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.

Table of Contents