[RPG] Could you potentially turn a draft horse into a warhorse

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To be a warhorse the horse would go through training, so could you get a draft horse, spend money to train it, and have it become a warhorse?

Best Answer

Sounds like a Plot Hook

Other answers have looked at the history, and pointed out that simple "re-training" isn't necessarily a realistic answer.

BUT

The DnD world is deliberately full of magic. It seems fairly likely that you aren't the first person to say: "I have a nag, but I need a warhorse!"

I could envision mages who specialize in this transformation, or items that can perform it.

Think about the level of risk / certainty you want, and take it to the DM.

Variations could include:

"I'd let an apprentice practice on my horse, and if it works, I get a free warhorse."

"We'll recover the item for the King, and just use it on our own mounts on the way home."

"I'll throw some money at the mage, and he'll transform my horse."

All are valid, and any could be fun under the right circumstances.

To be a little more concrete:

The difference between a warhorse and a draft horse is 350gp. Trivially, if you say "A wizard can transform your horse for 350gp." This is "balanced" and should not cause any problems at your table. It would be equivalent to selling the draft horse and buying a warhorse with 350 gp and the proceeds from the sale.

If you're intended solution is more complicated, the risk should be appropriate for 350gp.

In the case of an apprentice practicing the spell, you could select a risk of spell failure that fits the stakes. Having the spell accidentally transform the horse into a CR 10 enemy is probably not balanced - 350 gp is not a significant sum for a level 10 party - but a risk of getting fined by the local guild for enabling unsanctioned transformations, or the risk of costly material components being destroyed rather than returned, or even the risk of the horse just dying are probably appropriate risks.

Perhaps all those risks are present, such that on average the cost is around 350gp, but there's a chance it could be either free, or far more expensive.

And, as always, if the players find themselves in debt, they may have to pay the local guild with services rather than coin.

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