Cyberpunk RED skill
Riding
Riding is a skill in Cyberpunk RED: Controlling horses and other mounts when engines are not an option.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Stat
- REF
- Category
- control
Overview
Riding is the skill for animal mounts, which in the Cyberpunk RED era means the Badlands, the agricultural corporate holdings, and the communities living well outside anywhere with a fuel supply. Horses do not need refined fuel, do not appear on a vehicle registry, and cross ground that would strand a car. At the table Riding is a niche skill with a very specific niche. It comes up in Badlands campaigns, in Nomad stories, and in scenarios that reach the parts of the world where the infrastructure gave up. When it does appear it tends to matter a lot, because a crew on foot in open country is a crew with a serious problem.
How it works
Linked Stat: REF Category: Control Resolution: 1d10 plus REF plus skill level against a DV set by the terrain, the animal's temper, and what you are asking it to do. A natural 10 lets you roll again and add, a natural 1 makes you roll again and subtract. Practical notes: Animals react to noise and to being shot at, so riding through a firefight is far harder than riding across country. An unfamiliar or badly trained mount raises the difficulty regardless of your rank.
Tips and playstyle
Best for: Badlands and Nomad campaigns, and any game that spends real time outside the city. Character concepts: A Nomad outrider, a corporate ranch hand, a Badlands guide, a survivor from a community that lost its vehicles a long time ago. Synergies: Endurance covers the long days that riding implies, Tracking pairs naturally with covering ground, and Wilderness-oriented uses of Perception keep you from riding into something. Shoulder Arms is the practical weapon out there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Riding useful in Cyberpunk RED?
In the Badlands, yes. Fuel is expensive and vehicles are traceable, so animal transport is genuinely practical in the places where corporate infrastructure never got rebuilt.
Does Riding cover anything besides horses?
Any animal mount a GM puts in the setting. The skill is about controlling a living animal that has opinions, which is what makes it different from every vehicle skill on the list.
Should a city character take it?
Almost never. If your campaign stays inside Night City, those points belong in Drive Land Vehicle or Athletics. Take Riding when the GM has told you the Badlands are part of the story.