Any suggestions welcome, thanks.
Alternately, you could find a mercenary or two to guard them. I guess though, that solution depends on which is cheaper, new horses every adventure or hirelings.
That may be what your DM is after anyway, is getting you to use more of the stuff you have access to such as hirelings and cohorts.
You could also request to write up and play the mercenaries that guard the horses. That way when he decided to yoink your mounts, you could sorta do something about it. It would also prevent him saying, "when you leave the cave you see dead mercenaries and no horses" without further explanation.
-Squires aren't just for getting you in/out of your full plate
-Porters, shepherds, etc.
-Animal, Animal Messenger, Animal Companion to guard them
-Train mount to evade all other parties, report to you when signal is given
-Unusual mount; worgs are fairly self-sufficient and intelligent. Riding dogs, etc.
We've had some issues in the past. Possible solutions/problems were:
-Wandering monsters, predation or otherwise
-Horse left is very lurcrative and a capital offense in most areas. Hanging is common. Commodity item and often, the entire livlihood of person 'x'.
-Animated (undead) horses aren't likely to draw bears and wolves let alone prospective thieves. Mechanical ones (MonManIV?) also in that vein.
-We put contact poison on a sadle once to bait some horse thieves once counting on their low Fortitude Saves. Worked like a charm
And plenty of room for loot!!!!
My group (of four) has a tendancy to looses horses. It usualy begins with the party heading inside a cave, and, obviously unable to take the horses with us, we tie them to a nearby tree or whatever. At some point, however, they get stolen. This often occurs when whatever we are fighting inside the cave/dungeon runs away, head outside, hops on and rides off. So, I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas about how to prevent the horses being stolen for a reasonable length of time.
Any suggestions welcome, thanks.
Talk to you DM about it. My players did that. They wanted to know what they could do to stop losing horses. So I made side adventure out of it. The Mounted Knight fighter was able to track down a brute of a horse being used in a Circus. He was able to wheel and deal the horse in exchange for some favors. This horse was then trained and it dominates the other horse just like real life horse do. Bigger is leader and other better fall in line. So they don't tie up their horses but the Knight can whistle and his horse will bring the others. I felt it was payment enough and don't generally bother with their mounts now unless they do something stupid with them.
Hide.
Wait.
Wait some more.
Wait a few more months.
Grow old.
Die of old age.
Tell the DM that his game was very boring.
Alternatively, you can store two horses in the Feedbag of Holding.
There are several tricks you might try to prevent this from happening in the future. 1 ton ghost already covered most of my ideas, but I'll try to include more detail so as not to be redundant.
The best solution IMO is to get a hireling to keep the horses safe when you aren't there. I would work out a system so that your hireling takes the horses a safe distance away, and doesn't bring them back until you signal him (use a flag, a whistle, ect). A young boy shouldn't cost you much in upkeep, just make sure you can trust him.
If that's not an option, you could look into a training a dog to guard the horses for you. I'm AFB, so I don't know what that would entail but 1 or 2 dogs should be sufficient.
It might help to hobble the horses, but if your DM is smart a simple hobble can just be cut with a knife. If that's the case, use a more complicated hobble like a humble or one leg hobble (thanks Wikipedia) or one made with a chain. A ground tie might be just as effective in this case. You could also try hiding the horses before leaving them.
An alternate means of transportation might be worthwhile too. I would call it a waste of a spell, but I suppose you could also have the party wizard(assuming there is one) cast Sleep on the horses before you leave.
Don't get discouraged, there's a way around this.
maybe on one of those rigs with handles and a sofa....can't remember what those are called at the moment.
If the enemies run out, and don't see 5 horses tied to trees immediately in front of them, then they are significantly less likely to steal them.
Find the entrance to where you're going. Take the horses a good distance away and out of sight. Secure the horses there and walk to the entrance.
It's certainly no foolproof system, but it prevents the DM from feeling like he would be stupid to ignore mounts right in front of the fleeing enemies if they can't see the damn horses.
Otherwise a padlock and chain wrapped around the horse and a tree should do pretty decently. Maybe if you're high enough level and in 3rd edition, you can chop the horses' feet off so they can't move, and then cast Regeneration on them when you're ready to go. Horses won't like it a damn bit though.
In the event your DM does become suspicious, do not panic; assume an air of injured innocence and point out your horse on your character sheet. Note that you have been keeping track of stabling fees and hay consumed. It may be necessary to make a show of caring for your horse for one or two sessions until your DM forgets and the magic of Horsespace can resume.
How do you pull it? Well, you do have a Paladin, right?
Or like, any number of spells that will generate temporary horses.
Dude, this is Dungeons and Dragons: Horses only exist when you NEED them. Once you actually enter a dungeon complex or haunted castle, your mounts return to an astral domain the sages call Horsespace (formerly known as the Infinite Plane of Grass). There they run happily, eating and drinking their fill, until you are ready to head back to town, at which point they appear where you left them. However, in order to maintain this planar link, it is imperative that you DO NOT remind your DM that you have horses. Avoid statements like "I sure hope the horses will be okay" or "Should we just leave the horses unguarded?" In fact, it's best if you never mention the horses at all.
In the event your DM does become suspicious, do not panic; assume an air of injured innocence and point out your horse on your character sheet. Note that you have been keeping track of stabling fees and hay consumed. It may be necessary to make a show of caring for your horse for one or two sessions until your DM forgets and the magic of Horsespace can resume.
:heehee
*POP!* Do you hear that? It's the sound of Horsespace falling into the campaign world!
-We put contact poison on a saddle once to bait some horse thieves once counting on their low Fortitude Saves. Worked like a charm
What were they wearing, buttless chaps?!?!? Srsly, I'm asking.
start riding commoners
maybe on one of those rigs with handles and a sofa....can't remember what those are called at the moment.
This is what Leadership is for (in 3.5 anyways).
Anywho, the contrapton you're talking about is called a palanquin or sedan chair.
For the first, many people put one hand on the saddle when getting up, so the poison would have been activated that way.
For the second, he might also have been referring to a rickshaw.
For the second, he might also have been referring to a rickshaw.
rickshaw + undead servant (4E ritual from Open Grave) = WIN
am SO using this idea. of course the undead fellow will be properly attired so as not to attract trouble.
Go to a cave, tie up your horses.
Hide.
Wait.
Wait some more.
Wait a few more months.
Grow old.
Die of old age.
Tell the DM that his game was very boring.
Good call, but I've got another idea:
Maybe the DM will get the point that disappearing horses is a crappy plot device to keep rehashing over & over if you just kill your own horses before the party enters the dungeon. When you do this, make it very clear to the DM that you're doing so because you know they'll just be gone when you come out anyways. Something like "At least we'll know where they are when we come back!" combined with a real good stinkeye ought to do the trick.
That, or just hire some commoners to run along behind you everywhere clacking two coconut halves together. That'll work, too.
Kind of like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
Ah, Tom Stoppard, he is a very wordy play write, that one.
Wordy writer in general, as it were, as he has written some dialogue for non theatre ventures. Though am I to assume you were referring to the movie adaptation of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?
Interestingly moster predators wont attack large groups of loud animals (see also humans), unless provoked or very VERY hungry (damn documentaries teching me stuff i didn't need to know). Of course their are exceptions to every rule.
So I came into this thread and sort of wondered. Why is anyone surprised that their mounts run off after they loose them from their tethers?
because typically speaking, horses are domesticated and don't have a strong urge to run away.....
Ah, Tom Stoppard, he is a very wordy play write, that one.
Wordy writer in general, as it were, as he has written some dialogue for non theatre ventures. Though am I to assume you were referring to the movie adaptation of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?
Nah, I was referring to the ongoing campaign that Stoppard DMs for me and my friends.
Nah, I was referring to the ongoing campaign that Stoppard DMs for me and my friends.
Well, that being the case then you are a lucky individual. Though, I would think the main villain would be guilty of monologuing a tad too much. But, after one never tires of good dramatic soliloquy. Though, I recommend against it when the ancient red dragon is about to attack the town.
Be a good chap and pass on this message for me: 'I enjoyed playing Brodie in The Real Thing.'
Its like the Jeeps my players keep losing. Not only are they crashing them by doing such genius manuevers as trying to fire, while driving, through a jungle, but they are leaving them out in the open, when their enemies have some of the most sophisticated recon techniques in the world, and can't get jeeps easily.
I'm still partial to a blast patch on the saddle. Create an indestructible saddle, or a blastpatch that has a directional blast and problem solved.
Or, if enemies are stealing them, get an insignia for your adventuring group and start branding your horses. Then you have a case for the authorities and you can slow down the campaign with a long drawn out boring trial until the DM get's it through his skull that doing the same thing over and over and over gets a little boring.
Final option is buy a bunch of slaves. Kobolds breed pretty quick I hear, and get them to carry you where every you go. If they die, well, just raid a lower level dungeon and score some more.
My group (of four) has a tendancy to looses horses. It usualy begins with the party heading inside a cave, and, obviously unable to take the horses with us, we tie them to a nearby tree or whatever.
You really can't just tie a horse to a tree and then leave for several days in a dungeon, they need to be fed and watered.
Best bet is to hire a servent to come with and take care fo the horses while you are in the dungeon. He can feed, water, protect and keep them fresh and ready for when you leave. He is also useful for mundane services while your group is traveling (preparing camp, cooking, etc, which allows your characters more time to rest and relax at nights)
Second, don't leave them emmediately outside the dungeon, or else whatever leaves the dungeon will take or slay the horses when they leave. Find a safe, secluded place nearby but out of sight of the dungeon as far as an hour's walk away if need be.
A Trained guard dog is a good way to protect the horses and keep them safe as well, and also acts as an extra sentry for the group characters with animal companions can leave their companion behind to guard and care for the horses as well and is a good supliment to a servent.
Eye of Alarm can be used to further protect the horses while you are gone, while this normally only lasts as long as you are within 20 squares, it can be extended indefinately with a 100gp silver and ruby jeweled eye. Although this requires spending 25gp in components to protect the horses and all that it ill do is give them a warning if something dangerous approaches, it is an additional protection that you can consider.