Dexterity.
Use this skill to ride any kind of land mount, including horses, mules, and elephants, among others. Animals ill suited as mounts provide a –2 penalty on their rider’s Ride check.
Check: Typical riding actions don’t require checks. A character can saddle, mount, ride, and dismount without a problem. Mounting or dismounting an animal is a move action. Some tasks, such as those undertaken in combat or other extreme circumstances, require checks. In addition, attempting trick riding or asking the animal to perform an unusual technique also requires a check.
Guide with Knees (DC 5): The character can react instantly to guide her mount with her knees so that the character can use both hands in combat or to perform some other action. Make the check at the start of the character’s round. If the character fails, she can only use one hand this round because the character needs to use the other to control her mount.
Stay in Saddle (DC 5): The character can react instantly to try to avoid falling when her mount rears or bolts unexpectedly or when the character takes damage.
Fight while Mounted (DC 20): While in combat, the character can attempt to control a mount that is not trained in combat riding (see the Handle Animal skill). If the character succeeds, she uses only 1 act, and the character can use her remaining acts to do something else. If the character fails, she can do nothing else that round. If the character fails by more than 5, she loses control of the animal.
For animals trained in combat riding, the character does not need to make this check. Instead, the character can use 1 act to have the animal perform a trick (commonly, to attack). The character can use her other acts normally.
Cover (DC 15): The character can use a reaction to drop down and hang alongside her mount, using it as one-half cover. The character can’t attack while using her mount as cover. If the character fails, she doesn’t get the cover benefit.
Soft Fall (DC 15): The character reacts instantly when she falls off a mount, such as when it is killed or when it falls, to try to avoid taking damage. If the character fails, she takes 1d6 points of falling damage.
Leap (DC 15): The character can get her mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement. Use the character’s Ride modifier or the mount’s Jump modifier (whichever is lower) when the mount makes its Jump check (see the Jump skill). The character makes a Ride check (DC 15) to stay on the mount when it leaps.
Fast Mount or Dismount (DC 20): The character can mount or dismount as a free action. If the character fails the check, mounting or dismounting is a move action. (A character can’t attempt a fast mount or dismount unless she can perform the mount or dismount as a move action this round, should the check fail.)
Action: Ride is a move action, except when otherwise noted for the special tasks listed above.
Special: If the character is riding bareback, she takes a –5 penalty on Ride checks.
A character can take 10 when making a Ride check, but can’t take 20.
A character with the
Animal Affinity feat gets a +2 bonus on all Ride checks.
