class skill and numerous abilities that reduce or eliminate Ride DCs. The cavalier's mount is trained for combat automatically.
- Paladin: Ride is a class skill; the paladin's special mount needs no Ride check for combat control.
- Handle Animal synergy: 5 ranks in Handle Animal grant +2 on Ride checks.
Untrained
Yes. Normal riding on a docile mount requires no check. Difficult tasks (combat, fast mount, controlling an untrained mount) are available untrained but at very low success odds without ranks.