Do orcs ride horses?

Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:10 am

So I've been thinking about monsters and what creatures they can ride or use in battle. Can orcs ride horses or are horses too skittish or afraid? Or can they be trained from birth to accept evil creatures?

And thinking about other evil creatures - goblins might ride worgs. What other evil creatures can be used a mounts?

How about gryphons (griffins), can evil creatures ride them? Perhaps, powerful magical creatures require good aligned people to train, befriend etc. before allowing a rider.

Are there any favored combinations?

Just curious as to how you all handle mounted monsters and such.

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Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:23 am

Until relatively recently, I was pretty happy with the idea that Goblins ride Worgs/Wolves, but I have since lost my enthusiasm for that paradigm and come to prefer the idea that Orcs and their kin ride horses of some sort. Given that the Nazgul managed to acquire (and perhaps corrupt) horses as mounts, I don't consider it much of a stretch to transfer the same idea to Orcs.

Just to be clear, I consider Orcs, Goblins and such to be 'monstrous' and not simply 'humanoid'. They are, for my purposes, a perverted form of life, perhaps closer to Undead than they are to Men, Elves or Dwarves. I imagine their mounts to occupy a similar position in the natural and supernatural dichotomy.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:55 am

Orcs tend to eat horses in one of my campaign settings.

-O
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Rigon · Post by **Rigon** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:14 am

I had a group of wyvern riding orcs in a short lived campaign. I never really fleshed it out beyond the idea.

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Deogolf · Post by **Deogolf** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:19 am

Horses? I don't see why not. It is fantasy is it not?! Like someone stated, they can be trained.

As for other mythological creatures, I guess it would depend on their general tendencies. I would think a griffon would try to eat or kill an orc than let it ride them. In fantasy, just about anything can happen once!
I would think that evil flying creatures would tolerate it to some degree. In my mind, most orcs are stupid with one or two orc leaders rising to the top.

Ah, hell! Do what you want!!
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Eisenmann · Post by **Eisenmann** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:25 am

Deogolf wrote:
Horses? I don't see why not. It is fantasy is it not?! Like someone stated, they can be trained.

As for other mythological creatures, I guess it would depend on their general tendencies. I would think a griffon would try to eat or kill an orc than let it ride them. In fantasy, just about anything can happen once!
I would think that evil flying creatures would tolerate it to some degree. In my mind, most orcs are stupid with one or two orc leaders rising to the top.

Ah, hell! Do what you want!!

You just gave me an idea. The horses have their eyes bound or are blinded and are grotesquely handled in some way as to bend their will to that of their rider. And maybe only goblin generals or the such may ride a horse.

Coleston the Cavalier · Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:11 am

Omote wrote:
Orcs tend to eat horses in one of my campaign settings.-O

Exactly my thought, but everybody's homebrew can be different.

Hobgoblins, I think they should be able to ride horses -maybe even have a kind of cavalry of their own.
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slimykuotoan · Post by **slimykuotoan** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:15 am

That's a good question.

I can't seem to recall a time when orcs have ridden horses in my campaigns...and I'm not sure why that is.

Hmm...

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:17 am

I like manticores, myself.

Eisenmann · Post by **Eisenmann** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:29 am

Pigs! Orcs riding wild boars is something that shows up in my games.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:49 am

I never had a problem with orcs riding horses; having an orc on one's back must be no more or less odd than having a human there, for a horse.

However, I always felt that goblins were too small for horses, so I've generally ran them as being a little afraid of them. They prefer to ride reindeer for the most part, with elites riding dire wolves.
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Eisenmann · Post by **Eisenmann** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 11:49 am

Catweazle wrote:
I never had a problem with orcs riding horses; having an orc on one's back must be no more or less odd than having a human there, for a horse.

However, I always felt that goblins were too small for horses, so I've generally ran them as being a little afraid of them. They prefer to ride reindeer for the most part, with elites riding dire wolves.

I like the idea of them riding reindeer. But in real life, I can't imagine a regular horse horse allowing something like an orc on their back unless the horse has really been sacked out. I've seen horses not like what I'd consider to be weird people on their back.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:45 pm

If gorillas can ride horses I guess orcs can, too.Maybe a breed of evil Dire Horses, or Really Big rats.

Actually, I like the rat idea. I'm going to steal it ... from myself.
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Jyrdan Fairblade · Post by **Jyrdan Fairblade** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:31 pm

Same here. I've mostly imagined them as travelling on foot, a rolling, roiling horde of savagery.

slimykuotoan wrote:
That's a good question.

I can't seem to recall a time when orcs have ridden horses in my campaigns...and I'm not sure why that is.

Hmm...

Coleston the Cavalier · Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:59 pm

CharlieRock wrote:
...or Really Big rats...

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deimos3428 · Post by **deimos3428** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:09 pm

Eisenmann wrote:
I've seen horses not like what I'd consider to be weird people on their back.

Horses don't really like anybody on their backs, they just tolerate those they're accustomed to, and depending on the temperment of the horse, maybe others.

I can't really see a horse making a distinction between humanoids and humans, so much as "people they know" vs. "people they don't know". Some horses are simply more people-friendly than others.

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:22 pm

Like Mr. Ed.

bloodymage · Post by **bloodymage** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:46 pm

Quote:
I like the idea of them riding reindeer. But in real life,...

aren't reindeer bigger than horses? Not as heavy I'd imagine, but "taller" in "stature"? They're a type of elk and I've seen elk that are monsters!

'Twas a good question Rhu. Trained from foaling, I'd say yeah.
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concobar · Post by **concobar** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:47 am

Elves from the far frozen northern spruce forests riding raindeer happens in my campaign. Goblins in my home brew prefer to live underground and are nocturnal by nature as are orcs and so have little use for horses or mounts in general. a orc on a horse would be pretty far fetched when you consider that only one of them will be able to see at any given time. during the day the orc is half blind and at night the horse can not see very well. I suppose a half orc would have no problem riding a horse and could be a leader of a orc tribe or maybe even a group of half orc mercenaries working for a orc warlord.

As for goblins riding worgs.. worgs are very large wolves after all 4-5 feet tall at the shoulder, my horse is only 15 hands tall which is around 5 feet. a goblin would be considered very tall to reach five feet so it would be very difficult for a goblin to ride a worg. orcs on the other hand could ride worgs no problem imo.

I think the issue with goblins riding worgs comes from the hobbit but the thing is that tolkien used goblin and orc interchangeably to describe the same creatures.

Eisenmann · Post by **Eisenmann** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:53 am

Coleston the Cavalier wrote:

lol Great indeed.

Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:25 pm

I don't see why not (although I don't think this has ever happened in any of my campaigns.)
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Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:40 pm

bloodymage wrote:
aren't reindeer bigger than horses? Not as heavy I'd imagine, but "taller" in "stature"? They're a type of elk and I've seen elk that are monsters!

Good question!

No, reindeer are a lot smaller than elk, and a fair bit smaller than horses. About four feet to the withers and six feet long. Also, their backs aren't nearly as strong as a horse's back, so those few peoples who have ridden reindeer always sit on their shoulders.

Goblins wouldn't have to worry about that, being smaller and lighter themsleves.
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Troll Lord · Post by **Troll Lord** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:46 pm

Heck yeah!!!

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