Goblin War Sleigh

Goblin War Sleigh (CR 1)

Neutral Evil - Large - Ground

Few goblin tribes are willing to embrace civilization to the point of riding around in vehicles. Most prefer to climb onto the nearest animal they can find and cling desperately to it until they either become mighty champions of their tribe, or die of thirst and terror. However, a few tribes have embraced the less immediate thrill of carrying their warriors into battle atop engines of fiery destruction, and it seems to work reasonably well for them. Assuming they remember to bring waterskins along, anyway.

A goblin war sleigh is a large chariot, often of ramshackle construction. Despite their name, they sometimes include wheels instead of, or in addition to, runners or skis. Indeed, most war sleighs use as many of these things as they can cram onto the bottom, often to the detriment of the sleigh's ability to move. The top side is loaded up with crude slingshots, called lobbers, and very little thought is given to where crew should sit or stand. They are pulled by captured dire rats, dogs, particularly unpopular goblins, or whatever else they can chain to the front and cajole into moving generally forward.

In motion, goblin war sleighs are surprisingly fast, with moments where they even seem quite vehicle-like. However, they frequently drop parts in their wake, as well as dumping out the occasional goblin. Goblins (in those tribes that build such things) will eagerly pile onto the sleigh once it starts moving, packing in 15 to 20 goblins (if they can fit between all the wheels, runners and lobbers). Only a couple of goblins are actually required to keep the team of pulling beasts moving, and a couple more to man the lobbers.

As with all goblins, fire is the preferred means of spreading chaos and destruction among their enemies, and war sleighs embrace this. Their lobbers hurl large casks of alchemical fire, laced with a sticky pitch that clings to its target and burns for several rounds. Of course, the lobbers can launch nearly anything that weighs 50 pounds or less, which means it often fires rocks, goblins, rotten food, dire rats, or whatever else the gunners can find at hand. Against other vehicles, they tend to stick to rocks or fire, however. Usually.

General

Lore Check: Knowledge (Geography) (Basic: DC 2; Full: DC 17)

Init: +2*

Senses: Standard Vision

Perception: +6*

Defense

Maneuver Defense (MD): 13

Durability: 4 sunder successes

Bogey Siege DR: -

Crew Siege DR: -

Special Defenses:

• Cannot take hit point damage; Durability can only be reduced by sunders or siege damage
• Immune to critical hits
• Immune to most status conditions (but not forced movement)
• Always succeeds on all saving throws (including harmless or beneficial effects)

Special Limitations:

• Cannot make attacks of opportunity
• Cannot take immediate actions
• Does not threaten squares
• Cannot flank
• Cannot inflict critical hits

Movement

Size / Space: Large – 2 x 2 squares

Speed: 3 squares (see The Third Rail)

Maneuverability Profile: Poor

Offense

Weapon Ranges:

Close Range:	1 - 2
Medium Range:	3 - 4
Long Range:	5

Quick Attack:

• 1x Lobber + vs. Maneuver Defense (MD) (1d2 siege damage on hit)

Standard Attack:

• 1x Lobber + vs. Maneuver Defense (MD) (1d2 siege damage on hit)

Action Points: 0

Available Actions

Swift Actions:

• Quick Attack
• Focus Action

(used for: additional facing changes, firing outside of forward firing arc, sudden halts, activating special abilities)

Standard Actions:

• Standard Attack
• Second Move
• Big Goblinov Cocktail (see below)

Special Abilities

The Third Rail

Action Type: Always On

Benefit: At the start of each turn, before the goblin war sleigh takes its mandatory move action, it must roll 1d6, and modify its movement as described below:

d6 Result	Effect
1	Speed is reduced by 1 square, and no facing change is allowed after this move action.
2	Speed is reduced by 1 square this move action.
3	No effect; take normal move action.
4	Facing can be adjusted by 45-degrees prior to moving, if desired.
5	Facing can be adjusted by 45-degrees prior to moving, if desired, and speed is increased by +1 square this move action.
6	Facing can be adjusted by up to 90-degrees prior to moving, if desired, and speed is increased by +1 square this move action.

The Third Rail has no effect on Double-Move actions or movement other than the initial mandatory move action at the start of each of the war sleigh's turns.

Big Goblinov Cocktail (Fire)

Action Type: Standard

Benefit: Once per encounter as a standard action, a goblin war sleigh may fire its lobber against a target in its forward firing arc, loaded with a massive goblinov cocktail. This huge cask of alchemical fire is loaded with a sticky pitch that continues to do damage to a struck target for one round after it hits. This second round of damage is automatic, if the original shot hits.

• 1x Big Goblinov Coctail + (1d3; if target is struck, it takes 1d2 additional damage the following round.)

Combat Tactics

Goblins like to go fast, and they like to attack. They don't like to retreat, they have little or no sense of self-preservation, and they have an abundance of ambition, despite their often poorly-constructed plans. Goblin War Sleighs will charge enemies as directly as possible, and lob their Big Goblinov Cocktail as early as possible. Note that the cocktail can only be used against a target in their forward firing arc.

After that, they will be as aggressive as possible, even causing collisions if given the opportunity. Frequently, a collision will destroy a goblin war sleigh, but goblins just don't seem to think that far ahead. It does have the advantage of also being truly devastating to their targets as well. Plus, there is often a fire afterwards, so that's another positive.

Goblin war sleighs will not retreat. Their job is to inflict damage upon their enemies, and they will gladly destroy their own sleighs to do it.

Out of Combat

War sleighs are often cobbled together very quickly, held together with way too few nails or ropes, and frequently fall apart before they can even be used. Once they get moving, however, goblins will drive their "dog" teams to the ends of the earth, even if only a single board of the sleigh remains attached to the team, seeking out prey for their destructive urges.

Rewards

XP: 400

Salvage: Sell value of 219 gp.

* - indicates value has been adjusted from the base value for the bogey's CR.