Vehicles

Not every hero can fly (or teleport, or run at super-speed...). Sometimes heroes make use of other means to get around. Vehicles are used primarily for transportation, although they may come with additional capabilities--including weapons--making them useful in other situations as well.

For examples see example vehicles.

Vehicle Traits

Vehicles have the following traits: Size, Strength, Speed, Defense, and Toughness. Like characters, each of a vehicle's traits costs points to improve. The basic cost for a vehicle is its Speed, but other things, like the vehicle's ability to haul cargo or resist damage, cost points as well. Vehicles can even have power effects of their own. Equipment point costs are summarized on Table: Vehicle Trait Costs.

Table: Vehicle Size Categories

Table: Vehicle Trait Costs

Size

A vehicle's size is measured in categories, as shown on Table: Vehicle Size Categories. A vehicle's size determines its base Strength, Toughness, and Defense values. Vehicles start out at medium size by default, and each increase in size category costs 5 equipment points.

Strength

A vehicle's Strength, much like a character's, determines its carrying capacity. You can increase a vehicle's Strength over the base rank for its size for 1 equipment point per Strength rank.

Speed

A vehicle buys the appropriate movement effect(s) for its Speed, paying the normal cost. Vehicles with multiple modes of movement (air, ground, and water, for example) pay full cost for the most expensive and can acquire the others as Alternate Effects.

Defense

A vehicle's size determines its base Defense. A vehicle's active defenses (Dodge since a vehicle doesn't normally have Parry) are equal to the pilot's skill ranks in piloting with a maximum rank equal to the vehicle's Defense rank which in this case represents maneuverability. For sizes larger than medium, base Defense is a penalty, making it easier to target the vehicle. You can increase the Defense rank of a vehicle for 1 equipment point per +1 bonus.

Toughness

Size category determines a vehicle's base Toughness rank, used for Toughness defense checks. You can increase a vehicle's Toughness over the base rank for its size for 1 equipment point per Toughness rank.

Features

Certain things are considered "standard" on any vehicle. These include seating, safety harnesses or seat belts, heating and air-conditioning, radio receiver, headlights, and similar things with little or no impact on game play. Features are "optional extras" for vehicles and cost 1 point each. The GM can determine if other features are included in the vehicle or cost points. Some "features" are actually powers, described in the following section.

Alarm: The vehicle has an alarm system that goes off when an unauthorized access or activation attempt is made. A Technology check (DC 10) can overcome the alarm. For each additional equipment point, the DC increases by 2 to a maximum of DC 20.

Autopilot: You get a built in computer that can make any kind of piloting decisions and can improvise to the same degree as any person could. This acts like a minion with a pilot skill rank of 10 and a navigation rank of 1 except it always makes routine checks (rolls an effective 0 on the dice) on any checks and it doesn't know the location of anything unless it has a GPS or map (see Navigation System and GPS below). For more advanced piloting buy a minion or sidekick (whether a computer construct or otherwise).

Caltrops: A vehicle may be equipped with a dispenser for caltrops, spikes meant to damage tired. Activating the dispenser is a standard action. Caltrops automatically blow out the tires of ordinary vehicles that run over them (consider such vehicles minions in that they automatically fail by two degrees). Heroes and villains can make DC 3 Toughness checks for their vehicles; tires are Toughness 3. One degree of failure slows the vehicle, while two degrees of failure immobilize it.

GPS: see Gadgets and Gear for description but it costs 6 equipment points total (5 points if you are replacing the navigation system below).

Hidden Compartments: The vehicle has hidden compartments or cargo areas holding up to a tenth of the vehicle's medium load in cargo. A Perception check (DC 10) allows the searcher to find the hidden compartment. For each additional equipment point, the DC increases by 2 to a maximum of DC 30.

Navigation System: The vehicle is equipped with a navigation system that grants a +2 circumstance bonus on skill checks related to navigation. The instruments included are such things like a map and compass. This is built in to a GPS (see above) so that you could remove this before getting a GPS.

Oil Slick: The vehicle can release an oil slick, covering a 20-ft. by 20-ft. area and forcing the driver of a pursuing vehicle to make a Vehicles check (DC 5) to retain control of the vehicle. Releasing the oil slick is a standard action.

Remote Control: The vehicle's owner can operate it remotely using a transmitter and control device. remotely controlling a vehicle requires the same kind of action (usually a move action) as if you were actually behind the wheel of the vehicle.

Powers

A vehicle can have power effects of its own, usually reflecting the vehicle's systems. Attack effects are suitable for vehicle-mounted weapons, while defense effects protect the vehicle (and often the passengers) from harm. Vehicle powers have their normal cost for the vehicle (meaning they cost one-fifth the normal amount for the vehicle's owner, since the effects are incorporated into the vehicle and cost equipment points rather than Character points).

Armor: Armor provides Protection for a vehicle in addition to its normal Toughness, possibly including Impervious Protection. Some vehicles may have Sustained Protection (such as force screens) instead of, or in addition to, Permanent Protection. 1 point per +1 Toughness.

Cloaking Device: A vehicle may have a "cloaking device" granting Concealment from visual senses. Some vehicles may also have Concealment from auditory senses or things such as radar, giving them a "stealth mode." 4 points (normal vision or all of another sense type) or 8 points (all visual senses).

Immunity: Vehicles normally provide immunity to the normal hazards of environments they travel through--such as underwater or in space--at no additional cost. Additional Immunity effects are for unusual hazards or circumstances, such as a car that provides a sealed air system, granting immunity to suffocation and other atmospheric hazards.

Smokescreen: The vehicle can release a cloud of thick smoke or mist that provides an Area visual Concealment Attack to hide the vehicle or confuse pursuers. 12 points.

Weapons: Vehicle weapons are based on various attack effects, particularly Damage with various modifiers. Vehicles, especially military vehicles, may mount versions of some of the weapons listed elsewhere.

Shared Vehicles

A team of heroes may share a vehicle used by the whole team, particularly useful for shuttling around team members who cannot fly or move at super-speed. The members of the team divide the equipment point cost of the vehicle among them as they see fit, devoting the necessary ranks of the Equipment advantage to covering the vehicle's cost.