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Assume a player character has 5 levels in Paladin and 5 levels in fighter (Battle Master).

The character casts find steed and summons a war horse and mounts it. During their turn in combat, the character attacks once, then uses their Commander's Strike maneuver and chooses their war horse.

Would the Commander's Strike maneuver allow the war horse to use its reaction to make an attack?

If so, would the warhorse also be able to use its Trampling Charge trait after its attack (assuming that it moved 20 feet in a straight line)?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Assuming that it moved 20 ft in a straight line. How can it move 20 ft in your turn, without expending its one and only reaction? \$\endgroup\$
    – Vylix
    Commented Dec 26, 2018 at 2:13
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Vylix It would move on your turn if you were controlling it. The way I see the rules phb.198 "The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge." The only restriction seems to be what the mount can do for its actions since I cannot find rules regarding a controlled mounts reaction and bonus action. So using Commander's Strike would activate the mount's reaction then bonus action (Trampling Charge) if the enemy is prone. \$\endgroup\$
    – Espe
    Commented Dec 26, 2018 at 19:32

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Yes, the war horse can attack.

The Commander's Strike only requires the target to be a friendly creature, able to hear and see you, has unused reaction, and be able to make a weapon attack, including unarmed strike. The war horse summoned by find steed satisfy all of these requirements.

Commander’s Strike. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike. When you do so, choose a friendly creature who can see or hear you and expend one superiority die. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack, adding the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.

Can it use its Trampling Charge trait? No, because the trait requires the war horse to move, while Commander's Strike only allows you to make a weapon attack, without allowing the move.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ How would you anwser if the player Made the horse first move 20 feet before attacking? \$\endgroup\$
    – Honore Shadeshield
    Commented Dec 26, 2018 at 20:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ @HonoreShadeshield One common misunderstanding with mounted combat is how it interfaces with turn order. Other than abilities which explicitly allow four out-of-turn activity, each creature's turn must be completed before another creature's turn begins. In the case of a mounted combatant, that means that the horses' turn is over (or not yet begun) when the Commander's Strike happens. It can't be moving at that time, because it isn't the mount's turn. \$\endgroup\$
    – T.J.L.
    Commented Dec 27, 2018 at 15:56

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