Horse Nomad

The Quintessential Barbarian
Author Robert Schwalb
Series Quintessential Series
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2003

The horse nomad and his steed maintain a deep spiritual connection rivalling the paladin’s association with his bonded mount. Peerless in skill as an equestrian, he rivals the greatest of knights in ability and prowess. A savage cavalier of sorts, this mounted barbarian is the master of all things equestrian. One of his noted abilities is his capacity to exploit Mounted Combat with both melee and ranged attacks. He can perform amazing feats of agility and daring while mounted. Furthermore, he can share his rage with his steed whenever astride.

Horse nomad Non-Player Characters will typically be leaders in tribal communities. As they are extraordinarily adept at Mounted Combat, in large tribes, they will form companies similar to heavy cavalry in an army. Horse nomads generally value their mounts over their own lives and therefore will sacrifice themselves to save their companion.

Hit Die: d12

Requirements

To qualify to become a horse nomad, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any neutral
Base Attack Bonus: +8 or higher
Class ability: Fast Movement
Skills: Handle Animal 11 ranks, Ride 11 ranks
Feats: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Trample

Class Skills

The horse nomad’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Charisma), Handle Animal (Charisma), Ride (Dexterity) and SRD (Wisdom).

Skill points at each level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Horse Nomad
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1	+2	+2	+0	Bonded Horse
2	+2	+3	+3	+0	Shared Rage
3	+3	+3	+3	+1	Bonus Feat, Faster Mount
4	+4	+4	+4	+1	Martial Bonus
5	+5	+4	+4	+1	Sprint

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the horse nomad prestige class.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The horse nomad is proficient in all simple and martial weapons and light armour, but not shields. Note that armour check penalties for armour heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket and Tumble.

Bonded Horse (Su): Differing from all other horses, the horse nomad’s steed has a number of special abilities developing as the horse nomad increases in levels. The horse nomad’s steed is always a light warhorse and changes from animal to a magical beast. It gains the following benefits as described in the table below. For column definitions and specifics regarding the special abilities, refer to SRD. If the bonded horse dies, the horse nomad must train a new horse for one month and one day, before the replacement horse is ready for the bonding.

Horse Nomad’s Steed
Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armour	Strength Adj.	Intelligence	Special
1	+1	4	+1	6	Improved Evasion
2	+2	6	+2	7	Empathic Link
3	+4	8	+3	8	Share Saving Throws
4	+6	10	+4	9	Command Other Horses
5	+8	12	+5	10	Spell Resistance

Shared Rage (Ex): Any time the horse nomad enters his rage while astride his bonded horse, the effects of the rage extend to the steed as well. In effect, the horse gains +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, a +2 bonus to Will saves and a -2 penalty to AC. The duration of the shared rage is equal to the barbarian’s or until such time the barbarian dismounts. Upon the conclusion of the rage, the horse suffers the same fatiguing effects as barbarians do for the same duration.

Bonus Feat: At 3rd level, the horse nomad gains a bonus feat, which may be selected from any of the following feats: AmbiDexterity, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Power Attack (Cleave, Sunder, Great Cleave), Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Fighting and Weapon Focus.

More feats may be available at the Games Master’s discretion.

Faster Mount (Ex): Your mount has grown accustomed to your greater need for mobility. At 3rdlevel your bonded mount gains fast movement as a barbarian. Thus, it gains +10 feet to its base speed.

Mounted Bonus (Ex): The horse nomad is without peer when fighting from the back of his bonded mount. When fighting from horseback, the horse nomad receives a +3 circumstance bonus to all attack rolls instead of the normal +1 for higher ground.

Sprint (Su): Once per day, the horse nomad may coax greater speed from his mount than normal. The mount may, as a double move action, move up to 10 times its base speed in a single round. If the mount moves less than the total movement, excess movement is lost.