The Campaign Builder's Guild

Quote from: GhostmanMaybe something that looks like a cross between a rhino and a bull?

Like a triceratops?  Yikes.

As for any worries about the horde sweeping too quickly, remember that they'd move at the pace of their slowest members.  If they're even bringing the sheep and goats for the adventure, they'd move no faster than a shepherd would, and the horses would just serve as pack animals until it was time to ride into battle.

Quote from: LlumWow, I'm a complete retard. I meant Boar. Not boards. Stupid fingers getting away from me >_< sorry.

LOL okay that makes more sense. I was like "what the &^%$% is a board?" Ya boars would be pretty sweet.

Quote from: GhostmanPerhaps coming up with a whole new fantasy species is the best idea here. Anyone who can suspend their disbelief in the face of dragons should have no problem doing the same with big, bad, horned herbivores that allow themselves to be mounted by heavy riders. Maybe something that looks like a cross between a rhino and a bull? You could have two subspecies of the beast, one smaller and another that's larger (kinda like horses and ponies). Most of the Orüks would be riding the smaller ones (still big and strong enough to bear their weight of corse) while their elite warriors would be mounted on the massive warbeasts.

Ya I might just have to do that. Some sort of hybrid boar/cattle/horse thing. I'm starting my PCs off on the other end of the world anyways, so I'll have lots of time to develop this anyways.

Do you have unicorns in your campaign yet?  Because if not, you could add a little twist by having the oruks riding "unicorns", that is  Elasmotherium  rhinos, a possible origin of the unicorn myth.

While it did live on steppes and was a grazer, rhinos in general are not very tractable.  Of course, that these creatures survived into historic times would require an alternate evolutionary history, one that could be supplemented by advanced husbandry on the part of the oruks, or at least on the part of the ancient oruks.  Besides, if your oruks have a chaotic characteristic, then the rhinos might compliment this.  It would help to explain why they haven't overrun their neighbors yet, in any case.

And of course rhino skin would make great armor.

Just a thought :p

p.s, it looks like someone beat me to this idea:  minitures

On a barbarian campaign I was working on, I wanted to include Mastadon as a mount for my ogre barbarians, so Mastadon, I think would make great mounts for large Oruk riders. Shorter trunk than elephants, shorter height, but lengthier than elephants, probably faster and with greater long distance endurance than elephants and could carry a weightly Oruk, better than a horse. Plus they got tusks for your horn requirement!

I say go with Mastadon!

GP

Quote from: amikaligulaDo you have unicorns in your campaign yet?  Because if not, you could add a little twist by having the oruks riding "unicorns", that is  Elasmotherium  rhinos, a possible origin of the unicorn myth.

While it did live on steppes and was a grazer, rhinos in general are not very tractable.  Of course, that these creatures survived into historic times would require an alternate evolutionary history, one that could be supplemented by advanced husbandry on the part of the oruks, or at least on the part of the ancient oruks.  Besides, if your oruks have a chaotic characteristic, then the rhinos might compliment this.  It would help to explain why they haven't overrun their neighbors yet, in any case.

And of course rhino skin would make great armor.

Just a thought :p

p.s, it looks like someone beat me to this idea:  minitures

Those are wicked sweet models. Shame the Ogre armybook is so weak...

Those rhinos are definitely one of the coolest ideas though. The article displays them pretty much to the T of what I want: horse-like gait, horns/tusks, thick skin. These are definitely going to be what I'll use for the majority of riders.

I still haven't decided whether they should be the primary herd animal, or simply mounts. If the females resembled cows, and were perhaps 2/3rds the size of a male and sans the horn, they may make good cattle. Otherwise they could simply be raised as mounts, and various tribes could survive off cows and sheep.

That wiki article also linked the persian unicorn "Karkadann," which is a pretty sweet name for these things too.

Quote from: Gamer PrintshopOn a barbarian campaign I was working on, I wanted to include Mastadon as a mount for my ogre barbarians, so Mastadon, I think would make great mounts for large Oruk riders. Shorter trunk than elephants, shorter height, but lengthier than elephants, probably faster and with greater long distance endurance than elephants and could carry a weightly Oruk, better than a horse. Plus they got tusks for your horn requirement!

I say go with Mastadon!

GP

The problem with mastadons are that they're TOO huge. Imagine an army entirely comprised of elephant riders with giant tusks, it'd be nigh unstoppable.

However, as a supplemental mount they're definitely cool, and I was thinking about something like that. The mammoth rider dwarves in Guild Wars super cool, and fit the Oruks better than they do dwarves in my world. Perhaps the Khagan and his personal guard (the elite warriors of his tribe) could ride them.

 

I was toying around with the name Oruk today too, and decided that its too much like auroch. What about Orukken? I think it sounds a little better...

Quote from: amikaligulaDo you have unicorns in your campaign yet?  Because if not, you could add a little twist by having the oruks riding "unicorns", that is  Elasmotherium  rhinos, a possible origin of the unicorn myth.

I came in this thread just to suggest the Elasmotherium.  Alas!

My other suggestion from pre-history is the Terror Bird.  Instead of (or in addition to) surviving off milk and cheese, they could have (big) eggs.  Bird-riding may sound slightly silly, but having seen a full scale model of one in a museum once I can assure you that they're terrifying (and thus the name).  Of course, as some have mentioned, you're better off ecologically with a herbivorous species, so either there is some other common herd animal they feast off of, or they make up a smaller part of the group's mounts.

Cool as terror birds may be, I would advice against using them as mounts. If you're trying to make the Orüks feel like an impressive menace, the last thing you'll want to happen is your players to start cracking jokes about them riding Chocobos!

Quote from: GhostmanCool as terror birds may be, I would advice against using them as mounts. If you're trying to make the Orüks feel like an impressive menace, the last thing you'll want to happen is your players to start cracking jokes about them riding Chocobos!

Chocobo riders could still be a menace, but I do agree that they don't fit the theme of the Orüken. Their mounts need to be horned mammals.

I *DO* like those terror birds as an idea though. Perhaps some mountain-dwelling barbarian tribe could ride them? I have a sweet image in my head of scary hide-armoured barbarians (a la WHFB chaos marauders) riding terror birds while armed with spears and axes. Their helms could be plumed with feathers, causing neighbouring barbarian clans to name them "birdmen" or something.