Equines are medium to large mammals, with long heads and necks with a mane. Their legs are slender and end in a single, unguligrade toe, protected by a horny hoof. They have long, slender tails, either ending in a tuft, or entirely covered in flowing hair. They are adapted to generally open terrain, from plains and savannas, to mountains or deserts.
The pinnae (outer ears) of equines are mobile, enabling them to easily localise the origin of sounds. They have two-color, or dichromatic vision. Their eyes are set back far on the head, giving them a wide angle of view, without entirely losing binocular vision. Equines also have a vomeronasal organ, that allows males to use the flehmen, or 'lip-curling' response to assess the sexual state of potential mates. Equines are one of only two mammals (the other is the human) capable of producing copious sweat perspiration for thermoregulatory cooling, enabling fast running over long distances.
Equines are herbivores, and feed predominantly on tough, fibrous food, such as grasses and sedges. When in need, they will also eat other vegetable matter, such as leaves, fruits, or bark, but are normally grazers, not browsers. Unlike ruminants, with their complex stomachs, equines break down cellulose in the "hindgut" or caecum, a part of the colon. Their dentition is almost complete, with cutting incisors to crop food, and grinding molars set well back behind a diastema.
Species DescriptionsHorses have entwined their destiny with humans (and, to a lesser extent, elves) almost as tightly as dogs have. And for their part, humans recognize and appreciate this. Horses are regarded with love and honor, and the best tales of human heroes always mention the faithful steed or the mighty charger. But whereas a natural horse will accompany a hero on his quests, sharing many of the same dangers, a noble horse is a full partner; aiding the hero or even fighting by his side. Some heroic steeds’ fame has even outstripped that of their riders. Noble ponies are a slightly different story. While they certainly do serve humans, dwarves, goblins, and halflings, they seem to only genuinely like halflings and children. Once a child grows to adolescence (unless the child is a halfling), the noble pony will want very little to do with her. Noble zebras chose to remain wild, and while they do, for the most part, challenge humanoids, they usually only pay lip service to this role. There are some isolated herds that have elected to serve wild elves. | Noble Equine Species Traits
Most noble horses are content to end their character development in the noble equine class at 3rd level, while only the largest and most aggressive advance to 4th level and beyond. Noble ponies never advance beyond 2nd level, and noble zebras never advance beyond 3rd. Noble Equine, Heavy Horse Sub-Species Traits
In all other ways, the noble heavy horse shares the same species traits and level progression as the noble equine. Noble Equine, Light Horse Sub-Species Traits
In all other ways, the noble light horse shares the same species traits and level progression as the noble equine. Noble Equine, Pony Sub-Species Traits
In all other ways, the noble pony shares the same species traits and level progression as the noble equine, although a noble pony can never advance beyond 2nd level noble equine. Noble Equine, Zebra Sub-Species Traits
In all other ways, the noble zebra shares the same species traits and level progression as the noble equine, although a noble zebra can never advance beyond 3rd level noble equine. Racial FeatsThe following feats are available to a noble equine character who meets the prerequisites.
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