What I Learnt From Last Night's Session

[mhensley]

After a certain level, shouldn't the characters be buying better mounts than horses? Griffons, small dragons, rhinos, etc.

 

[el-remmen]

Moreover, horses named after Prince songs are particularly doomed.

Can we get some examples?

Horses named 'Darling Nicki" or "Paisley Park" or "Purple Rain" or "Dirty Mind"?

 

[Agamon]

Can we get some examples?

Horses named 'Darling Nicki" or "Paisley Park" or "Purple Rain" or "Dirty Mind"?

My next horse is going to be named "Alphabet Steet". Very race horse-y.

 

[Thotas]

This has indeed been a complaint of mine since 1e. As it stands, the mounted warrior archetype is way under supported in the rules. As for those saying past 5th level I should have something like a hippogriff, well ... that's fine for some campaigns. But there should be a "Lancelot option" available, too.

And horses named after Prince songs deserve to die anyway.

 

[el-remmen]

And horses named after Prince songs deserve to die anyway.

I forgive you.

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

Throwing out another idea, aren't their like amulets / necklaces and such like that improve AC, and couldn't you stick one on your horse?

 

[xrpsuzi]

Throwing out another idea, aren't their like amulets / necklaces and such like that improve AC, and couldn't you stick one on your horse?

Man, that's just asking for your horse to get ganked in the night. He's got treasure hanging around his neck??

Our party pretty much accepted that draft animals were going to get killed in combat and stopped taking them unless absolutely necessary (integral to completing a mission).

-Suzi

 

[Remathilis]

You know, "horse" should really have a HD advancement track so you can buy purer, better bred horses (more HD) that don't bite it so early. (following the standard rules of monster improvement).

IMHO, the only times I see mounts are small-sized druids, paladins, and blackguards...

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

Our party pretty much accepted that draft animals were going to get killed in combat and stopped taking them unless absolutely necessary (integral to completing a mission).

Which is cool, but...

Firstly, in the real world your ride doesn't fall to bits every time someone takes a pot-shot at you. It takes some serious attention (or an RPG-7) to get it to go bye-bye. And that remains true whatever the tech level involved.

Now, in real-world middle ages, a cavalry charge was one of the deadliest weapons on Earth. Think 'getting in the way of a truck' level. OK, there were deadlier, but a well-rounded cavalryman had flexibility. He could move fast thanks to sitting on a big tough animal, he could hit like a freight train and, if you give him a bow and arrows you've got a horse archer - one of the most lethal low-tech troop types.

A horse (especially a charger like a Percheron or some-such) is half a ton of raw muscle. It takes a good bit of killing.

Yes, dead horses happen. But when the arrows start flying, it shouldn't really be the case that the first thing that happens is the horse dropping.

Besides, more survivable horses can give you a highly-mobile game that feels something like a Western movie. I sure know dirtbikes can, and what's the low-tech/fantasy equiv?

The humble horse.

 

[Shazman]

Completely agree. There should be a feat that enables a person to get access to a limited animal companion list at 1/2 their character level (just like the ranger). A druid could not take the feat, but a ranger could, boosting their animal companion level to their level instead of 1/2 their level.

It would also provide people with a simulated wild empathy, limited to their char mod instead of level + cha.

It already exists. Search for the Wild Cohort feat on WotC's site.