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.

Table of Contents