d20 Adamant Entertainment Hordes The Horse-Masher.pdf

The Horse-Masher

Introduction

The Hordes series presents a number of Barbarian

tribes for use in your fantasy D20

campaigns. Each release

provides you with information

about the tribe, sample NPCs and

a prestige class for use with that

tribe.

In this edition: The Horse-Masher

tribe, barbaric riders of the

plains.

Habitat

The Horse-Masher tribe needs

to be in plains or light forest

since they are horse nomads.

As the tribe is written, they are

a large population and should

be in an uncontrolled frontier or

some other section of land not

owned by a major nation. With

slight modiﬁcation, it would

be possible to place the Horse-

Mashers in a desert, but they

are best used in more temperate

climates where they can act as a major tribal

power.

Written by: Justin S. Bow

Editing and Layout: Gareth-Michael Skarka

History

Horse-Masher mythology claims that the tribe was

born from the joining of the First Stallion with Mother

Earth. Since that time they have ﬂourished on their

lands, running their herds and defending against all

comers.

Horse-Masher territory is very stable, with

surrounding tribes recognizing their claim to the

land. This is primarily because the Horse-Mashers

are large enough to enforce their ownership if any

of their neighbors should decide to ignore the tribal

boundaries. The Horse-Mashers are semi-nomadic,

herding horses and sheep from place to place

throughout their territory during most of the year.

Their herding activities are supplemented heavily with

hunting and gathering of wild vegetables. The tribe

engages in limited farming, mostly of root vegetables

like potatoes, carrots, and turnips, some leaf

vegetables and herbs, and are surprisingly invested in

fruit orchards. Each summer camp has a small mixed

orchard and the main winter camp of the tribe has a

very large communal orchard.

As far as anyone knows, this story may be the true

origin of the Horse-Mashers, but it is more likely that

they migrated to their current lands from the West a

few hundred years ago. No matter what the truth of

their past may be, the members of the tribe believe

implicitly in their oral histories and their descent from,

and brotherhood with, the horses they keep.

Culture

The Horse-Masher tribe numbers about 3000 total.

Of that, about 1200 are warriors of the tribe, with

another 1000 or so semi-trained for combat and the

remaining 800 tribesmen being too young or too old

to be of any real use in a ﬁght. The overall alignment

of the Horse-Mashers is Chaotic Neutral with a fair

number of Chaotic Good tribe members, a handful

of Neutral persons and the occasional member of

another alignment. Evil characters are not welcome in

the Horse-Masher tribe, but as long as their unsavory

activities are directed only at outsiders, they may be

tolerated. Lawful characters and, to a lesser extent,

Neutral Good and Neutral Evil characters ﬁnd the

state of barely controlled chaos that exists in the

Horse-Masher tribe off-putting and are likely to

leave in order to ﬁnd their way in the wider world.

Those who leave the tribe for reasons other than exile

are welcome to return and are treated well by their

families. Lawful characters are considered stuffy

and are disliked, but are not killed or exiled for their

alignment. Tribemembers who commit a blood-crime

against another Horse-Masher are usually killed,

sometimes after torture depending on the severity of

the crime.

The tribal “winter camp” is actually used year-

round by a small portion of the Horse-Mashers,

mainly the chief and his war-leaders and from 50 to

100 tribemembers. The camp itself is a dirt and log

barricade surrounding sod houses and is big enough to

accomodate the whole tribe in winter.

Summer dwellings of the Horse-Mashers are semi-

permanent structures made of log poles covered in

brush. Each clan in the tribe returns to the same camp

annually and that area is considered to loosely belong

to the clan.

The Horse-Mashers are indifferent craftsmen in

most instances. They depend on trade and raiding to

get complex armor and most magic items. They are

capable of making fairly good quality weapons but

must trade for the raw materials necessary to forge

them. Where the Horse-Mashers really excel is in the

making of leather goods including saddle and tack.

The tribe has a number of highly skilled leather-

workers and Horse-Masher leather goods are sought

after by merchants.

The Horse-Mashers are ﬂourishing as a tribe and

their population is steadily growing. Their numbers

will double in another 10 years with growth slowing

afterwards as they press against neighboring tribal

territories. The overall tribe consists of a number of

smaller clans made up of extended family units. Each

clan has a signiﬁer name based on the founder of the

clan. Adoption and shifting between clans is fairly

common, but in theory the clan structure helps keep

track of lineage.

The true passion of the tribe is horse-breeding. The

claim is that the men of the Horse-Mashers are so big

that they need specially bred horses--normal horses

will simply break under their massive thews. This is

patently untrue, but Horse-Masher horses are superior

in speed, strength, breeding, and endurance. As such,

traders come from great distances to acquire Horse-

Masher steeds and are willing to pay very ﬁne prices.

Conversely, the Horse-Mashers are willing to pay

handsomely if a stranger’s horse catches their eye as

they are always looking to improve their breeding

stock.

gain access to their breeding stock.

Tribal shamen are highly respected in Horse-Masher

society, but outside gods are usually considered weak

unless they are gods of combat and strength. Outside

gods and their representatives are respected, but

treated as rivals to the gods of the tribe. New gods

are acquired occasionally from travelers or passing

adventurers, especially those gods who resemble

already existing tribal gods. Evil gods are eschewed

and evil clerics killed unless the god is one of battle, in

which case it may be adopted by the tribe and offered

propitiation. However, it is more likely that the evil

deity will be considered an enemy of the tribal gods

and its representatives enthusiastically attacked on

sight.

Horses are the most likely thing for a Horse-Masher

to steal from a visiting merchant, although vulnerable-

looking caravans may be attacked by a raiding

party for other goods. In either case, the goal of the

tribesmen is theft, not murder, and they will take only

a portion of the caravan’s goods. After all, they have

no desire to permanently scare away traders.

An effective way to ensure safe passage through

Horse-Masher territory is to offer the nearest clan

chief a handsome “gift.” This gift should include a

superior offering for transmittal to the tribal chief and

be of moderate value. Perhaps in the range of two to

three thousand gold total for large caravans, ranging

down in value based on the size of the caravan and the

goods carried. Such a gift usually buys safe passage,

though additional gifts may be needed if the caravan

is passing through the territory of multiple clans.

Small gifts are also expected if a merchant stops and

trades with the Horse-Mashers, but in these instances

reciprocal gifts are offered by the tribe, often of

greater value than the gifts given by the merchant.

Arcane magic is feared as an unnatural, dangerous

force. Practitioners of the arcane arts are

simultaneously considered soft weaklings and feared

for their supernatural powers. No magician receives

a warm welcome from the Horse-Mashers, but they

are rarely attacked unless they provoke the tribe’s

warriors. Wizards, with their books, are considered

the lowest of the low, but sorcerors are treated nearly

as poorly. Magicians traveling through Horse-Masher

territory are watched suspiciously until they leave and

are encouraged to make their visit as brief as possible.

It is not unheard of for arcanists to disappear on lonely

nights in the Horse-Masher wilds. The tribe’s warriors

are occasionally surprised by a target who is more

powerful than they initially appeared, the attempted

murder of the arcanist ending with casualties among

the barbarians and a general rout.

Horse-Masher culture is complex and chaotic.

Personal status is tied up with clan status and a

particularly admired individual can make life better for

everyone he is related to simply by force of reputation.

The most respected traits in Horse-Masher society

are strength, speed, and the ability to handle a horse.

Combat skill, both mounted and on foot, is considered

to be the measure of a true man, but the capacity to

raise and train horses, to breed well and recognize

quality, are also extremely important. Each clan’s

herd of horses represents its status. The clan’s herd

is made up of the horses of its members. Thus, the

wealth of the members makes the status of the clan.

But the members of a clan are the only ones who

have the guaranteed right to breed their mounts with

other horses of the clan’s herd. As such, membership

in a clan is important for horse-breeding. Inter-clan

breeding is possible, but often carries a high price.

Bards are not considered to be arcane spell-casters and

are welcomed warmly.

The Horse-Mashers expect their children to be tough

from an early age. After a child (especially a boy) has

reached 4 to 5 years, they are encouraged to never cry

from pain, to not back down from a ﬁght, and to train

in riding and the use of weapons. Discipline is rough,

with male children regularly being struck for crying.

Girls are treated more gently than boys, but still

receive their fair share of blows.

It is not uncommon for a low-ranking member of

one clan to do a great deed or offer expensive gifts to

another clan so that he may be adopted by them and

Tears are considered acceptable upon the death of a

loved one or from emotional distress. Pain only angers

a true Horse-Masher.

The life of a child in the Horse-Masher tribe is rowdy.

They are essentially allowed to run wild except

when they are actively engaged in doing chores for

their parents and youth is full of games and sport.

Signiﬁcant violence against other children is harshly

punished but scufﬂes and other non-life-threatening

ﬁghts are ignored by the adults. Because of this

regular low-level violence, children band together

for protection from each other and often form strong

friendships which last throughout their lives.

a blue tattoo symbolizing the deed that earned them

manhood on their left cheek and temple. This is the

only tattoo which the Horse-Mashers take on the face.

Future major victories are tattooed on the warrior’s

arms, chest, and back. Although the Horse-Mashers do

not have a system of writing, they have a runic system

of representation which is complicated enough to

describe anything a warrior is likely to kill. All Horse-

Masher tattoos are woad-blue.

Horse-Masher girls come of age after their ﬁrst period.

They are not required to prove their worth as are males

and are actively discouraged from becoming warriors

of the tribe. Still, as many as 5% of women defy

tribal custom and take the warrior’s rite of adulthood.

The more normal method of reaching womanhood

is to receive the “woman’s tattoo” on the left side

of the candidate’s face during any night when she is

menstruating. This tattoo is given by the clan shaman

and is not witnessed by the tribal shaman or the clan

as a whole, just by the girl’s family. Afterwards there

is a feast in honor of the newly achieved womanhood.

Horse-Masher boys become men when they ﬁrst

prove themselves in a combat-related pursuit. The

exact type of initiatory action varies from man to man,

but the most common methods of proving oneself

are participating in a raid or other battle, killing a

dangerous animal like a bear or wolf, or engaging

in an endurance ride for three days and three nights

without stopping for food or sleep. The endurance

ride is by far the least common means of entering

manhood and is used primarily by tribal shamen who

purportedly receive visions late on the third day. Some

of the great tribal chiefs of the past are said to have

made even longer endurance rides, some going for a

week and Harrad of the Long Fist legendarily making

a month-long ride during which the beasts of the ﬁeld

brought him water and bees fed him the nectar of

ﬂowers. However, most young men see little glory in

the endurance ride, which is considered old-fashioned,

and choose the more violent methods of testing.

Marriages among the Horse-Mashers are arranged

by the prospective bride and groom as acts of love.

However, the groom’s family is expected to pay a

dowry to the family of the bride set by the bride’s

father. Occasionally, the dowry is set at a punitively

high rate to discourage a particular suitor. In cases

where the parents of the lovers do not approve of the

match, it is not uncommon for the couple to run away

for a month or two and then return to the tribe as man

and wife. There is no real penalty for this other than

inciting the anger of one’s new relatives.

After proving himself, the boy is presented to his clan

shaman and the head tribal shaman who lead him

through the ceremony of manhood with his family and

clan bearing witness. The manhood rite lasts from one

sunset to the next. During this time, the candidate for

manhood puriﬁes himself in a specially-built hut using

spring water and the smoke of holy herbs. He takes

no food or drink. At the end of the puriﬁcation, the

candidate is brought to a bonﬁre where he is tattooed

on the face with the symbol of his ﬁrst triumph.

Afterwards there is a feast.

Although marriages are monogamous, inﬁdelity is

rampant, especially among the Horse-Masher men.

This does not take into account the rapine that goes

on during raids. Although it is possible to divorce in

the Horse-Masher tribe it rarely happens; this is both

due to social pressure and because it is so common

to have extra-marital affairs that divorce is usually

unimportant.

Because the Horse-Mashers are such a large tribe,

manhood rites are usually performed as group

initiations of between 3 and 10 boys whenever the

tribe’s head shaman is able to attend the ceremony.

The status of women in the tribe varies signiﬁcantly

from clan to clan and family to family. Broadly

speaking, women are treated as weaker than and

vaguely inferior to men, but are usually granted equal

status in most ways such as the right of demanding a

divorce.

Horse-Masher men have long drooping mustaches

but are otherwise clean-shaven. Each adult male bears

the greatsword. At his coming-of-age ceremony, each

warrior is given a greatsword by a close male relative.

If the warrior is the eldest in his family, the weapon

usually belonged to the grandfather of the warrior

and carries a family history. Other, younger children

receive a well-made blade that was an early weapon of

their father or uncle. It is common for these swords to

be of masterwork quality.

Women maintain the home and most of the tribe’s

crops while men maintain the herds and orchards as

well as hunting and conducting war. Both men and

women of the tribe trade with outsiders. As with many

primitive peoples, the true status separation is between

the warriors and non-warriors of the tribe, so women

with combat prowess are treated signiﬁcantly better

than the average female. That being said, many male

Horse-Mashers resent female warriors and treat them

disrespectfully.

Some of the Horse-Masher clans prefer to use

greataxes instead of greatswords, but practically

everyone in the tribe uses some kind of large blade.

Tribal Dress

In addition to their primary weapon, each tribal

warrior carries a composite longbow, a dagger or two,

a hatchet, and sometimes a shortsword or sling. In

short, the Horse-Mashers go around extremely well

armed.

& Equipment

The Horse-Mashers trade for most of their cloth

or take it on raids against caravans. As with most

barbarians, they prefer bright colors and often cut

existing clothing up to make bi-colored or checked

clothes. It is a matter of pride to dress the entire family

in expensive clothing and the average tribe member

wears sumptuous dress at all times. The very best

items are saved for special occasions, but the Horse-

Mashers spend the bulk of their time arrayed in ﬁlthy

ﬁnery. Poor tribe members wear buckskin or furs.

Even wealthy members of the tribe usually wear a fur

cloak fashioned from a predatory animal: often one

that they personally killed.

Common

Classes

Horse-Masher culture centers around battle prowess,

strength, and horsemanship. The most common class

in the tribe is Barbarian. It is not unusual for a member

of the tribe to take a few levels in Ranger or, less

frequently, in Fighter. Rogue is eschewed as being

for weaklings. A fair number of the more experienced

tribal warriors take levels in the Horse Lord prestige

class.

Most Horse-Mashers, men and women, wear their hair

long and oil it, usually with animal fat. The wealthiest

tribe members use scented foreign oils, but bear grease

is most common.

The Horse-Mashers have a long history of respect

for music and storytelling. As such, not only do they

produce a fair number of Bards, but traveling minstrels

and other entertainers are sure to ﬁnd a warm greeting

at Horse-Masher halls.

Young or poor Horse-Masher warriors wear hide

or studded leather armor into battle. Wealthier and

more experienced warriors wear a wide range of

better armors depending on what they were able to

trade for or take from a fallen foe. The most common

armors are chain shirts, chainmail, and breastplates.

Popularly, warriors of the tribe will have their armor

made of adamantine if possible, though the occasional

tribesman chooses to splurge on mithral plate instead.

Because they usually go into battle mounted, it is

common for a warrior to have Medium armor of some

sort for wearing while on horseback, but a chain shirt

to wear while hunting or otherwise going on foot.

Shamen of the tribe are Clerics or Adepts and rarely

multiclass except in Barbarian. Most Clerics of the

tribe take the Strength and War domains and worship a

battle deity although there are a fair number of nature-

deity clerics as well.

Non-warriors of the Horse-Mashers are fairly evenly

split between Commoner and Expert classes. There are

a number of skilled craftsmen and wilderness scouts in

the tribe and nearly all tribe members supplement their

basic NPC levels with a level or two of Warrior.

The signature weapon of the Horse-Masher tribe is

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