So I’m going to run an encounter with the PCs against some mounted Dewback Troopers. Unfortunately, the actual animal mount rules are… not very extensive.
My main concern is targeting. Dewbacks are a point of silhouette larger than their riders, which suggests that they should probably be the ‘primary’ target, and PCs should have to use the Aim manever to target a specific part of the target, but a maneuver and 2 setback seems excessive- that’s more reasonable for trying to hit the driver of a speeder through the windscreen.
The alternative is basically to assume the Dewback offers cover to its rider, but that’s not very much of a benefit considering the relative sizes.
As a compromise, I was considering +1 defence but the rider can spend 2 threat on a successful attack to redirect the hit to their mount. Sound reasonable to people? Without the 2 threat redirect, I feel like very few attacks will actually hit the dewback, despite its bulk.
Finally, it doesn’t feel like there’s any existing abilities that make mounted charges actually dangerous at all- you can use the mount’s attacks with your Survival skill, but often they won’t be better than your own. So I’ve added a Cavalry Charge ability that adds damage equal to the mount’s Brawn on one hit when you spend 2 maneuvers to move into Engaged range.
In the AoR Beginner Game, targeting the troopers on the speeder bikes is a Hard difficulty check, which just increases the difficulty by one from the prescribed difficulty of Average.
I think that makes sense if the vehicle- aherm, creature is in motion.
If it’s standing still, then I would not modify the difficulty to shoot at the character on the mount.
When you are shooting at something in motion like that, your instinct would be to aim for the biggest targetable portion of the target, which would be pretty much in the middle of the dewback. Shooting at the rider takes more intention and I would not be against requiring a Called Shot.
Additional tips and suggestions for running mounted combat:
Instead of mixing vehicle speeds and personal movement, I would suggest that creatures move a number of personal-scale movements equal to their current speed, or current speed +1. (I’m working on a set of houserules, but it hasn’t graduated past the conceptual stage yet)
So if you’re going speed 2 and it would take 2 Maneuvers for a character to move from point A to point B, the creature could make it in a single Maneuver. If +1, then a speed 1 creature could make it in one Maneuver. (I’m leaning towards the first)
This will keep your bookkeeping down and reduce player confusion.
And then for mounted melee combat, I’d add damage equal to range bands moved comparable to the Momentum talent from Death Watch Warrior.
And I think there was something else, but I seem to have forgotten it.
I ran a Dewback delivery (which turned into a heist as they got to the outskirts of Tatooine) with my group. It was hilarious… I introduced Hondo a session or two earlier and it was his goons hijacking dewbacks and then selling them on the black market. I think he cut some of the profits with the PCs in the end
Seems reasonable, they can still use the Aim manoeuvre to hit the rider and just shooting should only have a 25% of hitting the rider as if all barrels blazing due to the sil difference, take out the mount to injure the rider. I know they’re trained but even dewbacks should be a bit miffed under laser fire, I’d make the riders need to succeed a Survival check to control the beast. A Triumph by the player could mean the dewbcak rears, throws it’s rider and runs off… one less dewback to worry about,
Genesys introduced a new mounted combat rule that differs from what Star Wars did. IMO, it’s a lot simpler and more intuitive, and doesn’t require a lot of converting numbers and cross-referencing vehicle maneuvers and actions.
Mount and rider are treated as one character with the silhouette of the mount (as I posted above).
Whenever the rider and mount move, they move as if they had used 2 maneuvers.
Mounted melee attacks add 1 boost die, ground enemies making melee attacks against a mounted target add 1 setback die. Making ranged attacks while mounted adds 1 setback die.
Aiming either the mount or character independently is a called shot aim.
If the mount is slain or incapacitated, the rider is knocked prone and takes 3 strain.
Interesting! That looks relatively straightforward, too. I’ll have a look at the mounted combat talents in RoT too, hadn’t thought about it but of course fantasy systems will have mounted combat content.
There’s really only one in RoT, Cavalier, that allows you to direct a mount as a maneuver to perform an action. Secrets of the Crucible has a couple others related to mounts.
How do these two things work together? If you do not do a called shot aim, how do you determine which has taken the damage? Or is there a combined Wound threshold?
That sounds backwards. The mount is the easier target, like aiming center mass. I wonder, is that a rule difference based on a melee-combat focus?
Because if you’re shooting, it makes the most sense for the basic target to be the mount, especially if you’re using the mount’s silhouette for targeting.
I think it’s to preserve simplicity and flow of an encounter. The mount doesn’t even get an initiative slot, so is functionally a piece of gear that grants the character certain bonuses.
