Training of Unusual "Cavalry" Mounts

[GeekDavid]

Malik, my boy, you clearly have too much time on your hands.

 

[GeekDavid]

Bears as mounts, as far as domesticating goes, I don’t find an issue. If you have a committed group of trainers why can’t you train them? Might take time but I am sure it can be done.

All you need are large quantities of handwavium.

 

[buyjupiter]

The way some authors throw it around, it must be more common than hydrogen.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

But seriously, I've read more than my fair share of fantasy/SF that went waaaay beyond what was needed for reader comprehension in developing magic systems, world building, etc. I tend to go a bit far the other way, maybe, but it fits with a leaner style in general.

 

[Ireth]

All you need are large quantities of handwavium.

Careful, I hear that stuff is pretty 'splodey.

 

[buyjupiter]

What about Narrativium?

Third most common element, right after characterium.

 

[GeekDavid]

Hey, I resemble that remark!

But seriously, I've read more than my fair share of fantasy/SF that went waaaay beyond what was needed for reader comprehension in developing magic systems, world building, etc. I tend to go a bit far the other way, maybe, but it fits with a leaner style in general.

And with those works that go well beyond what is needed for reader comprehension, you usually get these big honking infodumps as well. Complete eye-glaze moments.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I'd like to have elk/moose riders, but I'll need to tweak the animal a little first. Attempts have been made to domesticate elks for military use, but they turned out to be unsuitable for some reason. I believe it was due to having too weak backs, but may be due to other reasons too.
Either way, some large, long legged, hoofed animal with big antlers that stride to the forest carrying a scout/messenger on its back.

 

[skip.knox]

I rather like the notion that certain fantastical creatures are only ridden by certain races. We have orcs riding wargs, of course. Something along those lines. Only dwarves have bred bear-chargers. Only elves can ride gryphons (only elves are dumb enough). And so on. I am totally stealing this from myself.

Love those pics, Malik!

 

[Mr. Steve]

Thank you all for your input! I think I'm going to be adopting some of these ideas. I admit the "bear-riding" thing came to me somewhat suddenly and impulsively, and I wanted to see what others thought about it. I didn't really consider the whole "trained bears fighting alongside their handlers" angle, and now that I think about it, that will probably work so much better than what I was thinking.

 

[Zero Angel]

I'd like to have elk/moose riders, but I'll need to tweak the animal a little first. Attempts have been made to domesticate elks for military use, but they turned out to be unsuitable for some reason. I believe it was due to having too weak backs, but may be due to other reasons too.
Either way, some large, long legged, hoofed animal with big antlers that stride to the forest carrying a scout/messenger on its back.

There's that famous picture of Teddy Roosevelt riding a moose (although there's the possibility that it was dead, in which case, ugh).

I rather like the notion that certain fantastical creatures are only ridden by certain races. We have orcs riding wargs, of course. Something along those lines. Only dwarves have bred bear-chargers. Only elves can ride gryphons (only elves are dumb enough). And so on. I am totally stealing this from myself.

Love those pics, Malik!

I'm always a fan as well. My dwarves ride rulnira (a mantis-like creature) and landsharks regularly; elves have unicorns, pegasi, gryphons, hippogryphs, shay'talahs (a cheetah-like creature); aviadins use dinosaurs; and then there's tons more. I may have gone a bit overkill in fact, but oh well, I like that sort of stuff

 

[Mr. Steve]

You guys helped me quite a bit. And now this element of war-bears has just lent itself to a potential subplot, maybe some inter-service rivalry between the two elite groups within this army. The traditional "elite" group, a unit of hand-picked infantry, deride the beastmaster corps as not courageous or skilled, but merely mad; the beastmasters deride the elite infantry as only there because they demonstrated that they can stand in a pretty parade formation.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I'm always a fan as well. My dwarves ride rulnira (a mantis-like creature) and landsharks regularly; elves have unicorns, pegasi, gryphons, hippogryphs, shay'talahs (a cheetah-like creature); aviadins use dinosaurs; and then there's tons more. I may have gone a bit overkill in fact, but oh well, I like that sort of stuff

I've got landwhales. They're a bit of mix between a muskox, a blue whale and a catterpillar. They're enormous, but nearly extinct creatures that live on the very vast plains in certain parts of the continent in my setting. They're about the size of a whale, they are hairy like the muskox and they have several pairs of legs, not unlike a catterpillar.
They're not used in warfare and they're not what you'd really call domesticated. However, they're peaceful and docile enough that it's possible to construct dwellings to live in on top of them. The people who do so are mainly hermits (usually elves), who live in a type of symbiosis with the landwhale. The rider/dweller keeps the landwhale free of parasites and the landwhale provides a safe location for an undisturbed home.
No predator is large enough to be a threat to the landwhale.

 

[Snowpoint]

I wouldn't think Bears would make good mounts.

If I was going to use Bears in the Army, I would make them a natural deterrent. Like, instead of digging a moat, you just have a few dozen Bear roaming the area. Maybe they just scare people away by being there, OR they are trained/enchanted to attack intruders.

 

[Zero Angel]

I've got landwhales. They're a bit of mix between a muskox, a blue whale and a catterpillar. They're enormous, but nearly extinct creatures that live on the very vast plains in certain parts of the continent in my setting. They're about the size of a whale, they are hairy like the muskox and they have several pairs of legs, not unlike a catterpillar.
They're not used in warfare and they're not what you'd really call domesticated. However, they're peaceful and docile enough that it's possible to construct dwellings to live in on top of them. The people who do so are mainly hermits (usually elves), who live in a type of symbiosis with the landwhale. The rider/dweller keeps the landwhale free of parasites and the landwhale provides a safe location for an undisturbed home.
No predator is large enough to be a threat to the landwhale.

Sounds awesome!

Although, I'd really like to see an actual whale-looking creature working through the land. I really liked the star whales in Doctor Who (or space whales or whatever they're called).

My landsharks are more like giant armadillos than sharks. The fins are armored (and eventually sharp) and dwarves crouch down behind the main fin as it burrows. In my first novel, the dwarf names his landshark "crasher", and the dwarven for landshark is karamshar, which literally means, "one that crashes". He finds this very brilliant.

 

[JCFarnham]

I must say... Guinea Pig-Lions? Either fantastically fanged pack predators, or ridiculously skittery lions who are terrified of literally everything especially humans...

It could go either way and I'd imagine the breeder would have to get pretty creative ;-)