Horses in Shadowrun Options

[Panzergeist]

I was thinking off having a character ride a horse instead of a vehicle. Are there any rules regarding horses in Critters? My idea is to have a horse with a little cyber and bioware and some armor. Maybe I'll do it with a mage character so I can disguise the horse as a motorcycle with physical mask. Anyone know what the stats for horses are, or the rules for riding them, or the cost of taking care of them? I think a horse with an oral gun, dermal sheath, wired reflexes, suprathyroid gland, and platelet factory would be awesome. Throw on a suit urban camoflague armor and some steel horseshoes, and you could be a modern cavalryman.

[Grey]

A very interesting idea. The only horse mentioned in Critters is the Humped Horse, which is an awakend horse that is superfast, can control other horses, and has natural camo.

I'd say that for riding a horse, just make a custom active skill, Riding. You could even specialize in Horses with it, cause there are other things in the world that one could ride.

[grendel]

Why did I suddenly get the visual of Andy from Cowboy Bebop?

[Panzergeist]

I'm thinking more along the lines of Vampire Hunter D's cyborg horse.

[Herald of Verjig...]

The normal critter chart has an entry for "horse." If you want something more interesting and entirely organic, look up pegasus or unicorn.

[GunnerJ]

Critters also describes how cyberware works in animals (long story short: it's doable, but it fucks them up badcore)

You could make Riding based off of Intelligence or Reaction, and use it like Atheletics for running, but increasing the horse's speed. Also, there should be a handling TN for jumps or other special manuvers with the horse, maybe based off the horse's WIL or INT.

[Senor 187]

I would replace my horse's legs with rocket boosters!

[Dogsoup]

Kid Stealth or Jumpjacks... ;)

[Jpwoo]

Umm what game are you playing?


Good luck with your horse!

[Synner]

"Hey you know what they call a horse over in the Barrens?"
"No, what?
"Lunch..."

[spotlite]

No mention of bioware being a problem for them. Doesn't affect their essence, after all (on a paracritter obviously it would have the same detrimental effects as it would on a magic user though, obviously). Be VERY expensive though - I mean, who the hell makes bioware for animals?

Besides, its not that bad, as long as you don't go overboard. sharpened hooves and reaction enhancers it probably wouldn't even notice since it can't feel either of them directly. it might harm itself with the hooves a couple of times, but I don't recall ever seeing a horse scratch itself with its legs, they normally find something to rub against. I haven't spent that much time with horses, mind you (I've grown up around them, but I can't even ride, for example. Not my favorite animal by a long shot).

And remember that animals can be 50% smaller or larger than their listed stats. Your GM may allow them to be tweaked. there's no guidance on how much they cost though. I would imagine they are quite expensive, though not compared with a decent car.

[Nikoli]

I shudder to think what it would cost to feed a horse though, since oats are tough to come by and grass is darn near protected in the parks.

[spotlite]

Hey, if they can make soy beef and soy veg, they can damn well make soy oats or my ten gallon hat and my shotgun gonna have something to say about it! Yee haw!

Ahem. You raise a good point, but I imagine if you've found somewhere you can buy a horse, you've probably found a food supply as well.

[Nikoli]

Though, as a GM I'd allow a circumstantial bonus when crossing the NAN border.

[Glav]

[Lindt]

Yeah, I had a horse shamen with a ride(horse) skill. However, the real question is it reaction based, ot charisma based?

[Herald of Verjig...]

It's a reaction based skill. Once I remember where I read that, I'll give you the page number.

[spotlite]

It might be reaction based, but I'd be perfectly willing to use a low charisma as a reason for the animal to be generally disobedient and unhappy with its owner, and vice versa. But I would allow roleplaying to compensate either way as well. If they treat the horse very well, look after it, talk to it, etc, then even with a very low charisma it may be everything they want it to be, and a character with a very high charisma who abuses the animal will have it hate him or be afraid enough of him that others might notice and try to take it from him if the animal doesn't constantly try to escape itself.

That's all notwithstanding any appropriate spells, powers, edges or flaws, which might have their own influences, obviously, and is a house rule given that there's nothing canon to support it.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Riding is a reaction based skill. Animal handling (or whatever official skill covers that) is charisma based.

[Playing Games]

What about metal horses.Lik normal horses but robotic?

[Lindt]

Ahh. See that makes sence. Sadly, most of the times you make a Riding check youd be having to make a handle animal check too, cause we all know how spooky horses are...

[Sunday_Gamer]

Ruthenium enhanced dikoted horse!

No seriously, you better find a way to protect that thing or it's going to get killed so fast you'll forget you ever had a horse.

Kong

[Herald of Verjig...]

Creatures don't handle cyberware well, so either go with the modern equivalent of medieval horse armor, and/or get a mage. Quicken an increased body spell, an armor spell, and a blurr spell. You now have a fuzzy horse with a lot of dice to resist and enough armor to drop the TN for small guns.

Or, if you befriend a free spirit with the "Animal Form" power, it can materialize as a horse with innate hardened armor and access to all its spirit powers.