Building Bhakashal - Mounts
Art by Per Haagensen at Artstation - perh.artstation.com/projects/dQXaW
This is going to be a big post.
Mounts, or domesticated animals that are used for transportation, have been around for many years. Human beings like to get around, and before the creation of the automobile individual transportation was often made possible by horses. Also, chases in fantasy literature are a must, invariably in a game at some point someone ends up fleeing from someone else. And, even if they don’t, parties move around across land and water, getting to their destinations.
I wanted clear, simple and straightforward rules for this in Bhakashal that weren’t so abstract that you lost what you were doing, but weren’t so complex that they wouldn’t be used. To do this, I needed to create statistics for the various mounts that could be used in such a chase.
So the first task was to decide on what stats were needed for mounts, for regular travel, combat and pursuit. I mapped out rules for how many commands a mount could have, what and how often they needed to eat, sleep, rest, be groomed and be attended to, as well as a system for penalties if these things were not done. There are rules for carrying capacity, rider capacity, tack and harness, cost and availability.
Once that was done, the mounted chase rules needed to be tested with these mounts. I had worked them up already, but not with specific examples.
I decided I needed a play test. So I contacted a friend of mine and he agreed to give it a go. I have created a number of characters for the January challenge, so I gave him one, and I gave him a standard sort of job that a patron would give out.
This is a good example of what a solo session in Bhakashal would look like. When the party is not around (e.g. only one person can make it that night) individual players can take on solo jobs for their patrons, or pursue something of their own interest.
If you wanted to know what a Bhakashal solo session would look like, here you are.
To get you there I’m going to post the rules for mounts, exhaustion, travel, mounted pursuit, etc., then I’m going to do a session recap. It will be long. You can skip to the recap or read the rules first.
Bhakashal - Rules for Mounts
A. Land and Water Mounts (d100)
1-8. Amaran (giant lion/tiger/panther)
9-12. Bhalion (6 legged maned lion like creature)
13-25. Corgah (blunt-nosed ox creature with tusks)
26-30. Draconar (horse with dragon head, scales and tail)
31-61. Gess (giant lizard)
62-70. Mambar (giant crocodile)
71-81. Raggam (giant boar)
82-92. Tulure (giant frog)
93-100. Xixia (giant spider)
B. Flying Mounts (d100)
1-20: Bogum (giant wasps)
21-60: Kestram (giant birds)
61-75: Kithial - (giant dragonflies)
76-100: Worra - (giant bats)
C. Mount Statistics
MV - Movement rate in 10’s of feet/round, base movement in miles per hour is MV/10
MD - Movement Duration - number of hours at regular movement rate before rest and refreshment is required to avoid exhaustion (see below)
AC (Type) - Armor Class (WvrsaC type classification)
HD - Hit Dice (d8)
NA (XYZ)- Number of Attacks (e.g., C=Claw, B=Bite)
DA: Damage from attacks
WvrAC: Weapon vrs AC adjustments for their attack
Critical: Critical impact from their attack form
SA: Special Abilities of any kind
INT: animal/semi/low - animal INT mounts can be taught three commands: go, stay and attack, semi INT mounts can be taught 3 more, Low INT mounts can be taught 3 more. Teaching a mount a new command takes 1 week of dedicated training, or a month of “on the job” training. A PC or NPC with “animal handler” or “teamster” as a skill requires 1 day of dedicated training or a week of “on the job” training. When purchasing it is possible to get mounts who have been fully trained or still have “slots” remaining.
Size: height at shoulder and length in feet
DT - Diet, e.g. Carnivore (C), Herbivore (H), Omnivore (O) - Carnivores require 3 turns to hunt for food in the appropriate areas, Herbivores require 1 turn.
FF - Feeding Frequency = number of times per day a mount must be fed, groomed and given attention. Grooming and attention/play take at least a turn each.
RC - Rider capacity (assumes M sized riders)
CC - Carrying capacity = Assuming 1 rider, proceed in installments of 3xHD in 100’s of GP, e.g. a 7 HD Amaran can carry 1 rider plus 2100gp in additional encumbrance before slowing down 3”/1 mile per hour, another 2100 gp before slowing down another 3”/1 mile per hour, etc.
ST - Sleep time in hours/day - Every mount must sleep a total of 1 hr per HD per day, if this isn’t met the mount takes a cumulative -1/-3”/_1MPH penalty
LB - Loyalty Bonus - if the mount is below half HP or must risk it’s life to save its rider, make a loyalty roll, an encounter reaction roll with the listed loyalty bonus. Modifiers:
If they have provided all appropriate food, water and rest breaks in the last week +10%
If they have provided all appropriate play and grooming breaks in the last week +10%
If PC has healed their wounds in the past +10%
CT - Cost in GP, average
AV - Availability, either Common - eg. found at most places, Uncommon (1 in 3) will have them, Unusual (1 in 6), Rare (1 in 10) or Very Rare (1 in 20), Special (only from specialized sellers, e.g. warlocks, Lords, etc.).
D. Mounts - Land and Water
1. Amaran - Giant Lion/Tiger/Panther (MV:15”(run)/12”(swim), MD: 6, AC:6 (no armor), HD:7, NA:3 CCB, DA: 2-5/2-5/2-12, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical:Cleave/Stab, SA:two claw attacks hit, additional 2 back claw attacks 2-8/2-8,Climb as 1st level Spider, surprised 1 in 6/ surprises 3 in 6, INT:Semi,Size:L5’ at shoulder, 12’ long, DT: C, FF: 1, RC: 2, CC: 2100gp, ST:7, LB: +20%, CT: 700gp, AV: Unusual)
2. Bhalion - 6-legged Lion (MV:12”(run)/9”(swim), MD: 8, AC:7, HD:5, NA:5 CCCCB, DA:1-4x5, 2-5, WvAC: WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical:Cleave/Stab,SA: climb as 1st level Spider,INT:Low, Size:L6’ at shoulder, 20’ long, DT: C, FF: 1, RC: 3, CC: 1500gp, ST:5, LB: +30%, CT: Special, AV: Special - Bhalion’s are only available from the beastial coven)
3. Corgah - Giant Ox (MV:12”(run)/9”(swim) , MD: 6, AC: 5 (leather), HD: 4, NA: 2 (CC), DA:2-8/2-8, WvAC:-1M/+2L/+4N, Critical:Stab, SA: charge and gore,INT: animal, Size:L6’ at shoulder, 12’ long, DT: H, FF: 3, RC: 2, CC:1200gp, ST:4, LB:+10%, CT: 200gp AV: Common)
4. Draconar - Dragon Horse (MV:18”(run)/12”(swim), MD: 4, AC: 4 (metal), HD: 4, NA: 3CCB, DA: 1-4/1-4/2-7, WvAC: -2M/+1L/+3N,Critical: Cleave/Stab, SA: Fire breath 3x per day, 2d8 damage, INT:low, Size: L5’ at shoulder, 10’ long, DT: C, FF: 1, RC: 1, CC: 1200gp, LB: 30%, CT: 1000gp, AV: Very Rare)
5. Gess - Giant Lizard (MV:15”(run)/15”(swim-amphibious), MD: 6, AC: 5(leather), HD:5, NA:3, DA:2-5/2-5/2-12, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical:Cleave/Stab, SA:Climb as first level spider, exceptional direction sense, INT: Semi, Size:L6’ at shoulder,18’ long, DT: H, FF: 1, RC: 3, CC: 1500gp, ST: 5, LB: +30, CT: 400gp, AV: Common)
6. Mambar - Giant Crocodile (MV:12”(run)/15”(swim-amphibious), MD: 4, AC: 3 (metal), HD: 7, NA: 2B, DA:3-18/2-20, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical:Stab, SA: On NAT 20 remove limb, INT:animal, Size: L4’ at shoulder, 15’ long, DT: C, FF: 2, RC: 3, CC: 2100gp, ST: 7, LB: +10%, CT: 300gp, AV: Uncommon)
7. Raggam - Giant Boar (MV:15”(run)/12”(swim), MD: 6, 24, AC:4 (leather), HD:6, NA:2CC, DA:3-12/3-12, WvAC:-1M/+2L/+4N, Critical: Stab, SA: charge and gore, min of 2hp per die, INT: low, Size:L7’ at shoulder, 20’ long, DT: C, FF: 2, RC: 4, CC: 1800gp, ST: 6, LB: +20%, CT: 500gp, AV: Common)
8. Tulure - Giant Frog (MV:18”(run)/24”(swim-amphibious), MD: 6, AC:6, HD: 3, NA: 2CB, DA: 2-8/1-10, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N ,Critical: Stab, SA: Jump 40’ up, jump and land, 50’ range, 2x damage, INT:low, Size:L8’ at shoulder, 10’ long, DT: H/C, FF: 3, RC: 1, CC: 900gp, ST: 6, LB: +20%, CT: 300gp, AV: Common)
9. Xixia - Giant Spider (MV:15”(run)/12”(swim-amphibious), MD: 6, AC:7, HD:7, NA: 1B, DA: 3-12, WvAC: -1 M/+2L/+4N ,Critical: Stab, SA: 1-2: poison bite 3x day, save or paralysis 2-4 rounds, 3-4: jump 20’ up, jump and land, 30’ range, 2x damage, 5-6: spins webs around lair/hunting ground, save vrs paralyzation or trapped for 5 rounds minus STR bonus, INT:low, Size:L6’ at shoulder, 12’ long, DT: C, FF: 2, RC: 1, CC: 2100gp, ST: 7, LB: +30%, CT: 800gp, AV: Rare)
E. Mounts - Flying
1. Bogum - giant wasps - (MV: 9”(run)/21”(fly), MD:6, Man Class B, AC: 5, HD: 4, NA: 2 (BS), DA: 2-8/1-12, WvAC:-1M/+2L/+4N, Critical: Stab, SA: Sting - save or slow as spell for 3-12 rounds, INT: animal, Size: 4’ at shoulder, 12’ wingspan, DT: C, FF: 3, RC: 1, CC: 800gp, ST: 4, LB: +20%, CT: 1000gp, AV: Very rare)
2. Kestram - giant birds (MV:12”(run)/36”(fly), MD: 6, Man Class C, AC: 6, HD: 4-8, NA: 3CCB, DA: 1-HDx2, 2dHD**, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N , Critical: Stab, SA: Dive attack as charge , INT:low, Size: 5’ at shoulder, wingspan 12’, DT: C, FF: 2, RC: 2, CC: 1200gp, ST: 6, LB: +30% , CT: 800gp, AV: Unusual)
**Eg, for a 6HD Kestram it would be 1d6/1d6/2d6, for a 7HD Kestram it would be 2-7(d6+1)/2-7(d6+1)/4-14(2d6+2), etc.
3. Kithial - giant dragonflies (MV:9”(run)/21”(fly), MD: 4, Man Class A, AC:8, HD:4, NA:1B, DA: 2-8, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical: Stab, SA: Chameleon ability, 3x a day for up to 1 turn each time ,INT: Low, Size: L4’ at shoulder, Wingspan 10’, DT: C, FF: 3, RC: 1, CC: 800gp, ST: 4, LB: +20%, CT: 1000gp, AV: Very rare)
4. Worra - giant bats (MV:9”(run)/30”(fly), MD: 8, Man Class D, AC: 6, HD: 6, NA: 1B, DA: 2-12, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical: Stab, SA: Wail - Save vrs spell or panic, flee for 2-4 rounds,INT: Semi, Size: L5’ at shoulder, wingspan 20’, DT: C, FF: 2, RC: 3, CC: 1200gp, ST: 6, LB: +30%, CT: Special, AV: Worra are only available from a Warlock)
F. Tack and Harness
Most leatherwork on saddles is done by Saan leatherworkers, each will bear the seal of the Saan that made it. Saddles have tall seat backs and each one is fitted to the variety of mount it sits upon, you can’t transfer a saddle for a Gess to a Xixia. Some saddles have canopies, some just over top and some with side blockers as well, made of fabric, to keep off the frequent rain and the furious sun. Mounts can be directed by bit and bridle but also by command and leg pressure. Saddlebags can be clasped closed, lockboxes are locked metal tubes in leather. It is possible to sleep in the saddle if desired, though it is an acquired taste. Barding is custom like saddles are, and may not be exchanged between mounts of different kinds.
G. Land Mounts - Base Equipment Costs
1. Basic Kit - Saddle, bit and bridle - 50 gp cost - 500 gp encumbrance
2. Advanced Kit - Saddle and saddlebags (2), bit and bridle, grooming tools - 100 gp/600 gp
3. Travel Kit - Saddle, saddlebags (3), bit and bridle, grooming tools, Canopy (top) - 200gp/800gp
4. Travel Kit Security - Saddle, saddlebags (3), bit and bridle, grooming tools, Canopy (top and sides, lockbox - 300gp/900gp
5. Travel Kit Luxury- Saddle cushioned, saddlebags (3), bit and bridle, grooming tools, Canopy (top and sides), lockbox - 400gp/1000gp
6. Skirmish Kit - Saddle, saddlebags (2), bit and bridle, grooming tools, Canopy (top and sides), lockbox, leather barding (drops AC by 2) - 600gp/1200gp
7. Battle Kit - Saddle, saddlebags (2), bit and bridle, grooming tools, Canopy (top and sides), lockbox, metal barding (drops AC by 4) - 800 gp/1600gp
H. Aerial Mounts - Basic Equipment Costs
1. Basic Kit - Saddle, bit and bridle - 100 gp cost - 300 gp encumbrance
2. Advanced Kit - Saddle and saddlebags (2), bit and bridle, grooming tools - 200 gp/400gp
3. Advanced Kit, Security - Saddle, saddlebags (3), bit and bridle, grooming tools, lockbox - 300gp/500gp
5. Advanced Kit, Luxury- Saddle cushioned, saddlebags (3), bit and bridle, grooming tools, lockbox - 400gp/600gp
I. Cost Modifications
Modify the above costs by the frequency of the mount as follows:
Common = base cost
Uncommon = base cost + 100 gp
Unusual = base cost + 200 gp
Rare = base cost + 400 gp
Very Rare = base cost + 500 gp
Special = determined by referee
So for example, say someone wanted to buy the cheapest possible kit, for an Amaran (unusual), that would be 1. Basic Kit for 50gp and 200gp for an Amaran, so 250 gp total.
J. Land Mounts - Housing + feed Costs
Common = base cost = 5 sp a night/1 gp week/20gp month
Uncommon + Unusual = double base
Rare = triple base
Very Rare = quadruple base
Special = determined by referee base
Housing and feed costs for flying mounts are triple those for land mounts.
K. Charging
Charging for land mounts gives a 2 point AC penalty, +2 to hit, 2x movement and 2x based die damage and can be done HD/2 times per day.
L. Travel, Random Encounters and Exhaustion
Movement Duration for mounts is listed in hours.
1. Mounts can move at their regular Movement Rate for a period equal to their Movement Duration. If they stop, rest and drink at that point for a turn, they can continue without penalty.
2. Every movement duration period they push on without rest they take a cumulative -1 on all rolls and reduce their subsequent movement duration by 1 hour. So the first time they push past without rest it's -1 on all rolls and 1 hour movement duration penalty, the second time -2 on all rolls and 2 hour penalty, etc.
3. Every hour rested mitigates a penalty of -1 on all rolls and adds an hour back to the movement duration
4. If at any point a mount’s movement duration drops to zero, they are completely exhausted and must rest for 3 hours before moving again, and are at -3 on all rolls until that time.
5. A mount can maintain fast movement (4x rate) for a period of time equal to 1/2 their Movement Duration, but they must rest for an hour afterwards or suffer a -1 on all rolls and - 1 hour on base movement duration. If they skip the rest and push through at fast movement they suffer a -2 penalty on all rolls and a -2 to their movement duration, and must rest for an hour or take a -3 penalty on all rolls and their movement duration for the next phase. Any further attempt to push fast movement continues in 1 turn intervals and requires a saving throw versus paralyzation to avoid complete exhaustion each time.
6. You can travel at your movement rate / 10 in miles per hour, e.g. an emberi with a movement rate of 12” can walk at a speed of 1.2 miles per hour, or run at 4.8 miles and hour. Distances - When noting map distances, it is rare that your travel time will match the distance exactly, e.g. you often get travel times of “5.2” hours and such. To simplify this, do the following. Calculate times on the hour just below and just above the target distance, and choose the closest option, this incorporates a randomizing factor to long distance travel performance. So for example, if traveling to a destination 40 miles away, and your mount travels 12 miles per hour, your “below/above” here is 36 miles in 3 hours or 48 miles in 4 hours. In this situation, 36 is closer to 40 than 48, so the mount travels 40 miles in 3 hours. Sometimes this will make the trip faster, sometimes slower.
M. Landscape Modifier
Note that movement rates are modified as follows when not in a dangerous situation, e.g. when not in melee or general combat, engaged in regular overland travel or when fleeing. A properly maintained road through any environment qualifies as “A”.
Flat, clear, grasslands or scrub - 8x MR
Rough, uneven, hilly and broken - 6x MR
Forested, overgrown, few paths - 4x MR
Marshes, wet ground, rivers - 2x MR
N. Weather Modifier
Weather - Roll for weather d10:
Clear, no wind
Clear, light wind
Clear, medium wind
Cloudy, medium wind
Cloudy, medium wind, light rain
Cloudy, strong wind, light rain
Cloudy, strong wind, medium rain
Cloudy, strong wind, heavy rain
Cloudy, very strong wind, heavy rain
Cloudy, extremely strong wind, very heavy rain
Any result with heavy rain reduces the landscape modifier by 2, eg x8 becomes x6.
O. Weather Variability - If you want to leave weather alone for the day you may do so, if you want to mimic the volatility of the tropical environment, after each daily time period (morning, afternoon, etc.) jump the weather up the scale by 0, 1,2 or 3 places (d4 roll) for the next. At the end of the day roll a d4, 1-2 weather goes down the scale by 0,1, 2 or 3 (d4) in the next weather segment, 3-4 weather continues up the scale by 0, 1,2 or 3 (d4) in the next weather segment.
P. Chase Rules - Bhakashal
In mounted chase tracker, list “0” under pursuers distance and the distance to the pursued under pursued distance. Reminder: running speed is 4x regular speed.
At the end of round1, add the distance moved in a round by each party to those numbers, if the pursuers number exceeds the pursued, they have overtaken
To speed up or “push” the mount past regular running speed, it must save versus paralyzation. Apply the rider’s CHR bonus. If they make the save, the mount moves up a movement category, e.g. their base movement rate increases by 3”. Note that you may maintain this speed for 1 turn. Then a new save must be rolled. If they fail the save they fall behind and take a 1 point penalty to everything and must rest for a turn to continue.
If you push your mount in uneven or difficult conditions (rain, on slope, through forest) you must make an additional saving throw versus paralyzation to avoid crashing, d6 damage to mount, d4 to rider, rider’s DEX bonus or INT bonus can be applied to this save. If the mount is reduced to less than 1/2 HP by a crash they are injured and movement rate is reduced to 1”.
If you crash and your pursuers are 100’ or less behind you, they will arrive before you can remount and flee.
You can push your mount a number of times per day equal to their HD. Attempts beyond that require an extra save versus paralyzation with the riders CHA bonus, if that save fails the mount collapses from exhaustion, d6 damage to mount, d4 damage to rider, and if the mount is reduced to less than 1/2 HP by the crash they are injured and movement rate is reduced to 1”.
Excessive obstacles in the path of a fleeing party require a saving throw versus paralyzation to avoid, add bonuses for rider’s INT, WIS, DEX and CHA to the save. If the save is failed there is a crash for d6 to mount and d4 to rider (less than ½ HP remaining then mount is injured, movement rate reduced to 1”), if they succeed they pass the obstacle unharmed. Pursuing parties have to make the same rolls.
Missile fire requires the rider to stop and shoot. At the beginning of the round when a rider wishes to shoot, note the distance between parties. Take the weapon speed of the missile weapon, and multiply by 10, this is the number of feet to add to the pursuer’s distance while the attacker is repositioning to shoot. They may ride away as soon as the shots are taken.
Melee attacks by pursuers with weapons from a mounted position are treated as a charge for the first attack, +2 bonus and 2 point AC penalty. On charge, longest weapon strikes first. Any subsequent melee attacks by mounted riders take a -2 penalty.
Q. Mounted Combat
It is assumed that all adventurers are familiar with riding. Some of the relevant rules associated with riding are:
Certain pole arms do twice the damage indicated by the die when set (firmly grounded) to receive a charging opponent.
Certain weapons do twice the damage indicated by the die when they are is employed by an attacker riding a charging mount (eg lance)
Certain weapons are capable of dismounting a rider on a successful "to hit" roll (eg military fork)
A critical hit by the mount against opponents breaks a line of defenders
If mounted and fighting a medium or smaller creature, you gain +1 to hit, and -1 to AC
Mounts used against foot soldiers are treated as an "obviously superior force" for morale purposes.
Any attack that reduces a mounted target to less than half their total HP forces a save versus breath weapon for that opponent, if the save fails they have been dismounted and will take 1-4 hp damage and be prone for 1 round.
Example of Play
Mharal the Ivory is a Akhaada Combatant Primus Warlock at House Magnar. After a series of successful ventures he has some disposable gold, and decides to pick up an Amaran, a “giant” feline mount he hasn’t been able to afford.
Amaran are “unusual” mounts, so only 1 in 6 places have them for sale. Mharal made some inquiries and found a breeder who has a good selection of amaran to sell.
The base price for an Amaran is 700gp, in Bhakashal when you purchase something you can haggle for a better price if so desired. Mharal decides against haggling, he has ample gold to spend. Mharal also wants to splash out on the tack and harness, he has no desire for barding, but otherwise he wants the best he can get.
He opts for the Luxury Travel Kit - Saddle - cushioned, saddlebags (3), bit and bridle, grooming tools, Canopy (top and sides), and lockbox - 400gp cost /1000gp encumbrance
For an “unusual” mount you add 200gp to the saddle cost.
So the total cost is 1300gp.
He decides that he wants a mount that is fully trained so he does not have to spend time training the beast. An Amaran can have 6 commands total.
After some browsing and discussion Mharal settles on a white tiger Amaran named Julki. Julki has 6 commands she will follow - “go, stay and attack” for the first three, and “climb”, “hide” and “fetch” for the next three. For monsters in Bhakashal HP are always rolled, in this case he rolls: 8,4,1,3,4,5,7 = 32HP
Amaran “Julki” - White tiger - (MV:15”(run)/12”(swim), MD: 6, AC:6 (no armor), HD:7, HP: 32, NA:3 CCB, DA: 2-5/2-5/2-12, WvAC:-2M/+1L/+3N, Critical:Cleave/Stab, SA:two claw attacks hit, additional 2 back claw attacks 2-8/2-8, climb as 1st level Spider, surprised 1 in 6/ surprises 3 in 6, INT:Semi, Size:L5’ at shoulder, 12’ long, DT: C, FF: 1, RC: 2, CC: 1100gp*, ST:7, LB: +20%, CT: 700gp, AV: Unusual)
*Julki can carry 2100gp with a single rider before slowing. Encumbrance from tack and harness is 1000gp, so Julki can carry 1100 gp more before slowing by 3”/1.5 miles an hour.
Mharal then plans a journey to a warlock’s tower in the marshes to exchange some rare components. Mharal recently slayed a grell and has some grell brain and tentacle to exchange with Nowiss the Gold, an expatriate Warlock from House Omsan. Nowiss has hair from a yeti that Mharal wants to substitute in his strength spell for variable effects. He consults the map, plans a route, then arises at dawn, departing at 6am.
Ref - “OK, you set off in the morning, are you planning on taking a boat and getting there by river, crossing through the swamp or some other route?”
Player - [consults map] “My destination is around 75 miles from the city (roughly 3 hexes), I’m going to take the first portion of that trip on the marsh roads. I want to make good time, the longer I’m traveling the greater the odds of encountering something dangerous, so I’ll take the marsh road as long as I can then depart from the spot on the road closest to my destination.”
Ref - “If you look at the map, in order to stick to areas where there is enough solid land to build a road, the road winds around a lot, and there are bridges at key points where the land is too spaced out, so as a result you will be traveling about 70 miles to get to a point 50 miles away from here on the road that will be your departure point into the marshes. From that point it's around 25 miles to your destination straight through the marshes and then arriving at a forest, the tower is in the forest. Sticking to the road means meeting more people, and various House soldiers and marshland Saan will be around.”
Player - “That sounds good”.
Julki can travel at her landscape and weather modified movement rate for 6 hours before having to stop, rest and drink for a turn. At least one stop per day has to be for feeding, grooming and interacting to maintain loyalty bonuses. Time to calculate how far she can travel on the road.
Since the player has chosen to travel on the road the travel speed modifier is x8, the weather roll is a 3, Clear, medium wind, so no speed modifiers for that. Land speed is MV/10, so 1.5 miles/hr x 8 for road travel = 12 miles/hr, so Julki and Mharan can travel 60 miles in 5 hours, 72 miles in 6 hours. Bhakashal tells you to round up or down the distance to get your travel time (L6), just to keep the math simple, and to add a random factor to time calculations. Since 72 is closer to 70 than 60, it will take 6 hours on the main road to cover the distance of 70 miles.
This is an “inner band” trip on the random encounter tables, traveling in the morning the odds of an encounter are 1 in 12, and one doesn’t come up.
Ref - “The weather is clear and hot, you have your canopy up, and you are making good time. It’s a quiet morning on the road winding through the marshes. You pass by a few garish Togmu caravans, some individual Saan merchants on mambars with elaborate saddles, a marsh patrol from House Hinn shining and sweating in the heat, each soldier perched atop a slowly moving gess. Each group you meet is separated by an hour or more. It is otherwise quiet except for the incessant insects and the wind, somehow perversely hot.”
After 6 hours on the road Mharal stops to rest. Note that this is the longest that Julki can travel without a rest stop. At this point it is 6 hours past departure, so noon, and we have entered the afternoon. So a weather roll and encounter roll are called for. The ref rolls a 1 on a d4, so the weather stays the same. A random encounter roll is made for the afternoon, it is a 1 in 10 chance, it does not come up.
Julki must eat at least once a day, so Mharal decides he will allow Julki to hunt for food and find water to drink for three turns. During that time he sits in a Homak tree and rests. Once Julki returns he takes the time to groom her under the shade of the Homak tree as it is high noon and very hot. He decides that the amaran should sleep for a time, and they spend a total of 2 hours here. So it is now 2 pm.
Mharal then stirs her and sets out again, this time into the marshes, his next travel target is the forest at the marshes edge, it is 16 miles due east. The speed modifier for this part of the trip is x2 as there are no roads and this is the marshes. Mharal plans to travel to the forest and stop again. There are no encounters (at least not until the 6pm roll to check), and Mharal travels at 2x the movement rate for the marshes, that’s 1.5 x 2, so 3 miles an hour. Bracket the travel distance, 5 hours at 3 miles an hour is 15 miles, 6 hours at 3 miles an hour is 18 miles, 15 is closer to 16 than 18, so they travel for 5 hours to reach the destination 16 miles away. They will arrive at 7pm.
At 6pm it is time for another weather and random encounter check as we are now in the evening time slot. The referee rolls for weather, they roll a 2, so the weather jumps up two slots to 5. Cloudy, medium wind, light rain. The ref then rolls a d8 for an evening encounter, and gets a 1. When an encounter comes up the referee rolls a d6 to determine when in the 6 hour window the encounter occurs. The ref rolls a 2, so it happens at hour 2, 8 pm, one hour after he reaches the forest.
Ref - “The marshes are infernally hot, Julki takes to the water in places, but the water is flowing in your direction, and you make up some time as you trek eastwards. Clouds fill the sky and by sundown a light rain is blowing in. Through innumerable reed patches, and at least one small lake where you were sure there was… something… underneath you, the forest’s edge greets you in the distance as the day begins to recede. You reach the edge of the forest, what do you do?”
This time Mharan stops just at the edge of the forest and lets Julki smell the area thoroughly for signs of predators, then they make camp. Mharan plays with the Amaran for a time, throwing a brightly colored ball he picked up in the city recently. The giant cat lunges into the trees to retrieve it, making enough noise to wake the dead. They spend an hour here, it is now 8 pm. Mharan decides that they were too noisy, and rather than stay here they will push on to reach their destination, skirting the edge of the forest for a while until heading back out into the marshes.
Ref - “Because you have taken breaks, fed, groomed and attended to Julki, she can travel without penalty.”
The encounter happens at 8pm when Mharan decides to break camp. The referee rolls on the Bhakashal marshes inner band table and gets a 17 for the monster table, and an 11 for displacer beasts. A d4 roll produces 3 beasts. At this point it is time for an “in lair” roll, which comes up negative, meaning the displacer beasts are out, since it is evening they are likely hunting. Now we roll a surprise roll. Mharan rolls a 3, indicating no surprise, the beasts roll a 1, indicating surprise. The referee has to interpret this.
Encounter distance is rolled as 100’.
Ref - “You set out from your camp under light rain in the newfound darkness. You had decided to rely on Julki’s vision to navigate in the dark. As you are moving through the reeds near a stream you see 3 creatures at the side of the stream drinking. They appear to not have noticed you.”
Player - “I give Julki the command to hide”
Ref - “The amaran crouches down, flat to the ground, so the reeds are high enough to conceal you.”
Player - “I watch them, what do they do?”
It is windy according to our weather check, so I roll a 2 in 6 chance the beasts catch their scent. I get a 1.
Ref - “One of the beasts suddenly turns its head in your direction.”
Player - “I take out a piece of fleece, and cast phantasmal force, I’m going to make an illusion of a huge ball of light, like a will-o-wisp, and have it fly towards them, see what they do.”
I figure he can get that 1 segment casting time spell out before any beast could be anywhere near him, so it casts, and the spheres of light appear. I check my random encounter tables for the marshes, and there are will-o-wisps on there, so I figure it’s a plausible illusion to these creatures. I roll 1-2 they flee, 4-6 they follow. I roll that they flee.
Ref - “You see them flee to the south around 200 feet from you, you are heading east, what do you do?”
Player - “I keep the spell active for another minute, then I drop it and we head east, full speed, I’m going to assume they are going to come back, so the more distance the better.”
As soon as Mharan and Julki turned to run the illusion would disappear, so I had to roll to see if the beasts would come back or just wander off when that happened. I gave it split odds, they rolled to come back. I decided the whole shebang bought the warlock about 5 rounds of time before the beast’s would have a chance to pick up the trail. I rolled for that, and they did, following.
So we shift to Bhakashal’s chase rules.
How far ahead were they? Julki runs at 15”x4 = 60”, so 600 ft per round, so in 5 minutes she has run 3000’, about 2/3 of a mile east from where they started. The trail would not be hard to follow, Julki is big and while running would leave a trail entering and leaving water, crashing through reeds, etc.
Julki can run at 4x speed for a period of time equal to half her Movement Duration, so 3 hours. She won’t tire from that any time soon. But any faster is a different story.
I roll to see if the beasts put on the juice or just follow the trail at running speed. They elect for running speed, and I roll to see how long they do this before either speeding up or giving up, as Julki can match them for speed. I roll a d4 for rounds, they spend 3 rounds running this way, and are still 3000 feet apart at the end. So they realize they aren’t gaining any ground. Now I roll to see if they continue pursuit or break off as they aren’t catching up. I roll a d6, 1-3 they ditch, I roll a 4. They continue.
So the beasts pour it on, they all must make saves to push their speed, a displacer beast gets a +8 on saving throws, so a 12 or higher. Two of them make it, and can increase their speed by 3”. One fails, and now must stop, take a -1 penalty on every roll, and wait a turn to run again. So the two remaining are now moving at 15” + 3” = 18” x 4 = 72”, Mharan doesn’t know if they are “pouring it on” or not, but the player does ask me to try and look back. He stops Julki, takes out his spyglass and sits up in the saddle. I roll to see if he notes anything, it’s still dark and rainy, so I give him a 1 in 6 chance. He get’s lucky, and spots them in pursuit.
He pulls away again at running speed.
The beasts may maintain this accelerated pace for a turn. In a turn they cover 7200 feet. In a turn Julki and Mharan travel 3000 (their current lead) +6000 = 9000 feet. So they are 2800’ ahead when the beasts slow down. I roll to see if the beasts try to push it again, I make it a 1 in 6 chance they will try, I roll the 1, then they both have to make saves to push their speed again, one makes it, the other stops and takes a 1 point penalty on all rolls as it rests for a turn.
The one that remains keeps up the speed for another turn, in that time it goes another 7200 feet, while Julki and Mharan travel 2800 + 6000 = 8800 feet, now they are 1600 feet apart. Mharan stops to check again, and I roll a 2 in 6 chance to spot the beast as they are closer. He grabs his spyglass and is again successful.
Mharan decides to take out a scroll.
Player - “The other two beasts dropped off a while back, I think I have time, I cast Hold Monster on it from the scroll when it gets closer”
The beast slows down to regular running speed seeing that Mharan has stopped, preparing to stalk and attack. Mharan has a range of 135’ with the scroll spell, so he waits until the beast is closing in to cast it. As he is using it against a single target, it takes a -3 penalty.
But first Mharan has to cast successfully. He is 3 levels below what is needed to cast the 5th level spell off the scroll, so a 15% chance of failure, or 85% chance of success. He rolls a 44% and is successful. Now, the beast has to save, it needs a 12, with the -3 penalty that’s 15. I roll an 11, and it fails, frozen in place.
Player - “I ride over to the creature, and take out my naginata and slice it’s throat. I collect the blood, and when it is obviously dead I hack off it’s head, two tentacles and a paw.”
I decide this takes 1-3 turns to complete, with a STR or DEX modifier to speed it up, whichever is best. STR is best, a 2 point modifier, so that’s 1 turn.
The next wandering monster check is hours off. I just need to roll for the two beasts that stopped. They each have to rest for a turn to recover. I roll for the closest one, I roll a 2 in 5 chance it will take up the trail. I get 1 and it follows. It’s two turns behind at full speed, three at it’s running speed. In that time Mharan is off and gone for 2 turns at 6000 feet per turn. So a few miles away.
I call it at this point, there are no more encounters, and their destination is 5 miles away, well within Julki’s range before having to rest, and the beasts are unlikely to catch up. So now they have arrived at the tower.
Mharan has parts from the displacer beast, and Julki can rest and recover for travel later.
What is important about the rules here is that the details matter, speeds, choice of terrain, stops to rest, all of these figure into the resource management and tactical decisions necessary when using a mount.
Mharan got his yeti fur, and a few extra tentacles to boot…
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