VEHICLES
Vehicles improve characters’ speed of travel and their ability to transport cargo and equipment.
DRAWN VEHICLES
VEHICLES (DRAWN)
Item Cost Weight
Carriage (1-4) 100 gp 600 lb.
Carriage, grand (4-8) 400 gp 950 lb.
Cart (1) 15 gp 200 lb.
Cart, dog (1) 9 gp 60 lb.
Chariot, light (1-4) 250 gp 100 lb.
Chariot, heavy (2-6) 350 gp 180 lb.
Sled (1-2) 20 gp 300 lb.
Sled, dog (1-16) 35 gp 50 lb.
Sleigh (1-8) 30 gp 250 lb.
Trap (1) 55 gp 65 lb.
Wagon (1-4) 35 gp 400 lb.
Wagon, covered (1-4) 60 gp 550 lb.
If
you have proficiency with “vehicle (land),” you can add your
proficiency bonus to any check you make to control drawn vehicles in
difficult circumstances. The normal operation of drawn vehicles does not
require ability checks.
Horsepower. Animals pulling a drawn vehicle
can move weight up to five times their combined carrying capacity. Each
vehicle on the chart notes parenthetically the minimum and maximum
number of animals that can be harnessed to the vehicle. If more than one
creature is harnessed, the animals must be harnessed in pairs. A single
“lead” animal can be harnessed ahead of any pairs, its purpose to serve
as a guide for the paired animals. (A lead animal does not contribute
to the vehicle’s total carrying capacity.)
Other Beasts of Burden.
Yaks, water buffalo, and similar cattle are often used as beasts of
burden to draw vehicles, particularly in rural regions. These creatures
use the cow (ox) “stat block” from Volo’s Guide to Monsters.
DESCRIPTIONS
Carriage.
An animal-drawn, wheeled conveyance designed for passenger use rather
than utility. A carriage, or “coach,” is typically drawn by two or four
horses, but can be pulled by a single beast. A driver usually sits on a
front-mounted exterior bench. A carriage comfortably seats four
passengers.
Carriage, Grand. A larger version of a carriage, built
with expensive materials and crafting designed to show wealth and
status. A grand coach is typically drawn by four, six, or eight horses. A
driver or two typically rides on a front-mounted bench and a set of
hand- and foot-holds allow a pair of attendants or soldiers to ride on
the back. A grand carriage comfortably seats six passengers.
Chariot,
Heavy. A heavy conveyance is drawn by two or four animals, usually
horses. Up to three riders stand on a rolling platform, it’s short front
and side walls sheltering them from the waist down.
Chariot, Light.
This light conveyance is drawn by a single animal, usually a horse. A
single rider stands on the rolling platform, sheltered from the waist
down by the chariot’s front and side walls.
Sled. A flat, narrow conveyance with a smooth bottom
or borne on a pair of smooth runners. Sleds are designed to be drug
across low-friction surfaces like snow. Sleds typically have no side or
top and are used to carry cargo.
Sled, Dog. This lightweight sled is
designed for a pilot and no more than a single passenger. Its long,
slender frame is typically drawn by a dozen sled dogs. Dog sleds usually
have a single lead dog ahead of a series of paired sled dogs.
Sleigh. A sleigh is a sort of a sled, designed to carry passengers like a carriage. It usually has pronounced runners.
Trap.
A trap is a two-wheeled passenger cart designed to carry one or two
passengers. A trap’s large wheels, light construction, and high position
make it ideal for speed.
Wagon. A wagon is a, open-topped,
four-wheeled vehicle typically drawn by two or four animals. It has an
excellent cargo capacity and is employed in several utility roles.
Wagon,
Covered. The covered version of a wagon has walls and a roof. It is
sometimes furnished amenities sufficient for use as a residence.
Primitive covered wagons simply stretch a canvas cover over a set of
raised bars, forming walls and a roof over what would otherwise be a
large open-topped wagon.
WATERBORNE VEHICLES
VEHICLES (WATERBORNE
Cargo Damage Item Cost Speed Crew Passengers (tons) AC HP Threshold
Canoe 50 gp 2 mph 1 6 — 11 50 —
Galley, palatial 350,000 gp 3 mph 120 300 30 15 800 20
Galley, ironclad 50,000 gp 3 mph 90 — 120 19 550 20
Galley, war 30,000 gp 4 mph 80 — 150 15 500 20
Keelboat, barge 3,000 gp 1 mph 1 6 1/2 15 100 10
Keelboat, cabined 4,500 gp 1 mph 1 10 1 15 110 10
Longship, karvi 6,000 gp 3 mph 16 60 15 15 120 15
Longship, snekkja 10,000 gp 3 mph 40 150 20 15 300 15
Longship, skeid 25,000 gp 3½ mph 60 180 35 15 450 15
Raft 5 sp 1/2 mph 1 3 — 11 10 —
Rowboat 50 gp 1½ mph 1 3 — 11 50 —
Sailing ship, caravel 10,000 gp 3 mph 20 20 100 15 300 15
Sailing ship, cog 8,000 gp 2 mph 15 15 60 15 220 15
Sailing ship, hulk 55,000 gp 1½ mph 55 300 350 15 900 20
Warship, carrack 25,000 gp 2½ mph 60 60 200 15 500 20
Warship, xebec 17,000 gp 3½ mph 30 30 100 15 300 15
If
you have proficiency with “vehicle (water),” you can add your
proficiency bonus to any check you make to control waterborne vehicles
in difficult circum-stances. The normal operation of waterborne vehicles
does not require ability checks, but anything other than a rowboat or
keelboat also requires a crew of trained sailors to manage.
Crew. A
ship needs skilled hirelings (crew) to operate. Up to halve the crew
(round down) can be unskilled, learning as they go. If more than half
are unskilled, reduce the vehicle’s speed by half. Only skilled crew can
operate siege weapons mounted on a ship.
Passengers. This number
assumes Small and Medium passengers sharing tight quarters. If the ship
is outfitted with private cabins, the ship can accommodate only
one-fifth of this number.
Damage Threshold. The ship has immunity to
all damage unless it takes an amount equal to or greater than its
damage threshold, in which case it takes damage as normal. Anything less
is merely superficial, not reducing the ship’s hit points.
Repairs.
Repairing requires skilled hirelings or crew. For every 5 workers, 1
hit point of damage can be repaired each day at a 10 gp cost in
materials. (The labor of any non-crew members must be paid separately.)
Ships not berthed at proper facilities for such work can only be
repaired at a maximum rate of 1 hit point per day.
DESCRIPTIONS
Vehicles are described below.
Canoe.
A lightweight passenger boat, sometimes carved from a single tree
trunk. While fast and agile, a canoe’s hull is too narrow to be stable
on the open sea in any conditions worse than calm waters.
Galley (any). This long, slender warship is propelled mainly by rowing but it has masts and can travel under sail.
Galley,
Palatial. This grand galley is designed for pleasure cruising. Rather
than the tools of war, it contains a host of amenities suitable for
Galley,
Ironclad. An ironclad galley is a slower-moving war galley that has
sheets of metal to protect the hull from attacks. Despite the name,
these armored sheets are made of copper alloys or other metals that can
survive exposure to the sea, rather than iron.
Galley, War. A war galley has a ram and several mounting points for siege engines.
Keelboat,
Barge. A keelboat is a flat-bottomed vessel designed for river work in
shallow water. The boat can be propelled by oars but is more often
poled. Keelboats typically carry cargo but they are often used as
ferries for short crossings.
Keelboat, Cabined. This large keelboat
has a single-room cabin in its center. The cabin can provide shelter to
the crew or to passengers.
Longship (any). This vessel is a long,
low ship used for trade and commerce as well as warfare. The ship is
propelled by a single, large sail or by oars. When used as a warship,
the warriors typically mount their shields along the gunnels of both
sides of the vessel to provide additional protection and to intimidate
foes. The tall prows and aft ends of longships were often carved as the
heads of dragons or other ferocious beasts.
Longship, Karvi. This
small, broad longship is typically used within sight of the shore. Its
shallow draft makes it ideal for fishing and other types of in-shore
work.
Longship, Snekkja. The longship is large enough for
significant military operations, yet still small enough that the crew
can haul it out of the water, dragging it onto a beach. This means makes
snekkja ideal for raiding, landing in places without ports and
disgorging large numbers of warriors.
Longship, Skeid. The skeid is
the largest version of the longship, too large for the crew to haul out
of the water. Such vessels are used for long-range exploration and
large-scale warfare.
Raft. Rafts are flat planes of floating
material, square or rectangular in shape. They are typically crafted of
logs using primitive construction methods. A raft can be built with a
short mast to allow propulsion by sail. Otherwise, rafts are rowed with
oars or poled for propulsion.
Rowboat. A small wooden boat fitted
with four oars. Rowboats are used for fishing or utility work, in-shore
travel, or as ship’s boats for larger watercraft.
Sailing Ship,
Caravel. A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable ship. It is ideal for
in-shore work or fishing, but is also safe and capable travelling away
from shore.
Sailing Ship, Cog. Cogs are round, single-masted sailing
ships. Primitive in design, cogs are still used for their reliability
and ease of construction.
Sailing Ship, Hulk. This massive, slow
sailing ship can carry a staggering amount of cargo. Hulks have many
uses based on their huge size, including being used as floating prisons
during wartime.
Warship, Carrack. An evolution of the cog,
this wide, stable warship is very versatile. It is both durable in
battle and can carry a large amount of cargo.
Warship, Xebec. This
small warship is an evolution of the war galley, more dependent on sails
than oars, with larger masts and more complex sails.
AGE OF SAIL
The parenthetical number following the name of each vehicle indicates the ship’s capacity for carrying siege equipment. If the campaign setting does not include the development of gunpowder, these indicate the number of ballistae the ship can mount. If gunpowder exists in the campaign, the number indicates cannon mounts. Most of these weapons are mounted in broadside position, half on each side of the ship. The remainder (depending on the size of the vessel) can be mounted at the prow or stern.
VEHICLES (WATERBORNE)
Cargo Damage Item Cost Speed Crew Passengers (tons) AC HP Threshold
Ship of the line
1st rate man o’ war (95) 320,000 gp 12 mph 400 200 150 15 850 20
2nd rate man o’ war (80) 200,000 gp 12 mph 300 150 135 15 750 20
3rd rate man o’ war (65) 125,000 gp 13 mph 200 100 120 15 650 20
Warship
4th rate frigate (50) 65,000 gp 13 mph 150 75 80 15 500 15
5th rate frigate (35) 35,000 gp 13 mph 120 60 65 15 400 15
6th rate frigate (20) 28,000 gp 13 mph 90 45 50 15 300 15
Unrated ship
Sloop (16) 30,000 gp 14 mph 30 65 75 15 120 12
Brig (14) 12,000 gp 13 mph 40 40 100 15 200 15
Lugger (1) 850 gp 10 mph 3 20 1/2 15 110 10
Launch (0) 180 gp 3 mph 11 1 1/2 12 85 —
DESCRIPTIONS
Age of sail vessel descriptions are provided below.
Ship
of the Line (any). Men o’ war are large, multi-deck ships capable of
carrying hundreds of people. They are built to project national power
upon the high seas. All ships of the line are built to sling a
staggering weight of cannon shot, slugging it out with other ships of
the line during fleet actions.
Unrated Ship (any). Unrated ships do not have the military designates that determine the roles of navy vessels.
Unrated Ship, Brig. A brig is a fast, square-sailed ship. It requires a relatively large crew to operate.
Unrated
Ship, Launch. A launch is a swift boat with ten oars. Larger ships
carry launches to ferry passengers and equipment between the ship and
the shore. Launches also serve as life boats.
Unrated Ship, Lugger. A
small sailing ship, sometimes carried aboard larger ships and deployed
for scouting or actions in shallow waters.
Unrated Ship, Sloop. A
very fast, versatile ship, typically long and low on the water. Warship
(any). These frigates are built for war with multiple decks. They are
still small enough to be moved by oars, but large enough to take place
in major engagements. In fleet actions, frigates serve the role of
support ships.
AERIAL VEHICLES
The new proficiency “vehicle (air)” covers the use of airborne vehicles.
If you have proficiency with vehicle (air), you can add your proficiency bonus to any check you make to control airborne vehicles in difficult circumstances. The normal operation of airborne vehicles does not require ability checks, but an airship or flying platform also requires a crew of trained areal “sailors” to manage it. Depending on the nature of the lift and propulsions systems used, the driver or a crew member might also need magical training to direct the magics involved or to control the creature(s) bound to the vehicle.
VEHICLES (FLIGHT MACHINES)
Cargo Damage Item Cost Speed Crew Passengers (tons) AC HP Threshold
Airship 20,000 gp 8 mph 10 20 1 13 300 —
Airship, greater 250,000 gp 7 mph 45 100 15 15 550 10
Flying platform 175,000 gp 1 mph 10 350 150 15 600 10
Glider 210 gp 3 mph 1 — — 13 20 —
Ornithopter 9,500 gp 8 mph 1 — — 13 50 —
Ornithopter, twin 12,500 gp 7 mph 1 1 — 13 65 —
DESCRIPTIONS
Fantasy flight vehicles are described below.
Airship. This vehicle is the size of a sailing ship. The appearance will vary by culture and by the type of magic or technology used to power the craft. Because aeronautical travel often develops under the influence of marine traditions and with nautical influences, the shapes and features of airships tend to resemble sea vessels.
Airship, Greater. A larger version of an airship, this vehicle typically represents refinements in the magical or scientific techniques of air travel. Alternately, a greater airship is simply built for a function that requires greater size.
Flying Platform. A flying platform uses the same technology of magical forces that hold airships aloft, but it uses dozens of instances of that method. Sometimes called a “flying island,” a flying platform typically stays airborne for extensive periods, providing a base of operations for other flying ships.
Glider. A glider is an unpowered vehicle that relies upon air currents to stay aloft. Once in flight, a glider can only gain altitude by circling an area with updrafts or by being towed higher by another flight machine.
Ornithopter. An ornithopter is a single-person version of an airship. Sometimes airships (and flying platforms) carry scores of ornithopters, launching them at enemy airships or ground targets to engage before the mothership gets within range. An ornithopter typically mounts a small siege weapon like a ballista.
Ornithopter, Twin. This ornithopter is slightly larger and sturdier than the normal version, with the capacity to carry both a driver and one other crewmember; a copilot, navigator, or gunner.