These rules are based on Robert Harrison's article "Let the horse buyer beware" from Dragon Magazine
| Size | Base Price | Hit Dice | Base Move* | Damage/attack | Carrying weight (pounds) | 1d8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | 225 | 3+12 | 14" | 2d8+4 Hoof/1d8+4 Bite | 600/900 | 1-2 |
| Light | 50 | 2+2 | 24" | 2d4+2 Hoof/1d4+2 Bite | 300/500 | 3 |
| Medium | 125 | 2+4 | 18" | 2d6+3 Hoof/1d6+3 Bite | 400/650 | 4-6 |
| Heavy | 200 | 3+9 | 15" | 2d6+4 Hoof/1d8+4 Bite | 500/700 | 7-8 |
| Quality Rating | Price Modifier | Hit Die Type | Move Modifier* | Carrying Weight | 1d6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | -50% | d10-2 (min 1) | +(2d4-6)" | -10% | 1-2 |
| Average | 0 | d10 | +(2d4-5)" | 0% | 3-4 |
| Good | +100% | d10+1 (max 10) | +(2d4-4)" | +5% | 5 |
| Excellent | +200% | d8+2 | +(2d4-3)" | +7.5% | 6 |
| Superb | +400% | d6+4 | +(2d4-2)" | +10% | 7 |
*Take movement in inches and multiply by 2.5 to get movement in feet per turn. The warhorse in the PHB should have a 40 foot move.
Higher quality horses may be faster and have a higher minimum hit points. A character who makes a DC10 Animal Handling roll can get an idea of a horse's quality. DC15 roll lets them compare a group of horses to pick a better horse.
| Training Type | Cost (GP) | Panic/Spell Failure | 1d6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riding | +25 | 90% | 1-4 |
| Basic | +100 | 40% | 5 |
| Skirmish | +200 | 10% | 6 |
| Combat | +500 | 3% | 7 |
So a medium warhorse (125 GP) of Good quality (+100% of price or +125 GP) with Skirmish training (+200 GP) costs 450gp. If it was Superb quality (+400% or +500GP) with Combat training (+500GP), it would cost 1,125 GP.
Panic is the chance the horse will try to bolt when there is combat (smell of blood, screams, monsters or it takes a wound) and the chance that a spellcaster trying to cast from horseback will be jostled and the spell ruined. A horse that panics will move at full speed in a random direction away from the threat. Each turn the rider can make an Animal Handling roll to get the horse under control (Difficulty is based on the horse's training; DC20 for Riding, DC 18 for Basic, DC 15 for Skirmish and DC 10 for Combat). Druids or characters with the Mounted Combatant feat roll with advantage.
A horse with basic training will obey the rider's commands to charge and trample a man sized target (that uses the rider's Attack action). A skirmish trained horse will attack a creature that attacks it as well. A combat trained horse will attack targets in front of it by biting if possible or a hoof attack on its own action. If a combat trained horse's rider is unhorsed, make a panic roll. On a failure the horse will attack targets as it moves away. On a success, the horse will stand by its rider and attack creatures that approach.
For random horse generation, -1 in small towns and villages, no modifier for large towns and small cities, +1 for large cities. Horse Market
