Vehicular Combat

The basic rules for vehicle combat are similar to those for regular combat, but with some additional rules to account for the larger scale and movement of the vehicles.

Vehicles have Piloting Skills: Sky, Sea, or Land. Vehicles have their own movement speed and can move in different directions. A vehicle moves as you direct it.

Vehicles themselves are objects for attacks on them. Vehicles have their own hit points and can be damaged or destroyed by attacks. When a vehicle reaches zero hit points, it may crash or sink, depending on the type of vehicle.

Vehicles have Actions and Maneuvers for engaging with both each other and with the environment around them. The environment can play a significant role in vehicle combat, with hazards such as rough seas or storms affecting movement and actions.

Vehicle Qualities

All vehicles have certain qualities in common that describe their ability to resist and take damage, how they are controlled and move, and weapons they may have.

Capacity: Vehicles have a passenger and crew capacity, expressed in number of adult bodies.

Pilot: Vehicles require a Pilot. A pilot makes a Proficiency check when attempting maneuvers while directing a vehicle. This piloting check is always made against the DC of the vehicle’s Handling score. Piloting is a Complex Skill.

Cargo: Vehicles have a cargo capacity, expressed in pounds

Hull: Hulls have an AC and a HP for the body of the Vehicle. All vehicles have a Damage Threshold of 10% of their total HP. Damage less than that threshold has no effect.

Helm: A Helm is a specific location on a vehicle where a Pilot is. Not all vehicles have a Helm. Helms have an AC and HP for the control of the Vehicle.

Handling: Vehicles have a handling score. A Handling score is a DC for piloting the vehicle. Certain circumstances and Maneuvers add or subtract to the Handling score, and the character has to successfully roll their piloting score against the handling DC to achieve the action.

Propulsion: the means by which the vehicle is able to move. Some vehicles have multiple ways of being moved.

Speed: Vehicles have different types of movement (wheels, propeller, wings, sails, oars, skis, team, engine) with different speeds. This is the same speed rating as given to living creatures. Speed impacts the DC of Maneuvers.

Turn Radius: space to turn around. Trying to turn too tightly will capsize the vehicle.

Acceleration: one tenth the maximum speed of the Vehicle. Each round that a vehicle accelerates, it adds this number to previous speed. Vehicles reach their maximum speed in 10 rounds.

Weapon mounts: Vehicles have between 0 and 20 weapon mounts. Vehicle weapons make ranged attacks as normal.

Actions: All vehicles get actions, just like people. A vehicle can make one Maneuver per turn and one attack per weapon it has mounted per turn. Some vehicles may get a reaction and some may get a bonus action. The individual vehicle descriptions describe those.

Maneuvers: The movement actions that a vehicle can take. This will feed into a chase set up (basically a series of Handling rolls against the DC of different maneuvers).

Range: The range of the Vehicle in miles per day. Range is reduced by certain maneuvers.

Vehicle Operation Table

	Propulsion			Propulsion			Handling
Vehicle	Type	Accel	Speed	Type	Accel	Speed	DC	Turn	AC	HP	Notes
Buckboard
Buggy
Bullock
Carriage, Open
Carriage, Two Door
Cart, Small
Cart, Hand
Cart, Large
Chariot, Heavy
Chariot, Light
Coach
Coach, Noble
Exilian Corf
Sled, Sand
Sled, Snow
Wagon, Camping
Wagon, Covered
Wagon, Open
Carriage, Durangan											Range: 125 mi
Water Vehicles
Barge
Battleship
Canoe
Cutter
Destroyer
Dinghy
Fisher
Frigate
Galley
Longship
Rowboat
Schooner
Yacht
Kahg
Skif
Kayak
Keris Submersible											Max Depth: 3500 ft
Air Vehicles
Airship Cargo
Airship Cruise
Merchant Airship
Airship Private
Airship War
Airship, Small

Action Types

Attacking is the most common form of Action when in combat, but there are many other kinds of actions on can take, and they do not need to only be taken during combat.

Ranged Attack

Vehicles may have mounted weapons, such as cannons or ballistae, that characters can use to attack other vehicles or targets on land or in the air.

It takes one action to load a Vehicle weapon, and one action to fire it. Vehicle Weapons often have a minimum range. Within that range, they cannot fire.

Normal Ranged Attack rules apply.

Boarding Attack

Characters may attempt to board or grapple with another vehicle, either to take control of it or to sabotage it. To do so requires that they somehow connect the two vehicles. They can do this using STR (Athletics) versus the DC of ongoing maneuvers.

This requires both a Move action and an Open Action.

Board

Once during your move, you can get into a vehicle that is within 5 feet of you. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed.

Boarding is a movement action.

Disembark

Once during your move, you can get out of a vehicle. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed.

Disembarking is a movement action.

Move Between Vehicles

This is a combination of a Jump Action and Boarding Action. Boarding reduces Speed by half, and Jumping requires one foot of movement for each forward foot and each vertical foot. Normal rules for both long and high jumps still apply in regards distance and STR modifiers.

Moving between Vehicles is a Movement Action.

Maneuvers

Any Maneuver requires a Piloting Check.

On a given Turn, a Pilot without Proficiency can take make one Maneuver.

A pilot with Proficiency can make two Maneuvers simultaneously.

Vehicles have their own Handling score, which is the base DC for any piloting checks. The kinds of Maneuvers and the speed of the vehicle in that turn then modify that DC for the purposes of the check.

Maneuver Mods

Each kind of Maneuver has a

Maneuver	Handling	Maneuver	Handling	Maneuver	Handling	Maneuver	Handling
Forward	+1	Accelerate	+1	Close	+3	Strafe	+5
Reverse	+1	Brake	+1	Collide	+3	Land	+2
Hard Brake	+2	Climb	+2	Ram	+4	Surface	+1
Spin	+3	Dive	+2	Crush	+4	Stop	+1
23 Degree Turn	+0	45 Degree Turn	+1	67 Degree Turn	+2	90 Degree Turn	+3

Speed Mods

Speed impacts handling of a vehicle as well. The following table lists the handling modifier for speeds equal to or between the lower number.

Speed	Handling	Speed	Handling	Speed	Handling	Speed	Handling	Speed	Handling	Speed	Handling
88	-2	264	+1	440	+5	616	+9	792	+13	968	+17
132	-1	308	+2	484	+6	660	+10	836	+14	1012	+18
176	0	352	+3	528	+7	704	+11	880	+15	1056	+19
220	0	396	+4	572	+8	748	+12	924	+16	1100	+20

Speeds over 125 miles an hour for people unused to traveling faster than 60 miles a day are unlikely to happen, but you can adapt from here.

Speed Equivalents
Mph	.1	.25	.5	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Speed	.88	2.2	4.4	8.8	17.6	26.4	35.2	44	52.8	61.6	70.4	79.2	88
Mph	15	20	25	30	40	50	60	70	75	80	90	100	110
Speed	132	176	220	264	352	440	528	616	660	704	792	880	968

Jostling

Passengers, pilots, and crew in Open Vehicles must make a STR (athletics) Check after any collision, braking, or turn of greater than 45 degrees.

The DC of that Check is equal to the Vehicle’s Handling+(Maneuver+Speed) in that turn. On Success, nothing will happen.

On Failure, they will be thrown in the direction of a collision on impact (or direction of movement on stop) a number of feet equal to the Speed Mod of the vehicle in that turn and taking that amount of Crushing Damage (falling damage). This can happen even if there is something that would arrest their motion.

Hildegard yanks the wheel in a tight turn while traveling at a speed that turn of 176. Her passengers in the back are jostled about. The Vehicle’s Handling is 10. The turn is a 90 degree turn and so adds 3. The vehicle is traveling at 176, which adds 0, for a total DC of 13. Jazzer rolls an adjusted 12, fails his strength check and is flung about the cabin. He ends up on the opposite side of the cabin but takes no damage. Had Hildy been going 264 or more, he would have taken damage.

Forward

This makes the vehicle move forward a number of feet equal to its Acceleration in one turn, unless the vehicle is already in motion. A vehicle in motion will continue in the last direction (forward) until an action is taken to change that.

Reverse

This makes the vehicle move backwards a number of feet equal to its Acceleration in one turn. A vehicle in motion will continue in the last direction (backward) until an action is taken to change that.

Accelerate

This causes the vehicle to increase its Speed by its Acceleration each turn until its maximum Speed rating is achieved.

Brake

This causes the vehicle to reduce its Speed by its Acceleration each turn until a Speed of 0 is reached. Note that in the turn the vehicle begins to brake, it will still travel the distance of any remaining speed.

Hard Brake

A hard brake causes the vehicle to reduce its speed by double its Acceleration until a speed of zero is reached. Note that in the turn the vehicle begins to brake, it will still travel the distance of any remaining speed.

Jostling happens.

Stop

A stop can only be performed when the vehicle has a speed that turn of 100 or less. The vehicle stops abruptly. Jostling happens.

Turn

This is the smallest sized circle a vehicle can turn in. A vehicle in motion will continue in the last direction (turning) until an action is taken to change that. Turns very frequently have jostling, because any turn tighter than 23 degrees will jostle occupants.

All vehicles have a Turning Radius. They cannot make a turn more tightly than that turning radius. Vehicles which do this will capsize, braking until they reach a speed of zero, jostling occupants with a -5 penalty to their roll.

Spin

A Spin is possible only for Swimming or Flying vehicles. The Vehicles rotates in space to face the opposite direction. Jostling happens.

Climb

This makes the vehicle move upwards a number of feet equal to its Acceleration in one turn. A vehicle in motion will continue in the last direction (upward) until an action is taken to change that. A normal climb is less than 15 degrees. If they wish to climb faster, they must make a turn.

Dive

This makes the vehicle move downwards a number of feet equal to its Acceleration in one turn. A vehicle in motion will continue in the last direction (downward) until an action is taken to change that. A normal dive is one that is less than 15 degrees. If they wish to dive faster, they must make a turn.

Close

This maneuver is to get close enough to another vehicle to collide with it or to get close enough to Crush a mount or person.

Collide

Collide causes the speed of the vehicle at that turn to be applied as crushing damage to the target on a successful maneuver roll. Failure means the target sustains no damage. IN both cases, however, the vehicle itself sustains half that damage to itself.

A Vehicle which has been collided with gets a reaction and can choose to either move away or collide again.

Damage from colliding vehicles overrides the Damage Threshold on both the attacking and defending vehicles.

Ram

A Ramming Attack causes the vehicle to directly impact another vehicle. Ramming Attacks multiply the speed of the vehicle in that turn by 2 to determine damage. The Ramming Vehicle suffers one half the damage.

Crush

Crushing is striking a mount, person, or critter with the vehicle. Crushing requires a speed of at least 132, and does the speed of the vehicle divided by 10 in damage.

Land

For Vehicles which Fly, this is the maneuver to bring them onto the ground. It can only be initiated when the vehicle is within 1 turn of the ground based on its current speed.

A Flying vehicle is moving at a speed of 580. The Pilot can land the vehicle if it is within 580 feet of the ground.

Landing for flying vehicles takes an number of feet equal to the speed of the vehicle to be able to slow momentu to come to a stop, except for Brooms and Carpets.

Surface

For Vehicles which Swim (submersibles), this is an action that takes the vehicle to the surface of the water. This presumes a climb of less than 15 degrees. If they wish to surface faster, they must make a turn.

Strafe

Strafing is coming close enough to a target to fire weapons while moving in a direct line.