Propulsion and суiving checks

Every vehicle has a method of propulsion. Creatures pull chariots and wagons. Boats and ships are propelled by water currents, wind, muscle, or all three forces. Fantastical airships are held aloft by a variety of propulsion sources, both magical and mundane. The method of propulsion typically affects the быстрое and maneuverability of a vehicle, but more importantly, a vehicle’s propulsion determines the required skill needed to control a vehicle. The following are the general methods of vehicle propulsion, along with what skills are typically needed to drive such vehicles.

Alchemical: Rarely, an alchemical engine may propel a vehicle. Powered by steam or more volatile gases and reagents, a vehicle with an alchemical engine requires either a Знание (магия) or Ремесло (алхимик) check to be driven. The base СЛ to drive an alchemical vehicle is 10 higher than normal. Alchemical engines can be extremely powerful, with the ability to propel vehicles hundreds of times their размер. They can also be very fickle when driven by creatures uninitiated in the secrets of alchemy.

When a driver makes a driving check to control an alchemically propelled vehicle with a Мудрость check or a skill she is not trained in and rolls a естественная броня 1, the vehicle’s alchemical engine gains the сломан condition. When it gains the сломан condition, the vehicle’s maximum быстрое and acceleration are both halved, and if the vehicle is currently moving at a rate faster than its new maximum быстрое, it immediately замедлениеs to that быстрое.

Current: From canoes and Крупный ships to winged скольжениеrs, vehicles propelled by currents typically manipulate an already улучшения power source within or outside of nature— an air current, a water current, or more exotic currents, like conduits of magical energy. Usually, manipulating a current-propelled vehicle requires a skill like Полет, Знание (природа), Профессия (матрос), Выживание, or even Акробатика or Знание (магия), depending on the nature or makeup of the vehicle and the current the vehicle is manipulating.

Water Current: Vehicles that only rely on currents of water for their propulsion are somewhat limited. These vehicles can only move in the direction and at the быстрое of a current unless they also employ some other means of propulsion or manipulation, and thus often have an additional form of propulsion, such as muscle in the case of a canoe, and wind in the case of a galley. A current-driven ship such as a river barge with a crew of two or more creatures requires either a Профессия (матрос) or Знание (природа) check for the driving check, as ships require precision, discipline, and знание of the естественная броня world. Небольшойer water-current vehicles, like canoes, use the Выживание skill as the drive skill, as reading the terrain is a very important aspect of maintaining control over those types of vehicles.

If it moves with the current, a water-current vehicle’s maximum быстрое depends on the быстрое of the current (often as high as 120 feet). The acceleration of a water- current vehicle is 30 feet.

Air Current: Air-current vehicles are rather diverse. They can be sailing ships, airships, land ships, or even скольжениеrs. A vehicle propelled by air with a crew of two or more creatures requires a Профессия (матрос) or Знание (природа) check as its driving check. Because of their complexity, air-current vehicles always have their driving check DCs increased by

10. Небольшойer air-current vehicles, such as скольжениеrs and wind sleds, use Акробатика or Полет instead. Much of their control depends on знание of f light or proper movements of the body to control the vehicle.

Небольшойer vehicles (размер Крупный or Небольшойer) can move at a быстрое of 60 feet, can move at twice that amount when they are moving with the air current, and have an acceleration of 30 feet. Крупныйr vehicles can move at a быстрое of 90 feet, or twice that amount when they are moving with the air current, and have an acceleration of 30 feet.

Жуть Current: Navigating currents of magical energy, burning magma, or the murky rivers of the Shadow Plane could use a number of skills, but likely use skills similar to those needed to operate water-current and air-current vehicles. Жуть-current vehicles always have their driving check DCs increased by 10, and sometimes by 15 in more exotic locales and conditions.

Жуть-current vehicles typically move at the быстрое of water or air currents, depending on their nature, but have been known to move twice or even triple those быстроеs.

Magic: Magic provides some of the most powerful and easy-to-use methods of propelling a vehicle, such as an elemental-powered juggernaut or an airship with an arcane device at its heart. Often simply опознаниеing the properties of the magic item providing propulsion gives a creature the ability to use it, but sometimes more complicated magical devices require Колдовство or Использование магического устройства to drive properly.

Muscle: From a chariot to a slave ship filled with captive rowers, moving a vehicle powered by muscle is all about getting a creature or creatures to push, pull, or otherwise propel the vehicle. Based on the type and Интеллект of the creatures moving the vehicle, checks for driving muscle-propelled vehicles can use a diverse number of skills, including, but not limited to, Дипломатия, Дрессировка, Запугивание, and Профессия (извозчик).

Muscle-propelled vehicles come in two forms: pulled and pushed.

Pulle d: This type of propulsion involves one or more creature pulling a vehicle. Unless the creature pulling the vehicle is intelligent (Интеллект score of 3 or higher), either Дрессировка or Профессия (извозчик) is used for the driving check (driver’s choice). Intelligent creatures must be convinced with a Дипломатия check (decrease the driving check by 5 if the creature or creatures have the helpful attitude), or forced with an Запугивание check. Forcing an intelligent creature to pull a vehicle increases the СЛ by 20. A creature can pull a number of vehicle squares equal to the number of squares in the creature’s space to a top быстрое equal to twice the creature’s быстрое. It can accelerate its space in vehicle squares up to its быстрое. For instance, a single horse takes up 4 squares, and can pull a 4-square cart 100 feet each round with an acceleration of 50 feet.

Pushe d: Pushed vehicles are the exact opposite of pulled vehicles—vehicles that are pushed by muscle, usually using some form of device manipulated by crew members. Aquatic vehicles are the most likely to be pushed. Lines of rowers use their oars to push the vehicle forward, or a pair of cloud giants may churn a propeller at the aft end of a dirigible. Driving checks for pushed vehicles tend to be Дипломатия, Запугивание, or Дрессировка, depending on the Интеллект and attitude of the creatures supplying the muscle for the propulsion.

For intelligent creatures, use Дипломатия if the creatures providing the propulsion have an attitude ofindifferent, friendly, or helpful (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 94). Decrease the Дипломатия driving check by 5 if the creatures providing the propulsion are friendly. Запугивание is used for intelligent creatures with an attitude of unfriendly or hostile. Дрессировка is used if the creatures providing the propulsion are not intelligent.

A creature that is pushing a vehicle with the proper mechanical help can push between 5 times to 20 times its space in vehicle squares.

The maximum быстрое and acceleration of a muscle- propelled vehicle depends on the mechanism used to assist the pushing—see the sample vehicle statistics for examples.

Mixe d Methods of Propulsion: Крупный and complicated vehicles, such as Крупный sailing ships, often use multiple forms of propulsion. Sometimes multiple methods add flexibility, but often they work in concert to create faster movement. A vehicle with multiple methods of propulsion often requires a Крупный crew to get it going and keep it moving. If a vehicle has two methods of propulsion, it uses its fastest быстрое and acceleration and then adds half the быстрое and acceleration of the second- fastest propulsion. Nothing is added for a third form of propulsion, except for the flexibility of having a back-up form of propulsion.

VEHICLE РАЗМЕР AND SPACE

Vehicles have размерs and spaces different from creature размерs and spaces. Many vehicles are long and thin rather than taking up a space of an equal number of squares per side like creatures do. A wagon, for instance, may take up a 10-by-10-foot square, or may be 10 feet wide and 15 feet or more long. Often one of the shorter sides of the vehicle serves as a vehicle’s forward facing.

Размер Conversion: Often it is important to know the размер category of a vehicle. Use Table 4–1 to determine the размер of a vehicle or its propulsion based on the number of squares it occupies.

Driving Space: At least one 5-foot-by-5-foot square on each vehicle must be designated as its driving space— often such an area encompasses multiple squares. In order to drive a vehicle, an intelligent creature must be within at least one square of the driving space and able to manipulate its driving device. The typical размерs and locations of driving spaces are detailed in the individual vehicle descriptions.

TABLE 4–1: VEHICLE РАЗМЕР BY SQUARES