Mounted Combat for DMs and Players | D&D | TTRPG | Web DM

Today we're talking about Mounted Combat in D&D and TTRPG! We're telling you everything we know about cavalry to give you player character inspiration, mounted combat rules to support dynamic play, and new ways to think about mounts, mounted combat, and its place in rpgs.
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5e Dungeons & Dragons is here to stay, and Web DM is here to help!!! Jim Davis & Jonathan Pruitt have been playing Dungeons & Dragons for a combined 30+ years, and on Web DM they demystify, dethrone, and defrock this Dungeon we call Dragons! Subscribe to our channel for weekly videos on 5e Classes, Monsters, DM Tips, and more! Join Pruitt & Jim as we kick down the door and talk some serious Dungeons & Dragons!

[@WebDM]

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[@schemage2210]

Great content but I have to say, the video editing is rather poor. The color and contrast of your video feeds looks really terrible and is surely something that can be corrected. That aside, great content as always.

[@Toto-95]

hey Web DM ! i have a question for Jim Davis ! What history books would you recommand for history learning ? This is more history related than D&D related but still i'm interested to know if a certain book marked you. (Of course the question in itself is for the whole team if everyone reads history books !)

[@MrDavidKord]

Can we have, like, 3 more videos on this? I feel like this is so far inside your wheelhouse that you need a few more hours on it.

[@fruitdotzip]

The Beard is returning, nature is recovering.

[@WebDM]

LOL

[@rpeterson9182]

Nah, it’s just his quarantine look.

[@tomroadrunner87]

Jackrabbits and Coyotes running through the beard, clear skies above.

[@memetaco7732]

The beard cometh a new day dawns prepare yourself for our king returns

[@ttprophet]

the earth is healing!

[@TheKirashio]

"The kind of character who is flamboyant, bold, risky, maybe even foolhardy in terms of the kind of things they would do", you could almost say they have a... cavalier attitude.

[@Spooksmagoo]

I'm shocked that if you were going to cut out the video of Jim and Pruitt like this, you didn't over lay their torso's on mounted combatants the whole video. Seems like a missed opportunity.

[@PhyreI3ird]

Gotta admit, I certainly wouldn't have thought of that, but damn that would be great

[@R2-DPOO]

I thought the exact same this but i also appreciate the sound quality and the fact they make the effort to cut to them individually in edit

[@Spooksmagoo]

@@R2-DPOO Hey, don't get me wrong, I'd watch and take their inspiration even if it was just recorded on a cell phone, but if they took the effort to cut out the background already: i.imgur.com/xVOJYHT.png

[@gibbcharron3469]

@@Spooksmagoo Beautiful, simply beautiful.

[@Griffiana]

...if they release the raw footage the whole WebDM community would have, oh, only the best dnd memes on the internet.

[@spiderwrangler4457]

"THE EVOLUTION OF CAVALRY DURING THE MILITARY REVOLUTION: THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 1572-1604" if anyone wants to read Jim's thesis...

[@crabmaster8174]

Thanks mate!

[@Tampa595]

Not even 1 minute in and THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED!!!

[@ALLHEART_]

COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE!

[@SlamminSamr]

ALLHEART _ THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED

[@YoutubeStupidBullshit]

@@SlamminSamr Coming down they turned the tide

[@thegreatandpowerful4791]

A cry for help in time of need

[@miscellaneousshadow7452]

They are outnumbered 15 to 1 And the battles begun.

[@scruffini]

“You have to do a lot to get a horse to fight.” - Jim Davis, horse fighter.

[@liammccabe05]

Genuinely laughed at this for far too long 😂

[@UltimateMustacheX]

That great boxer, Cassius Neigh.

[@asdasd-ty9se]

Laughs in wild horses

[@bryce1197]

My 5th level Spell 'Mass Unbuckle'. Just as effective for livening up a tavern as it is winning a war.

[@christopherthr]

LOL 😂

[@gibbcharron3469]

I may have to steal that next time I GM a trickster bard.

[@lietz13]

I really like that the intent behind the discussion isn't focused around the game system. It's really easy for this topic to become a video that's just "here's how to use mounts to be more powerful. Protip, if your mount disengages, it can move you around freely without provoking opportunity attacks, and you can still attack throughout that turn." Like, there's a place for that discussion, but it's not something that really stimulates the imagination.

[@moto2442]

But not if you are a melee character. Only ranged combat works for that because the horse would have to have its own separate initiative to take the disengage action which could really fuck you if you are melee if the enemy you wanted to engage died before your own turn.

[@1234kalmar]

A Year ago, I remember being super excited to go to get an MA in history. Those dreams have since crumbled to dust. But listening to Jim talk about history and stuff kinda lead me to an epiphany: There is nothing stopping me from studying what I like as a hobby. He does it too to this day, i'm sure, or if not, makes good use of his knowledge just for fun. It's so crazy how much these guys helped me with my life on multiple occasions, from monster inspirations to this. Just one more year and I'll have a wage. And WebDM will have a new patreon subscriber.

[@WebDM]

Nothing stopping you at all!!!

[@1234kalmar]

@@WebDM Thanks for all the inspiration guys!

[@MarcelloVT]

I feel this completely! I loved military history and history so hearing this shared passion made my day. I wanted to major in them as well but got worried about how it would pan out. Thankfully, I found a good major that blends everything I love but I’ll never stop learning history!

[@gazelleguy]

In my limited research, I've found war elephants to be a very interesting heavy cavalry. Elephants are incredibly smart animals and of course have preservation instincts, so what many cultures did to better loosen them up in war was to get them drunk on wine and they would often just stampede across the battlefield. War elephants were largely used not to take out specific soldiers, but to break ranks and terrify the enemy. Of course, this often backfired as a drunk mad elephant can't really distinguish between different humans all too well in the heat of battle, and would often trample their own allies. And of course, the upkeep cost was astronomical. Still, war elephants are a great start for a more tanky berserker style of cavalry, for both players and NPCs.

[@Bluecho4]

It's often stated these days, but when Hannibal rode his forces - complete with elephants - into the Italian peninsula, to the Romans it was like fighting _real monsters._ Like something out of the tales of Heracles or Perseus.

[@williamings773]

The new dungeon craft on Kickstarter has war elephants unlocked as a stretch goal. Ends on the 20th.

[@theskurj6288]

Very interesting, thanks for that little tidbit. I jump to the end battle in LoTR return of the king. And the enemy elephants were somewhat controlled with reigns connected to pierced ears. And we're covered in spikes on their legs and steamrolling Calvary with tusks connected with spiked rods

[@tomharris5649]

@@theskurj6288 It still only counted as one, though.

[@adreabrooks11]

Fun fact, though: Hannibal lost more battles with elephants than he did without them. A big part of their appeal was, as you say, the PR and the terror factor. Nobody wants to march against the guys on the backs of ten-foot tall beasts with face-tentacles and four-foot long teeth.

[@cartersmith6628]

You know not even including the magical and fantastical mounts of dnd, what the smaller races would be able to do with just normal animals could be terrifying. The number of animals that could be used that are just too small for humans to ride but would be terrifying if someone could. Like imagine an army of gnomes mounted on just normal deer and how impossible that might be to fight in wooded areas or even just because of how insanely nimble they might be. Or a regiment of scouts on cheetahs chasing you down. Imagine a halfling caravan guarded by tiger mounted mercenaries. Even just the classic image of goblins on a pack of wolves not even dire wolves just normal wolves. Most normal people would be terrified to take on just a single wolf not to mention a whole pack with crazy ass mounted fighters.

[@andrewlentner]

Bro imagine fairies or pixies on blink dogs. "Cavalry" charges that just teleport behind enemy lines

[@ondegnom]

so good, i'm getting ideas

[@kylemendoza8860]

A very interesting. Deer tender hop like rabbits. It would be a very bumpy ride.

[@benm5913]

My favorite mounted character was a Halfing Ranger on a Golden Retriever mount. He was the cutest little mini mongol.

[@Bluecho4]

I absolutely love the idea of Small characters using Medium creatures as mounts. War dogs, ponies, giant crabs, dragon wyrmlings, etc.

[@PhyreI3ird]

One time while flipping through a pathfinder 1e book, I saw a wardog and was just immediately struck by the idea of being a halfling paladin with a majestic big dog mount and I've wanted to do that _ever_ since. Still waiting for the right campaign to play it :)

[@migueldelmazo5244]

It's a great video (like always), but it serves to highlight one of the major flaws of D&D. Because there are historical examples of melee and because we have a decent understanding of the physics of the situation, martial characters are grounded in a realism that casters get to simply skirt around. Ex. Player one: my 5th level Evoker casts a fireball centered on the party and during the instantaneous explosion, I weave the magical threads of damage around my teammates. DM: Roll damage. Player 2: My 18 Strength, naked barbarian who is orders of magnitude stronger than most actual athletes does a standing leap off the bridge onto the bank 10 feet away, so I can attack the bad guy. DM: Sorry. Without 10 feet of movement, you can only jump half your Strength score. You fall in the water.

[@michaelmcclelland2208]

I'm just glad someone else remembers Dino Riders.

[@Leivve]

For the actual mechanics of a mount, the best solution in my experience is to have it be a single unit who has an extra free action for the horse. So the horse can open it's action with a disengage or dash (a cavalrymen would only use a hoof attack if they can't do the other two). Then the combatant themselves fights like a large creature, just with the intent of not getting bogged down in combat. If it's charge cavalry, and they have a lance equip (lances historically looked like long spears, rather then the cone you see in a joust), they can devote one of their action to a charge. First the horse needs to take the dash action, and move so far to pick up speed (use your mind to decide if it's appropriate). The horsemen will move into their square and push the enemy to the side, while making an attack roll. For the attack roll itself, not only do they get advantage for the attack, but they also get a flat +5 to the damage. Both in the event of a hit or miss, the target is knocked prone as well. (for some extra historical flavor, remember that lances are crossed over, as if you were to hit a lance dead on from the side you have it couched the force would rip your shoulder out of its socket.)

[@Bluecho4]

That is confirmed how it works in base 5e, actually. The rider and mount may be acting as a unit, but they both have their own Action, Bonus Action (where applicable), and Movement. Dashing and Disengaging are perfectly legal for the mount to do.

[@TheFearsomeRat]

Depending on the mount they might want to get bogged down, for instance I could imagine a dwarf riding a specially made golem with bladed arms that end in stumps and sure it might not move as fast as a horse, etc., but if it collides with a infantry formation that's gonna hurt a lot, and now they have to try and hit this small heavily armored rider off their mount, as the golem starts to tear though their ranks, as some just get cleaved in half or tossed aside and others get crushed beneath the golem, not to mention a Horse would rather avoid a solid object be it building or shield wall, a Golem made of metal isn't going to have those reservations, just remember to give the Dwarf beard armor.

[@geoffdewitt6845]

Centaur cavalry carrying halfling war wizards into battle. This video is amazing.

[@pacha1500]

Yes, another video with Jim talking about historical combat! The gods have blessed us once again!

[@GavinHohenheim]

We have a halfling battle smith pistolera in our party, riding her "mithril-glass unicorn" flavoured steel defender into battle while dual-wielding infused palm pistols. Life is good. Also, shoutout to the halflings of the Talenta Plains on Khorvaire, those velociraptor-riding maniacs!

[@WisdomThumbs]

My first real character was a level 10 Cavalier. I based him off my grandpa, who used to wrangle bison for the Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. My mom became a champion barrel racer under his directions. My sister won a spot on Team West in the Internationals of 2012, but Team East poisoned a bunch of horses. I recommend watching training videos by wise cowboys, and old Army Cavalry training videos. You’ll see what horses and riders are truly capable of, when you don’t weigh them down in armor. But even in armor, holy shit! Horses are cool. They can switch their lead foot while running, and use that for momentum/direction changes. My level 10 Cavalier is closing in on level 15 now. When I’ve won the bonus XP in a session, it’s usually been because I used my horse and body like an actual cavalryman. Trees are poles to race around. Straight line speeds blast chunks of snow and earth behind me. And my horse is cover too, when I need to hold the line or flank. But I can also redirect all attacks to hit me instead of my mount. And the DM homebrewed a Greatspear for me, which works like a real life spear instead of a dinky 5e spear. I have Born to the Saddle. The DM agreed that when I try special riding moves (standing in the saddle, hanging off one side) I no longer get Advantage. Anyone else would get Disadvantage on riding checks while doing that, but I just get flat rolls. Recently I used my horse to part a crowd without hurting anyone. Then I swung off the horse and stood in one stirrup with my other foot on the back of a chair. Horse became half cover, and I used him as a fulcrum for my spear. Flipped a gigantic lizardman onto his head with that trick. My horse started as Sonofabitch the Second. He was soon Awakened by another player, and granted Horseshoes of the Zephyr. The DM used to watch MLP like me, and I drew diagrams for how MLP weapons would work... So the DM let me train Sonofabitch II with a fucking longsword. He became a level 1 Fighter who learned to use my shield for Protection (since I need two hands on my spear most of the time). Sonofabitch II has survived a lot of danger and several battles. He led all our mounts through a window like a SWAT team to save us from a TPK. He wields the magic +1 sword Dragonslayer, and he’s slain wyverns, ogres, orcs. He decapitated a dragon with a nat 20. And he has earned his new name. The night S.O.B finished off that dragon, Sgt. Igist Vin realized this horse was more than an apprentice. More than a mount. The horse was like his son. Sonofabitch never again. You will know him as SONOVIN! And Sonovin is now a level 8 Battlemaster. And the DM voices him. He’s a thoughtful horse. Very friendly, always ready to GO.

[@WisdomThumbs]

Btw, my character’s niece is an Eldritch Knight. She might never appear in the campaign, but she rides a griffon. If she ever appears, I’ll have her drop off her griffon at high altitude and send the griffon far away. Griffons and horses don’t mix. Also, remember that flying mounts have to tilt A LOT to turn while moving fast. Your griffon’s saddle better have foot support so you can rotate your body weight during turns. And quick-release straps in case of collisions. Feather Fall means flying mounts are the perfect way to drop in and make a dramatic entrance.

[@Bluecho4]

I love everything about this.

[@nestorskip9410]

Have they done an episode about armor? A mini history lesson like this one would be amazing

[@AmigoRoberto]

Thank god. I have a few tier 3 players with griffon mounts and I've been *winging* it for combat rules for a year and a half. Thanks guys!

[@MikeLeonard]

Perfect timing! In the middle of a WebDM binge in preparation for a new campaign. I'll slide this right into the queue!

[@WebDM]

Giddyup!

[@MarcusVipsaniusAgrippaLXIII]

At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before: Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor! With that he seized a great horn from Guthláf his banner-bearer, and he blew such a blast upon it that it burst asunder. And straightway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains. Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor! Suddenly the king cried to Snowmane and the horse sprang away. Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green, but he outpaced it. After him thundered the knights of his house, but he was ever before them. Éomer rode there, the white horsetail on his helm floating in his speed, and the front of the first éored roared like a breaker foaming to the shore, but Théoden could not be overtaken. Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. His golden shield was uncovered, and lo! it shone like an image of the Sun, and the grass flamed into green about the white feet of his steed. For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and the darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them. And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.

[@saetharion]

Still gives me a wave of goosebumps as I read it now.

[@christopherthr]

I’ll never understand people who say that Tolkien’s works are “overwritten and indulgent”. I’m sorry for those people that they can’t just recognize a masterpiece when they read it. Amazing.

[@dragoon4530]

I feel like with D&D I never see Cavalry mages. You can buff your mount with all of your touch spells, then lay waste to the battlefield with stuff like fireball. Or if your opponents are also mounted, use things like grease to knock them prone. I feel like if real life had magic, we wouldn't have even thought to have fighters on horseback.

[@Licjr]

There’s a faction of elves in my homebrew game that utilize mages on hippogriffs. My players haven’t come across them yet I can’t wait to see their reaction when they get drive-by fireballed

[@patheronaetherson2860]

Mage cavalry on flying mounts like Griffons, Hippogriffs, Manticores, Rocs, Chimeras, Nightmares, Pegasi, Wyverns, Giant Eagles, Giant Owls, Giant Vultures, various Dragons, certain Devils, the odd Demon, and in some instances, even a Beholder (provided the mage is a minion and the Beholder isn't threatened by the mage)

[@Bluecho4]

Cast the Dragon's Breath spell, suddenly you have a fire-breathing horse.

[@dougmartin2007]

I had a player do this. Granted they were 5th level so they couldn't do too many fireballs. Also a fireball is only 40 feet across so you won't get that many mounted guys.

[@minnion2871]

@@dougmartin2007 Heck I wonder if Giants wouldn't mind having some shoulder mounted wizards while they wade into battle....?

[@liammccabe05]

When Jim was explaining the psychology of shock cavalry, from the perspective of their opponent, I genuinely could feel a pit opening up in my stomach. Had never heard it explained so succinctly and I was genuinely struck by it. Those poor, poor conscripted peasant militias of history, they had it rooouuuuggghhh.

[@dylanmays5311]

For a brief moment I had a Drow that would ride in on a giant spider. Having spider climb on a mount is a hell of a lot of fun. I want to revisit that character someday.

[@FreedomReigns1000]

This is a great video, somehow my players managed to 'tame' a friendly owlbear, smart tactics good rolls. Our Halfling fighter now rides the owlbear and is training it to fight

[@WebDM]

That's amazing

[@lazymillennialjobseeker9282]

Phantom Steed + Eldritch Lance invocation + bonus action dash (is it applicable?) + haste for shits and/or giggles Attack your enemy from one direction beyond their range of sight, then attack them from the other direction beyond their range of sight.

[@stevesmith4600]

Finally, I've been waiting forever for a conversation with Force Ghost Jim and Force Ghost Pruit. 😊 ...

[@ttprophet]

I have no clue why the zoom out of your low res images placed near where you sit at the table was SO FUNNY. but it got me good.

[@kurtoogle4576]

Amusing, but ugly though.

[@Screechman19]

I played a sword bard and took find greater steed at 10th level. My mount was a Griffin and I rode around the battlefield using ranged weapons and magic to help my party

[@kylethomas9130]

Underrated use of Magical Secrets.

[@galvaton10000]

Thinking about the winged hussars got me thinking about making a band of mounted soldiers. I think I'm going to call them the Platinum Dragoons, and the worship Bahamut.

[@dreddbolt]

Man, history lessons are super comfy in these harrowing times. Sounds weird, but this tickles my inner GM's fancy.

[@jacobbalensiefer3846]

I like how they went big and crazy with the fantasy. My favorite PC was a halfling paladin with a pig as his mount. He could absolutely shred some goblins with advantage attacks. Also DM ruled that he was functioning a heavily armored man for size and weight simplicity.

[@Jane_8319]

The last time I was this early the Crown Wars were still being fought!

[@FlamingWalrus1]

Never forgive, Never Forget: Myth Drannor

[@erik.stewart]

Arms and Armor, a re-enactor supplier in the Twin Cities, had an equipment price list on their website from the 15th Century converted to 1990 value of dollars. A warhorse cost the equivalent of $55k, some cost $100k.

[@misledflyer68]

My favourite mount is the Party's Barbarian. Being able to stabby stabby with a Rapier as a Kobold on top of a screaming naked man with two Longswords is greeeeat~

[@WebDM]

That's good stuff

[@josephgeorge5741]

My halfling just rode her Shield Guardian.

[@cavareenvius7886]

Lol. We had the reversed. It was a Gnome on the back of a Lizardfolk.

[@geoffdewitt6845]

Nice job to the WebDM team here - good job adapting to some very frustrating circumstances. Thanks, and stay safe!

[@WebDM]

Thanks Geoff!

[@jeffjones4654]

The Roughriders were a cavalry regiment that fought as infantry during the Spanish American War.

[@Luke408417]

The Valenar elvish barbarian in Eberron have spiritual connected horses. Also, there is a Dragonmarked house that raises Magebred horses

[@downwithvoldemort96]

Alas, another gift in these trying times. Personally, this video could not have been more timely since I'm playing a heavy cavalry cavalier in SKT, and this had a lot to take from for me and my gm. Also the that cavalier dad joke had me laughing till I was Hoarse, so thanks a bunch Jim and Pruit (and Travis).

[@WebDM]

Glad to help!!

[@RobertPreston88]

Perfect timing, I have a multi class halfling cavalier fighter and beastmaster ranger that I'm playing currently. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@jimwolford7294]

Another option available in the fantasy realms is too use multiple small sized riders on a regular size horse. Gnomes, Halflings and Kobolds each weigh about a third of a human. One rider controls the mount while the other two ride in oversized saddlebags and shoot bows or spells. If you put armor on the horse, then you have a WW1 tank with sponsons.

[@Vespuchian]

In hindsight, the 'slightly out of synch, lower resolution images greenscreened over the normal set' would have worked _really well_ for the Astral Plane episode. It's totally how I'm going to describe the look of visiting there going forward. (edit) if you want an amazing look at what mounted combat _felt_ like, watch some clips of the classic 1970 epic "Waterloo". Sure, it's the end of the Napoleonic Wars, but a lot of the tactics and strategy had foundations centuries old.

[@TomiTapio]

11:00 undead mount that is re-raised with Staff charges or rod, or perhaps a mechanical or golem or elemental mount.

[@theanalogadventuresociety2085]

My wife and I were just talking about how hard it is to just buy a warhorse last night. She's trying to get one for her character so she is going to have to approach a horse breeder and trainer probably attached to a noble household.

[@kylethomas9130]

I wonder if it would be easier to pay a wizard to cast True Polymorph.

[@jacobc2378]

Jim: speaks Pruitt: blinks approvingly

[@overryans]

Petion for them to put maniquens at the table and horribly green screen there faces on them

[@allesterdark]

Pruitt clearly passed his charisma check with that joke

[@grosstoastie1216]

I think a good way to implement the confusion of battle and the split second decision making is to put a time limit on individual's turns. For example when someone's turn starts they have ~10-15 seconds to decide on an action and then they do all their rolls ect. Obviously this would only work with a somewhat experienced group but it has the added stress to where people and monsters can make mistakes and it would encourage players to come up with battle plans PRIOR to combat while also having that sense of panic when everything doesn't go according to plan.

[@dimondlord11]

When I was dm I made my people have 45 seconds for their round to make them panic a little they started planing out of combat to do formations and stuff it was pretty cool

[@SparrowhawkTheKind]

This might be my favorite video you've ever done. Thanks guys

[@BigJCrimson]

I have to say, I REALLY LIKE the addition of images when you guys are talking. I don't know if you have always done it and I am only seeing it now, or you are trying something new. But when you name a type of warrior, and then show us a picture, I find that engaging. So thumbs up.

[@89Dienekes]

Awesome discussion. Though for the point on the use and usefulness of heavy cavalry. I'd argue that there was a period where they were undoubtedly the most important piece on the open battlefield. But that period was prior to the period of knights we usually think about with the white plate armor. For reference, the completion of plate armor is considered to be around 1420. The battle of Agincourt was 1415 (which was not really as big a hit against heavy cavalry as is commonly considered, but did prove them to be defeatable). Meanwhile going back to the Mongolian invasions of Hungary both the first (1241) and second (1285), and you can see just how effective heavy cavalry can be at their height. This is an incredibly brief look here. But during the first invasion the Hungarians fielded a predominantly light and medium cavalry force with one group of heavily armored templar. And the Mongols picked them apart. However, after the major battle of Mohi the Hungarian leaders looked over casualty lists and discovered that the templar force, which had led several charges and engaged the mongols directly only had a handful of losses. So the Hungarian kings vastly reconstructed their army, so that when the mongols invaded again some time later a predominantly heavy cavalry force crushed them. This was the period where heavy cavalry was the dominant force on the battlefield. But you are right, by the time of guns were common and plate had become so cheap that even some infantry could afford munitions plate. Then the heavy cavalry had become still useful -there are still battles that are determined by cavalry charges- but not nearly as central to tactics as they were a couple centuries before.

[@AGrumpyPanda]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the Cataphractii, the heavy cavalry so impactful that there was an entire mini-arms race around dealing with them that ended up in the Romans just deciding to adopt the use of Cataphracts themselves.

[@danvanoss235]

I’m loving these history based episodes. Keep em coming!

[@colin8321]

Dope editing on this one! It's like nothing's changed.

[@thecatboycafe]

I love this channel, you guys produce amazing content that I listen to almost everyday at work. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@soulknife20]

My mount dying is the reason I took Find Greater Steed as a Paladin.

[@DAEDRICDUKE1]

Hope you flavoured it as resurrecting the soul of your brave companion.

[@markrajca6783]

Love this topic, I’ve I envisioned hussars and mounted archers for cavaliers and ranges for a long time

[@kenansinav1]

Man I'm really liking this history plus dnd episodes! Hope we get more

[@Illnorean]

Oh man, y’all barely mentioned my favorite type of cavalry toward the end, that I think would work super well for PC’s. DRAGOONS!!!!!!!

[@crabmaster8174]

Great Historical video, really was what I needed!

[@edwissing7212]

I really appreciate the history. Thanks, guys! Keep it up.

[@R2-DPOO]

Just wanna say what a great episode this was. Genuinely one of my favourites. Production value was excellent, really felt like you guys where in the room together. Sound quality was top notch.

[@Chatedh]

Let's go centaur. All the benefits of a horse and none of the drawbacks

[@Bluecho4]

Well, except terrain can be a pain. Centaurs have trouble climbing.

[@Chatedh]

@@Bluecho4 not if you (like me) pick features to get climbing speed.

[@kylethomas9130]

@@Chatedh Level 3 Thief?

[@dougmartin2007]

@@Bluecho4 I was about to say "stairs"

[@baronaatista]

This is a great discussion with a lot of interesting points; one thing I personally would like to see you guys do in these kinds of videos; go over the existing rules for mounted combat, and try to get specific about what they lack, and maybe suggest additions or changes.

[@ethanm2926]

Thank you im so glad you guys got around to mounted combat i really appreciate the video and i think ill try to incorperate some of these idea into my current character who is an aging noble/ past general and is a heavy cavalry combatant who i also have plans to get more exotic mounts in the future. Love the depth and nuance of the discussion keep it up!

[@racekitty]

I had a encounter once with regular bandits mounted with short bows it was considered one of our favorite/hated encounters because of the harassment hit and run tactics but later the party used similar tactics when dealing with a dragon.

[@GuffeyYT]

Thanks for this amazing discussion, you guys.

[@smoothitalianleathereater6045]

Thank you so much for posting this. I'm a long time DM and this has been an unanswered question of mine! Also: corb Lund has some excellent cavalry songs

[@KevShaw808]

I have the strongest desire to build Gyobu Oniwa from Sekrio after watching this video. Start every fight with his entrance line. Thanks for the educational content!

[@osmium6832]

I think the spell "heat metal" would encourage D&D mounted fighters to use exclusively non-metal materials to fasten saddles and bridles. In addition to breaking buckles, imagine the bit boiling the inside of a horse's mouth and stopping a charge in its tracks. It's only a single target spell available to druids and bards, so you couldn't metamagic it to cast it from further than 60 feet away or twin it, but it'd take down an important enemy's armored mount pretty easily. That horse's armored plate could arguably harm both the horse and the rider. Depending on the level of magic in a campaign, culture would have to adapt to that and put something like monster chitin plates on the side of a horse if they wanted heavy cavalry.

[@kylethomas9130]

DM: So why did you go Multiclassing Bard and Sorcerer? PC: Well...

[@jonsimpson6240]

My favorite is centaurs riding centaurs. It's great.

[@jacopobertolotti5025]

This is the content I love you for! 🤩

[@cossackhetman]

So glad you covered this. Was literally trying to digest the sporadic material out there for a game im running and just got frustrated. Thanks for clarifying an important thing to menat least as a Cossack, I need mounted combat in my games hahah. Hats off Jim and Pruitt!

[@revelthemad]

Yo, as soon as I saw the low rez floating heads over where they usually sit I started dying laughing! I love these guys and their dedication, keep up the great work fellas! Much love, stay safe

[@user-ll9nl8gu5u]

Everybody gangsta till the knight rides a centaur into battle

[@RealPhuggly]

I’d like to play a Gnome Battle Smith Artificer, and use the Steel Defender as a mount.

[@Frederic_S]

I love it how history and manga references are mixed up all the time :D

[@dougmartin2007]

I ran a mounted campaign, and it was awesome! The party fought goblins on wolves, goblins on elephants, undead mounted on skeletal steeds, Qirin, which are like a scaled horses that have fire auras, etc. One time they borrowed some hippogryph to fight in the plane of air. Some notes: Lances are devastating! Most creatures die from one hit. Horse archery has the ability to be where they want and shoot great distances, making them tough to handle. My approach was to never nerf the player abilities but instead have creatures either be tough, numerous, or smart. Your players have to understand that initiative is not a bunch of people stopping and waiting for their opponents to do something. Everyone is going at once and initiative keeps it organized. I was running Pathfinder 1 Ed. And that system expects you to run up to your opponent and stand there. Mounted combat has to be if you stop moving you are dead. Players could make one strike as their mount moved past someone. Multiple attacks would have to be split on to different targets. Charges would always end up moving past someone. Lastly, I found I needed a whole new scale to my map. You can't just say horses are twice as fast therefore the rooms are twice as big. I instead made my combat maps on tabloid sized graph paper. I highly recommend running something like this!

[@shelteredchild8008]

Ah yes I've been needing this episode I have a cavalier fighter who just got a large cockatrice as a mount.

[@jey_247]

I'm loving this video. Gimme all the history bois!

[@godsamongmen8003]

The great thing about playing a fantasy game like D&D is that you can play a small humanoid on a medium mount. That horse may not fit in a dungeon, but a gnome on a mastiff is no problem. The phantom steed spell specifies a large mount, and I wonder if they were trying to avoid letting you take your mount indoors by not allowing a smaller size?

[@whiskeyhound]

That might be part of it, plus them not wanting to make spells size specific, like Enlarge which can make a small creature like a dwarf hit harder than a medium creature by becoming a medium creature, Find Steed is most likely built around the idea that most PC races are medium sized and there's nothing stopping a small creature from riding a large mount.

[@stevemorris3746]

I have been working on this character that would be considered light cavalry. He is a Kobold beast master ranger with a giant wolf spider companion. The idea was to use the high stealth and spider climb abilities to get into areas other mounts can't get into and use archery, ambushes, traps and guerilla warfare to support the party. I also wanted to use the mount as kind of a light pack animal to compliment a kobolds lack of strength.

[@starstuff84]

The one DM I had that did mounted combat in the campaign treated it similar to a wizard and familiar or Ranger with a pet. As a Battle master fighter on a trained warhorse that could use Commander's strike maneuver to allow the horse to make a kick or bite attack.

[@williamings773]

One of the best inspirations for fantasy cavalry is Warhammer. KZbin is full of clips from Warhammer Total War that show them on monster mounts from Goblin Wolf Riders to Elf Dragon Princes, they even have Lizardmen riding dinosaurs.

[@williamings773]

Pruitt with the bardic inspiration IRL.

[@greenhawk3796]

2 hours after I told my group that I was going to include mounted combat (which none of us have tried) this video came out. I then saw it 2 days after lol. Also, you guys gave me an idea for my next character

[@TeganRhodes]

Finally! :) I've been waiting on a feature on mounted combat. Hoping you get into Comanche horsemanship and how it can be used in a setting.

[@NMahon]

Mongolian horse archers have really cool tactics! They basically used the same tactics that they use to hunt with by flanking and ushering animals into a middle point and encircling them. Basically the same tactics were applied to humans then!

[@inkblotCrisis]

Whenever I play a Paladin I always grab Find Steed, always. There's an edge of being able to call upon a mount just about anywhere and almost no need for checks since you're basically mentally linked ala those flying creatures from Avatar (the smurf one).

[@brianthegreat5994]

I mean it kind of works for both

[@prkr07]

Ideally, a dragon rider's role would probably shift as their mount grows (always presuming that the rider can live to a comparable age), and the role of the dragon too. A young dragon, being more impetuous and roughly horse-sized (depending on species) could work as winged cavalry that closes distance quickly and can fight independently. An adult dragon would be better as a mobile artillery platform, where its rider(s) would use heavy ranged weapons or spells to break up enemy lines and formations, with the dragon enabling them to "carpet-bomb" with fireballs or similar. An ancient dragon would be more like a mobile command fortress, flying high overhead to get a fuller view of the battlefield. Its riders would be more like a support staff, sending messages to the troops and healing/supporting the dragon as needed. Just my thoughts, though.

[@XoRandomGuyoX]

Yeah, I see Dragon Cavalry as Spellcasters with the Spell Sniper feat, hurling attacks from hundreds of feet away, and able to bomb anything on the ground where only Longbows would have a chance of reaching up to counterattack.

[@IndorilNerevar-MoonandStar]

I have to say this because it happened, Jim Davis without a beard freaking the hell out.

[@TheSubscriberWithNothing]

I’m playing a cavalier fighter, and I can say with absolute certainty that the best mount is a centaur monk and/or barbarian PC.

[@andrewshewan4551]

I'd prefer more of these history focused episodes.

[@EviscerVIII]

Good choice to have the mounted busts on your old background.

[@maxnordlund7928]

Might be worth mentioning that at least in the early days of plate armor most of the heavy cavalry also served as medium cavalry and sometimes light with their horse (and at times parts of the human) armor left behind in the camp or on wagons

[@markrajca6783]

If you add moral from things like war hammer table top, you can get a lot out of a charge, or ‘cause fear’ / ‘shock’ to cause enemies to flee, then getting to use reactions to attack them, goes a long way, and then you still need to not get knocked down after the enemy uses all its reactions to attack you as you exfiltrate, this really comes down to scale of the engagement, otherwise it’s all just skirmishing otherwise.

[@apollo3604]

This couldnt have come at a better time. As a have Kobold Beast Master ranger who is going to ride a boar. First session is next week.