Simple Horse Mechanic
by Francesco DefferrariI must admit often I just forgot mounts are there so I've often hand waved they had been left behind just a bit earlier :)
But a simple mechanic could be to do a d20 save for the horse assuming that:
- If very low say 0-5, heroes had the time to send the horses away, which are then unhurt
- If 6-10 horse are alive but hurt and ran away (another roll may be necessary to retrieve them)
- if 11-15 they are seriously hurt and fell down on the spot (a PC could be buried below one)
- If 16-20 they are dead (and still a PC could be under a horse)
This may be in case of a sudden attack and could be applied to many sort of enemies or creatures but indeed it's true that horses could sense the approach of a menace before the characters, becoming nervous and stopping, effectively helping them preparing for the menace (and leaving behind the horse in a safe area before jumping into battle).