Just curious...in the world of Faerun (or other homebrewed fantasy-Dark-Ages-like worlds), I suspect animal husbandry to be a pretty significant practice in order to make horse-power an available thing for agriculture and transportation. I'm curious how many of you DMs either provide a horse of some type through a faction, or allow your party to acquire a horse at a market? Any funny stories or lessons learned if you did?
I usually will provide horses to my party for the sake of traveling between distant locations, but have yet to have too many party members who had an interest in acquiring a horse long-term
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I don't often provide mounts to my players because many of my adventures are location-based and mildly episodic, so there isn't much need for long travel that can't just be handwaved away or role-played through hitching a ride on a merchant cart or caravan to the next location. If my groups really needs its own form of transportation, I tend to give them the option of a single horse and cart for ease of group travel.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
I treat horses as a commodity in most of my games, but that just means they're generally more expensive if you don't get them from a breeder. I'll leave it up to my players to go out to find one, and then make a judgement as to whether that particular location would have a ranch. I'm also of a mind that it is up to my players to take care of them, their safety, and their food.
I had a party lose all but one of their horses a week after purchasing them because they didn't take into account AoE spells and the horses' proximity.
Another party lost their horses to harpies. I explained their mission, explained seeing a harpy carrying a large boar, gave them all the warnings and information I could. The party still tied the horses to a tree while in eyesight of the harpy roost...then they got mad when the harpies avoided the well armed and dangerous party and claimed the horses.
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Horses seem like something that will generally be available in reasonably sized settlements in fantasy settings so if my party ask they will be available for purchase.
I hadn't intended to give my party horses, but a while ago I included a few skeletons on horseback and the party promptly placated the skeletal horses, then invested in barding so they don't attract too much attention. So far everything has been within about 2 days walk of their hub town so this has not had much impact. However they keep the horses tied up out of town and have now spent about a week too busy to check on them, so who knows what will have happened in the meantime...
Horses seem like something that will generally be available in reasonably sized settlements in fantasy settings so if my party ask they will be available for purchase.
I hadn't intended to give my party horses, but a while ago I included a few skeletons on horseback and the party promptly placated the skeletal horses, then invested in barding so they don't attract too much attention. So far everything has been within about 2 days walk of their hub town so this has not had much impact. However they keep the horses tied up out of town and have now spent about a week too busy to check on them, so who knows what will have happened in the meantime...
This reminds me a 2nd Edition Necromancer Wizard character I had :) I specifically built an animated skeletal horse, but I had it disguised with a semi-permanent illusion of a live horse ( only semi-permanent, as it was programmed to flicker off in the presence of a lightening flash ... )
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
The first mounts I provided for my party they rode directly into combat and got the roasted by a lightning bolt. After having them for about 4 days... If they want mounts now, they buy them.
I will let my party borrow or receive on loan horses if they are following my story and I want the party to travel to the town in that direction. I don't let them know that I am doing them any favors or rewarding them for following the story, because then they'd figure out "Hey he gave us horses to ride, so we must be doing the right thing." At some point I expect the party to buy their own horses, at least one cart and a draft animal or two. And like they said above, then they get to feed them, shelter them and stuff like that. It helps suck up some of that spare change they find now and then in a hole ...
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Just curious...in the world of Faerun (or other homebrewed fantasy-Dark-Ages-like worlds), I suspect animal husbandry to be a pretty significant practice in order to make horse-power an available thing for agriculture and transportation. I'm curious how many of you DMs either provide a horse of some type through a faction, or allow your party to acquire a horse at a market? Any funny stories or lessons learned if you did?
Thanks in advance!
I usually will provide horses to my party for the sake of traveling between distant locations, but have yet to have too many party members who had an interest in acquiring a horse long-term
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
I don't often provide mounts to my players because many of my adventures are location-based and mildly episodic, so there isn't much need for long travel that can't just be handwaved away or role-played through hitching a ride on a merchant cart or caravan to the next location. If my groups really needs its own form of transportation, I tend to give them the option of a single horse and cart for ease of group travel.
I treat horses as a commodity in most of my games, but that just means they're generally more expensive if you don't get them from a breeder. I'll leave it up to my players to go out to find one, and then make a judgement as to whether that particular location would have a ranch. I'm also of a mind that it is up to my players to take care of them, their safety, and their food.
I had a party lose all but one of their horses a week after purchasing them because they didn't take into account AoE spells and the horses' proximity.
Another party lost their horses to harpies. I explained their mission, explained seeing a harpy carrying a large boar, gave them all the warnings and information I could. The party still tied the horses to a tree while in eyesight of the harpy roost...then they got mad when the harpies avoided the well armed and dangerous party and claimed the horses.
Yep - horse, wagons, passage on ships, etc. - all stuff you gotta buy.
Go to the market, buy yourself a horse, take care of it - walk it, feed it, clean up after it. Don't let it get eaten by harpies.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Horses seem like something that will generally be available in reasonably sized settlements in fantasy settings so if my party ask they will be available for purchase.
I hadn't intended to give my party horses, but a while ago I included a few skeletons on horseback and the party promptly placated the skeletal horses, then invested in barding so they don't attract too much attention. So far everything has been within about 2 days walk of their hub town so this has not had much impact. However they keep the horses tied up out of town and have now spent about a week too busy to check on them, so who knows what will have happened in the meantime...
This reminds me a 2nd Edition Necromancer Wizard character I had :) I specifically built an animated skeletal horse, but I had it disguised with a semi-permanent illusion of a live horse ( only semi-permanent, as it was programmed to flicker off in the presence of a lightening flash ... )
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
The first mounts I provided for my party they rode directly into combat and got the roasted by a lightning bolt. After having them for about 4 days... If they want mounts now, they buy them.
I will let my party borrow or receive on loan horses if they are following my story and I want the party to travel to the town in that direction. I don't let them know that I am doing them any favors or rewarding them for following the story, because then they'd figure out "Hey he gave us horses to ride, so we must be doing the right thing." At some point I expect the party to buy their own horses, at least one cart and a draft animal or two. And like they said above, then they get to feed them, shelter them and stuff like that. It helps suck up some of that spare change they find now and then in a hole ...