Auto CM on a Charge?

[cthulhudarren]

Is there a way to stop a charging character in his tracks? Knockback? Trip?

If not I can see people using charges to simply get into flanking positions.

 

[daxos232]

If the charger is disabled (knocked unconscious or killed outright) that would stop him. If he's mounted it probably wouldn't stop his mount. Of course the defender could target the mount instead.

In any charge situation having a longer weapon would be most advantageous.

 

[sdavies2720]

Is there a way to stop a charging character in his tracks? Knockback? Trip?

If not I can see people using charges to simply get into flanking positions.

This is (explictly) covered in the books, second-to-last bullet:

1) If a charge against a formation of defenders does not cause Knockback, the charge is stopped.
2) If one of the legs of the mount is incapacitated, the charge is stopped.

I'd probably say that a spear set vs charge is counted as a formation.

I would agree that a charge is a good way to get into a flanking position (eventually, once the attacker returns to the melee).

Steve

 

[sdavies2720]

How about for the Charger? Can they use their next CA to charge again?

The Charging rules don't specify that. If they have another target right in front of them then I might allow it, but if they need to pull up and wheel around to pick another target to charge, that's at least one CA, possibly two. There's a price to pay for getting those two steps of Damage Modifier.

I'm just noodling on the various things that might come up in-game. If playing the RAW, that guy with a shield and lance could have 4 CAs pretty easily, so 1 CA to charge, 2 CAs to wheel his horse (I'd probably call for a ride check as well), there is still 1 CA left to charge again.

2 CAs sound about right to recover from one charge and prepare for the next. That means normal humans won't be able to do two charges in a round (I've houseruled that the extra shield CA can only be used for the shield), but some exceptional opponents could conceivably charge twice.

Steve

 

[Mongoose Pete]

I'm just noodling on the various things that might come up in-game. If playing the RAW, that guy with a shield and lance could have 4 CAs pretty easily, so 1 CA to charge, 2 CAs to wheel his horse (I'd probably call for a ride check as well), there is still 1 CA left to charge again.

Remember that you're talking about a 5 second period here. In real life it'd likely take several rounds to get the horse gradually up to to speed (less stress on the mount, especially if weighed down in barding), possibly more if the charge was starting from longer range to avoid significant magic and missile fire. The same for slowing and turning. Big encumbered horses at speed don't slow or change direction easily.

Likewise the concept of humans charging twice in a round is a bit unlikely. It takes time to disentangle, retreat and recover before charging in again.

Charges, at least on a battlefield are intermittent things which take time to regroup from. Single combats are a different situation, but even taking a glorious fight such as Achilles and Hector duel in the movie Troy it only happens once or twice, and not sequentially.