Topic: Handling charging (mounted and dismounted)

[buccaneer_dk]

Hi all,

Been reading a lot on this forum the past few days (and frankly I can't believe, I never registered till now).

I've played with a group for more than 12 years, and we've made quite a few house rules, some of which have been inspired by you guys (an ex-player used this forum a lot).

We've had a few different ways of handling charges, but now we'd like to get it fixed 

Therefore I now ask you all:

How do you handle charging by foot and by horse? Which bonus do you use, and is there a damage multiplier?

We've got a few things sorted out already. For example the charging party cannot parry (so you really want to have the longer weapon if you're charging) or it should be penalized heavily. We feel that it doesnt make sense that charging at full speed, you can dodge / and parry as easily as standing with two feet on the ground.
What we really can't agree on, is how big bonusses to OB should be when charging, and how much of an impact being mounted should have.

Thank you for any suggestions you might have 

Best Regards,

[yammahoper]

+1 OB mod per 10ft/rnd of speed.  This rule can be modified based on weapon type used to charge with (see RM Companion III for a good right up on charging rules).

Longest weapon on the 1st melee rnd recieves a +15 init mod, so pole arms and the like should win init.

[Nejira]

Hi buccaneer_dk and welcome to the board

I used the rules from RMC: +1 OB mod per 10ft/rnd of speed. Though max +50. THe OB mod is deducted from the DB of the attacker as well.

Then I use a houserule for mounted: If you are charging on a horse you deal an unbalancing critical of one level less in severity than the original critical. I dont allow the horse to attack as well with a charge.

[Hurin]

Good topic... I was about to start one like this myself, as the characters in the campaign I'm running have started to charge around like madmen (and women).

One question I have is, how much can you move and still attack without any minus?

I've never been a big fan of the core Rolemaster simultaneous movement and initiative system, so I use a modified form of the DnD movement/initiative rules. How does my system work? Like this: you can move up to 1x and do a full attack (i.e. no minuses to your OB for moving) or you can do a 2x move and a charge attack (+1 for every 10 feet moved, or +1 for every 5 feet if you have a weapon designed for charging, like a lance or sabre), although you don't get any quickness bonus to your DB and can't parry if you charge. It is currently not possible to move more than 3x and attack in the same round unless you are mounted on some sort of riding animal (and that animal is doing the move). But if you were on a warhorse and IT could move 5x, then you could do a full charge on it and still get an attack.

Anyhoo, those are some thoughts. My main question is: in the normal RM2 or even the companion rules, how far can you move and still get a full attack? Is it 5x? Or does doing an all-out dash not give you a minus to your OB?

Cheers

[markc]

buccaneer_dk,
 Welcome to the forums.

 I think I might use the rules above but limit the bonus to +50 or 50% of there OB, which ever is lower.

MDC

[morokolli]

Hello everyone!

Ive been also reading this forum for a while now and found many answers to questions I was wondering about so thank you all for them.

But still one thing is bothering me about charging with an animal that has an attack for butt/bash

I have a player who is a lossoth with a polar bear for a steed and he is planning on using lance with it.

So my question to u sirs is: If a player charges with the lance can he at the same time make a bash attack for the bear with the same bonuses?

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

The bear would have its own OB, it would not use any of the rider's OB. In fact, the rider trying to control the mount to make the lance attack is likely to throw off the bear's OB

Also, charging (and hitting) with a lance is going to happen before the bash attack of the bear and the force of the impact is likely to throw off the bash attack so that it does not happen.

Simply put, I would rule that only one attack may be made per charge

[kevinmccollum]

According to the old Creatures and Treasures and the RMSS Creatures and Monsters, a horse (I would say mount) charging a foe may attempt to knock down and trample a foe using the "charging" attacks given. The rider may also attack during a charge attack if a successful riding manuever is made.  I have been allowing this from my beginning days of Rolemaster but people rarely take advantage of it. Not many people develop a lot of skill at riding so they don't want to take OB penalties for fighting on horseback (or bear, pig, whatever)

[markc]

According to the old Creatures and Treasures and the RMSS Creatures and Monsters, a horse (I would say mount) charging a foe may attempt to knock down and trample a foe using the "charging" attacks given. The rider may also attack during a charge attack if a successful riding manuever is made.  I have been allowing this from my beginning days of Rolemaster but people rarely take advantage of it. Not many people develop a lot of skill at riding so they don't want to take OB penalties for fighting on horseback (or bear, pig, whatever)

 I think also the rider and horse have to train together to achieve both attacks.
MDC

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

Kevin - allowing a rider to make an attack (i.e. swing a melee weapon) on a foe that the mount has charged would not, IMO, be the same as 2 charging attacks in the same round (which is what he was asking about).

[morokolli]

Thank you guys for ur insight on the issue.

The idea about a succesful riding manouver for both of the attacks to succeed is probably the way im going to go and as far as the +1/10? charging bonus it will only apply to the first strike which is the lance attack.