D&D General Horses, phantom steeds or flying carpets... with wizards casting successions of floating disks for fast mass transportation

[greg kaye]

Sounds like time for Tenser's Wagon Train.

That's cool. 5e offers favorable options for spell research, but you've got an off-the-peg option as a repeatable ritual for something done in travel time when you might not be busy.

Just let the spell make bigger discs when upcast. ...

Also cool, but spell slots? Even if you can houserule an upcast for floating disk and as long as you don't need your high-level spell slots, after up to eight hours of travel, when you get to your destination.
Upcasting floating disk might just double the capacity - but why not just ritual cast twice?

A wagon pulled by two draft horses can carry 5,000lbs. ...

Still cool. 5e also seems to indicate that a wagon can move at the full rate of a horse (whereas in reality, it might have been relatively slow and for a potentially, significantly shortened travel day.

Even so, a draft horse has 40ft movement while a phantom steed has a 100ft pace.

With flying carpets (or broom of flying), the use of the ritual spell could get you large carpet capabilities at small carpet speeds.

	Size	Capacity	Flying Speed
	3 ft. x 5 ft.	200 lb.	80 feet
	4 ft. x 6 ft.	400 lb.	60 feet
	5 ft. x 7 ft.	600 lb.	40 feet
	6 ft. x 9 ft.	800 lb.	30 feet

With something like this or a mount with horseshoes of zephyr you, potentially, could easily also outrun warships and run rings around smaller boats while being less detectable to creatures below. (DMs have often ruled that floating disk can travel over surfaces like lava and water).

Waterborne Vehicles

Item	Cost	Speed
Galley	30,000 gp	4 mph
Keelboat	3,000 gp	1 mph
Longship	10,000 gp	3 mph
Rowboat	50 gp	1 1/2 mph
Sailing ship	10,000 gp	2 mph
Warship	25,000 gp	2 1/2 mph

60 ft movement = 7 m

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Sounds like time for Tenser's Wagon Train.

Seriously, at this point just making a higher level spell that creates a "train" of floating discs or the like seems like less of a hassle.

I would say that the only reason no such spell already exists is it is not a situation that typically crops up in D&D games, and most DMs would hand-wave it anyway.

 

[greg kaye]

I would say that the only reason no such spell already exists is it is not a situation that typically crops up in D&D games, and most DMs would hand-wave it anyway.

You're still asking to replicate effects such as of flying carpet (very rare item) and, if you're looking to move at speed, your asking for enhanced affect.

	Size	Capacity	Flying Speed
	3 ft. x 5 ft.	200 lb.	80 feet
	4 ft. x 6 ft.	400 lb.	60 feet
	5 ft. x 7 ft.	600 lb.	40 feet
	6 ft. x 9 ft.	800 lb.	30 feet

I've never taken the spell floating disk but, if I did, I'd want options to get the most out of it. Travel is a situation that comes up all the time. Moving assets to or away from enemies or just pillaging sellable spoils can also be nice.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You're still asking to replicate effects such as of flying carpet (very rare item) and, if you're looking to move at speed, your asking for enhanced affect.

	Size	Capacity	Flying Speed
	3 ft. x 5 ft.	200 lb.	80 feet
	4 ft. x 6 ft.	400 lb.	60 feet
	5 ft. x 7 ft.	600 lb.	40 feet
	6 ft. x 9 ft.	800 lb.	30 feet

So what? I can't think of a situation where it would matter. There is such a thing as teleportation.

And the rarity system in 5e is is nonsense, and has no relationship to how useful things are. Not very, when it comes to flying carpets. They are usually used to line bags of holding,

 

[greg kaye]

... There is such a thing as teleportation.

For the 13th level+ caster, using a spell slot and mainly an option if know where you're going - but, yes, that's also cool.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

For the 13th level+ caster, using a spell slot and mainly an option if know where you're going - but, yes, that's also cool.

More to the point, have you indicated why you think the party needs "optimum mileage"?

 

[greg kaye]

More to the point, have you indicated why you think the party needs "optimum mileage"?

i've never taken the spell floating disk but, if I did, I'd want options to get the most out of it. Travel is a situation that comes up all the time. Moving assets to or away from enemies or just pillaging sellable spoils can also be nice.

"optimum mileage" is your chosen term, but why not?
Optimum capacity, over challenging terrains etc. at speed might also be nice.
Want to get to the bbeg before that informant returns?

... There is such a thing as teleportation.

Why would you want this? For something like "optimum mileage"?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

"optimum mileage" is your chosen term, but why not?
Optimum capacity, over challenging terrains etc. at speed might also be nice.
Want to get to the bbeg before that informant returns?

Why would you want this? For something like "optimum mileage"?

Because D&D travel is usually the same as the Enterprise - at the speed of plot. The party sets off, they travel, they arrive. What happens in between is defined by the number of random encounters, not seconds.

 

[greg kaye]

Because D&D travel is usually the same as the Enterprise - at the speed of plot. The party sets off, they travel, they arrive. What happens in between is defined by the number of random encounters, not seconds.

Yeah, that's often true. However many days it takes you to get to the ritual sacrifice, it's only always just about to start.

On encounters though, when you've got your third harsh one or if you're already depleted after exploration, it kinda might be nice if there was an option to just speed by with some extra pace regardless of the loads being hauled.

And so that potential adversary picks up your tracks? There's only one set! =D
Unless, of course, you have horseshoes of zephyr - in which case there aren't any.