• IdeaArchive
• Riding System Ideas

RavenRed: Just a quick idea of how a riding skill could be implemented.

Skill

The Riding Skill is a skill that operates in a similar manner to Symbiosis, and is ancillary, therefore having fairly big modifiers for most races.

The essential idea is similar to Symbiosis, although the mount doesn't become a stand-alone object when "hypnotised". You're either riding it as an object (granting the "powers" below) or as an active monster within the "outside" game. "Mounting" the beast in this context does the dual role of hypnosis and "wearing" the beast in the Symbiant slot.

The skill has the following "powers".

1. Mount (Level 5), Cost 0 - allows the player to enter into "symbiosis" with a suitable PET monster (see below). This also covers dismounting (leaving symbiosis)

2. Charm Mount (Level 15), Cost 10 - Charms a "Neutral" monster into becoming a PET with Power Skill * (Skill/10)

3. Charge Steed! (Level 25), Cost 20 - Increases your Attack Speed by Skill/8 and your Move Speed by Skill/5 for Skill + Skill d10 rounds (Note that this is on top of the standard bonuses). This has a 50-Skill percent chance of doing the mount 2d12 damage. Don't kill your horse!

4. Use Powers (Level 30), Cost 25 - Enables you to use the "powers" of your steed, be they teleportation or Fire Breath

5. Bridle Wild Mount (Level 35), Cost 30 - Charms a hostile monster into becoming a PET with Power of Skill * (Skill/15). This is a "touch" ability, so you need to be next to the monster.

6. Summon Steed (Level 40), Cost 50 - Summons a Friendly PET steed in a random position 15-20 squares distant from the caster of level of Level (Skill)d2

Effects of being Mounted

• Your move speed is increased by Base Mount Speed * (Skill @ 25). Therefore, if you have a Clip-Clop Clydesdale with a speed of +10, your speed bonus will be +2 at Riding Skill 5 (the minimum for mounting), +6 at L15 and a whopping +18 at level 45. Attack speed remains unchanged.
• There is a bonus/penalty to Weaponmastery skill of (Riding Skill - 10) / 8 when mounted.

• On any given turn, your mount might try to throw you if S+(2×L)<M, where L is your level and M is your mount's monster level. The probability of it doing so is M-(2×L)-S in 1000. (adapted from Zizzo's magnificant Killerbunnies spoiler) Being thrown off entails being stunned, and dismounting. Will you have time to climb back on that horse?

• Your mount will take the damage from a given attack instead of you with probability S+5 percent.
• Your mount will reduce (or, for that matter, increase) your armour class to a max of Mount AC + Riding Skill. You're a much bigger target on that thing, but if you can ride well enough, it might not matter! (NB, in Pipedream, AC won't be as important as armour anyway)
• Your Mount will attack your foes in any given attack of yours with the likelihood 1 in Monster Level - Riding Skill.

Rohanknights (or Pipdream's Rohirrim) get the skill at a starting level of 5.000 (+1.100). Other mortals get it at 0.000 (+0.500). This still makes Rohanknights far better at riding, but hopefully with slightly less cheesy effects than currently.

In the mounting yard

So what can be ridden?

Horses, Hounds and Eagles pretty much cover it, although this should also be leavened by common sense. No, you can't ride that sparrow. No, I don't CARE how high your riding skill is.

• Horses (q)
  • Pony - With +0 Speed, AC 0 and no attacks, this is the mount of those who really haven't got anything better to ride. Don't tell Sam we said this about HIS pony though.
  • Horse - your basic steed. +10 speed, AC 15 and two d5 hooves.
  • Warhorse - Big, mean, lightly armoured and trained to bite. +15 speed, AC 25, 2 2d7 hooves and a d4 bite. Resists = +5% SLASH / PIERCE / CRUSH
  • Horse of Rohan - A flier!, +25 speed, AC 17, 2 2d6 hooves.
  • Destrier - Heavily Armoured and bred for war, +10 Speed, AC40, 2 2d10 hooves and a d8 bite. Resists = +10% SLASH / PIERCE / CRUSH, +100% FEAR
  • Steed of Mordor - Carrier of the Nazgul!, +20 Speed, AC25, 2 4d4 Hooves, Resists = +10% NETHER, +22% DARK, Aggravate
• Winged things (B)
  • Great Eagle - As per monster list
  • Giant Roc - A mighty steed!, as per monster list
  • Winged Horror - Carrier of the Nazgul Mk 2! As per monster list.
• Hounds
  • Warg - The orc version of a hoonmobile. As per monster list.
  • White Wolf - the steed of the frozen northlands. As per monster list.
  • Werewolf - Intelligence and savagery in one snarling package. As per monster list.

  • Wolf chieftain - Why ride with the pack when you can ride on the pack. As per monster list.

  • Hellhound - Burn, damn you! As per monster list.
  • Greater Hellhound - Burn harder, damn you! As per monster list.

In addition to all of these, I think most of the uniques like Thorondor, Huan Wolfhound of the Valar and, of course, Shadowfax should be "usable".

2c worth and counting...

Chatter

Solorin: What about dragons? Can we ride dragons? Oh, can we please?

TheFalcon: Yes, please?

RavenRed: I did seriously consider that, but reckon it's a bit unbalancing considering all the enhancements above. Besides, we don't need McCaffrey's Lawyers giving us the stare of death, do we?

TheFalcon: Lawyers? pfft

Anywho... "Destrier"- Is this Tolkienian? If so, where is it mentioned? (Yes, I'm groping for more wilderness / town monsters for Annals of Ea).

By the way, this is a really neat idea. I'd thought of doing something similar, and even dreamt up a list of abilities for the skill. Also, I'd thought of putting in a "houndmastery" skill as a kind of more controlled pet abilities / instructions. All these could go under a blanket "beastmastery" skill, which might prevent overdiversification. I'll look up what I'd jotted down for this and put it in the Idea archive for comparison.

TheFury: Can this be LUAed in, or would it have to be hard coded?

TheFalcon: I don't see why it couldn't be LUAfied... (though it might take some time)

Riding could also give a greater possible inventory weight? It might also be worth doing a player weight check to see if the player was light enough to ride certain steeds (wolves especially) since I don't quite picture, say, a half-troll riding a warg :P . This would actually make player weight kind of useful for something.

LogrusMage: What about if i use a trap or other wierdness to get myself down to 1 inch tall? *Then* can i ride a sparrow?

TheFalcon: Not if you still weigh as much as you did before!