Riding

Agility
Empathy
Presence

Short Description

Control, maneuver, and fight while mounted—on animal, creature, or personal vehicle—across varied terrain and in combat situations.

Success Criteria

Roll d100 + Riding skill vs. DR 100

Effects

On success, you:

- Maintain control and avoid falling off or losing balance

- Execute mounted movement or charges safely

- Enable attacks or skills from mounted position

Modifiers and Restrictions

–20 DR with a trained mount or familiar rideable vehicle

+20 DR in rough terrain, fast movement, or if the mount is wounded

+30 to +50 DR for advanced combat maneuvers (dodging attacks, charging into melee, aerial leaps)

Action Examples

Perform a mounted melee attack while weaving between trees: DR = 100 + 30 (tight terrain + attack action) → 130Roll = 115 → You struggle with control and delay the attack

Same maneuver with trained mount would be a success.

Long Description

Riding governs your ability to command mounts—whether traditional creatures like horses or alien animals, or technological transport such as hoverbikes or synaptic mechs. The skill includes balance, anticipation of mount behavior, issuing non-verbal commands, and the physical coordination needed to ride fluidly.

In combat, it can mean the difference between a powerful charge or a tangle of limbs and panic. In exploration, it ensures that the journey continues over broken terrain, wind-blasted cliffs, or irradiated dunes. Riding integrates smoothly with mounted combat tactics, fast travel, or dramatic stunts under pressure.

Sequencing

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Potential Counters

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How to use this page

All the information above is intended as a guide to help you navigate the many situations that can arise during your game. Since it's both impossible—and frankly uninspiring—to plan for every possible outcome, players are encouraged to think creatively when using their skills. Game Masters, in turn, are encouraged to embrace and support that creativity.

Whenever possible, aim to resolve situations through narrative choices, logical thinking and role playing. If that’s not feasible, agree on a Difficulty Rating (DR) using the provided Success Criteria and Modifiers. These are not rigid rules, but suggestions - starting points to help you find the right level of challenge. The player describes their intended action, and the Game Master proposes a DR. This should be open to brief discussion at the table, ideally resulting in consensus. If not, the Game Master has the final say.

It’s important to emphasize that all suggested effects, modifiers, and action examples are exactly that: suggestions. If you’re unsure how to resolve something, they offer a reliable fallback—but wherever possible, we encourage you to push boundaries. That’s where some of the most memorable and exciting moments in play are born.

Sequencing and Potential Counters are far from exhaustive. With hundreds of skills, spells, and tech modules in the game, the possibilities are too vast to list. You’re encouraged to explore combinations that make sense in your story and setting and in the situations that arise in your game. Sequencing and countering are core to Cosmic Odyssey - they’re where strategic depth meets dramatic flair, and where legendary moments often take shape. Even if no sequencing and counters are mentioned, some certainly exists and can be smartly utilized.

So explore boldly, improvise wisely, and enjoy the game as it unfolds around your choices.