Making an Armored Vehicle 3.5

[flappeercraft]

So are there any armored vehicles in any rulebook? If not how would you design one to be able to resist magic and mundane attacks as much as possible?

[weckar]

Wasn't there a gnome tank somewhere? Arms & equipment guide, maybe?

[haplot]

As for the Arms and Equipment Guide, it is your friend for arming up a vehicle with weaponary etc.

Halfling Warwagon - no buy price, but its an example of a military vehicle

Dwarven tunneller - no buy price but it is a dwarven military piece of gear

There are loads of things in the AEG, like chariots. It all depends on whether you want it fully enclosed or not, and what class / race combo you go for.

Then theres the Apparatus of Kwalish (DMG page 247) price 90k gold. In its compacted form, it looks like an iron barrel. It holds upto 2 medium creatures in it. Fully extended, it looks like a giant metal lobster and its got two pincers and 2 extendable lamps. It has a ground speed of 20ft, and swim of 20ft, and an AC of 20. Can swim up to 900ft deep.

Hope this was roughly what you were going for.

[DrKerosene]

There is the prestige class http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050805a&page=3 which has an ability at level 7 to make saves in place of the ship. I assume the book has stats for what a Ship's modifier is for the saves related to size, or something. I don't see why you can't house-rule chariot and wagon versions. Dread Pirate might be another PrC to use if you want to make a Vehicle Master PrC or something.

If a vehicle is large enough, I would consider giving it seperate HP for "sections", not unlike the heads on a Hydra.

Otherwise, generic object hardness and hp should cover most vehicles for sundering. Disable Device has some relevance, and Handle Animal would probably need to be used (unless you've got Animated Objects).

You can enchant spellbooks a few ways, and there is the Stronghold Builders book, I don't see why a Masterwork Chariot can't be or have a "Wonderous Object/Architecture" equivalent.

[Melcar]

So are there any armored vehicles in any rulebook? If not how would you design one to be able to resist magic and mundane attacks as much as possible?

You could just build your normal wagon out of adamantine and put glass steel windows in. Make sure it has enough thickness to actually give a high hardness and hit points. Furthermore there are self-propelled artillery pieces in Heroes of Battle I think. The same enchantment could be used on a wagon, made out of adamantine. Now you have an armored personnel carrier. To build a tank, take the cannon like weapon from stormwrack and put in in a turret on said wagon. Have som gnome engineer make it tunable from inside the wagon and your done.

Actually, this will be a project of mine as soon as I have time...

[ShurikVch]

How about to use the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook?
Cottage-sized, Adamantine-walled, mobile stronghold (Crawling at 10 miles/hour, and - if you need it - sailing too), and armed with magical ballista or cannon

[Fouredged Sword]

Zombie Siege Crab. I'm just going to drop that as an option. A single second level spell keeps it in control for days.

[Vizzerdrix]

Then theres the Apparatus of Kwalish (DMG page 247) price 90k gold. In its compacted form, it looks like an iron barrel. It holds upto 2 medium creatures in it. Fully extended, it looks like a giant metal lobster and its got two pincers and 2 extendable lamps. It has a ground speed of 20ft, and swim of 20ft, and an AC of 20. Can swim up to 900ft deep.

Hope this was roughly what you were going for.

Effigy seige crab is better and costs less. The playground did a side by side of the two a long time ago. Might be able to find the topic.

[ShurikVch]

Effigy seige crab is better and costs less. The playground did a side by side of the two a long time ago. Might be able to find the topic.At first, I wanted to say it too, but then remembered Effigy lose all SQs - thus, no Shielded Compartment... :smallfrown:

[unseenmage]

At first, I wanted to say it too, but then remembered Effigy lose all SQs - thus, no Shielded Compartment... :smallfrown:

Effigy retains Ex special qualities

[ShurikVch]

Effigy retains Ex special qualitiesEffigy template:

Special Qualities: An effigy loses all the special qualities of the base creature, but it gains the special qualities given below.
Damage Reduction (Su): An effigy gains damage reduction based on the base creature's Hit Dice:

[unseenmage]

Effigy template:

My apologies, I misremembered. I blame a combination of switching to PF for my last few games and misremembering the line about SAs as the ine about SQs.

[haplot]

Okay example vehicle from my lovely other half

Warrior APC
Crew of 3, can take up to upto 8 medium sized passengers
Huge vehicle, handle animal -2
Spd 70ft poor, swim 20ft poor
Overall hp100, Hardness 5, ac 5
hull hardness 5, with 60hp armoured ac 3
front iron plating hardness 10, and 5 hp, darkwood hardness 5, and 10hp
side iron plating hardness 10, and 5 hp, darkwood hardness 5, and 10hp
rear iron plating hardness 10, and 5 hp, darkwood hardness 5, and 10hp

turret: Hardness 5, 60hp ac 5
front iron plating hardness 10, and 5 hp, darkwood hardness 5, and 10hp
side iron plating hardness 10, and 4 hp, darkwood hardness 5, and 8 hp
rear iron plating hardness 10, and 3 hp, darkwood hardness 5, and 6hp

Ballista: +1 animated and rapid firing.
1 turn reload, 1 turn aim and fire
Hardness 7, with 25 hp, and 2/3 cover

Weight 4500 lb. Cargo 500 lb of ammo. Cost 175, 000gp

[Melcar]

So are there any armored vehicles in any rulebook? If not how would you design one to be able to resist magic and mundane attacks as much as possible?

BTW... There is a whole section in Arms and Equipment Guide, specifically dedicated to armored vehicles!!!!

[CIDE]

This may not be a bad addition to the thread: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070423a

[Thurbane]

There's also a Wizards article about Mecha in D&D: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20061020a