Vehicles (POCT)

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Most vehicles are simply used to get people or materials from place to place and have no function on the battlefield, except as objects of contention (wagonloads of rare merchandise or tax money often attract considerable attention). Some vehicles are designed to function as weapons, however, and most offer their passengers some concealment or cover. The most common types are listed below.
==Chariot==
These lightweight, two-wheeled vehicles are usually open topped. They are fairly quick and maneuverable. One to four large creatures can be hitched to a single chariot. An animal drawing a chariot can pull twice its normal (unencumbered) load at 2/3 of its normal movement rate. Each additional animal added to the team either increases the movement rate by one point or adds its maximum load to the chariot's useable load.
For example, two light horses could pull a 340-pound chariot load at a movement rate of 17 or a 680-pound chariot load at a rate of 16. Standard movement rates for fully loaded chariots are given in the individual descriptions below.
A chariot must stop immediately if an animal drawing it is killed. The driver or a passenger must spend a half-move action getting out and disentangling the animal and an additional half-move action or an attack cutting it loose. Cutting an animal loose requires a knife or slashing weapon.
Although chariots are highly maneuverable vehicles, they are not as agile as characters. A chariot must spend one point of movement to change facing. A chariot cannot change facing in response to attacks. If a chariot changes facing more than four times during a round, the driver must make a driving check for each additional change or the chariot flips over.
Chariots function best on smooth, fairly level ground. Chariots must avoid most obstacles; at the DM's option, chariots can attempt to cross obstacles less than 2' high (or deep) at a cost of two movement points per square, but a driving check is required to avoid flipping over. If a chariot crosses any terrain where the footing reduces movement, the chariot must pay the movement penalty and must pass a driving check at the end of any phase when it attempts to move or change facing.
A chariot moves on its driver's base initiative phase.
A chariot has no cargo capacity beyond what its passengers can carry on their persons (though passengers can lay their packs at their feet while riding).
A chariot can perform overruns as though it were a Huge creature; use the driver's THAC0 to resolve the attack of opportunity when an opponent is knocked down (see Chapter One). Chariots are treated as Huge creatures when resolving fire from bombardment engines. A chariot occupies as many squares on the map as required to accommodate the figure representing it, but never less than four squares in any case.
A chariot's passenger capacity, protective value, and other characteristics vary with the type of chariot:
* A light chariot's car can hold as many creatures as one map square (one Large creature, two Man-sized creatures, and so on; see Chapter One). If the passengers go into close order so they can fit into a car they need not all have the same facing, but the driver must face forward. Man-sized passengers in a light chariot can claim 50% concealment from frontal attacks.
: An overrun attack vs. a Large or Man-sized creature with a light chariot requires a driving check if the opponent is knocked down. If the check fails, the chariot flips over.
A light chariot drawn by two light horses can carry two armored men at a speed of 18.
* A medium chariot's car can hold as many creatures as two map squares. Man-sized passengers in a medium chariot can claim 50% cover from frontal attacks and 50% concealment from flank attacks.
An overrun attack vs. a Large or Man-sized creature with a medium chariot requires a driving check at +1 if the opponent is knocked down. If the check fails, the chariot flips over.
: A medium chariot drawn by three light horses can carry four armored men at a speed of 18.
* A heavy chariot's car can hold as many creatures as three map squares. Man-sized passengers in a heavy chariot can claim 50% cover from frontal and flank attacks.
: Heavy chariots do not require driving checks when making overruns.
: A heavy chariot drawn by four light horses can carry six armored men at a speed of 18.
: A chariot driver cannot attack while the vehicle is moving, except for swerving attacks (see below).
Chariot passengers get their full allotment of melee or missile attacks regardless of the chariot's movement. Passengers cannot make melee attacks against opponents in front of the chariot unless they are armed with weapons long enough to reach those squares. Passengers make their melee attacks in the normal initiative order.
If the chariot is moving during an action phase when a passenger makes an attack, the passenger attacks at the end of the chariot's movement. If a chariot is moving at full speed, any missile or melee attacks the passengers make suffer a –2 attack penalty. If the chariot moves at half speed or less, the attack penalty is –1. There is no penalty for attacking from a motionless chariot.
It is not possible to cast a spell from a chariot moving at greater than half speed or from a chariot moving over rough ground at any speed. If the chariot is moving at half speed or less, a passenger can cast a spell only if another passenger helps steady him.
Any chariot can be equipped with scythe blades on its wheels and the front of the car. A scythe chariot inflicts an extra 2d6 points of damage when making overruns. If the defender is not knocked down during an overrun attempt the attacker still can make an attack of opportunity that inflicts 1d6 points of damage.
A character driving a scythe chariot also can swerve, making his normal allotment of melee attacks against single creatures in the car's flank squares. The attacks are made during the chariot's movement phase and are resolved as normal melee attacks except that the defender receives no Armor Class bonuses for Dexterity or a shield and the attack receives no attack roll or damage bonuses from Strength. If the attack hits, treat it as a successful overrun; the minimum damage is 2d6. If a swerve attack inflicts a critical hit, treat the scythe as a large slashing weapon.
==Howdah==
A howdah is a fighting platform strapped to a beast's back. Howdahs usually are used on Huge or larger creatures, but they can be used on Large creatures as well.
Most howdahs are open topped and provide 50% cover to Man-sized creatures inside against attacks from the howdah's front, flank, or rear.
Like a chariot, a howdah's passenger capacity is measured in map squares. A howdah's weight and maximum capacity varies with the size of the creature that carries it, as follows:
Creature Size	Capacity*	Weight
Large 	1 	50 lbs.
Huge 	2 	100 lbs.
Gargantuan 	3 	150 lbs.
: * Maximum capacity; Huge and Gargantuan creatures can carry smaller howdahs. Some common sense adjustments are necessary. For example, polar bears are Huge creatures, but their rounded bodies and rocking gait limits them to one-space howdahs at best.
Unless the beast carrying a howdah has at least low intelligence, one passenger must act as the driver or mahout. Usually, the mahout does not ride in the howdah, but in a saddle located near the creature's head where the mahout can issue commands more easily. A mahout mounted this way counts against the beast's total load, but not the howdah's capacity; thus a war elephant could carry four men in a howdah, plus a mahout in a saddle. A beast without a mahout acts as an NPC under the DM's control.
A mahout usually is completely occupied with controling the beast. If the beast is intelligent or exceptionally well-trained, the mahout can function as a mounted character.
Passengers in a howdah can fire missiles, cast spells, or make melee attacks (but see the note on elevation, below) as though stationary as long as the beast carrying the howdah does not charge, sprint, engage in melee, or attempt an overrun. If the beast charges, engages in melee, or attempts an overrun, everyone in the howdah must declare a half-move action to stay inside and keep steady. If the beast sprints, everyone in the howdah must declare a full-move action to stay inside and can do nothing else. Passengers can try to jump out; a character who jumps out of a howdah is considered knocked down and suffers 1d6 points of damage unless he rolls a successful saving throw vs. breath weapon.
Characters riding a Huge beast are considered to be one square above the battlefield, while characters riding a Gargantuan beast are considered two squares above. Characters elevated above the battlefield cannot make melee attacks or be attacked in melee unless weapons with sufficient reach are employed or the opponent is the same size as the mount, larger than the mount, or no more than one size class smaller than the mount. For example, a man riding in a triceratops howdah and armed with an axe could not attack or be attacked by a footman armed with a club, but he could attack or be attacked by an ogre.
A creature carrying a howdah moves on its base initiate phase.
===Carrying Capacities For Beasts===
If a creature's carrying capacity is not listed in the (PHB), assume that most creatures can carry five pounds per point of Strength (see the formula for computing this in Chapter Two); particularly large or sturdy quadrupeds can carry 10 pounds per point of effective Strength. To these numbers add 400 pounds if the creature is Huge and 600 pounds if the creature is Gargantuan.
The resulting number is the creature's normal load, which allows movement at the creature's base speed. The creature can carry 150% of its normal load and move at 2/3 speed and it can carry twice its normal load and move at 1/3 speed. A flying creature reduced to 2/3 speed loses one maneuverability class; a flying creature reduced to 1/3 speed cannot fly.
Note that this is intended as a quick method for determining carrying capacities. Where previously published information conflicts with the numbers presented here, choose the one that seems most appropriate. Some sample calculations are provided in the table on the next page.
Note that the size category of the African elephant has been altered from its listing in the Monstrous Manual. It seemed only reasonable that the elephant's carrying capacity should be equivalent to, if not greater than, the polar bear, a Huge creature as well.
==Wagon==
These cumbersome four-wheeled vehicles are useful for carrying passengers or cargo. One to 12 large creatures can be hitched to a wagon. An animal drawing a wagon can pull triple its normal (unencumbered) load at half its normal movement rate. Additional animals attached to a wagon either increase the wagon's movement rate by one or add their tripled load to the useful load. For example, two light horses could haul a 510-pound wagon load at a speed of 13 or a 1,020-pound wagon load at a speed of 12.
A wagon must spend a movement point to change facing, and each change of facing must be separated by at least one square of straight movement. A wagon cannot change facing in response to attacks. If a wagon changes facing more than twice in a round, the driver must make a driving check on each additional change or the wagon tips over.
Like chariots, wagons function best on smooth, level ground. Unlike chariots, wagons cannot attempt to cross obstacles. Unstable footing slows wagons and can cause them to flip over.
A wagon moves on its driver's base initiative phase.
A wagon can perform overruns as though it were a Huge creature. Wagons are not particularly difficult to avoid, and the target gets a +2 bonus to the knockdown saving throw. All other modifiers apply. For example, a human subjected to a wagon's overrun would normally have a –4 penalty to the knockdown saving throw for being two sizes smaller than the wagon, but the penalty is reduced to –2 because of the wagon's +2 modifier.
A wagon is treated as a Huge target when resolving fire from a bombardment engine. A wagon occupies as many squares on the map as required to accommodate the figure representing it, but never less than four squares in any case.
A wagon's cargo and passenger capacity is determined by the number of animals pulling it and by its size; a wagon can have from one to six squares of passenger capacity.
Man-sized creatures in a normal wagon can claim 25% cover from the wagon's sides. If the wagon is covered or enclosed, it offers 50% cover. A specialized war wagon offers each passenger 90% cover.
Passengers in a wagon can fire missiles, cast spells, or make melee attacks as though stationary as long as the animals pulling the wagon do not charge, engage in melee, rout, or attempt an overrun. If the team charges, fights, or attempts an overrun, everyone in the wagon must declare a half-move action to stay inside and keep steady. If the team routs, everyone in the wagon must declare a full-move action to stay inside and can do nothing else. Passengers can try to jump out; a character who jumps out of a wagon is considered knocked down and suffers 1d6 points of damage unless he rolls a successful saving throw vs. breath weapon.
====Carrying Capacities for Beasts====
 	Size	Normal Load/	Moderate Load/	Maximum Load/
Creature 	 	Speed** 	Speed** 	Speed**
African Elephant* 	H1 	680/15 	1,020/10 	1,360/5
Ankylosaurus* 	H 	660/6 	990/4 	1,320/2
Griffon* 	L 	210/12 	315/9 	420/4
 	 	Fl 30 (C) 	Fl 20 (D) 	
Mammoth* 	H 	700/12 	1,030/9 	1,400/4
Polar Bear 	H 	530/12 	745/9 	1,060/4
Silver Dragon, 	H 	550/9 	825/6 	1,100/3
Young 	 	Fl 30 (C) 	Fl 20 (D) 	
Giant Stag Beetle* 	L 	210/6 	315/4 	420/2
Subterranean Lizard*	H 	630/12 	945/9 	1,260/4
Triceratops* 	H 	730/9 	1,095/6 	1,460/4
White Dragon*, 	G 	960/12 	1,440/9 	1,920/4
Old 	 	Fl 40 (C) 	Fl 27 (D) 	
Wyvern 	G 	745/6 	1,117/4 	1,490/2
 	 	Fl 24 (E) 	Fl 16 (E) 	
: * Creature receives sturdy quadruped bonus
: ** Creature moves at the listed speed as long as its load does not exceed the listed weight, otherwise it moves at the next slower rate. Creatures loaded beyond their maximum capacity cannot move.
: 1 The African elephant is listed as Large in the Monstrous Manual™ accessory; however, it has been changed to a Huge creature for purposes of this table in order to bring it in line with the other creatures listed.
==Driving Checks and Flipping Over==
An unskilled chariot or wagon driver must roll an 8 or less on 1d20 to keep from flipping over in a dangerous situation. The driver can add his Armor Class adjustment from Dexterity/Agility to the required number and gets an additional +1 bonus if he also has the animal handling proficiency. If the driver has the vehicle handling proficiency, he can make a proficiency check instead of a driving roll; the +1 bonus for the animal handling proficiency also applies to the check.
The vehicle flips over if the check fails. Everyone in the vehicle must roll a successful saving throw vs. breath weapon or be pinned underneath. A successful roll indicates that the character is thrown clear. If the vehicle is fully enclosed by a rigid structure, passengers cannot be pinned under it, but anyone inside must spend all of the next round climbing out. Passengers in an open-topped wagon (not a chariot) get a +3 bonus to the roll. If the roll is successful, the character is considered knocked down and must spend a half-move or attack action to stand up. A pinned character remains, prone, under the vehicle for the remainder of the round and must spend all of the next round getting clear.
==Ramming==
Ramming occurs when vehicles (including creatures carrying howdahs) attack each other directly. A ramming attack is resolved during the attacker's movement phase.
If a vehicle attacks another vehicle, make an opposed driving roll. The following modifiers apply:
* +1 for each size class larger than the opponent;
* +1 for having more wheels or legs than the opponent.
If the defender wins the roll, one of the attacker's wheels, as determined by the DM, must roll a successful saving throw vs. crushing blow (see DMG, Table 29). If the roll fails, the wheel breaks and the attacking vehicle flips over. If the attacker wins the roll, one of the defender's wheels must roll vs. crushing blow as above. If the wheel does not break, the defender still must make a driving check to avoid flipping over.
If a creature attacks a vehicle, the vehicle's driver rolls an opposed driving check vs. the creature's effective Strength score. If the creature wins the roll, the vehicle flips over. A creature cannot attack a vehicle in this fashion unless it is at least as large as the vehicle. If the vehicle wins the roll, the creature must veer away from the vehicle.
If a vehicle attacks a creature that is too large to be overrun, use the procedure outlined above. If the vehicle wins the roll, the creature must move one square, just as though it had been overrun (but the attacking vehicle inflicts no damage).
If an attacker tries to ram an unattended vehicle, use the procedures outlined above. The unattended vehicle has a default driving skill of 5.