Elin:Riding

Riding allows you and an ally to stack onto the same square, and move as one.

Overview

While mounted, you and your mount move at your mount's speed, however this speed is reduced at low levels of Riding. Furthermore, there are major defensive bonuses. Your mount takes damage before you in most cases, and if they are reduced to 0hp, they fall unconscious instead of dying. This means that a well-defended mount can effectively protect its rider.

However, there are several downsides. Your mount cannot take actions while moving and attacks less often when standing still. You and your mount also take penalties to speed, accuracy, and cast failure if your Riding skill is not high enough.

Some allies are better or worse as mounts. This is rated as good/normal/poor.

Creatures that are suitable as mounts receive lesser penalties for riding, and a message will be displayed saying “This creature is good to ride!"

On the other hand, if you ride a creature that is not suitable as a mount, a message will be displayed saying "This creature is too weak to carry you!" and you will receive strong penalties such as a reduction in speed.

Benefits

• Your speed is set to your mount's speed. Most (but not all) increases and reductions to your speed have no effect on you, however your and your mount's speed is capped to a maximum limit if your riding skill is too low.
  • The formula for Speed when riding something is calculated by the mount and follows: Speed = baseSpeed * 100 / Clamp(100 + baseSpeed * (If bad ride then 5, otherwise 1) - STR - Rider's EvalueRiding * 2 - (if good ride then 50, otherwise 0), 100, 1000) The rider takes on the mount's speed, and penalties like Fluffy Tail or Encumbrance are added on top.
  • Rider's EvalueRiding is equal to the Riding skill in most cases. The sole exception is when the mount is Broomified and the rider has a "Way of Witch" feat. In that case, EvalueRiding is equal to 125% Riding skill plus a flat 25.
  • As an example, the Slow spell has no effect on your speed while riding, however being Burdened from carrying too much does. The Slow spell, if cast on your MOUNT, however, would reduce both your and your mount's speed.
  • If you are both riding and hosting a symbiote, the symbiote's speed will be calculated using your unmounted speed, but your speed is adjusted from your mounted speed.
• Most damage will be directed to your mount instead of you. If a monster attacks you, there's a 20% chance each turn they'll switch to your mount.
• If your mount is reduced to 0 hp, it will go unconscious instead of dying.
• Single-target spells such as buffs and heals apply to both you and your mount
• If your mount can Float/levitate, you will benefit from it as well
  • On the other hand, in order to avoid traps and the like by floating, it is necessary for the horse to be floating, not you.
• Your mount cannot wander off or be teleported away from you like a regular ally

Drawbacks

• Both your and your mount's speed will be capped at a maximum limit. Leveling Riding alleviates this penalty.
• Both you and your mount will receive a penalty to melee and ranged accuracy. Leveling Riding alleviates this penalty.
• Adds a cast failure chance to you and your mount.
  • Your mount's Cast Failure chance: = 1 - 95*100/(100+300/(MAX(5,10+Riding Skill))).
    • At 1 Riding, Your mount's chance to fail is 25.4%. At 30 Riding, it's 11.63%. The cast failure chance can't go below 5%.
  • Your cast failure chance is +5%
• Single-target attack spells, such as Arrow spells, affect both you and your mount.
• During combat, your mount will skip its turn when you move
• The mount heal or buff less often, in addition to attacking less often.
  • From preliminary testing, mounts attack between 1/2 to 1/3 of the time.
  • This penalty also applies to healing or party support spells.

Notes

• Unlike Elona, enchantments with "Speeds up Travel Progress" apply when equipped by the PLAYER, and NOT when equipped by the mount.
• There exists a failsafe, in case the the rider's mount differs from the rider's mount.(As in, the horse thinks the player is riding them, while the player thinks it's riding a different horse). If such a thing occurs, the mount calculates its speed as an average of its own and its rider. The rider will meanwhile try to take on the speed from the creature it believes to be its mount.
• Since the mount's speed stat adds to the riding penalty, faster mounts are naturally harder to ride. However, the mount's Strength score contributes to decreasing the penalty, having the mount learn and train skills belonging to Strength can aid in rising said stat.
• If the mount gets overburdened, then its speed would be reduced, just like the player's. The mount doesn't appear to take into account its rider's encumbrance, however.