---
# System prepended metadata

title: Vehicle Rules
tags: [DnD Homebrew]

---

# Vehicle Rules
Vehicles are a special type of Object, capable of being crewed by creatures. Vehicles may be targeted by most spells and effects that target creatures and have their own statistics for making saving throws and ability checks, but do not have a turn in initiative order. Vehicles are immune to all conditions other than Grappled, Invisible and Restrained. For effects that check if movement or actions are made, treat Station Actions that perform movement and actions as being performed for the vehicle.
## Engineering Checks
 Engineering checks are a choice of Dexterity, Intelligence or Strength Checks, benefitting from proficiency in Smithing or Tinker's tools (or any other skill or proficiency as appropriate).
## Transport
Vehicles have a Transport Capacity, split between Crew and Passengers. When a creature boards a vehicle, they choose whether to board as a Crew member or Passenger, as long as the vehicle has free Transport Capacity for that role. On their turn, if there is capacity available, a creature aboard a vehicle may choose to switch between Crew and Passenger. Only Crew members may man Stations and perform Vehicle Actions.
## Movement
Vehicles generally are unable to move on their own, requiring Helm actions to move.
### Difficult Terrain
Vehicles may choose to speed over difficult terrain or move carefully. When moving across difficult terrain, the Crew member moving the vehicle decides whether to move Carefully or Recklessly. To move Carefully, for every 5ft of difficult terrain, spend 10ft of movement. To move Recklessly, after the movement or after moving off difficult terrain (whichever happens first), for every 5ft of difficult terrain moved through, roll a d6. For each 1, the vehicle takes a Hull Check.
### Ramming
As part of movement, a vehicle may choose to ram. After moving in a straight line within 5ft of a creature or object in front of the vehicle, the Crew member controlling the vehicle for that movement may declare a Ram. The target of the Ram then makes a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the vehicle's movement stops and both the target and the vehicle take Ramming Damage as bludgeoning damage. On a success, the vehicle may then continue moving in a straight line through the target's space, as long as said movement does not end with the vehicle and target occupying the same space. If there are other targets, this movement may be used to perform another Ram. A Ram may not be performed if it would have the vehicle stop in an illegal space. If the target fails its saving throw, the vehicle may still continue its movement and attempt subsequent Rams if the damage from the Ram has slain the target (if it is a creature), destroyed the target (if it is an object) or Exploded the target (if it is a Vehicle).
#### Ramming Damage
Ramming damage for Large vehicles is initially 0, increasing by 1d6 for each full 10ft of movement taken before the ram. For other sizes of vehicle, multiply this damage by a factor corresponding to the Vehicle's size, from the table below. In the case of a secondary Ram after the first target succeeded on the saving throw, use the entire distance travelled, including the distance travelled to make the first Ram. For instance, a Huge vehicle moving 60ft before ramming would deal 6d6 x 2 damage.
| Size | Modifier |
|------|----------|
| Small | x 0 |
| Medium | x 0.5 |
| Large | x 1 |
| Huge | x 2 |
| Gargantuan | x 4 |
## Vehicle Actions
Crew members may take Vehicle Actions using their action. Default vehicle actions are listed below. If a Vehicle has actions granted to it, such as to escape a grapple, it becomes a Vehicle Action and any Crew member may attempt it. Vehicle Actions may only be performed by creatures capable of activating magic items.
### Crew Station
Crew members may man adjacent Stations as an Action. Station Actions of any particular Station may only be performed by a crew member manning that Station. A manned Station may be released by the crew member manning it with an Object Interaction. If at any point of time, the Crew member manning a Station is not adjacent to their Station, the Station becomes unmanned. A single Station cannot be manned by more than one crew member. Station Actions may only be performed by creatures capable of activating magic items.
### Repairs
Crew members may spend an action to attempt to repair the vehicle. To attempt a repair, make an Engineering Check. On a successful check, the repair is completed within the action.
Possible repairs include removing a Hull Point (refer to vehicle's Hull Repair DC), repairing a Wrecked Station (refer to station's Repair DC), or removing the Armour Compromised (refer to vehicle's Armour Repair DC) or Engine Shutdown (refer to vehicle's Engine Repair DC) conditions.
#### Dry Docking
Some damage might be too much to be repaired on the fly, and must be sent to a professional repair location. Such repairs are called Dry Docking. Dry docking will repair all damage to a Ship, removing all Hull points, repairing all damaged Stations, and removing the Armour Compromised, Engine Shutdown and Engine Kill conditions. Dry docking will usually cost roughly a tenth of the vehicle cost, and half again of the dry dock cost (in GP) in man-hours. For instance, a vehicle costing 10,000 GP will require 1000GP to dry-dock, and 500 man-hours (There are 8 hours in a working day, so this would take 63 days for 1 man, or 13 days for 5 men.)
## Stations
Stations are parts of a vehicle that serve specific roles, such as the Helm or a weapon system. Stations can be manneded by crew members, sometimes providing Cover and allowing them to perform Station Actions. This Cover is only applicable for sources originating from outside the vehicle.
### Station Actions
Several actions are available to crew members manning a Station. Such actions will be listed on the statblock for the Station.
### Vehicle Ammunition (Generate vs Load)
Some stations have weapons mounted, which require ammunition. Such Stations will usually have a Station Action to supply the weapon with ammunition. In this case, when a Station Action states that ammunition is Generated, simply by performing the Station Action ammunition is supplied. However, if the Station Action states that ammunition is Loaded, the Crew member must have the ammunition in their possession to supply it to the weapon.
### Wrecked
Wrecked Stations are treated as though they no longer exist, and are unable to be manned and therefore cannot provide Cover or grant Station Actions. A Wrecked Station can be repaired with the Repair Vehicle Action.
## Vehicle Combat
### Jockeying
Creatures may attempt to climb on a vehicle's hull, the same way one would climb on terrain. While riding on the vehicle in this way, the creature is Jockeying the vehicle, and does not count towards the vehicle's transport capacity. While Jockeying, the creature moves with the vehicle in the same way a passenger does, except that the creature is not considered to be inside the vehicle and counts as neither a Passenger nor Crew. Additionally, when a vehicle moves, at the end of the movement, any creature Jockeying the vehicle must make a Dexterity saving throw, falling off the vehicle to the nearest open space next to the vehicle on a failure. The DC for this save is equal to 8, increasing by 1 for every 10ft or part thereof moved by the vehicle during this movement. A creature with a climbing speed has advantage on this saving throw.
### Falling
The sheer weight of vehicles make falling deadly. For every full 10ft a vehicle falls past the first 30ft, the vehicle gains a Hull Point. If the vehicle fell more than 30ft, it then makes a Hull Check.
### Damaging a Vehicle
Vehicles, unlike creatures, do not have a Hit Point value. Instead, damage done to vehicles is compared against a Damage Threshold (and Massive Damage Threshold), exceeding which the vehicle will have to take a Hull Check to see if the vehicle is damaged or destroyed.
#### Damage Threshold
All vehicles have a damage threshold, below which damage merely scratches the vehicle and does no lasting damage. The Damage Threshold is listed as two numbers. If any damage dealt to the vehicle from a single source is below the smaller number, ignore that damage. Otherwise, the vehicle gains 1 Hull Point and has to make a Hull Check. If the damage received equals or exceeds the larger number, the vehicle has suffered Massive Damage and gains an additional Hull Point before making its Hull Check.
#### Hull Points
Keep a running tally of Hull Points received. Add your Hull Point total to any Hull Checks made. These may be removed with a successful Repair check or by dry-docking the vehicle.
#### Hull Check
To make a Hull Check, roll 1d10 and add the Hull Point total, then consult the following table.
| Roll | Damage |
|------|--------|
|2 or less| Glancing Hit|
|3-5| Crew Shaken|
|6-8| Crew Stunned|
|9| Station Destroyed|
|10| Armour Compromised|
|11-12| Engine Shutdown|
|13-14| Engine Kill|
|15+| Explode|


**Glancing Hit**
The hit glances the armour, not doing any extra damage or further effects.

**Crew Shaken**
Randomly select a crew member. Until the end of their next turn, that crew member has disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws, cannot take Reactions and loses any Concentration they are holding.

**Crew Stunned**
Randomly select a crew member. That crew member is Stunned until the end of their next turn.

**Station Destroyed**
Randomly select a Station that isn't Wrecked. That Station becomes Wrecked. If no stations are available to be selected, take an extra Hull Point instead.

**Armour Compromised**
Until repaired, the vehicle's Armour Class becomes 10. If already Armour Compromised, take an extra Hull Point instead.

**Engine Shutdown**
Until repaired, the vehicle shuts down. No Stations Actions or Vehicle Actions other than Repair can be performed. When repaired, until the end of the repairer's next turn, all ability checks, attack rolls and saving throws for Vehicle actions and Station actions performed for the vehicle by crew members have disadvantage and the speed of the vehicle is halved. If already suffering from Engine Shutdown, treat this result as an Engine Kill instead.

**Engine Kill**
The vehicle is destroyed, becoming a non-vehicle Object. The wreckage of the vehicle can still be salvaged by dry-docking.

**Explode**
The vehicle is completely destroyed, not even leaving behind a wreck. All creatures aboard the vehicle and within explosion range must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking the vehicle's explosion damage on a failed save or half as much on a succesful one. The wreckage of the vehicle can no longer be salvaged.
### Called Shots
If a particular station on a vehicle is causing problems, attackers might opt to try to disable that station. If an attack roll made against a vehicle does not have disadvantage, you may opt to make that attack roll with disadvantage to attempt to target a single Station on that vehicle. On a hit, if the damage threshold is met, instead of gaining a Hull Point and making a Hull Check, roll a d10 and consult the following table instead, modified by the cover that Station provides and Massive Damage. A vehicle damaged this way does not gain a Hull Point, and do not add Hull Points to this roll. Instead of randomly selecting, all conditions will automatically affect the targeted station or Crew manning that station.
| Roll | Damage |
|------|--------|
|1 or less| Glancing Hit|
|2-5| Crew Shaken|
|6-8| Crew Stunned|
|9+| Station Destroyed|

| Cover/Condition | Modifier |
|------|--------|
|No Cover| 0 |
|Half Cover| -1|
|Three-Quarters Cover| -2|
|Total Cover| -3|
|Massive Damage| +2|