Stats for horses?

They can be cut/paste from ARG or Bestiary I.

Alternately, just apply the Large size modifier to the Bystander stat block (-1 Avoidance, die bump Mi and Vi)

ok, lets build one. Nearest existing Threat would be the Dog/Wolf reskinned.

Increase Size to Large, Swap Mi and Pr, change Attack from Bite to Hoofs, change Wolf Pack Tactics to Toughness.

A few more specific bits from Wiki:
Safe carrying capacity is ~200kg/450lbs = Mi ~7
Gallop is 40mph (over a short distance), humans can manage 25mph (professional sprinter).
Sustained speed is only 4-5mph when you start talking hours (similar to a human but with greater endurance) = Qu ~4

Converting speed is art more than science; the table in the book is sustained speed out of combat. In combat, the average human has Pace 2, so a horse only needs ~ Pace 4. To exaggerate it a bit, I would go with Qu 5 and Speed 3 and Quick.

This gives a final creature of:
Delta Common Threat, Large Animal
Mi 7 / d12 +3
Pr 4 / d8 +2
Qu 5 / d8 +3
Vi 5 / d10 +3
Ch 1 / d4 +1
In 3 / d6 +2
Lo 3 / d6 +2
Re 3 / d6 +2

Pace: 5
Initiative: 3
Avoidance: 15
Fortitude: 19
Discipline: 15
Stamina: 32
Wounds: 1

Attacks:
Hoof +3, d4 (Mi)

Advantages:
Quick, Toughness

Natural Abilities:
Speed 3, Enhance Sense (Hearing) 3

Skills:
Athletics (+3/18), Melee (+3/17), Perception (+4/18), Stealth (+3/18)

Forgot – there’s also the question of the “vehicle handling statistics.” Theoretically horses would be on the table on pg. 82, but alas.

Horses don’t have ‘Handling’ as they use the same movement rules as Heroes.

Quick is an Advantage, Speed is a Power. Difference source.

Actually, I was confusing my ARG Quick (which reduces movement by 1 tick), so it is unnecessary in this build.

Quick is an Advantage, Speed is a Power. Difference source.

Very true, but according to the rules in RC, Quick specifically states it does not stack with movement-based powers.

Finally tried to just stat one out.

RC Horse Stats – proposal (rationale at the bottom)

Horse (300 pt build): Ultra-level common threat OR Beta-level exceptional threat

Stats: (162 pts)
Stat Base Val Pts Die PM

Might* 3 12 64 d12 +5
Prowess* 3 6 12 d8 +3
Quickness* 3 6 12 d8 +3
Vigor* 3 12 64 d12 +5
Charisma 1 1 0 d4 +1
Insight 1 3 5 d6 +2
Logic 1 1 0 d4 +1
Resolve 1 3 5 d6 +2

Size: Large

Attacks (15 pts):
-Kick/Trample (hoof): +4 (= melee skill)
-Damage die: d8 (purchased as a rank 5 “additional attribute”)

Avoidance 16 (=17 – 1 for “large”)
Discipline 16
Fortitude 23 (=22 + 1 for “toughness”)
Stamina 30 (or 61 = 55 + 6 for “toughness” for the “exceptional threat” version)
Wounds 1 (or 2 for the “exceptional threat” version)

AR: (2 pts)
-Ballistic 1
-Melee 1
-Energy 0

Pace 5
Initiative 3

Advantages: (15)
Diehard 5
Toughness 5
Wary 5

Natural Abilities: (24)
Enh. Hearing* 6 16
Speed* 3 4
Surge(run)* 3 4 (2x per scene)

Skills: (82)
Athletics 7 28
Acrobatics 4 10
Melee 4 10
Perception 7 28
Stealth 3 6

Rationale & Concept:

1. “Common” versus “Exceptional” threat: Both are 300 point builds, but common threats get 1 Wound and half stamina, whereas exceptional threats get their full stamina and 2 Wounds. Thus, this build could be used in either capacity with minimal alteration, depending on what you need story-wise.

2. I suspect the build guidelines for Animals (pg 108) MEANT to say “Animals also pay their current rank (much like primary powers) when advancing physical attributes or gaining natural abilities, while purchasing natural attack damage dice and body armor as additional attributes.”
* In the build above, the asterisk denotes components bought as “primary powers.”

3. Conceptualization: I mainly focused on the horse as a long-enduring plains runner, a working animal, and a prey animal. Therefore, I focused on predator awareness, Vigor and Stamina for running and labor, Might for work, and I de-prioritized combat. Specific manifestations include:

Might and Vigor of 12 (d12 level) is for work and working/running stamina. Large creatures get a die bump to both of these, so these levels seemed size-appropriate for the concept. Resolve is similarly elevated (in animal terms) to reflect perseverance of effort.

The “Quickness = 6, plus Speed 3, plus Surge 3” combination is an attempt to get a reasonable mix of a real horse’s long-distance travel pace and sprinting pace without also juicing the horse’s reflexes to something catlike. There are probably other ways to engineer this, but the above seems a reasonable first pass.

The Diehard and Toughness advantages are mostly to provide stamina for work and running endurance.
Similarly, Athletics is for work and jumping, and Acrobatics is for jumping and rodeo-esque contortions.

The Wary advantage and Enhanced Hearing and high Perception skill are prey-animal features to represent awareness of predators. Similarly, Insight is elevated for predator awareness. The Stealth exists to represent some ability to stay still and quiet.

Conversely, Logic is weak because of the “run into the burning barn” phenomenon, and I left Charisma alone just because none of the other animals had it bumped up – not even dogs.

For combat, I kept Prowess high enough to be a survivable animal, but nothing special. Similarly, I left Melee high enough to be threatening but lower than most of the other (predator) animals. I bought the damage die of a hoof up to d8 as an “additional attribute” per the build blurb. The AR values were similarly purchased to 1, kind of on principle vs what seems normal for animals.

With the Size adjustment, you only need to ‘buy’ Mi and Vi up to d10 (size bumps it to d12).
Passive stays at +4 (based on the Attribute Score of 8, not the die type). Saves 84 points in stats.

I’ve honestly been extremely unclear about how to apply the die bumps and penalties for size when building normal creatures. I mean, I understand how the sentences in the “creature size” section on page 89 read, but those principles don’t appear to have been applied to the creatures in the book, and so I suspect they’re meant more as modifiers when a creature CHANGES size (ala “Growth” and “Shrink” powers) rather than naturally.

Most of the animals in the “threats” section (pg 108-110) show little or no evidence of the die bumps or penalties. Examples:

Brown bear. Might d12, passive modifier (PM) +5. The only way to get a +5 passive modifier is with a stat of 12, minimum, which is a natural die of d12. Similarly, Vigor d10, PM +4 – again the PM is one that is only achievable with a stat that naturally gives a d10.

Great cat. Might d12, PM +4. COULD be a die bump. Unclear. Vigor d10, PM +4- definitely no die bump for Vigor. Also, if it didn’t get the die bumps (or even if it did, really), where did all the points for the “Ultra-level exceptional threat” go?

Crocodile. Might d10, PM +3. COULD be a die bump. Unclear. Vigor d8, PM +3 – definitely no die bump for Vigor.

Elephant. Might d12d8, PM +7. Seems a conclusive die bump of at least +1. Vigor d10, PM +4 is definitely no die bump.

Cat. Might d4, PM +1. COULD be a die penalty, but needn’t be.

Anyway, these mixed messages led me to buy the stats to the d12 level outright. That, plus the notion of a horse with a max lift of 400 lbs and a max drag of 800 lbs (i.e. one with a Might of 7 that’s getting a die bump to d12) seemed too weak for a real horse.

I’m curious how the game designers meant the bumps to work. Any input on that, guys?