Vehicle Rules

Vehicle rules

There are two kinds of vehicles: mechanical vehicles and animal vehicles.

Fighting with mechanical vehicles is called [Driving], and fighting with animal vehicles is called [Mounted Combat].

A vehicle's Essence: vehicles come in four Essences: Natural, Technological, Magical, and Anomalous.

Natural Essence is usually a warhorse, or a manufactured creature that exists in the real world.

Technological Essence can be manufactured, but is vulnerable to a Film's technology suppression. It usually means a mechanical vehicle built by technological means. As soon as a vehicle uses any supernatural part, it is no longer a technological vehicle. For example, a Gundam is a technological vehicle, but a Zeta Gundam that drives funnels with a psychoframe isn't.

Magical Essence can be a vehicle from a world of the Magical Essence. It can be mechanical (such as Ryujinmaru) or a creature (such as a nightmare steed).

Anomalous Essence means any vehicle that isn't Magical or Technological Essence, such as a Zeta Gundam that drives funnels with a psychoframe.

Basic traits of mechanical vehicles:

[Object]: unless stated otherwise, a mechanical vehicle usually counts as an item, not a creature, so damage to it is worked out as for an item. For example, it is immune to mental damage and poison damage.

Because a vehicle needs power and isn't a creature, it is immune to mind-affecting effects, disease and poison, elation points, the manic condition, dejection points, the world-weary condition, charm points, the infatuated condition, fear points, terror, the asleep condition, tinnitus points, the deafened condition, dazzle points, the blinded condition, nausea points, the nauseated condition, mental bind points, pain points, fatigue points, stun points, and bleed points. The ST rules on other special states or condition points.

[Driver]: any mind-affecting effect, any ability opposed by a Will save roll, and elation points, the manic condition, dejection points, the world-weary condition, charm points, the infatuated condition, fear points, terror, the asleep condition, tinnitus points, the deafened condition, dazzle points, the blinded condition, nausea points, the nauseated condition, mental bind points, pain points, fatigue points, stun points, bleed points, mental damage, and poison damage can ignore the [Sealed] trait that comes from the "Enclosed Vehicle" trait and affect the driver directly, unless the driver has a matching way to ignore them (such as closing their eyes to ignore dazzle points).

Instant death effects, causality effects, time effects, space effects, banishment, imprisonment, and all similar effects work on the vehicle and the driver together as normal. For abilities that work on both together, if the driver is immune to the effect, the vehicle is immune too.

Example 1: an instant death effect used on the driver can still target the driver directly, even though the driver is in a fighter jet and fully enclosed.

Example 2: when a vehicle is attacked with mental damage, the driver takes the damage. Note that if it is an area effect, the [Sealed] trait from "Enclosed Vehicle" applies as normal.

Example 3: when a vehicle is attacked with poison damage, the driver takes the damage. Note that if it is an area effect, the [Sealed] trait from "Enclosed Vehicle" applies as normal.

Example 4: when a vehicle is teleported, the driver inside is teleported with it. When the driver is teleported, the vehicle isn't, unless stated otherwise.

Example 5: when hit by a time effect, the vehicle and the driver inside suffer it together; if the driver is immune to the effect, so is the vehicle.

Example 6: banishment, imprisonment, and similar effects are suffered by the vehicle and the driver inside together; if the driver is immune to the effect, so is the vehicle.

Example 7: if fear points are used on a vehicle, the driver suffers the effect. Note that if the points come with damage, such as "deals fear points equal to the damage you deal this time", and the damage lands on the vehicle, the follow-up points can't affect the driver.

Example 8: poison gas abilities affect the driver as normal. If it is area damage, "Enclosed Vehicle" applies as normal; if not, "Enclosed Vehicle" doesn't apply. With [Hazard-Proof] or a similar ability, you are immune to inhaled gases.

Example 9: if an effect deals damage to the target and then causes instant death, causality, time, space, banishment, imprisonment, or a similar effect based on that damage, and the damage lands on the vehicle, the follow-up effect can't affect the driver.

Example 10: if the driver has an ability to move outside their turn, they can drive the vehicle for that move instead. But any movement-related ability the driver gains, such as a swim speed, climb speed, extra base movement, flight, or travel speed, isn't gained by the vehicle, and vice versa.

[Enclosed Vehicle]: unless stated otherwise, vehicles other than light vehicles are usually enclosed. They have the [Sealed] trait at a value equal to their armor. Creatures outside the vehicle have no line of sight or line of effect to creatures inside, and vice versa, so the vast majority of effects, helpful or not, can't reach the driver through the vehicle, and likewise the driver can't directly affect targets other than the driver.

[Independent]: unless stated otherwise, the driver's abilities and the vehicle's abilities are basically unrelated. Unless the ability or vehicle says otherwise, a driver who can make a two-blade combo doesn't mean they can do it with the vehicle, or that the vehicle can do it.

When using a vehicle for Physical Skill rolls, whatever Skill would normally be used, the roll now always uses Drive, but Specialties in the original Skill still apply as normal.

When the driver uses active abilities based on Mental or Social Skills (not including mind rolls), unless stated otherwise, they can't affect the outside world, only units in the cockpit and the vehicle itself.

Attacking with the vehicle's weapons usually doesn't count as the character making an attack roll (so effects that give bonuses to the character's attack rolls don't apply, unless they say they work on vehicles), and doesn't count as Firearms shooting (so the "Gunslinger" Title, "Gun Kata", and similar abilities don't work), even though the roll may use Firearms as its key Skill to set its DP and extra successes.

But in any case, abilities that simply "give a bonus or penalty to rolls with the relevant Skill or Attribute" still affect it.

When the vehicle the driver is driving is affected, the driver can trigger "when you are affected" and similar abilities. The driver's immunities don't mean the vehicle has them too, unless stated otherwise, but when the effect affects the driver, they apply as normal.

[Shared]: you may have special abilities on yourself whose condition is not taking certain actions, such as not attacking, casting, or moving. If you are in a vehicle as its driver, the attacks, casting, movement, and so on that you perform with the vehicle immediately affect such abilities. If you aren't the driver, just a passenger, the driver's attacks, casting, movement, and similar actions have nothing to do with you. But as soon as you yourself move, attack, or cast inside the vehicle or on its surface, it still affects such abilities.

[Unit]: a vehicle is treated as a unit as normal. It can count as an allied or enemy unit, and benefits as normal from effects that work on units and targets. But a mechanical vehicle doesn't benefit from effects that can only be given to creatures, including abilities only creatures can enjoy, such as recovering Health, recovering Willpower, or gaining Natural Armor.

When a vehicle has no driver, attackers can attack it as if making a coup de grace.

[Weapons]: unless stated otherwise, a combat robot's hands and legs are 0L natural weapons by default, and exclusive weapons used by a vehicle aren't limited by the vehicle's size.

[Bonuses]: a vehicle can gain any bonus as normal except Natural Armor; all its other bonus types can come from its own training, buff magic, or other effects.

Example: if an ability says "Target: one target. Effect: its Firearms attack rolls gain a 6 DP equipment bonus", it can work on either the driver or the vehicle. The difference is that when it works on the driver, the driver keeps it when switching vehicles; when it works on the vehicle, a new driver gets it too, and the driver loses it after leaving the vehicle. If both the driver and the vehicle have it, use the highest.

[Equipment]: unless stated otherwise, a combat robot has equipment slots for both hands. Apart from that, unless stated otherwise, vehicles have no equipment slots.

[Power Supply]: unless stated otherwise, a D-Rank vehicle runs for a day on one standard energy cell or fuel worth the same points; a C-Rank vehicle needs a large energy cell or fuel worth the same points to run for a day; a B-Rank vehicle runs for two days on one fusion energy cell; an A-Rank vehicle runs for one day on one fusion energy cell; and an S-Rank vehicle counts as having an unlimited power source and needs no extra payment.

[Fixed Speed]: unless an ability says so, moving with a vehicle doesn't count as the character's own movement, so it isn't affected by the matching abilities.

[Damage Cap]: the damage caps of vehicle weapons change as follows:

For fighting styles that use Strength for the damage cap, Strength becomes the vehicle's Output.

For fighting styles that use Dexterity for the damage cap, Dexterity becomes the vehicle's Handling.

Special: if you have an ability that lets you use Dexterity or Strength in place of the other for an attack's damage cap, it works as normal. If you have an ability that raises your own damage cap, it doesn't work on the vehicle.

Fighting styles that don't use an Attribute for the damage cap don't change.

[Fuel and Ammo]: if a vehicle includes fuel or weapon ammo bought with points and/or Rank, buying the vehicle comes with a full tank and ammo equal to its maximum ammo load. Anything beyond that must be bought separately.

Basic properties of mechanical vehicles:

[Size]: a vehicle's Size is usually set by its size in the source material. Vehicles are usually manufactured objects designed to be large, and they get some advantage when it comes to the effects of Size. For every 10 points of Size above 10 (reaching 20, 30, 40, and so on), the vehicle gets -1 to Base Defense and +1 to armor. If a vehicle's Size is above 10, then when it attacks a target of Size below 10 with vehicle weapons, it takes a -1 DP penalty for each point the target is below 10. This penalty from the difference in Size only applies once, so even a Size 50 Zaku firing an anti-MS bazooka at a Size 5 human only takes a -5 penalty.

Special: a vehicle's defense modifier can lower its Dodge Defense to 0; the rest then starts to affect Base Defense. If Base Defense drops to 0 this way, it doesn't affect any other defense.

[Structure (Health)]: Structure (Health) is the most damage a vehicle can take before it is destroyed.

Unless stated otherwise, a vehicle can't gain abilities that affect Health, whether raising or lowering the maximum, and isn't affected by temporary HP.

Also, a vehicle has only one track of Health, so it is immune to bashing damage. When it takes aggravated damage, it takes the same amount of lethal damage instead, and when it takes unavoidable bashing damage, it takes the same amount of unavoidable lethal damage instead.

[Armor]: armor is the vehicle's Natural Armor on defense, and is affected by [Armor Piercing]. A vehicle can't gain Natural Armor, and abilities that affect Natural Armor can't affect vehicles.

[Hardness]: Hardness is the vehicle's ability to resist damage. Each point of Hardness negates 1 point of physical damage; for its effect on energy damage, see the "Damage Types" page. Armor Piercing that is left over after getting through the armor gets through Hardness too.

[Speed]: Speed is the vehicle's top movement speed.

[Acceleration]: Acceleration is the speed the vehicle can add each turn. It is usually 1/5 of the top speed, and rises in proportion when the top speed rises.

[Threshold]: in general, a vehicle's great size lets it ignore some light damage. A vehicle with a damage threshold is immune to all damage below its threshold; when it takes damage equal to or above its threshold, it takes the damage as normal. No damage below the threshold lowers the vehicle's Structure.

[Mobility]: even ground vehicles usually can't turn as freely as a person, so ground vehicles have mobility just like flying units. Mobility affects how the vehicle moves, and also changes its Base Defense. A vehicle's standard mobility is average.

[Output]: a vehicle's Output is the most strength it can provide, and it gains the benefits of Legendary Strength as normal.

[Handling]: a vehicle's Handling is the most dexterity it can provide, and it gains the benefits of Legendary Dexterity as normal.

[Base Defense]: a vehicle's Base Defense is the lower of the driver's Dexterity and Perception, up to the vehicle's Handling. It gains the defense extra successes from Legendary Dexterity and Legendary Perception as normal, plus other effects that raise Base Defense; that part can exceed the vehicle's Handling.

[The three saves]:

Fortitude save: a vehicle ignores all rolls that call for a Fortitude save. If the effect also works on non-creatures (the ability must say so, or it must be a condition that can work on vehicles, such as freeze points or burn points), use its Hardness directly as the Fortitude result.

Reflex roll: a vehicle's Reflex is the lower of the vehicle's Handling and the driver's INT, + Drive (matching vehicle type) rating. Depending on whether Handling or Intelligence is used, it gains a perfect bonus of the matching Legendary Attribute x 3 DP, which replaces the perfect bonus that Dexterity normally gives to a Reflex save.

Will save: a vehicle ignores all rolls that call for a Will save. If the effect targets the driver, the driver saves with their own Will.

Special: if you buy a mechanical vehicle in the Overseer's Space in the normal way, you get a matching transformation capsule, automatically bound to that vehicle. If you build the vehicle yourself or get it some other way, you don't get a capsule.

For vehicles and combat robots that don't list Output or Handling, when Output or Handling is needed, use:

D-Rank vehicle: Output 6, Handling 6

C-Rank vehicle: Output 11, Handling 11

B-Rank vehicle: Output 16, Handling 16

A-Rank vehicle: Output 21, Handling 21

S-Rank vehicle: Output 31, Handling 31

Mechanical vehicles come in three kinds: light vehicles, heavy vehicles, and combat robots.

Light vehicles

Can be operated by one person. Besides the driver, they can carry at most 1 or 2 creatures of the driver's race or smaller.

In general, light vehicles don't have the [Enclosed Vehicle] trait, so the driver and passengers can be attacked directly and use their own defenses.

You can use ways of moving other than the vehicle; in that case the vehicle counts as an item you are carrying, and you must carry it in a suitable way and be strong enough.

Because of how they are built, light vehicles usually can't grapple, overrun, trip, bull rush, feint, aid, parry, take total defense, or make an all-out attack. But since they don't have the [Enclosed Vehicle] trait, their driver and passengers can do these things as normal.

As a special case, a vehicle can't make a bull rush the way a character can; it can only make the ram in the vehicle attack actions. Called shots and coups de grace can be made as normal.

Light vehicles are immune to the prone condition.

Heavy vehicles

Often need several people to use all their functions, and can carry many passengers or a lot of cargo.

They can give the driver thorough protection.

While inside the vehicle, you can't use your own way of moving to move with the vehicle.

Because of how they are built, heavy vehicles usually can't grapple, overrun, trip, bull rush, feint, aid, parry, take total defense, or make an all-out attack.

As a special case, a vehicle can't make a bull rush the way a character can; it can only make the ram in the vehicle attack actions. Called shots and coups de grace can be made as normal.

Heavy vehicles are immune to the prone condition.

Combat robots

Can usually be operated by one person, and can't carry any more crew.

They can give the driver thorough protection.

Combat robots: combat robots are a middle ground between the two, with fully standard values. Only combat robots can use humanoid combat options, such as all-out attacks, charge attacks, grapples, trips, feints, aid, and throwing a target.

Combat robots can make bull rushes as normal (note the change to the relevant Attribute rolls) as well as the ram in the vehicle attack actions, and can make called shots and coups de grace as normal.

Common actions when driving mechanical vehicles:

The driver's actions:

Entering a vehicle: unless stated otherwise, entering a vehicle of Size 10 or less is a move action. For vehicles above Size 10, each 20 points of Size above 10 takes an extra move action.

Bailing out: the driver can jump out of the vehicle as a move action, leaving it to carry on by itself. You take falling damage as if falling from a height equal to the vehicle's current speed, and can reduce it with Reflex as normal; see the falling damage rules.

Control stations:

Every vehicle has a core control station, and the driver must be at it to drive the vehicle.

Once a control station has been used, it can't be used again until the start of that driver's next turn. Each control station can only have one driver at a time.

Unless stated otherwise, the control station controls both the vehicle and its weapons.

Creatures not at a control station can sit in a passenger seat or cling to the outside of the vehicle. Creatures in this state can act as normal.

Vehicle movement:

Moving: once per turn, as a move action, you move the vehicle a distance equal to its current speed.

Each time before the vehicle moves with a move action, the driver first decides whether to "accelerate", "brake", or "hold speed". The vehicle then moves accordingly.

Accelerate: the vehicle's speed rises by one Acceleration, up to its [Speed].

Brake: the vehicle's speed drops by one Acceleration, down to 0 at most.

Hold speed: the vehicle keeps its previous speed unchanged.

If you don't spend a move action moving the vehicle this turn, it automatically moves its current speed in the direction you last moved. This move can't change direction, which may lead to a collision.

Emergency brake: as an immediate action or a swift action, you make a roll of the lower of DEX or INT + Drive (matching vehicle Specialty). For every 2 successes, the vehicle's speed drops by one level of Acceleration.

Vehicle attack actions:

Attacking with the vehicle's weapons: attacking with each group of the vehicle's weapons is a standard action. In the attack roll, the Attribute becomes the lower of the vehicle's Output or Handling and the driver's INT, and the Skill becomes the driver's Drive.

The damage cap is set by the vehicle's Output and Handling.

The other rules are the same as the normal combat rules.

Running over / ramming: if the vehicle meets an obstacle while moving, it rams the obstacle if the obstacle's Size is above half the vehicle's, and runs it over otherwise. Whether ramming or running over, it only happens once per turn against the same obstacle.

When this happens, if the driver drove the vehicle normally this round (spending a move action to drive it), they can make an INT + Drive (matching vehicle Specialty) roll and note the successes.

The vehicle and the obstacle both take physical lethal damage equal to the current speed / 10 (capped as for falling damage / falling object damage). This damage ignores the vehicle's armor, but its Hardness applies as normal. The crew inside take physical lethal damage equal to half the damage the vehicle takes.

If the obstacle is alive, it can make a Reflex save to reduce the damage, each success saving against 1 damage. If the target reduces the damage by its Reflex save or by the driver's evasion, the vehicle's damage drops by the same amount, and so does the driver's.

The driver can choose to use the successes from the roll they just made. If they mean to ram the target, the target's Reflex save loses DP equal to the driver's successes. If they mean to avoid damage, each success lowers the damage the target takes by 1.

If it is a ram: the target is then knocked back 1 meter for each point of damage it takes.

If it is running over: if the vehicle ends up stopped on top of the obstacle it ran over, the target is grappled by the vehicle, and the difficulty to escape the grapple depends on the vehicle's size.

If a ram or running over succeeds but the target takes no damage, the vehicle's speed drops to 0 at once.

Head-on collision: if the target of a ram is also a vehicle and is moving, add the two speeds together to work out the ram damage (if they are moving in the same direction, subtract instead, the larger speed minus the smaller). Then both sides make an opposed roll of the driver's INT or the vehicle's Output + Drive (matching vehicle Specialty), and the loser is knocked back by the winner a number of meters equal to the margin of failure.

After a vehicle collision, both vehicles' current speed drops to 0.

Vehicle defensive actions:

Evasive maneuvers: as a move action, you give the vehicle a dodge bonus to defense and Reflex saves equal to your Drive rating. Combat robots can parry, but can't parry and use evasive maneuvers at the same time.

Total defense: the same as "total defense" in the battle rules.

Vehicle rollovers:

[Rollover]: a moving vehicle can also roll over, meaning it tips onto its side or turns completely over because of something outside or inside it. When a vehicle is in the [Rollover] state, it takes a full-turn action for the driver and passengers to get out of the overturned vehicle, and a full-turn action to get in.

[Righting]: an overturned vehicle can't be driven, meaning it can't move. To get it running normally, it must be [Righted], which also takes a full-turn action.

Under the carrying rules, several units can pool their strength: add up the Strength of everyone taking part, and if the total is enough to push or drag the vehicle, they can [Right] it.

In combat, when A [Rights] the vehicle, others can [Right] it together with A. If they do, A spends their full-turn action, and the others taking part lose a full-turn action on their own next turn.

Note: [Righting] an overturned vehicle usually requires units adjacent to the vehicle on the outside. As a special case, a vehicle shaped like a humanoid creature, such as a combat robot, counts as prone when in the [Rollover] state.

A vehicle may roll over in the following situations:

When the vehicle moves in combat and its current speed is above 3/4 of its Speed, it may roll over. The driver makes an INT + Drive roll at DC 6 to see whether it rolls over. The DC drops with the vehicle's size: for every 5 points of Size above 10, the DC drops by 1, down to 1 at least (so every vehicle, whatever its size, has some chance of rolling over).

Note: in some special terrain (such as slick ice or a downhill slope), the ST may raise the DC (for example, +2 on slick ice, or +1 or +2 on a downhill slope). The ST sets these extra DC changes based on the road conditions in the story.

When the vehicle rams another unit or is rammed by another vehicle, it may roll over. If the vehicle rams or is rammed, and the driver's Reflex save to avoid the ram damage comes to less than half the ram damage, the vehicle rolls over. If the vehicle collides with a unit or vehicle more than 3 times its own size (whether it rams or is rammed) and actually takes damage from the collision, the vehicle rolls over.
Other units can spend a standard action to try to flip a vehicle within their reach. Their Strength must be enough to push or drag the vehicle; then they make a STR roll against a DC equal to the vehicle's Size. If they succeed, they flip the vehicle and it rolls over. When another unit tries to flip the vehicle, the driver can make a Reflex save, and every 3 successes on it raise the DC by 1.
A flying vehicle doesn't roll over directly, but if the conditions above are met, it falls following the falling rules and takes falling damage as normal. If it doesn't manage to move by flying again before hitting the ground, it rolls over on the ground, just like any other overturned vehicle.

Vehicle explosions and disabling

When a vehicle's Structure reaches 0, the driver rolls a chance die. On a success, the vehicle is disabled. On a failure, the vehicle explodes in 1D10 rounds.

A disabled vehicle loses all actions and effects and loses its Base Defense, Dodge Defense, Insight Defense, and Parry Defense, but it can be salvaged and won't explode. Each time it takes damage while disabled, roll a chance die again; on a failure, it still explodes in 1D10 rounds.

When a vehicle explodes, it deals area physical damage equal to its Structure to all targets around it, including inside it, in a radius equal to its Size in meters. All targets in the area can make a Reflex save against the damage, each success lowering the damage by 1. Units still inside the vehicle can't make a Reflex save.

An exploded vehicle can't be salvaged; it is a total loss and can't be repaired.

Whether disabled or exploded, a vehicle can be treated as dead for rulings. Unless you return to the Overseer's Space, or something says otherwise, restoring Structure or similar repair methods can't get a disabled vehicle moving again.

Dealing with vehicles:

Attacking specific parts of a mechanical vehicle:

Attacking the fuel tank (reactor or similar) from outside: first make an extended INT + Science roll with an interval of a full-round action. Based on the Rank of the vehicle's blueprint, your Attributes, Science rating, and number of Specialties must meet the prerequisites for building that vehicle.

The DC is the vehicle's Rank x points / 500, rounded up; Unranked items succeed automatically. On a success, you find the enemy's weak spot.

You can take a 6-point called-shot penalty to make a normal attack. This attack's damage is doubled after applying the damage cap, and if the vehicle's Health drops to 0 because of it, it explodes at once.

If you have already read the vehicle's blueprint, you know the weak spot without a roll.

Attacking the driver from outside:

To attack the driver of a vehicle with [Enclosed Vehicle] from outside: first make an extended INT + Science roll with an interval of a full-round action. Based on the Rank of the vehicle's blueprint, your Attributes, Science rating, and number of Specialties must meet the prerequisites for building that vehicle.

The DC is the vehicle's Rank x points / 500, rounded up; Unranked items succeed automatically. On a success, you find where the enemy driver is.

To attack the driver, a ranged weapon must have the [Penetrating] trait; with a melee weapon, the target vehicle can't be more than 2 size categories larger than you (for example, if you are a Medium creature, the target vehicle can't be larger than Huge). Your attack takes a 6-point called-shot penalty, and on this defense the driver gains the vehicle's armor as extra armor bonus (stacking with their own armor) and the vehicle's Hardness as extra damage reduction.

If you have already read the vehicle's blueprint, or have an ability to see through it, you know the weak spot without a roll.

Fighting inside a vehicle:

Some large crewed vehicles can be broken open from outside, letting enemies get inside to fight.

Only weapons that deal [Slashing] or [Bludgeoning] damage can break through the outer armor. Means that deal area damage can also break through it.

Breaking through the outer armor requires the vehicle to be within the character's reach and a normal attack, but the attack deals no damage; instead, the damage adds up, and each time it exceeds the vehicle's Hardness, you make a hole of Size 1. The hole can be no larger than your weapon's Size (if you attack with Brawl, no larger than your own Size).

For each Size 1 hole, the vehicle's maximum Structure drops by 5. For every 10 points of Size above 10, the drop per Size 1 hole is 1 less, down to 1 at least.

When a vehicle with holes is at full Structure and keeps recovering Structure, each 2 extra points of Structure repairs a Size 1 hole. Recovering maximum Structure doesn't recover Structure.

Once a hole is large enough for a character to get in, the character can enter the vehicle.

Once inside, the character can wreck the vehicle by destroying its internal structure. This works like attacking from outside, but ignores the vehicle's Base Defense, and the vehicle itself can no longer attack that unit in any meaningful way.

Hacking a vehicle: vehicles with computer functions can usually be hacked; see device hacking in the misc. rules. You need a suitable way to hack the device (for example, many upgrades provide auto-adapting wireless interfaces, and you get close enough, or the vehicle can be reached over a wireless network, and so on). A successfully hacked vehicle is disabled.

Mounted combat rules:

These rules only apply to animal vehicles.

Your mount acts on your Initiative position. Your mount and you each have your own swift action, move action, and standard action.

Unless stated otherwise, you must spend your swift action each turn to control your mount; otherwise your mount can't act this round.

On your turn, you can use both your mount's actions and your own. Since you are riding the mount, when it moves, it carries you with it, and this only takes the mount's own matching action.

Note: a creature must have a "mount" description to be ridden as a mount. Otherwise, it can only be treated as clinging on or grappling, not riding.

Because you are riding, some of your actions are limited; unless stated otherwise, you can't use footwork arts or similar abilities.

Common actions in mounted combat:

Actions in mounted combat without special notes are the same as the basic combat actions.

Mounting and dismounting:

Mounting or dismounting is a move action.

You can make a DEX + Animal Ken (Riding) roll at DC 5; on a success, you can mount or dismount as a swift action.

Mounted charge:

A mounted charge costs both you and your mount a full-round action.

If your mount charges, its defense takes the penalty from charging, and its melee attack after the charge gains an enhancement bonus, as with a "charge".

If you make a melee attack after your mount charges, your melee attack can also gain the same DP enhancement bonus, but this doesn't lower your defense.

Picking up items:

Picking up an item is a move action.

You can pick up items while your mount is moving.

But sitting high up on a mount, it is usually hard to grab something off the ground. It takes a DEX + Athletics (Balance) roll against a DC equal to the mount's Size. On a success, you pick it up; on a failure with fewer successes than half the DC, the rider falls off.

Rider falls off:

If the rider falls off, work out falling damage from the mount's height (usually worked out from the mount's build and Size, or its flying height) + 3 meters. They can make a Reflex save, as in the falling damage rules.

In any case, if you take even 1 damage from this, you are prone.

If you lose consciousness on your mount, there is a 50% chance you stay in the saddle; otherwise you fall as normal.

Having lost its rider, your mount leaves the fight at once, unless it has its own will to fight.

Mount falls:

If your mount falls, the "rider falls off".

Casting while mounted:

When you cast while mounted, you need a concentration roll.

Special attacks:

While you are mounted, opponents can only target you or your mount with grapples, trips, and bull rushes; depending on which one they target, use your Attributes or your mount's to oppose.

While mounted, when you or your mount is grappled, tripped, or bull rushed (if possible), your Size counts as the rider's Size + the mount's Size.

When your mount is successfully tripped, bull rushed, or grappled, the "rider falls off".

When you are grappled, if the opponent forcibly moves you, you are no longer mounted.

When you are successfully tripped or bull rushed, the "rider falls off".