Horse Jumping I (sage ability)

Horse jumping I is an authority-status sage ability that empowers the rider to navigate difficult obstacles in rough country at a much faster speed than ordinary riding. The activity is strenuous for the horse and can be dangerous for an unskilled rider, particularly if the ground ridden upon is full of free stone. Even an experienced rider can have a fall jumping over ditches and fences.

Training

Horses used for jumping must be trained to jump — this requires 6 to 8 weeks of daily activity and practice. A jumping horse must have a robustness of 14 and a courage of 16. Any trained "jumper" can manage an obstacle up to three feet high or three feet wide without upset. Obstacles up to 4 ft. high are possible for a heavy horse, 5 ft. for a medium horse and 6 ft. for a light horse — but jumps this high demand coordination by both the rider and the horse.

To make a jump, a horse must be ridden at a canter or a gallop. This isn't due to the speed of the horse, but because the horse must put on foot first in order to make the jump.

Jumping

Height of Jump Width of Ditch	Canter	Gallop
to 3 ft.	0	0
to 4 ft.	0	-2
to 5 ft.	-2	-3
to 6 ft.	-5	-4
bouncing	-6	-6

The table shown gives adjustments to the horse's courage, based on the increase of jumps due to height and width. Thus, "to 6 ft." discribes a jumping height or width that's greater than 5 ft. and less than 6 ft. If a fence were being jumped, the adjustment would be applied to height; and if a ditch were being jumped, the adjustment is applied to width. If BOTH are greater than 3 ft., then the adjustments are compounded.

For example, a jump that's 5 ft. high followed by a ditch that's 5 ft. 6 in., taken at a gallop, would have an overall adjustment of -7. To jump it, the horse's courage is counted as an ability check; a horse with a courage of 19 has 12 in 20 chance of successfully managing the jump.

"Bouncing" is discussed below.

Failures

When the horse fails the check by 1-3 points, the horse yet attempts the jump, risking injury to itself and the rider. In the example above, a die roll of 13, 14 or 15 would mean the horse attempted the jump, though it didn't have the courage to succeed it. When the horse rolls 4 or more above the number needed, the horse balks — possibly throwing the rider, but saving itself.

Whatever the horse does when it fails, the rider rolls a %-die against the number of points he or she has in Horseback Riding. If this succeeds when the horse lacks the courage but attempts to make the jump anyway, the rider manages the horse and the jump is made. If the horse balks and the rider makes this roll, the rider holds his or her seat and no harm is done, though the jump isn't made.

Jump Injuries

Roll (d20)	Rider		Horse
	h.p.	injury	h.p.	injury
1-12	1-6	1	2-8	1
13-16	2-7	1-3	1-10	2
17-19	3-12	1-4	2-12	3†
20	4-16	2-5	4-14	4‡

IF the roll isn't made, and the horse attempts to jump, then both the rider and the horse each sustain damage AND an injury. This can be life-threatening to the horse, for though the horse may survive some injuries, some may require the horse be put down. If an injury occurs, consult the injury table shown.

† indicates the horse lightly damages a tendon; though it may heal, the horse can never jump or gallop again.

‡ the horse severely damages its leg; it can never walk again and is in pain. Unless another measure is possible, the horse has to be put down.

The horse's pain can be mitigated with a healing spell, if it's sufficient to overcome the total number of points needed to restore all its injury points. A horse that cannot walk, jump or gallop can be healed fully with a restoration spell.

Bouncing

A bounce occurs when two jumps are located less than 15 ft. apart, or three strides. The time needed for the horse to recover makes this a very difficult maneuver for a character with this level of jumping skill. A more experienced jumper reduces the above penalties overall, and particularly the penalty against bouncing.

See Horse Jumping II (sage ability)