Rickshaws in D&D

[Fixer]

I am designing a dwarf (http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dch332f9_2fxt2gj). One of his companions (his charge) is not designed for cross-desert treks like he is. I was thinking of having him pulling her on a rickshaw across the desert (she can make water, so she will be pulling her own weight, so to speak) and maybe have an empty drum on the back of the rickshaw so she can create water in it as needed and share with other travellers they meet. My problem is that I cannot find any D&D rules for rickshaws.

The closest I can find is that a character can pull up to 5 times their normal capacity, and double that if it is slippery or somehow easier to pull (which, being on wheels should qualify). That puts him at 10 times his normal maximum load pulling along with no change in speed (due to dwarven nature of not changing speed with either a medium or heavy load).

I am looking to see if anyone has any better rules for this.

[Catch]

I'm pretty sure there's statistics for a horse-drawn cart in the PHB. You might try reverse-engineering that by comparing its speed and carry capacity to that of your standard horse.

*checks SRD*

Yeah, says there that your standard cart/wagon can go two miles an hour or 16 miles a day. The quick fix is to use the same numbers and change the fluff. So instead of a pudgy pony pulling your wagon you've got a pudgy dwarf. :smallwink:

[Fixer]

Normally, when a mount (in this case, the dwarf) is hustled or forced march the damage is lethal instead of subdual.

Anyone believe this would also be the case for the dwarf pulling a rickshaw? Death by rickshaw?

[Catch]

Depends on how stubborn he is. :smallwink:

I think the rules for lethal damage to hustled/force-marched mounts is to simulate the idea of running horses to death and the fact that they're trained to run until you say stop, even if it means they drop. I'd figure that a dwarf has some modicum of intelligence, enough to stop when he's tired.

I suppose the quick and dirty way to rule on this would be to halve the amount of time your dwarf can travel before the forced march rules kick in. That way, if he drags your rickshaw for more than four hours, he'd be making the usual Constitution check every hour. A humanoid isn't bred to be a beast of burden, so they can't work as long and have the good sense to stop when they're beat. The Endurance feat might be a good idea for your dwarf if he's on mount duty frequently.

[Citizen Joe]

You will get about 10 feet into the sand and realize that wheeled vehicles don't work well in deserts. If it is a rocky desert you might be in better shape, but the point is that rickshaws work best on paved roads. Just get 3 camels, one for each person and one for extra gear (that barrel and a tent or something). If you can't afford three camels, maybe you should rethink crossing the desert.

[Fixer]

Depends on how stubborn he is. :smallwink:
He is a DWARF!

That has to be one of the silliest qualifiers. Of COURSE he's stubborn. :P

[Fixer]

You will get about 10 feet into the sand and realize that wheeled vehicles don't work well in deserts. If it is a rocky desert you might be in better shape, but the point is that rickshaws work best on paved roads. Just get 3 camels, one for each person and one for extra gear (that barrel and a tent or something). If you can't afford three camels, maybe you should rethink crossing the desert.
I was thinking more a rickshaw with wide tires. About 6 inches should do. One designed for deserts and not for cities.

In a desert campaign (which we are going to be in) they shouldn't be too rare.

[Citizen Joe]

I'd say that in a desert campaign, the standard would be camel harnesses, packs and stuff carried on your head. Wheeled vehicles simply aren't as effective in sand thus not common at all. You might find them in cities or areas with paved roads, but not in a sandy desert. I honestly think you'd be better off pulling something akin to a dog sled that anything wheeled in the desert.

Here, I did some research... check out a Travoise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travois)
That article explains how, although less efficient than wheels, in certain terrain it was better. They don't specifically say sand, but the general types would seem to include sand.

Also look into a sedan chair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_%28vehicle%29), although that would need a second person.

[AtomicKitKat]

Well, he could try to design a howdah for himself...:smalltongue:

Yeah, the fact of the matter is that you'd have better luck with "skis" than wheels.

[Subotei]

What about ski-type attachments either side of the wheels? - roll on firm surfaces, slide over deeper sand? Should be fairly simple to make. Dragging would be much harder work though. And deserts aren't all classic sand dunes remember - there are many flat rocky plains, salt flats etc.

[Citizen Joe]

Actually, due to the changing nature of the terrain, you can't really optimize. What works well on packed, rocky desert doesn't work well in sandy dunes. I still say camel, but you might look into a magical alternative involving a floating disk spell.

[Subotei]

Actually, due to the changing nature of the terrain, you can't really optimize. What works well on packed, rocky desert doesn't work well in sandy dunes. I still say camel, but you might look into a magical alternative involving a floating disk spell.

Probably true, dragging a rickshaw is gonna be tough. Not as tough as dragging a camel though:smallwink: