Charging w/ Ride-by Attack

[The_Hanged_Man]

Just curious. How do people read the rules for this? It seems like everybody has a unique houserule.

[Username17]

Everyone has a unique house rule.

3.5's charging rules are a hillarious rendition of the Keystone Cops. Evidentally, Andy really hates people who have charge based strategies, and thusly put a long list of restrictions on when and how one was allowed to declare charge actions.

As printed, it is actually impossible to declare a ride-by attack, because:

1. You have to charge into the square directly in front of your opponent (if an ally, or any other object or creature is in that square or even partially on a direct line between you and that square, your charge fails). So since RBA doesn't solve that problem, you'd just have to overrun. But...

2. You can't overrun as part of a charge. Unless you have Trample. But...

3. Even Trample won't let you perform this action because your mount is charging the enemy you are actually attacking, which prevents you from trampling that enemy.

So, um... yeah, you can't use that feat under any circumstances.

Now, many people use the 3rd edition rules for charges, in which you just moved by them and took your attack with the +2 for charging on your way past. Many people also develope their own kludges on the system in order to maintain 3.5 compliance nominally while still allowing the feat to function.

Fundamentally, the 3.5 Charge Rules are completely non-functional and have to go. The only ways in which they are different from the 3e charging rules (the inability to charge towards the flank of an enemy, the inability to make a partial charge if you aren't a zombie, the inability to overrun as part of a charge, and the inability to coordinate charges with friends) are all unmitigated shit and cause severe problems.

Like the Rideby Attack fiasco.

-Username17

[Count Arioch the 28th]

Yeah, WTF?

I don't seem to remember anyone authoring a "3.0 charge is b0rken!" thread on wizards.com at any time, why did they change it?

But then again, there was thousands of "Druids are overpowered" threads and thye actually made them better now.

But then again, you have to take into account that the D&D designers are delicate sensitive creatures, who are crushed my any form of criticism, and we must hide it away from them or they might wilt away.

[Username17]

Also note the stealth-nerf of the Horse's new facing. It now needs to have a clear area 2 squares wide to charge through that doesn't have any friends or foes in it under 3.5.

So even if you hand-wave the flank-charge limitation and the charge-end limitation, you still have to be able to draw a 10' wide path next to the enemy or your horse can't fit.

[sarcasm]Because as we all know, loose skimishers have always been easily able to repel any attempt by mounted combatants to run them down. The field of battle has never gone to the armored knight over the loose skirmersher formation because naturally skirmishers act like trees with regards to fouling up horse movement. [/sarcasm]

-Username17

[Thoth_Amon]

Well... They did nerf Rhino hide and other charge multipliers... That might have been OK if they didn't simply prevent you from charging.