House Rules for Mounted Warriors

Almost everyone agrees the published mounted rules does not make buying a mount worth the cost. As I love mounted models, I would like to make cavalry more worth the gold crowns. I still think they should be a rare commodity, but for those willing to put in the effort and experience, a mounted warrior should be able to give a warband some benefit. Let me know what you think of the following house rules, which are primarily new and updated Ride Skills. Do they make mounts more worth the effort? Anything over balancing?

Thanks in advance!


Rules which our Mordheim group has added or changed to the original optional mounted rules “Blazing Saddles”.

- Henchmen may ride mounts as long as every member of the henchmen group is purchanced one. They will never have the ride skill, however, so their usefulness is limited.

- Mounted warriors may shoot in any direction just like unmounted warriors can.

- Saddle Bags, Cost: 5 GC Rarity: 6
One set of saddle bags can be attached to a riden or pack animal. Up to two additional weapons or shields/bucklers can be carried so that they are available for use by the rider. This way, a mounted warrior can have at his disposal more than the normal number of alloted weapons. Any kind of weapon, shield, buckler, or miscellaeous item can be “on the ready”, but no worn armour.

Special Riding Skills
These skills are in addition to those in Blazing Saddles, which remain unchanged, unless they are updated here. All skills can only be used while mounted.

Trick Riding Skill: By athletically hanging off the side of his mount, a rider makes himself harder to hit. While a rider is trick riding all missile attacks against him suffer -1 to hit in addition to other modifiers. The rider must declare that he is trick riding before moving. He must then make an initiative test and if successful may move full distance. If he fails he does not gain the extra protection and missile attacks are made normally. Additionally, a failed test means the warrior cannot run or charge during this turn, but may move normal movement. This skill may not be used with heavy armour because of the agility required. In addition, trick riding requires both hands, so the model may not use a shield or missile weapons in the turn they are using this skill whether they are successful or not. Warriors without Ride may not use this skill.
Note this update only removes the need to roll on the Whoa Boy! table should you fail your I-test.

Horse Archer Skill: The warrior may shoot while running. In addition, missile fire can be taken during the movement phase at any point of the mounted model’s movement. Shooting does not end movement, the mounted warrior can continue running it’s full distance. An additional -1 to hit penalty is added in addition to all other normal shooting modifiers. The warrior cannot shoot if she is charging. Warriors without Ride may not use this skill.

Fast Cavalry Skill: Once during an opponent’s turn when a charge is declaired against this mounted warrior, he can choose to Flee! Roll 3D6 and add together the two highest rolls to determine how many inches the mounted warrior moves directly away from the charger. If the charger cannot reach the mounted warrior after this flee move, the charge fails. The mounted warrior automatically rallies at the start of his warband’s next recovery phase and may move and act normally. If a fleeing cavalry warrior is successfully charged, he cannot make any attacks during the ensuing combat round and all attacks against him automatically hit. Any following combat rounds (should the mounted warrior survive) continue normally. This skill cannot be used if the mount wears barding or if the mounted warrior has an overall armour save greater than 5+. Warriors without Ride may not use this skill.

Ride By Attack Skill: When successfully charging, note the distance moved to reach the enemy. During the combat phase which follows, if the opponent(s) fails to wound (after armour/ward save), the mounted warrior may use any remaining movement to travel beyond the enemy charged. This remaining movement need not be in a straight line. The warrior may not end this extra movement in contact with another enemy model. Warriors without Ride may not use this skill.

Double Mounted Skill: The warrior can skillfully ride with a second warrior also mounted, holding on tight. The mount suffers a -1 to it’s Movement while doing so. Mounting and dismounting movement penalties apply to both warriors. The second warrior may not shoot missle weapons nor make any close combat attacks, but can cast spells. Any shooting attacks against the model should be randomize between both warriors and close combat attacks can be targeted against either warrior. Unless the second warrior also has the Ride skill, any successful hit against her will force an I test or she will fall as if from a hight of 2”. The second warrior does gain all the benefits to armour save that a mount provides while mounted. While there are 2 warriors mounted, all attacks made by the warrior with this skill (shooting or close combat) suffer an additional -1 to hit. Additionally the Fast Cavalry skill cannot be used when double mounted. If the warrior with this skill is taken out of action while two warriors are mounted, both go out of action. Warriors without Ride may not use this skill.

The Double Mounted skill brings up all kinds of 'what happens when' problems for not much gain. What happens when a warrior scores a 5 or 6 on the injury table against a passenger? Against a rider? Does everybody go OoA? If the horse and rider go OoA and the passenger doesn't what happens? Actually what happens for any injury roll? Do knocked down passengers fall off?

I like the idea of of the Ride By skill, but again it requires more attention to what's going on than most of my players are like to have.

Trick Riding. This skill as written ignores real life. Native American plains warriors were documented to fire missile weapons from under their horse's bellies and necks and over their backs while riding full speed and hanging off the far side of the horse from their enemies. The Mongols were said to do similar feats of archery. Actually even if its just fiction, that's good enough for me.

We rarely use this skill, but when we do we ignore the initiative test altogether.

I like the fast cavalry skill.

Von Kurst wrote:

The Double Mounted skill brings up all kinds of 'what happens when' problems for not much gain.  What happens when a warrior scores a 5 or 6 on the injury table against a passenger?  Against a rider?  Does everybody go OoA?  If the horse and rider go OoA and the passenger doesn't what happens?  Actually what happens for any injury roll?  Do knocked down passengers fall off?

Generally, I presume that the passenger is considered separate, what happens to him just happens to him. Yes, knocked down/stunned passengers fall off. But what happens to the rider (who rolls on the Whoa Boy! table) also happens to the passenger as the horse is effected. I don't see double riders trying to get into combat. This is just a way to get get a couple of warriors quickly into a position on the board (four warriors if you have 2 riders with the skill). It's not a great skill, but in certain scenarios where you have objectives scattered about it can be advantageous.

Von Kurst wrote:

Trick Riding.  This skill as written ignores real life.  Native American plains warriors were documented to fire missile weapons from under their horse's bellies and necks and over their backs while riding full speed and hanging off the far side of the horse from their enemies. The Mongols were said to do similar feats of archery.  Actually even if its just fiction, that's good enough for me.

We rarely use this skill, but when we do we ignore the initiative test altogether.

I like this change better than mine. The easier and more streamlined the better. This means shooting at such a rider is always at -1 to hit.

Thanks for the feedback!

Thespian wrote:

- Mounted warriors may shoot in any direction just like unmounted warriors can.

I am aware that "Horse Archer" skill allows that, but still can't find any rules saying that mounted model can't shoot like dismounted model.
Also I really like your version of "horse archer". I may be wrong but  were you inspired a bit by Warmachine/Hordes?

My english is still in development and I got confused reading this:

Cavalry Skills wrote:

Combat Riding. The rider has trained his
mount to use its bulk to trample any unmounted
enemy before him. A warrior with
this skill may make a single additional S4 attack
when charging an unmounted opponent. In
subsequent rounds of combat, or if charged by
enemy warriors, the mounted warrior fights as
normal.
Evade. The rider has trained his mount to
swerve from side to side in combat, wrongfooting
his opponent. A rider with this skill
always strikes first in close combat against
dismounted opponents.

What's the difference between this two? Any dictionary at my disposal failed to translate unmounted as a ehm...guy who is not mounted and I understand that dismounted means "guy who's not mounted (ex on horse) anymore" .
Or is just dismounted used in english to describe someone who's on foot (when also talking about someone who's not) ?
If Evade let my warrior "strike first" against models that are "off horse" then I dare to say that "evade" is most useless skill in entire Mordheim (not counting wall runner of course).

I hope this question is not as embarassing as I see it.

@Thespian - Sorry for distracting people with this.

catachanfrog wrote:

I am aware that "Horse Archer" skill allows that, but still can't find any rules saying that mounted model can't shoot like dismounted model.
Also I really like your version of "horse archer". I may be wrong but  were you inspired a bit by Warmachine/Hordes?

Yes, that has confused me as well. Since we always have played that a mounted model can shoot in any direction we just clarified this in our house rule description. No, I have not played Warmachine, but it does look interesting. I was more inspired by real life, especially Japanese horse archery. But as Von Kurst mentions there are many other cultures with a high level of horse archery traditions.

catachanfrog wrote:

Cavalry Skills wrote:

Combat Riding. The rider has trained his
mount to use its bulk to trample any unmounted
enemy before him. A warrior with
this skill may make a single additional S4 attack
when charging an unmounted opponent. In
subsequent rounds of combat, or if charged by
enemy warriors, the mounted warrior fights as
normal.
Evade. The rider has trained his mount to
swerve from side to side in combat, wrongfooting
his opponent. A rider with this skill
always strikes first in close combat against
dismounted opponents.

What's the difference between this two? Any dictionary at my disposal failed to translate unmounted as a ehm...guy who is not mounted and I understand that dismounted means "guy who's not mounted (ex on horse) anymore" .
Or is just dismounted used in english to describe someone who's on foot (when also talking about someone who's not) ?
If Evade let my warrior "strike first" against models that are "off horse" then I dare to say that "evade" is most useless skill in entire Mordheim (not counting wall runner of course).

Combat Riding gives you an additional attack at S4 if the opponent is on foot. Evade is the mounted equivalent of the Lightning Reflexes skill (but only against warriors on foot). Which then begs the question can a hero who has the Lightening Reflexes skill use it if he is mounted (perhaps against other mounted warriors?)? If not, are there other skills that a hero cannot use when mounted? All the speed skills? Step Aside?

It seems I have more clarifications to make!

(dismounted mystery solved )Thank you very much! "Evade" is a little different than "lightning reflexes" - it allows you to ALWAYS strike first against models on foot, just like that Ork spell.

It seems that since you're on a horse/boar/giantlizard back, you cannot use your legs to run faster (sprint) - same with other speed skills: acrobat, scale sheer surfaces , leap (just as you say). At least that's my interpetetion. I would be more lenient with step aside/dodge/lightning reflexes however.

For those who prefer the rules simplified, rather than more detailed, an option is to grant the mounted warrior +1 wound. When he suffers his first wound, he is dismounted. I think that is how the Warhammer Skirmish book a few years back handled it. Perhaps a little too simple, but as Thespiam says, the BS rules really don't make the cost worth it.

i like it simplified, no riding skills other than ride, +1 AS for the rider, hits randomised between mount and rider,mount has its own profile, no Whoa boy rubbish, and if the mount dies the rider is dismounted.
The mount is treated as a henchman for injuries and is always found after the battle if the rider is ooa'd.
With the normal rules i would never use a mount, and thats sad