Horse

Coats run from white, gray, chestnut, brown and black to reddish shades, alone or mixed. Notable patterns include the piebald, splotched in black and white; the palomino, gold-bodied with a pale mane and tail; and the dapple gray, dark but freckled lighter on chest, belly and rump.

Mane and tail may be lighter, darker or match the body. Typical markings are socks (white running from hoof partway up to knee or hock), a pale muzzle, a blaze (a wide white stripe down the face), and a star (a white diamond on the forehead between the eyes). Height is measured in hands of 4 inches each.

From the second round of a melee onward, a warhorse fights on its own regardless of its rider. Other horses fight only when cornered. Most kick with their front hooves twice per round.

Loud noises, odd smells, fire and sudden movement panic an untrained horse 90% of the time. Horses accustomed to these shocks, warhorses for the most part, bolt just 10% of the time.

A mare carries her foal for about 11 months. Twins come in at most one birth in ten, triplets almost never. Foals are weaned at six months, mature by age two or three, and count as adults at five. Horses typically live 30-35 years, rarely to 50, but overworked animals seldom pass 12.

Only one pony or wild horse in ten has the makings of a warhorse, and mules alone are nimble enough for mountains or underground passages.

Native to temperate grasslands, domestic horses now live wherever people do, even in mountains with good roads.

Heavier loads slow a horse and wear it out. Its base movement is a trot. Over good terrain a day's travel covers miles equal to double its movement rate. A canter (safe for two hours) or gallop (one hour) improves that, after which it must walk for an hour before speeding up again. A load that halves its speed rules out galloping, and one cutting it to a third rules out cantering too.

Draft horses are slow, muscular dray-team haulers favored by traders.

Warhorses, trained to lance, spear and sword and braver than other breeds, carry knights and cavalry. Heavy warhorses are slow and draft-like, strong enough to wear plate and carry a plate-armored rider with ease, and cost 400 gp or more. Medium warhorses are smaller and quicker, able to wear and carry leather or light plate, for 200 gp and up. Light warhorses are fastest, carry riders in leather, rarely wear barding, and suit raiders, light cavalry and thieves, at 150 gp or more.

Ponies are small, lively travel and farm mounts, excitable yet gentle; some small demihuman races ride them to war. Price follows size and training, typically about 500 gp.

Wild horses are hardy, nervous and hard to catch; taming one takes double the usual training time, and some tribes hunt them for meat.

Riding horses, the most common type, are quick, agile saddle mounts priced by bloodline, training and looks.

Mules, sterile crosses of horse and donkey, are sure-footed and famously stubborn. Patient handlers can ride them, but they shine as pack animals in rough country, and no other breed can be taken underground. Their price depends on how much trouble they have given their owner.

The steppe pony is ugly, awkward and small, about 13 hands (4'4"), with a short neck, big head, heavy bones, and a shaggy winter coat that makes it look half-wild. Its coat is usually coppery or bronze, striped pale yellow along the spine. That homely shape hides great speed, stamina and strength.

It works like a light warhorse with some changes: three attacks per round, the third a bite for 1-3; AC 6 from its thick coat and hide; and the carrying capacity of a medium warhorse (220/330/440). Calm in battle, it has average morale (8-10) and panics only 5% of the time from fire or noise. It lives by grazing without grain, travels far without tiring, and gains +3 on saves vs. lameness and exhaustion during overland travel.

Still, only nomads ride it, outsiders barely know it, and it sells cheaply except to breeders after strength and stamina.