Saturday 11 June 2022

D6 wizardly wagons

Image sourced from Rawpixel.com

Six magical vehicles for busy wizards.

When I think of a wizard, I think of someone who would spend ten years of his life researching a way to magically move to a spot only half an hour away on foot.

1. Flying boat

The flying boat is a normal three-mast sailing ship. Instead of using sails, its booms and rigging are perches for thousands of folded paper birds. They keep it aloft by flapping in unison. It travels at the speed of an unladen European swallow, about 20 mph. It has no landing gear. When setting down it sits on its keel and lists to the side. Sometimes to a dangerous degree.

2. Elephant golem

This is a wooden elephant, three times life size. Its flanks have hatches that give access to a hollow interior with shelves and cargo nets. The driver sits on the elephant's head and operates its trunk as a crane to lift bales in and out of the interior.

The golem is smart enough to pick the most level route to a destination. It's also capable of defending itself with feet, trunk and iron-tipped tusks. It can run, but the jarring damages its frame and its more delicate goods.

3. Walking mansion

A large mansion with four wings and a central annex. The wings flex like legs, stepping like a spider and carrying the annex like a body. The wings are empty of furniture, but still hold their fittings. Those are twisted and smashed from the flexing of the building's 'legs'.

The mansion's steps are equally hard on the ground it passes over. With no foundation to bear its weight, its 'feet' sink into the soft earth and yank out giant clods of it when they lift.

4. Balloon tower

This three-level tower was crudely cut free from a larger structure. It's suspended below a large canvas balloon. Inside that are fire and air elementals performing a solemn dance together. 

The tower's contents (including a full-sized alchemy bench) are secured to the walls with nets. The bench is covered with pages written by the builder. He realised too late that he hadn't given any though to coming down once he was up. Some of the scribbled notes read COLLECT RAIN WATER FOR BALLAST? UNPICK STITCHING? JUMP WHILE OVER WATER?

5. Serpent wagon

 A covered wagon that glides along supported on the head of a giant snake. The sinuous movement covers land and water equally well. It makes any so-inclined passengers thoroughly motion sick.

There's a strong reptilian smell that makes cattle and horses nervous and jumpy.

6. Completely normal horse cart

...is what it looks like, but the horse has no reins. Tell it where to take you, and it does.

It doesn't talk and it certainly doesn't offer to share the layout of a nearby wizard's tower with adventurers in exchange for a cut of the loot am I clear, Dobber?

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