Camelback Riding (sage study)

Camelback riding is a sage study in the field of Animal Training, understanding their behavior, needs, and health requirements, encompassing feeding, grooming, and providing shelter. Proper packing techniques are essential to distribute weight evenly and ensure the comfort and well-being of camels during journeys. Breeding camels involves selecting suitable pairs to produce healthy offspring, vital for maintaining and improving the camel population.

Camels play significant roles in combat, serving as cavalry mounts in some armies; they're also used for transporting goods and people across vast arid terrains. Their remarkable adaptability allows them to endure extreme heat, stony surfaces, and deep sand, making them invaluable for surviving in harsh natural conditions. Known for their ability to store water within their bodies, allowing them to go for extended periods without drinking, making camels well-suited for long journeys through water-scarce regions.

In the game, characters without this training can "ride" camels but can't manage the animals themselves. They need a trained rider or servant to lead the camel, which is known as "assisted riding."

Riding and Movement

When a character rides a camel, they use an inflexible saddle that positions the rider on the camel's hump. This helps distribute the rider's weight comfortably over the animal. Since camels are taller than horses, combat from camelback requires longer and lighter weapons, limiting the choice to spears and spear-like weapons, bows and scimitars.

A full-grown dromedary camel, commonly found in Africa and South Asia, stands at over six feet at the shoulder or roughly 19 to 20 hands high as compared to a horse's withers. Bactrian camels, from Central Asia, can be up to a foot taller. Camels can move at a stride up to 17 hexes per action point (AP), and achieve speeds of 23 hexes per AP for short bursts of 10 rounds, until rested for 15 minutes. Dromedary camels weigh between 660 and 1320 lbs, while Bactrian camels weigh between 660 and 2200 lbs.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

• Pack Camel: enables the character to properly load a camel so that its health is not threatened by desert conditions.

• Camel Feeding & Diet: gives judgment regarding the physical size and needs of camels.

• Camel Handling I: enables the character to direct the camel and ride with minimal skill.

• Camel-mounted Combat I: the character possesses enough skill to fight from camelback.

Authority Status

• Camel Handling II: provides the character with greater control in managing the camel's movements and strides.

• Camel-mounted Combat II: expands the character's effectiveness as a mounted rider.

• Camel Physiology: maintenance and restoration of health in camels, along with treating diseases and parasites.

• Desert Navigation: provides the character with heightened knowledge, through observing the camel, of how to find one's way.

• Disorient Horses: gives skill in managing the camel while disorienting horses with the camel's odour.

• Improve Encumbrance: increases the capacity and endurance of the camel.

• Rider & Camel Survival: enables the camel to travel further on less water, while learning to trust the camel's survival instincts in order to better survive.

Expert Status

• Camel Breeding: selects bulls and cows in order to produce a breeding stock of camels.

• Camel Racing: provides the skill for pushing a camel past its ordinary endurance in order to win races.

• Camel Whispering: builds a rapport with camels and allows the rider to communicate directly.

• Induce Spitting: enables the rider to have the camel spit when desired, most importantly in combat.

See also,
Assassin Sage Abilities
Fighter Sage Abilities
Paladin Sage Abilities
Ranger Sage Abilities