<< A truly domesticated wildcat is of great use in hunting by ambush, since
a wild lynx (about twice the size of a housecat) can take down a mature
deer.>>
Yes; I think my brain must have temporarily melted when I said in my post that a typical alynx is smaller than a RW lynx - of course, it's about the same size...
<< Despite the mythical link, however, Orlanthi have to keep dogs for
herding.>>
Here I disagree; the Heortlings regard dogs as unclean, and in fact, according to Greg, the primary use of the domesticated alynx is as a herding animal.
<< Alynx Breeds:
Hunting alynxes come in several breeds, which specialize in different prey. >>
One could easily regard the 'breeds' listed here as sub-breeds of one or more of the known breeds, so I see no problem there. Martin's article would have been written before Greg's latest pontifications on the subject, but is still quite compatible with the newer material, IMO.
<< The Oxhead breed of Talastar is the largest, and hunts deer, pigs, and
sable. It ranges in size from forty-five to fifty kilos (SIZ 7-8). >>
I agree that's about the maximum size for a hevren, which is the largest alynx breed.
<< Most Orlanthi regions have a hunting cat breed in the thirty to thirty-five kilo range (SIZ 5). These take rabbits, small species of antelope, rubble runners, and other prey in the SIZ 3- 18 range, including the occasional deer. A common (but misleading) term for these is bobcat.>>
This would be a more typical hevren, I think.
<< Smaller cats are not often used for hunting, but some places have a
twenty-kilo breed used to catch birds, rabbits, and squirrels. Hunters
sometimes turn such cats out to hunt and drag their kills home, thus sparing
the hunter the effort of going out into the woods. >>
The red-coated gavren is around this size, and seems to be primarily used for hunting, so I'd disagree that that's unusual. So is the dark-furred alusar (and for that matter the shadowcat), although I'm not entirely clear what the alusar is actually bred to *do*, as they seem rather contrary animals with no particular talents other than high POW.
<< Cats in the SIZ 1-4 range (5 to 23 kilos) usually serve to kill pests,
such as rats, mice, and crows. The smaller sizes are useful to control
insect populations, especially grasshoppers and locusts.>>
The murni, the primary vermin-hunting breed, is about the size of a modern-day housecat so 23 kilos is probably somewhat excessive.
<< The statistics and description in Gloranthan Bestiary are woefully incorrect. The larger breeds, which hunt deer, have a STR in the 2D6+10 range. Smaller specimens have a STR of 2D6 + SIZ +2. >>
I'm not so sure about this, although Greg gives them combat skills and damage even greater than a lion (!) in his HW stats, so you could be right.
<< Other skills of shadow cats include: Climb 95+18, Jump 80+18, Swim 40+18, Listen 70+2, Scan 50+2, Smell 90+2.>>
Primary skills in HW are ambush, climb and sprint. Something like scent prey or see at night could well be appropriate too.
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
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