The Stable · Chapter 2

Reading an Entry

Riding Horse

Hack, palfrey, rouncey, saddle horse

The Fields

Scale is size, on the scale of the core rules. A person is Scale 1. A horse is Scale 2, an elephant 3, a roc 4. A mount of Scale 1 is a small mount.

Speed is the number of range bands the mount moves with one maneuver. A second number after "fly" or "swim" is its Speed in that element.

Wounds and Resistance are the mount's own. Every mount in this book is an Elite: it tracks Wounds, converts Strain to Wounds one for one, and can suffer Critical Injuries.

Def is Melee Defense and Ranged Defense.

Carry is the Encumbrance the mount carries without slowing. Chapter 3 says what a rider counts for.

Characteristics are Might, Agility, Intellect, Savvy, Willpower, and Charisma, in that order.

Travel is miles covered in a day on a road.

Price is for a healthy adult trained to the saddle, in the units of The Fantasy Armory. Chapter 6 prices other grades. A dash means it is not for sale.

Barding names the mount's body plan and the heaviest barding it can wear: Light, Medium, or Heavy. None means it cannot be barded. See Chapter 7.

Attacks are listed below the block, in the form the core rules use for adversaries. A mount with no attack kicks or bites for Damage 2, Crit 5, if cornered.

Traits are defined below.

Availability

Tag	Meaning
Common	Sold at any market town in country where the animal lives
Restricted	Bred by particular houses, tribes, or stables, who choose their buyers
Military	Schooled for war. Sold to those with a right to bear arms, or by those who took it from them
Rare	Found in a few places, raised from the egg or the cub, or not sold at all

Traits

Trait	Effect
Agile	Add 1 Boon Die to Riding checks in tight spaces and around obstacles
Amphibious	At home on land and in water. It needs no check to enter or leave the water
Armoured Hide	The listed Resistance is the hide. The mount gains nothing from barding
Battle-Trained	Schooled for war. It ignores Temper in ordinary combat, may attack when directed, and may charge. See Chapter 4
Bonded	It forms a bond quickly: halve the time in Chapter 6
Bonded Only	It carries only the rider it has bonded with. Anyone else must first succeed on a Hard Riding check each scene, and adds 2 Bane Dice to every Riding check
Climber	It climbs steep rock, trees, or ice at Speed 1 with no check
Cold-Bred	It ignores the travel penalty for snow and does not suffer from cold. In hot country its Travel is halved
Desert-Bred	It treats desert as open country when travelling, and does not suffer from heat
Draft X	It counts as X animals when pulling a vehicle
Echo Sense	Darkness, smoke, fog, and murky water do not hinder it
Enduring	Add 2 Boon Dice to checks for a forced march. It is not lamed by one
Flyer	It flies. See Chapter 5
Forest-Bred	It ignores the travel penalty for forest
Hardy	It lives on poor grazing: halve its upkeep outside towns. Add 1 Boon Die to its Fortitude checks
Hanger	It roosts hanging and takes off only by dropping from a height
Horse Terror	Ordinary mounts fear it. Riders of mounts that are not Battle-Trained add 1 Bane Die to Riding checks within Short range of it
Keen Senses	Add 1 Boon Die to its rider's Perception and Readiness checks. Keen Sight is the same by day at any distance
Leaper	Once a round it clears a gap or an obstacle up to Short range across with no check
Long Memory	It remembers people. Add 2 Boon Dice to checks to handle it for anyone who has treated it well, and 2 Bane Dice for anyone who has not
Meat-Eater	It cannot graze. Its upkeep is always paid, and in the wild it must be let hunt for two hours a day
Night Sight	Darkness does not hinder it
Pack Animal	Its Carry is 4 higher when it carries baggage and no rider
Plains-Bred	Its Travel is not reduced in open country
Platform	It can carry a howdah or a deck. See Chapter 8
Shock Mount	When it charges, its rider's charge bonus is 1 more damage
Slow	It cannot be made to move more than one range band in a round, and it never wins a chase
Small Mount	Built for small riders. A rider of ordinary size counts double against its Carry and cannot charge
Sprinter	Once in an encounter it moves one extra range band with a maneuver
Steady	Add 1 Boon Die to Riding checks to keep it under control
Stoop	A flyer's dive. See Chapter 5
Sure-Footed	Add 1 Boon Die to Riding checks on narrow, steep, or broken ground. It is not knocked Prone by terrain
Sure Wing	Add 1 Boon Die to Riding checks in wind, cloud, and close to cliffs
Surface Rider	A swimmer that keeps its rider's head above water unless told otherwise
Swift	Add 1 Boon Die to Riding checks in a chase
Swimmer	It lives in water. See Chapter 5
Temper X	Add X Bane Dice to Riding checks to control it when it is frightened, hurt, or in a fight. See Chapter 3
Tracker	It follows a trail by scent. Add 2 Boon Dice to Survival checks to track while riding it
Wader	It ignores the travel penalty for marsh

Traits that belong to one animal are explained in its entry.