Vehicles
Vehicles are special objects in the game that possess
some attributes of both creatures and objects. They
have their own stat block, apart from creatures. A vehicle
that is not being operated is treated as an unattended
object.
Statistics
Block
This portion of a vehicle description contains basic
game information on the vehicle.
Name
This is the name by which the vehicle is generally known.
The descriptive text may provide other names.
Size
And Type
This line describes the vehicle’s size. A size
modifier applies to the vehicle’s Armor Class
(AC) and attack bonus.
The size and type line continues with
the vehicle’s type. Type determines how magic
affects a vehicle. Type determines certain features,
such as Hit Dice size, base attack bonus, base saving
throw bonuses, and skill points. Most vehicles are constructs,
but some may be plants or outsiders.
Hit
Dice
This line gives the vehicle’s number and type
of Hit Dice (the die rolled to generate hit points),
and lists any bonus hit points. A parenthetical note
gives the average hit points for a vehicle of the indicated
number of Hit Dice. A vehicle’s Hit Dice total
is also treated as its level for determining how spells
affect the vehicle. Vehicles gain bonus hit points based
on size as if they were constructs. Vehicles of the
construct type gain double their normal bonus hit points.
Initiative
Vehicles act on the initiative of its operator or pilot
unless it possesses an wisdom score.
Speed
This line gives the vehicle’s tactical speed on
land (the amount of distance it can cover in one move
action).
If the vehicle has other modes of movement,
these are given after (or in place of) the land speed.
Unless noted otherwise, modes of movement are natural
(not magical). The overland speed of the vehicle is
listed after.
Armor
Class
The Armor Class line gives the vehicle’s AC for
normal combat and includes a parenthetical mention of
the modifiers contributing to it (usually size, Dexterity,
and natural armor). The vehicle’s touch and flat-footed
ACs follow the combat-ready AC. A vehicle is only flatfooted
if its pilot is flat footed.
Base
Attack/Grapple
Vehicles use their operator or pilot’s ranks in
the pilot skill as their base attack bonus it is denoted
here with a dash (-). Any bonuses to grapple are listed
here.
Pilot
Denotes what kind of pilot skill is needed (ground,
light air, heavy air, aquatic, underwater) to operate
the vehicle.
Crew
Crew is a notation of how many people are needed to
man the vehicle. A maximum number of crew is noted in
parenthesis. The maximum crew is the number of medium
sized creatures that can be carried comfortably.
Armament
Armament denotes what weapons are present on the average
vehicle of a given kind. These weapons can be freely
used by the crew, but unless otherwise noted, at attached
to the vehicle itself.
Attack
and Full Attack
Vehicles do not make normal attacks like creatures do.
Any attacks not included in the Armament listing is
listed as a Special Attack.
Space
Vehicles do not fight as living foes do and always take
up a set amount of space, in combat, or out of it. They
have a discernable front and back at all times, much
like a building. Changing direction is a move action
for a vehicle.
Special
Attacks and Special Qualities
Many vehicles have unusual abilities. A vehicle entry
breaks these abilities into special attacks and special
qualities. The latter category includes defenses, vulnerabilities,
and other special abilities that are not modes of attack.
A special ability is either extraordinary (Ex), spell-like
(Sp), or supernatural (Su). Additional information (when
needed) is provided in the vehicle’s descriptive
text.
When a special ability allows a saving
throw, the kind of save and the save DC is noted in
the descriptive text. Most saving throws against special
abilities have DCs calculated as follows:
10 + ½ the attacker’s racial Hit Dice +
the relevant ability modifier.
The save DC is given in the vehicle’s
description along with the ability on which the DC is
based.
Saves
This line gives the vehicle’s Fortitude, Reflex,
and Will save modifiers. Vehicles are mindless unless
otherwise noted and are treated as objects for the purposes
of spells that require a fortitude save.
Abilities
This line lists the vehicle’s ability scores,
in the customary order: Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha.
Except where noted otherwise, each vehicle is assumed
to have the standard array of ability scores before
racial adjustments (all 11s and 10s). To determine any
vehicle’s racial ability adjustments, subtract
10 from any even-numbered ability score and subtract
11 from any odd-numbered score. (Exceptions are noted
in the Combat section of a vehicle’s descriptive
text.)
Strength
Vehicles are always considered to be quadrupeds when
it comes to determining carrying capacity.
Unless otherwise noted, vehicle cannot
speak or understand languages.
Nonabilities
Most vehicles lack certain ability scores, namely Intelligence,
Wisdom, and Charisma. These vehicles do not have an
ability score of 0—they lack the ability altogether.
The modifier for a nonability is +0.
Skills
Unless otherwise stated, vehicles have no skills.
Feats
Unless otherwise stated, vehicles have no feats.
Challenge Rating
Challenge Rating is noted only for vehicles with offensive
capabilities besides the Ram special attack. Any ship
that loses its pilot and crew is considered defeated
unless it has an Intelligence score.
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New
Special Qualities
DR
x/siege: A vehicle with this type of DR has
damage reduction against all types of attack except
those from siege weapons and creatures of a size equal
to or greater than itself. A ship’s Ram special
attack is always considered a siege weapon. |
