Raptor Knights

Introduction Soaring over the battlefield, Raptor Knights are the pride of the Demacian military. They can spot the movement of enemy troops and supplies far above the reach of enemy arrows and spells, deliver reports from the field and orders from command, and move everything from wounded soldiers to light equipment from one unit to another.

To better understand just what these fantastic units can do, we at the Lore of League Discord (https://discord.gg/qfvcJke) did the math and asked our resident Rioter, who was impressed by our efforts but could not confirm or deny the following numbers.

Payload: 250 pounds. Range: 180 miles. Speed: 30 miles per hour. Weight: 750 pounds. Consumption: 375 pounds of food per day.

Reasoning A Raptor Knight is a man in a suit of armor, and his Raptor is like an armored horse. An average man weighs 150 pounds, an average suit weighs 50, and average horse armor weighs another 50. According to Riot, a Raptor can carry not much besides its rider; its minimum total payload is therefore 250 pounds.

The Raptor physically resembles an Eagle, which flies at 30 miles per hour and can carry 1/3 of its body weight, and the Raptor therefore flies at the same speed and weighs 750 pounds. According to Riot, a Raptor eats like a hummingbird, which consumes 1/2 of its bodymass each day. A Raptor therefore eats 375 pounds of food daily.

If a Raptor can gorge itself and then digest later like other birds of prey can, then it can eat a day’s food before take-off, removing the need to land and hunt. If it flies for half the day and sleeps the other half, then it can keep flying for 12 hours, during which it can travel 360 total miles, allowing a 180 mile effective range.

Therefore, while a Raptor eats a lot, it can fly far and stay over any place for a long time. If Demacia’s natural abundance can supply the food and its robust supply chains can deliver it, the Raptor could a semi-independent and effective reconnaissance and light transport unit.