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Old 04-09-2021, 07:46 AM   #1
hal
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Buffalo, New York
Default Horses as NPCs (of sorts)

Hello Folks,
Laying the groundwork here as it were:

I'm starting up a face to face campaign with players - in an Old West setting. One player wanted to set things up that he has a horse that he's really attached to as a result of the Civil War. The year is 1867, two years post civil war ending, and he still has his horse from that war as part of accepting material goods in lieu of pay during the end of his stint of enlistment.

So, enter the Horse. First, I thought about the Noble Steed article and thought it would serve me well despite it being crafted for use with GURPS 3e. Then I got to looking at Horse Sense and other articles regarding horses. Then I started to take a good HARD look at GURPS BASIC SET: CAMPAIGNS because of a few odds and ends items there and thought to myself "hmmmm".

The Noble Steed gives a fair amount of information worth looking at, and I can't help but think that perhaps one should continue what was done in GURPS BASIC SET CAMPAIGNS and see where it takes us.

First, let's look at what is given regard a Saddle horse on page 460:

ST 21; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 11; Will 10; Per 12; Speed 5; Dodge 8; Move 6.
SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,200 lbs.

Traits: Domestic Animal; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 12); Hooves; Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Weak Bite.

Skills: Mount-11.
Cost: $1,200.

So, what is missing from the picture here? We have a general listing of traits, which were taken from GURPS BASIC SET CHARACTERS. Domestic Animal is shorthand for "Cannot Speak", "Hidebound"< and "Social Stigma(Valuable property" - all combined as a -30 point disadvantage. Quadruped is treated as shorthand for "Extra legs", "Horizontal" and "No fine Manupulators" - for a total net value of -35). Hooves is Sharp Claws worth 3, and Enhanced Move is worth 10. Peripheral Vision is worth 15.

ST 21 costs a mere 55 points due to the 40% discount due to no fine manipulators. IQ 3 is worth -160. Move that is 1 better than the normal it would have had based upon HT and DX (5) costs 5 points. Double movement on land costs 10 points.

So what is missing in all of this? Short Lifespan. At 12 years of age (per Noble Steed), the horse begins its aging rolls. Once per year for three years, then once per 6 months for every 4 years, then once per 3 months for any age over 20. Unfortunately, this isn't modeled precisely with Short Lifespan, but if you look at GURPS BIO-TECH, one can play fast and loose with age of maturation as well as the other fiddly bits if necessary. So call it Short lifespan 2, worth -20 but still using the aging schedule as outlined in NOBLE STEED.

Now for the fun part. Here is a list of advantages that the horse may take as well as disadvantages:

Assuming a Base Perception of 12 as was given in GURPS BASIC SET CAMPAIGNS, that matches perfectly with the "Vision" of a horse. Give the horse Acute Hearing +2 and Acute Sense of Smell/taste +4, and we meet the Noble Steed levels of hearing, smell, and sight.

Fit, Very Fit, Unfit, Very Unfit, Appearance of any kind, Absolute direction, Alertness in 3e becomes Perception in 4e, so not possible - simply bump up the attribute for the Alertness aspect. Combat reflexes, Common Sense (rare for a horse), Cow Sense (Variant of Animal Empathy perhaps?), Easy Keeper (not in GURPS 4e), Disease Resistance, Longevity, Natural Jump Talent, Night Vision, Reputation (Breed)

Absolute Timing (as a disadvantage), Age, Bad Sight, Bad Temper, Bully, Difficult Keeper (oppposite of Easy Keeper), Lower DX, Lower IQ, Lower HT, Lower ST, Gluttony, Lameness, Low pain threshold, Fearfulness, Odious Personal habit, One Eye, Overweight, Phobia, Reputation (Breed), Skinny, Stubbornness, Youth

Continued next post

ADDENDA: Here is the link to the article NOBLE STEED that some might enjoy...

Last edited by hal; 04-09-2021 at 08:11 AM. Reason: Addenda: adding the link to THE NOBLE STEED
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