It should get you to Windy Canyon in two days!

[Flame of Anor]

This is not that other thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224583), but it is rather what I thought that thread was going to be about.

So: if the carpet will take them to Windy Canyon in two days, then by RAW flying carpet speed and the map (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0698.html) can we plot a circle on which it must lie?

[Bulldog Psion]

It looks like a 5 foot by 10 foot carpet, which has a full speed carrying capacity of 400 pounds. It's got more than that on it, if I'm any judge :smallbiggrin:, so we'll have to assume it's going at a speed of 30 feet. That would mean 24 miles per day -- or in other words, Windy Canyon should be around 50 miles away.

Or so I think from a quick scan of the SRD. :smallredface:

[blueblade]

Is it a stretch to say that given the name and the layout of the map, the canyon is either:


In the foothills of the Go Away Mountains
Somewhere along one of the major rivers flowing near the empire capital (since Canyons usually form around rivers).


I like the idea of it being in the mountains, as I sense we're moving away from the desert now..

[GSFB]

Considering it is Tarquin's FASTEST flying carpet, and even has racing stripes, I am willing to wager it exceeds the normal DMG speed for a flying carpet -- faster than than any other carpet in the region, not the local bulk carpets, mind you, I'm talking the big Corelian carpets! Keeping with the Star Wars gags, Tarquin probably made a few special modifications himself, and brags of running a famous race in a strange unit of distance instead of time...

[NerfTW]

Is it a stretch to say that given the name and the layout of the map, the canyon is either:


In the foothills of the Go Away Mountains
Somewhere along one of the major rivers flowing near the empire capital (since Canyons usually form around rivers).


I like the idea of it being in the mountains, as I sense we're moving away from the desert now..

The only problem with that is that the canyon is probably near the gate, and must have been in the desert proper for them to only be able to find it by star charts. If it was in the mountains themselves, the location of the gate would have been obvious and easy to find. While sand dunes constantly shift, a rock canyon shielded from the wind might stay protected enough to use as a base.

Also, as for the opening question, since we don't have distances on that map, we can't figure out anything from it.

[Ulysses WkAmil]

Lol, Go Away Mountains.
I'd assume they'd be here, Rich hasn't really made any mountain scenes, unless you count whatever that red place was, so based on strictly that, ya. The Go Away Mountains. Since it's not really that big of a plot detail, there will be no clues to deduce it until he tells us.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

The only problem with that is that the canyon is probably near the gate, and must have been in the desert proper for them to only be able to find it by star charts. If it was in the mountains themselves, the location of the gate would have been obvious and easy to find. While sand dunes constantly shift, a rock canyon shielded from the wind might stay protected enough to use as a base.
Windy Canyon itself would likewise be a landmark.

I would dare suggest that Girard’s base may possibly be some miles from the Gate itself, and that Girard counted on alarm spells to allow him a chance to react to intruders.

Another option is that the gate was near a series of similar-looking canyons, or even near the mountains and Girard hoped the paladins would just keep on following his directions until they stopped in the middle of the desert regardless of the presence of landmarks that should be nearby.

EDIT: Though it is probably important to note that Girard’s Rift and Gate are depicted in the Crayons of Time as being within view of some rock formations (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) and hills (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html).

[Flame of Anor]

Though it is probably important to note that Girard’s Rift and Gate are depicted in the Crayons of Time as being within view of some rock formations (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) and hills (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html).

Ooh, excellent catch.

[Sith_Happens]

Considering it is Tarquin's FASTEST flying carpet, and even has racing stripes, I am willing to wager it exceeds the normal DMG speed for a flying carpet -- faster than than any other carpet in the region, not the local bulk carpets, mind you, I'm talking the big Corelian carpets! Keeping with the Star Wars gags, Tarquin probably made a few special modifications himself, and brags of running a famous race in a strange unit of distance instead of time...

In fact, I'd wager that it can reach Ludicrous Speed. Or, at the very least, the speed of plot.:smallwink:

[Hbgplayer]

In fact, I'd wager that it can reach Ludicrous Speed. Or, at the very least, the speed of plot.:smallwink:

Well, everything moves at the speed of plot, even time.

[GSFB]

Not ludicrous speed!

It's a good thing that carpet isn't plaid.

[Thanatosia]

Pretty sure this is one of those situations where the forumites put WAAAAAY more thought into this then the Giant would even think of considering the contemplation of the possibility of doing. Not that I'm saying you should stop (not like you would stop even if I felt otherwise, so cary on!)

[Peelee]

Though it is probably important to note that Girard’s Rift and Gate are depicted in the Crayons of Time as being within view of some rock formations (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) and hills (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html).

Ooooooh, looking back at that, I'm now REALLY excited for Kraagor's gate. Yay snowy adventuretime!

[NerfTW]

Windy Canyon itself would likewise be a landmark.


True, but what I was trying to get at was this:

A desert has very few lasting landmarks. Even a smallish mountain capable of surviving and not being covered up is still not going to be easily located in the absence of any other landmarks. Just the curvature of the planet alone is going to hide things from view after enough distance.

In a mountain range, the formation is fairly stable for hundreds, if not thousands of years. There's easily identifiable peaks, rock formations, valleys, canyons, and what not all around that allows someone to find a location on memory alone, especially given the likelyhood of a town or settlement that you can start at.

In the desert, that's hundreds of square miles people will never set foot in. Any given landmark you could be led to would still be out of site of a lone canyon/mountain sitting in the middle of a massive, uninhabitable desert. There could be an entire set of small mountains out there that nobody ever bothers to note the location of or go to, simply because it's too far out of the way. These have a name, but clearly aren't that notable, given that Girard knew Soon wouldn't be able to find them again.

[Toofey]

You guys remember that the gate being in the desert was an outright lie right?

[Ancalagon]

You guys remember that the gate being in the desert was an outright lie right?

I remember the coordinates given by Girard to Soon to have been an outright lie. We really have no idea where the gate actually is in regard to coordinates, but we do know that Soon was there. He saw how the area around the gate looks. Even if his coordinates are wrong, he never would have told Shojo's Father (who passed it on to Shojo) the "gate is in the middle of the desert" if he knew that was not true. He was there. He saw it. He knows if it's in a Canyon, next to a mountain or in the middle of a desert.

The Crayons reflect what Shojo heard from Shojo's Father who heard it from Soon, so I'd say what is shown is as accurate as Soon could remember it (even if the exact location could be hundreds of miles from where Soon thought it actually was).

[Dr.Epic]

Or it could travel by the speed of plot.:smallwink: Considering how many times Rich has strayed from the official rules, I'm not sure we can make an accurate guess about distance until we know the actual speed this thing travels.

[martianmister]

Or it could travel by the speed of plot.:smallwink: Considering how many times Rich has strayed from the official rules, I'm not sure we can make an accurate guess about distance until we know the actual speed this thing travels.

But it was Tarquin who said "It should get you to Windy Canyon in two days, if you take turns sleeping while it flies" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0817.html).

[Dr.Epic]

But it was Tarquin who said "It should get you to Windy Canyon in two days, if you take turns sleeping while it flies" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0817.html).

And? How does that change anything? We still don't know how fast it travels. Just that it travels at a speed that will allow them to reach the Windy Canon in more or less 48 hours. Do we know the actual speed in MPH? Then we can't say anything about how far away the Windy Canon is.

[rbetieh]

Tailwinds, it makes all the difference :smallbiggrin:

[Ron Miel]

I remember the coordinates given by Girard to Soon to have been an outright lie. We really have no idea where the gate actually is in regard to coordinates, but we do know that Soon was there. He saw how the area around the gate looks. Even if his coordinates are wrong, he never would have told Shojo's Father (who passed it on to Shojo) the "gate is in the middle of the desert" if he knew that was not true. He was there. He saw it. He knows if it's in a Canyon, next to a mountain or in the middle of a desert.

The Crayons reflect what Shojo heard from Shojo's Father who heard it from Soon, so I'd say what is shown is as accurate as Soon could remember it (even if the exact location could be hundreds of miles from where Soon thought it actually was).

I agree with you, mostly, except for one thing. Soon would know the approximate location of the gate. He would know, for example, that they started from Sandsedge, and travelled NNW for 4 days, or whatever it was. He could be fooled by a fake location 10 miles from the real one, but possibly not 50 miles, and certainly not "hundreds" of miles.

[Wrecan]

I agree with you, mostly, except for one thing. Soon would know the approximate location of the gate. He would know, for example, that they started from Sandsedge, and travelled NNW for 4 days, or whatever it was. He could be fooled by a fake location 10 miles from the real one, but possibly not 50 miles, and certainly not "hundreds" of miles.

That's a good point. Soon would have certainly known what the horizon looked like around the gate, and unless one of the Draketooths learned how to move a gate... or he's powerful enough to make illusions so vast that they would affect mapmaking, Draketooth's gate is located within 30 miles or so of hills (about as far as one can see, depending on the elevation of where you're standing and the height of the distant hills/mountains).

So it's either the Goaway Mountains or that range in the SW corner of the map by the People's Democratic Dictatorship

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Tailwinds, it makes all the difference :smallbiggrin:
Yeah. Two days to windy canyon, four back to the EoB? :smalltongue:

[Bulldog Psion]

Of course, it hasn't yet been proven that Girard's gate is actually in or near Windy Canyon, yet, either.

[rbetieh]

Yeah. Two days to windy canyon, four back to the EoB? :smalltongue:

Well it is a windy Canyon, winds gotta be good for something....

Why would they ever go back? Elan might want to return the stolen carpet, but Haley wont. Only Belkar would actually want to sell Malak a skull. So whats left to do in EoB? Is V going to appear back in the palace? Even if they do "capture" nale, do you think Elan would hand his brother to Tarquin knowing it means certain death? I suppose they might want to re-supply since the point of this expedition is to wait around for Xykon to show up and then beat him up....

[Hbgplayer]

He could be fooled by a fake location 10 miles from the real one, but possibly not 50 miles, and certainly not "hundreds" of miles.

Not necessarily. If one gets lost in a featurless plane, he could be off by hundreds of miles and not know it.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Well it is a windy Canyon, winds gotta be good for something....

Why would they ever go back?
Never said they would. Just that if they did, that tailwind would become a headwind.

[Wrecan]

Well it is a windy Canyon, winds gotta be good for something....

Why would they ever go back?
Well, Elan kind of promised to deal with the whole evil tyrant thing after they dealt with the whole world-ending thing.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Well, Elan kind of promised to deal with the whole evil tyrant thing after they dealt with the whole world-ending thing.
But Elan has got to have some inkling that they’re gonna have to get to Kraagor’s gate before dealing with the world-ending thing, and therefore before dealing with the whole evil tyrant thing. I mean: He is the bard.

[Gift Jeraff]

I highly doubt a character whose subplot ate up around a hundred strips is just going to be dealt with in the epilogue or something. Combined with the unresolved Ian and Amun-Zora stuff, and the fact that there totally needs to be an Elan+Nale+Tarquin scene, and I have no doubt they will return before they go to Kraagor's Gate.

[rbetieh]

I highly doubt a character whose subplot ate up around a hundred strips is just going to be dealt with in the epilogue or something. Combined with the unresolved Ian and Amun-Zora stuff, and the fact that there totally needs to be an Elan+Nale+Tarquin scene, and I have no doubt they will return before they go to Kraagor's Gate.

I would assume that Tarquins return would happen outside of EoB, maybe even the western continent. If he is one of the 9-sides then he will be present at the climax, which I would assume is at a Gate. But there really is nothing to go back to in EoB, except the Kobolds mean dog I guess.

[veti]

But Elan has got to have some inkling that they’re gonna have to get to Kraagor’s gate before dealing with the world-ending thing, and therefore before dealing with the whole evil tyrant thing. I mean: He is the bard.

But that sort of knowledge is useless in practical terms - all it does is allow you to appreciate the dramatic events better when they happen. You can't 'anticipate' them, because that would invalidate the narrative convention itself.:smallcool:

[derfenrirwolv]

But Elan has got to have some inkling that they’re gonna have to get to Kraagor’s gate before dealing with the world-ending thing, and therefore before dealing with the whole evil tyrant thing. I mean: He is the bard.


And as a bard he's obligated to be surprised that the fight comes down to the very last minute, the same way he was obligated to believe that his brother was dead.

[Math_Mage]

Tarquin exudes such an aura of invulnerability...

...that I'm convinced he's a dead man. Probably it will involve that cliched world-ending villain he dismissed so readily in his Big Speech.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

But that sort of knowledge is useless in practical terms - all it does is allow you to appreciate the dramatic events better when they happen. You can't 'anticipate' them, because that would invalidate the narrative convention itself.:smallcool:
What, you mean he can’t do things like make a comment in order to prompt a scene change to buy some breathing room during a chase (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0795.html)? Or just not bother making an escape that will only get him beat up (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0556.html)? Yeah, that knowledge is totally impractical.

[Ulysses WkAmil]

Tarquin exudes such an aura of invulnerability...

...that I'm convinced he's a dead man. Probably it will involve that cliched world-ending villain he dismissed so readily in his Big Speech.

Ooo, Like Elan vs. Tarquin? Cause adding a splash of Elan vs. Nalee vs. Tarquin (Maybe a little Nale/Tarquin mutual destruction on the side) would be flavourful...and who thought the travel of a magic carpet would create such a buzz
Edit: Hehe woops accidental tab switch

[dtilque]

It wouldn't make that much sense to kill off Thog in the first place, a lot of people (irl) love him, and Nale could just have him raised. ...

Ulysses, I think you meant to post that to this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222473)


As far as the distance from Bleedingham (that's the capital of EoB), it seems it's going to be a fair ways away. If the carpet travels at 30 ft/s (about 20 mph), 48 hours at that speed is around 950 miles. That's a good ways across the continent. Assuming that's where the gate is, that shoots down my hypothesis that the gate is somewhere near Bleedingham.

But we aren't sure that gate is in Windy Canyon, just that there's a rumor that this Orrin Draketooth is there. Or may be there. Or was there at some time in the past. Or was thinking about going there. Or something to do with there.

I think there's still a good chance the party will return to Bleedingham. After all, it's still standing, unlike, for example Azure City... and the Inn in Somewhere...

BTW, I really doubt Geoff and Ian will go all the way to Windy Canyon, as some have suggested. But could the party happen to fly over them? After all it's only maybe an hour or so since they jumped off the Brontosaur. They're probably still out in the desert.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

If the carpet travels at 30 ft/s (about 20 mph), 48 hours at that speed is around 950 miles.
Where are you getting these numbers? A by-the-rules flying carpet (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#carpetofFlying) (and, admittedly, this carpet may not be by-the-rules) has a speed of 40 ft. When put at a double-move, that comes to 80-feet-per-round, or 13.3 feet per second, or about 9 miles per hour.

If this carpet is not by the rules and, as Tarquin suggested, actually faster, we have absolutely no guidelines to figure out what its actual speed is.

[Ancalagon]

We can estimate.

Let's assume a standard flying carpet has a speed of "1", then a "superb" one is likely to be like twice or thrice as fast (up to "3"). Much faster does not seem likely, consider a car-analogy: Doing 100+ km/h is doable for basically every car you buy (some used old crap-car for 500€ will do), doing 300+ km/h is reserved for only the most expensive, most sophisticated sports-cars (which is what Tarquin probably stole).

So if a normal flying carpet can make 40 ft/rd (2,023 m/s is roughly 2 m/s; comes down to 7,2 km/h) our Sports Flying Carpet (with racing stripes) can do up to (!) 6 m/s, which is 21,6 km/h (13,4 mi/h for those who still do not use SI units).

Given "in two days" can mean like 25 to 48 hours, that makes 180 to 245 km for the normal carpet and 540 to 1037 km for the racing carpet. If we assume the Racing Carpet is not at the top speed given and "within two days" does not mean 47,9999 hours, we can estimate Girard's gate (no, wait! Windy Canyon!) is an estimated 500 km (like ± 250 km) (roughly 300 mi ± 150 mi) away.

The estimation is very rough, but I also think it gives a very good idea about scale and relations. And I think that is all that matters here: We know Windy Canyon is further than "dozens" of miles (km, whatever) away, so "walking back" will be tricky. But we also know it is very probably not more than 1000 km (or 1000 miles), so it's still within the general (big) region. We even can guess it is very probably significantly less than 1000 km.

[Grey Watcher]

Where are you getting these numbers? A by-the-rules flying carpet (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#carpetofFlying) (and, admittedly, this carpet may not be by-the-rules) has a speed of 40 ft. When put at a double-move, that comes to 80-feet-per-round, or 13.3 feet per second, or about 9 miles per hour.

If this carpet is not by the rules and, as Tarquin suggested, actually faster, we have absolutely no guidelines to figure out what its actual speed is.

I believe the 30 ft/s figure comes from the assumption that the carpet is currently overloaded. (3 humans, a dwarf, a halfling, a cat, and all their gear probably adds up to more than 800 lbs)


A carpet of flying can carry up to double its capacity, but doing so reduces its speed to 30 feet. It has average maneuverability, but a carpet of flying can still hover.

Also, as far as Soon not at least having a rough idea of where the gate is, by virtue of how he got there the first time or knowing what was on the horizon, those may not be entirely reliable. When traveling there, if the Order of the Scribble got there by some means other than marching (riding a sand worm, a flying carpet, teleportation, Wind Walk....), Soon may not have had a clear idea of the distance between wherever they set out from and the actual location of the Rift.

As to landmarks on the horizon, that's HIGHLY specific information. I'm not sure that he would have bothered to remember in more detail than "there were some mountains on the horizon", especially if he was trusting the party cartographer (Draketooth) to write down those things for him ("I put it down in my diary so I wouldn't HAVE to remember!")

I'm also of the opinion that, while the Draketooths (Draketeeth?) are probably holed up at Windy Canyon (if only because a red herring feels, on a literary level, like a bit much, after making the Order jump through hoops with Tarquin), I think they're using scrying to keep tabs on the Gate. (Last three panels (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0698.html)) After all, give that the Gate's defenses are all about deception, they don't want to compromise the Gate's location just because Orrin was stupid enough to tell his baby-mama where he lives.

EDIT: I can't believe I only just noticed that the Scrying sensor is the same color as Zzdtri's magic. Not conclusive, since I think the Random Diviner in #816 uses the same shade of green, but still plausible that that eye had nothing to do with Orrin Draketooth at all.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

I believe the 30 ft/s figure comes from the assumption that the carpet is currently overloaded. (3 humans, a dwarf, a halfling, a cat, and all their gear probably adds up to more than 800 lbs)
Uh, the speed listed for both overloaded and non-overloaded carpets is a base per-round movement speed. Even not-overloaded and using a double move action, the carpet is making only 13 feet per second.

D&D doesn’t list speeds at per second. It lists them per-standard-action or per-round.


I'm also of the opinion that, while the Draketooths (Draketeeth?) are probably holed up at Windy Canyon (if only because a red herring feels, on a literary level, like a bit much, after making the Order jump through hoops with Tarquin), I think they're using scrying to keep tabs on the Gate. (Last three panels (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0698.html))
It’s pretty heavily implied that that particular scrying sensor belonged to Zz’dtri, given Nale’s knowledge of the Order’s movements (fifth panel) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0801.html). Furthermore, the sensor is a match for spell effect color with Z. Though, of course, we don’t know what color Orrin or any of his friends may have.

And that’s all not to say the Draketooth party wasn’t scrying that location. Just that that particular instance probably was not them.

[Grey Watcher]

Uh, the speed listed for both overloaded and non-overloaded carpets is a base per-round movement speed. Even not-overloaded and using a double move action, the carpet is making only 13 feet per second.

D&D doesn’t list speeds at per second. It lists them per-standard-action or per-round.

Huh. Must've crossed wires in my head with those physics problems I had to do for school. I meant 30ft/action.



It’s pretty heavily implied that that particular scrying sensor belonged to Zz’dtri, given Nale’s knowledge of the Order’s movements (fifth panel) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0801.html). Furthermore, the sensor is a match for spell effect color with Z. Though, of course, we don’t know what color Orrin or any of his friends may have.

And that’s all not to say the Draketooth party wasn’t scrying that location. Just that that particular instance probably was not them.

Yeah, I'm really embarrassed that I only just noticed that.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Huh. Must've crossed wires in my head with those physics problems I had to do for school.
Perhaps that is also the case for dtilque. :smalltongue:

[Bulldog Psion]

My calculations higher up in the thread show the official, RAW, SRD daily travel distance for a flying carpet. There are tables in the SRD showing you what distance a certain movement rate per round translates into for hourly and daily travel. There's no need to multiply 30 feet per round by anything. The speed is fixed and predetermined for hourly and daily travel.

By RAW, in other words, the carpet travels 24 miles per day, meaning that Windy Canyon is ~48 miles away from Bleedingham.

If we assume that the carpet is slightly faster than normal, we can probably push the envelope up to 60 miles or so. However, I doubt it's even twice as fast. And by D&D rules, the 950 miles in 48 hours figure given higher up in this thread is totally, absolutely impossible.

[dtilque]

Perhaps that is also the case for dtilque. :smalltongue:

That was, in fact, the case. Sorry, I don't play D&D, so forgot the its time unit was not the usual one used by scientists everywhere.

[Ancalagon]

By RAW, in other words, the carpet travels 24 miles per day.

That's a stunning... 1 mph! You are faster by walking, even if you rest 8 hours per day!
So this is clearly not what Tarquin intended when giving them the carpet (as "fastest possible means of transportation). If RAW suggests you can travel only at 1 mph, we can totally forget that figure for determining how fast the thing in OotS is.

edit:
I just checked the RAW rules, btw. You are wrong about your distances/speeds:

The Flying Carpet (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#carpetofFlying) works like a Overland Flight Spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/overlandFlight.htm), which works as follows in regard to speed:
When using this spell for long-distance movement, you can hustle without taking nonlethal damage (a forced march still requires Constitution checks). This means you can cover 64 miles in an eight-hour period of flight (or 48 miles at a speed of 30 feet).

64 miles per 8 hours is 192 miles per 24 hours (aka 1 day). Which again is close to what I calculated above (no surprise, as I based it on the given movement rate). 192 miles per day for the "standard not fastest in the empire carpet". If we assume a speedup by 50 to 150% for the Ferrari-racing-stripes-carpet, you're right where I am.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

My calculations higher up in the thread show the official, RAW, SRD daily travel distance for a flying carpet. There are tables in the SRD showing you what distance a certain movement rate per round translates into for hourly and daily travel. There's no need to multiply 30 feet per round by anything. The speed is fixed and predetermined for hourly and daily travel.
By RAW, all flying carpets have the same speed. So that would make Tarquin’s comment about his carpet being faster than others meaningless. As I don’t think he really has any reason to lie at this point, I assume that this carpet may be non-RAW.

[Wrecan]

By RAW, all flying carpets have the same speed.
Not necessarily. By RAW all standard carpets of flying have the same speed. Carpets of flying are made using overland flight and permanency spells as enchantments. But there are also rules for making one's own items. If a standard carpet of flying had a permanent gust of wind or haste effect added to it, and the DM allowed it, its overland speed might be enhanced. Gust of Wind can be made permanent, "can do anything that a sudden blast of wind would be expected to do" and moves at "approximately 50 mph".

Since Tarquin said this is a faster than normal flying carpet, it is feasible (though not definite), that this carpet has had some magical enhancements. A gust of wind turbo boost is not out of the question, and might allow the carpet to zoom along at up to 50 mph (but probably doesn't allow the "hustle" action to increase it further). At 48 hours of flight, you get 2400 miles of travel.

[Bulldog Psion]

By RAW, all flying carpets have the same speed. So that would make Tarquin’s comment about his carpet being faster than others meaningless. As I don’t think he really has any reason to lie at this point, I assume that this carpet may be non-RAW.

True, but I did state that very clearly in my post.

In the first place, I'm not sure if being red and having racing stripes really makes it faster, or if Tarquin just thinks it does. Or is making a joke about it. In short, my opinion is that his comment is meaningless.

Secondly, it seems to me still that "faster" doesn't mean 10 or 15 times faster -- logically, somewhere around 25% faster seems more appropriate even for a souped up carpet.

Yes, I see that the Overland Flight spell differs from the ordinary distance traveled table. Since they're obviously moving at the 30 foot rate, with an overloaded carpet, 48 miles is their 8-hour flight distance.

Are they allowed to fly more than 8 hours a day? Or is it something like Xykon's magic item crafting?

If they can fly 8 hours maximum, then Windy Canyon is presumably about 100 miles away, maximum. If they can fly nonstop, then it can be anywhere up to 300 miles.

If we assume that 25% is an acceptable "fast carpet" speed increase, then the canyon can be up 125 miles away, or 375 miles away, depending on how long they can fly each day.

If we assume that the carpet's speed has no relation to the RAW, then we can't establish how far away the Canyon is at all. If the carpet is 10 times faster, then the Canyon could be 3,750 miles away. If the carpet is 100 times faster, then it could be 37,500 miles away.

In short, if we abandon RAW totally for calculating the carpet's speed, then IMO we have no basis for discussion, comparison, or calculation, because the Canyon could be any distance from Bleedingham. Might as well just guess where you'd like it to be, since if we discount RAW, then there is no objective measure whatsoever left to figure out how far the Canyon is.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Not necessarily. By RAW all standard carpets of flying have the same speed. Carpets of flying are made using overland flight and permanency spells as enchantments. But there are also rules for making one's own items. If a standard carpet of flying had a permanent gust of wind or haste effect added to it, and the DM allowed it, its overland speed might be enhanced. Gust of Wind can be made permanent, "can do anything that a sudden blast of wind would be expected to do" and moves at "approximately 50 mph".
A custom carpet of flying is no longer a RAW carpet of flying. It is a custom item that the player and DM had to judge and balance. While there are rules and guidelines for judging balance, the end result is still a custom modification.

[Wrecan]

True. I was just having fun looking for ways to customize a carpet of flying.

[Belril Duskwalk]

Given the past precedent of flying people not being even remotely bound by encumbrance rules, I think it's reasonable to dispense with assumptions that a carpet would be effected.

[rbetieh]

In the first place, I'm not sure if being red and having racing stripes really makes it faster, or if Tarquin just thinks it does. Or is making a joke about it. In short, my opinion is that his comment is meaningless.


Doesn't he say its his fastest? That implies he has more than one and actually raced them doesn't it?