What's In Your Battlewagon

[silentspace]

The thing about the halfling war-wagon, and the Jan Zizka war wagons, is that they meant for war. Jan Zizka's war wagon is best utilized when they link together, forming a portable fortress to support infantry. The halfling war-wagon is super-cool, and there are lots of other really cool war vehicles and seige devices wotc made too, but their utility as a portable adventurer's fortress, is I think, limited. Take the halfling war-wagon, at hardness 5 hp 60. Against a single orc, that should last what, maybe 15 rounds? Not enough time for sleeping fighters to put on their best armor. I know that's a ridiculous example, but I think you see my point.

I would still recommend Rope Trick over the war wagon. Actually, before I understood what whatisitgoodfor was looking for, I suggested something pretty much along the lines of a halfling/Jan Zizka war wagon

 

[Gregor]

I dont have Races of Faerun handy, but there are some wagon shields you can buy that have arrow slits in them. Im pretty sure they give you full cover while behind them and about 6 should protect the entire wagon. Ill reference the items when I get home from work tonight.

Cheers,

 

[melkoriii]

Another this you culd do is run a house magic armor ability by your DM.

Adorning: A suit of armor with this property will animate upon command and adorn its wearer. This takes a full round that draws an Attack of Opportunity as the wearer must stand still as the armor is adorn.
Faint transmutation: CL 3rd: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Unseen Servant: Price +1 bonus

 

[thorimar]

Someone already solved this...

No need to house rule an armor ability. I'm stuck at work right now without my books, but there is an enhancement called "Ease" I think, which allows you to rest comfortably overnight in armor of any type. It is either a +1 bonus or +2 bonus enhancement. When I get home today I will update this post with more details of where to find it.

 

[Epametheus]

Defenders of the Faith has en enchantment for armor that you can summon onto yourself, I remember right.

Thick wood reinforced with bands of metal may be the way to go.. One of my parties had a sort of war wagon (complete with a +1 ballista mounted on the top, eventually), and we statted the walls as tower shields.

 

[mikebr99]

From what my friend was saying, they actually wanted it pretty much as a mobile campsite.

So, becoming a sitting duck is pretty irrelevant when the party is already completely stationary at night. Apparently their DM has a fetish for giving them nothing but night encounters, then making fun of them for not having armor on. (Please don't lecture me about bad DMing habits, it isn't my campaign.)

He talked about it primarily as a way of keeping the fighter types safe for 4 minutes while they suit up.

This is all fine... so the trolls get bored and go eat your 8 horses that you need to pull this thing?

no thanks... I'll sleep outside... with one eye open.


Mike

 

[Macbrea]

You cannot use the wagon for more then an easy to set up tent. And a place for people to sleep throughout the day in, while its moving. The reason for this is that you will kill the horses off in very short order. This set of rules will come up if you try to move the wagon throughout the night.

Walk: Your character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem.

Forced March: In a day of normal walking, a character walks for 8 hours. The character spend the rest of daylight time making and breaking camp, resting, and eating.
A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, the character makes a Constitution check (DC 10 + 1 per extra hour). If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of subdual damage. A character can't recover this subdual damage normally until the character halts and rests for at least 4 hours. It's possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing himself or herself too hard.

Mounted Movement: A horse bearing a rider can move at a hustle. The damage it takes, however, is normal damage, not subdual damage. It can also be force-marched, but its Constitution checks automatically fail, and, again, the damage it takes is normal damage.

 

[Artoomis]

whatisitgoodfor:

I think you should go back to your friend and explain that this "battlewagon" idea is impractical. It is unrealistic to think that a lone wagon can ever be secure or of any real use other than to hinder the the group and provide spoils for the bad guy when he kills the group off.

I think what your friend need is better tactics for sleeping. If the group is generally attacked only at night, then the group should not be sleeping at night, but should travel at night and sleep during the day. The group need to adjust their tactics to fit the enemy.

Also, wearing armor at night is very, very reasonable if the threat level is high. Keep in mind, though:

Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. He or she takes a –2 penalty on Strength and Dexterity and can’t charge or run. Sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue.

and

After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.

Using light armor until such time as they can get a magical shelter could be an answer as well. That way they could sleep in armor.

 

[Hecabus]

Our Campaign

I played in a campaign where we had twin barbarian half-orcs that followed their father (a halfling who didn't believe that his wife would cheat on him) on the road to adventure. The Brothers Grimm as they were known, developed a love of beer and made an armoured beer cart. To make it better, it had been made with resistance to fire and acid and was made out of darkwood and/or ironwood.

 

[Norfleet]

Helpful quotes, Artoomis. Here's an interesting wrinkle: You gain the penalties for sleeping in armor only if you *SLEEP* in armor. Elves don't sleep, they meditate. No mention is made of meditation in heavy armor, and unlike sleep, meditation is performed while motionless.

Other helpful tricks include sleeping in trees. Trees are difficult for critters to climb silently, and are easily defensible with the use of sharp, pointy sticks. Furthermore, a critter who is climbing a tree is deprived of his dexterity bonus, and is therefore subject to being sneak attacked, if the person sleeping in the tree is a rogue. Of course, rogues don't wear heavy armor, so the entire sleeping-in-armor thing is moot, but it never hurts to sleep in trees. That's what I used to always do, and it's saved my ass numerous times when my tent was blown up. Fortunately, I was sleeping in a nearby tree instead.