Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Mounted Combat

 Mounted Combat
type
FeatureClass
 Mounted Combat
label
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat
page
MountedCombat
 Mounted Combat
comment
The Cool Horse has always been useful in fiction for heroes in all ages of literature, but fictional representations of the blessed steeds are often quite different to reality. In mounted stage combat, the horses are perfectly happy to just stand still next to each other while their riders (pretend to) hack away at each other, something of a contrast to the heat of battle. The riders/fighters have to simultaneously guide the horses into moving around each other so as to make it look like something's happening. Mounted combat is shown in varying degrees of realism, like in the rest of fiction. For help deciding how realistic a scene is, consulting the Useful Notes section on mounted combat may be helpful.
This is generally not much used in tabletop RPGs, at least not by player characters due to mounted combat training being something of a Useless Useful Skill to most general-purpose adventuring parties (which don't generally "just happen" to be dedicated cavalry units as well and in any case can expect to see a fair bit of action in places where mounts are either a liability or flat-out unavailable). Suitable NPCs in appropriate environments are a different story.
In Video Games, horsemen tend to be very expensive, fast moving and powerful units which are excellent if you can afford them... but also tend to come with one cheap opposing unit which can stop them.
And of course, nobody ever targets (or even accidentally hits) the horses themselves.
See also:
Automaton Horses
Cavalry Officer
Horseback Heroism
Horse Archer
Horsing Around
Invulnerable Horses
Mounted Mook, for when the enemy grunts decide to turn this trick against you.
Onrushing Army, which is what all too many cavalries turn into in film.
 Mounted Combat
fetched
2024-02-09T05:44:32Z
 Mounted Combat
parsed
2024-02-09T05:44:32Z
 Mounted Combat
processingComment
Dropped link to CoolTank: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
 Mounted Combat
processingComment
Dropped link to WhenTreesAttack: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Mounted Combat
processingUnknown
CoolTank
 Mounted Combat
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Mounted Combat / int_16fc4335
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_16fc4335
comment
In the Heralds of Valdemar series, horse-based combat is fairly common, with divisions between skirmishers, light cavalry, and heavy cavalry. It's noted that these ranks are not interchangeable — when mercenary Kerowyn sees her fellows are going to be thrown at the enemy in a straight charge, she realizes their employer wants them dead. The horses also have to be trained for combat, and the riders need to know how to stay on. The best mounts are Warsteeds, who have a full combat repertoire of their own, or Companions, who are in a psychic link with their riders and don't need to be reined or steered.
 Mounted Combat / int_16fc4335
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_16fc4335
featureConfidence
1.0
 Heralds of Valdemar
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_16fc4335
 Mounted Combat / int_223c2a48
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_223c2a48
comment
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild makes it possible for your horse to take damage and die, in addition to letting you use a variety of melee weapons on horseback, doubling the damage of melee strikes done while galloping, and spawning mounted enemies in several areas.
 Mounted Combat / int_223c2a48
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_223c2a48
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_223c2a48
 Mounted Combat / int_2372359
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_2372359
comment
The Belgariad and sequels/prequels, with emphasis on Algarian Light Cavalry and Mimbrate Arend Heavy Cavalry.
 Mounted Combat / int_2372359
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_2372359
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Belgariad
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_2372359
 Mounted Combat / int_26a33287
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_26a33287
comment
Mount & Blade is the single most realistic depiction of what actually fighting from horseback would be like in the video game industry, including horse archery and use of a lance in a battle.
 Mounted Combat / int_26a33287
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_26a33287
featureConfidence
1.0
 Mount & Blade (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_26a33287
 Mounted Combat / int_2dc12aeb
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_2dc12aeb
comment
NetHack allows you to ride pretty much any large animal you can tame. Unicorns, dragons, sky's the limit.
 Mounted Combat / int_2dc12aeb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_2dc12aeb
featureConfidence
1.0
 NetHack (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_2dc12aeb
 Mounted Combat / int_2ffcbd43
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_2ffcbd43
comment
Fire Emblem has Cavaliers, Paladins, Great Knights, Nomads, Nomadic Troopers, Rangers, Valkyries, and Mage Knights. Depending on the game, these units have the advantage of being able to travel further, rescue heavier units, and move twice in one turn (if they haven't already reached their max movement range). On the other hand, they have trouble moving in certain terrain and are highly susceptible to specialized Anti-Cavalry weapons.
 Mounted Combat / int_2ffcbd43
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_2ffcbd43
featureConfidence
1.0
 FireEmblem
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_2ffcbd43
 Mounted Combat / int_3f01b5a4
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_3f01b5a4
comment
Power Rangers Samurai features this in the Clash of the Red Rangers movie, when the Samurai Rangers ride into battle against General Gut's Mooger army. This is among footage originally from its source series, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.
 Mounted Combat / int_3f01b5a4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_3f01b5a4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Power Rangers Samurai
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_3f01b5a4
 Mounted Combat / int_46aac2a3
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_46aac2a3
comment
Elden Ring lets you fight while riding your steed, Torrent. Anything from melee weapons, bows, and spellcasting works on horseback. There are many mounted enemies and giant, mobile enemies that encourage fighting on horseback.
 Mounted Combat / int_46aac2a3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_46aac2a3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elden Ring (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_46aac2a3
 Mounted Combat / int_49ad83ee
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_49ad83ee
comment
In World of Warcraft, for the most part, players have to dismount to fight.
In the Argent Tournament, players can joust against fellow tournament participants on horseback, as well as against the Scourge's undead minions in other daily quests.
Some bosses, such as Ley-Guardian Eregos, require players to use mounts, and use their mounts' abilities against the boss. Other bosses ride on mounts while attacking players; Iron Qon rides three different Quilen for the first three stages of the battle, then fights you on foot in the fourth and final stage (and with all three of the Quilen assisting him on Heroic).
In the Earthrager Ptah encounter, players can mount on a camel, enabling them to fight and cast spells while moving, although some of his abilities can dismount the player. There's an achievement for staying mounted for the entire battle against him.
Warlords of Draenor allows players to fight atop a special talbuk or wolf mount in Nagrand, if they choose the corral for their garrison outpost. The other option is a Cool Tank bay.
 Mounted Combat / int_49ad83ee
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_49ad83ee
featureConfidence
1.0
 World of Warcraft (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_49ad83ee
 Mounted Combat / int_4ed65cc4
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_4ed65cc4
comment
In Time Scout, like his Mongolian family, Skeeter can ride a horse in battle. One time, it was a trained warhorse.
 Mounted Combat / int_4ed65cc4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_4ed65cc4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Time Scout
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_4ed65cc4
 Mounted Combat / int_5908ee91
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_5908ee91
comment
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was updated in June 2012 to include this, though mounted combat is still more challenging than fighting on foot. It does give the rider the advantage of mobility and power, as sweeping attacks from horseback do a lot more damage than attacks on foot.
 Mounted Combat / int_5908ee91
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_5908ee91
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_5908ee91
 Mounted Combat / int_6104baaf
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_6104baaf
comment
The Lord of the Rings Online has mounted combat as part of the Riders Of Rohan Expansion. It is very similar to Mount & Blade, and averts Invulnerable Horses by giving horses a separate, much smaller health bar.
 Mounted Combat / int_6104baaf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_6104baaf
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Lord of the Rings Online (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_6104baaf
 Mounted Combat / int_6ac55ec7
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_6ac55ec7
comment
Dungeons & Dragons: Mounted combat is generally not used, as mounts are usually significantly weaker than the characters and can be killed, even accidentally, with attacks that players can otherwise survive. However, the Mounted Combat chain of feats is very powerful, and paladins can summon a Cool Horse. (A druid or ranger's animal companion can be a horse, too, being more powerful than a regular horse, especially if ridden by a druid.)
The drow use an interesting variant: instead of horses, they ride giant lizards, while smaller races can use large riding dogs.
Centaurs do not count as mounted when resolving combat. This has given rise to some... interesting... interpretations.
 Mounted Combat / int_6ac55ec7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_6ac55ec7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dungeons & Dragons (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_6ac55ec7
 Mounted Combat / int_6c47db4e
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_6c47db4e
comment
Mounted combat is an option in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games. Some characters receive a great boost in fighting ability if they are mounted. And mounts like elephants and bears can give big bonuses like letting you perform a Foe-Tossing Charge that sweeps all opponents in your path away.
 Mounted Combat / int_6c47db4e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_6c47db4e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dynasty Warriors (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_6c47db4e
 Mounted Combat / int_74f7210c
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_74f7210c
comment
The Legend of Zelda has gradually incorporated this over the years.
Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask only lets you shoot arrows while riding Epona, but Twilight Princess incorporates sword combat and several boss battles that require you to be riding your horse, including some where you joust against an enemy riding a giant boar. Twilight Princess also lets you ride a giant boar, but combat is limited to hanging on for dear life and trying to guide the boar into enemies and obstacles until it hits something it can't smash through.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Games gives you three different mounts over the course of the game, one of which becomes permanent: Ricky the kangaroo (you ride in the pouch), Moosh the big blue flying bear, and Dimitri the swimming Dodongo, each of which replaces your attack with their own while riding (a punch that can be charged to throw a whirlwind in a line, a Ground Pound, and just eating an enemy).
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild makes it possible for your horse to take damage and die, in addition to letting you use a variety of melee weapons on horseback, doubling the damage of melee strikes done while galloping, and spawning mounted enemies in several areas.
 Mounted Combat / int_74f7210c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_74f7210c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Legend of Zelda (Franchise)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_74f7210c
 Mounted Combat / int_7fc78282
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_7fc78282
comment
The Lord of the Rings:
J.R.R. Tolkien has military experience and did his research, so is known for using cavalry and other military techniques in a realistic manner. For comparison with the film example above, in the book of The Two Towers, Gandalf came not with Éomer's cavalry (who had joined King Théoden's forces earlier) but rather with a bunch of Huorns, against which the Orcs had no real defense. Also, Théoden did not wait for the enemy to enter his halls to use his cavalry, but made sorties several times through the battle, charging out and then retreating back to the Deep.
And whereas in the film of The Return Of The King, the Rohirrim somehow easily routed the much bigger army of Orcs only to get completely thrashed by the enormous Mûmakil (mounted elephants), in the book they spent most of the battle fighting other human cavalry and only took on the elephants when they had sufficient backup from Gondor.
 Mounted Combat / int_7fc78282
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_7fc78282
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Lord of the Rings
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_7fc78282
 Mounted Combat / int_9036f2e
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_9036f2e
comment
Seijuu Sentai Gingaman featured lots of mounted combat (To the extent that their horses had toys made) although only a small amount made it into Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.
 Mounted Combat / int_9036f2e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_9036f2e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_9036f2e
 Mounted Combat / int_90f42a9b
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_90f42a9b
comment
Mounted combat is a staple of The Wheel of Time. Cavalry, both heavy and light, as well as mounted scouts are frequently important to various campaigns. For some nationalities, it's their hat.
 Mounted Combat / int_90f42a9b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_90f42a9b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Wheel of Time
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_90f42a9b
 Mounted Combat / int_9ba84f18
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_9ba84f18
comment
"Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler: In the music video, it's the white hero cowboy on a white horse vs. the black outlaws on black horses. And the white cowboy shoots the black riders off their mounts one by one.
 Mounted Combat / int_9ba84f18
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_9ba84f18
featureConfidence
1.0
 Holding Out for a Hero (Music)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_9ba84f18
 Mounted Combat / int_9e202b7b
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_9e202b7b
comment
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple: Shigure faces off against a master of Mounted Combat. She ends up trumping his horse with a motorcycle.
 Mounted Combat / int_9e202b7b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_9e202b7b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple (Manga)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_9e202b7b
 Mounted Combat / int_a5d35fda
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_a5d35fda
comment
Semi-realistic depiction in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. On one hand, the charge out of Helms Deep at the end, with the cavalry held close together in tight formation and essentially being used to force the infantry back, before eventually getting bogged down and into trouble when the orcs numbers and discipline begin to show, is fairly accurate. On the other hand, Gandalfs relief charge would probably have ended up a) making a sad retreat after dancing around a pikeline for a few hours or b) completely butchered. Gandalfs charge had decidedly abnormal help in this regard however; Gandalf used the Uruk-Hais aversion to light against them. On the other hand, cavalry are also not good for charging over rough terrain; charging down a massive rocky hill like that would have risked several horses stumbling and breaking up the whole charge; horses are best suited to the plains, which, to be fair, constituted the majority of Rohan. Gandalf may simply not have had much of a choice of where to charge from.
 Mounted Combat / int_a5d35fda
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_a5d35fda
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_a5d35fda
 Mounted Combat / int_ae050a9f
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_ae050a9f
comment
Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask only lets you shoot arrows while riding Epona, but Twilight Princess incorporates sword combat and several boss battles that require you to be riding your horse, including some where you joust against an enemy riding a giant boar. Twilight Princess also lets you ride a giant boar, but combat is limited to hanging on for dear life and trying to guide the boar into enemies and obstacles until it hits something it can't smash through.
 Mounted Combat / int_ae050a9f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_ae050a9f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Videogame
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_ae050a9f
 Mounted Combat / int_c00c0023
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_c00c0023
comment
Empire Earth: Cavalry becomes available in the Copper Age and is replaced by tanks as of WW1. For the most part they serve as more expensive versions of the swordsmen, spearmen and archers.
During the Battle of Hastings, William can be unhorsed, at which point he becomes a footsoldier and must be brought on top of a hill so his troops don't think he's dead and give up.
 Mounted Combat / int_c00c0023
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_c00c0023
featureConfidence
1.0
 Empire Earth (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_c00c0023
 Mounted Combat / int_c0eae17
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_c0eae17
comment
Total War uses cavalry in different functions each game, as the setting and era changes each time and the games evolved themselves. A general rule of thumb from Shogun to Medieval II is that light cavalry flank and chase off archers, heavy cavalry see off lighter cavalry and can do the same roles better, with the exception of chasing archers, and horse archers stay away from foes and fire upon them out of range. Empire, of course, changes things again, being set in the age of gunpowder. Warhammer changes things further, as the fantasy setting allows for monstrous mounts of various kinds in addition to horses.
 Mounted Combat / int_c0eae17
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_c0eae17
featureConfidence
1.0
 Total War (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_c0eae17
 Mounted Combat / int_d36b8ea7
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_d36b8ea7
comment
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Games gives you three different mounts over the course of the game, one of which becomes permanent: Ricky the kangaroo (you ride in the pouch), Moosh the big blue flying bear, and Dimitri the swimming Dodongo, each of which replaces your attack with their own while riding (a punch that can be charged to throw a whirlwind in a line, a Ground Pound, and just eating an enemy).
 Mounted Combat / int_d36b8ea7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_d36b8ea7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Games (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_d36b8ea7
 Mounted Combat / int_e0f1b3dc
type
Mounted Combat
 Mounted Combat / int_e0f1b3dc
comment
Age of Empires has cavalry used in various functions, often quite accurately pertaining to their function in real life. Light cavalry scout and chase down archers, knights are good against infantry and can also move fast to threaten archers, and are overall very powerful, expensive melee units, horse archers threaten slower-moving units, and there are a variety of special cavalry units unique to certain civilisations. All are vulnerable to spears.
 Mounted Combat / int_e0f1b3dc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Mounted Combat / int_e0f1b3dc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Age of Empires (Video Game)
hasFeature
Mounted Combat / int_e0f1b3dc

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Mounted Combat
processingCategory2
Equine and Equestrian Tropes
 Mounted Combat
processingCategory2
Military and Warfare Tropes
 Mounted Combat
processingCategory2
Vehicle Index
 Chronicles of the Kencyrath / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Deryni / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 The Ballad of Mulan / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 The Spellmonger Series / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Winnetou / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 HonorsParadox
seeAlso
Mounted Combat
 Holding Out for a Hero (Music) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Cossacks: European Wars (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Mount & Blade (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Sabres of Infinity (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Stronghold Kingdoms (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Suikoden Tactics (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 The Lord of the Rings Online (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Tiger Knight: Empire War (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 V Rising (Video Game) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat
 Dream (Web Video) / int_3aea01c7
type
Mounted Combat