Mounts and Vehicles
Mounts and Vehicles are often used to get around the world more quickly and both work in similar fashion. They always count as a monster in some fashion, with vehicles needing to be a monster of the Construct category. They also generally have a specific type of terrain that they excel at traveling through - this could be over land, in the air, through water, or burrowing into the earth. Mounts and Vehicles have their own actions, abilities, and features that need to be taken into account when using them.
While riding a mount or vehicle a character gains bonus ARM and M.ARM equal to the mount’s as bonuses to their defenses and they gain a +4 to AVD against attacks that specifically target them. A mounted character normally cannot use their Standard or Slow actions and may move a Medium Range instead of a Short Range on their round, though they may use the actions of the mount or vehicle. Getting into or out of a vehicle or onto or off of a mount requires a Standard action.
Commanding a complicated vehicle or strong-willed creature isn’t always easy. When trying to get a mount or vehicle to do what you want successfully it often will take a Nature (in the case of mounts) or Vehicle (in the case of vehicles) skill check to make this happen. The higher the level of the creature, the more difficult this check generally becomes.
Mounts and Vehicles can also have the following abilities in addition to the normal ones available to all monsters:
While riding a mount or vehicle a character gains bonus ARM and M.ARM equal to the mount’s as bonuses to their defenses and they gain a +4 to AVD against attacks that specifically target them. A mounted character normally cannot use their Standard or Slow actions and may move a Medium Range instead of a Short Range on their round, though they may use the actions of the mount or vehicle. Getting into or out of a vehicle or onto or off of a mount requires a Standard action.
Commanding a complicated vehicle or strong-willed creature isn’t always easy. When trying to get a mount or vehicle to do what you want successfully it often will take a Nature (in the case of mounts) or Vehicle (in the case of vehicles) skill check to make this happen. The higher the level of the creature, the more difficult this check generally becomes.
Mounts and Vehicles can also have the following abilities in addition to the normal ones available to all monsters:
- Camouflaged: The mount or vehicle masquerades as a stationary structure in plain sight and can reveal itself for what it truly is as a Standard action, taking to the sky or burrowing beneath the desert sands. The party may leave excess inventory items here, where they will likely remain safe and sound until needed, hidden as something mundane to casual observers.
- Combative: The mount or vehicle is specifically made to allow creatures riding it to make attacks. Those upon the mount can use their Standard or Slow actions to make standard weapon attacks or cast spells.
- Comfort: The mount or vehicle is luxurious or has luxuries stored within it, allowing creatures to relax and rest in relative comfort while near it. When the mount or vehicle is available, the party may take a Full Rest at any time.
- Ease of Use: The mount or vehicle is easy to use, reducing the difficulty of commanding it to move or perform an action by 2 tiers.
- Iconic: This ability may only be used alongside the Special Mount or Vehicle ability. The mount or vehicle has an iconic look, providing a +4 bonus on Negotiation rolls in which the image would be an asset - whether you're a state senator making a grand entrance, or raising the pirate flag high, your vehicle helps achieve the desired effect.
- Indestructible: This ability may only be used alongside the Special Mount or Vehicle ability. The mount or vehicle is nigh unbreakable or unkillable, reinforced with special materials or magic and carefully protected from harm. Magic and heavy weaponry barely even scratch the paint, and it could descend into an active volcano with no ill effects. In combat, the mount or vehicle receives double the standard ARM and M.ARM values and if it is ever reduced to 0 hit points, the special vehicle is only rendered inoperational for the remainder of the chapter.
- Magic Touch: No other user than the initial owner is capable of utilizing the vehicle or commanding the mount. Whether this is a case of security precautions, a bond of trust, or simply "Nobody else can fly this baby but ME!" is entirely up to the player.
- Maneuverable: This ability may be taken multiple times, and should be considered a key attribute to consider when choosing your ride. Maneuverable grants the driver/pilot a +2 bonus to skill checks made to have the mount/vehicle perform tricks, maneuvers, and feats of acrobatics without crashing or colliding.
- Party-Sized: The mount or vehicle can hold more than a single person, letting many onto it at once. When multiple creatures are riding the same mount or vehicle one of them is considered the pilot or driver, able to make skill checks to compel the mount or vehicle to move or use its actions.
- Power Source: The mount or vehicle is powered by a unique or renewable power source and is entirely self-sufficient. Whether it be through hot air, solar power, sheer willpower or a Crystal core, the mount or vehicle never needs to eat, land and/or refuel.
- Smuggler’s Hold: The vehicle or mount is outfitted with a lot of fur or hidden compartments, granting all characters a +6 bonus to Stealth checks to hide objects or people (or themselves) aboard it.
- Supersized: This ability may only be used alongside the Special Mount or Vehicle ability. A Supersized vessel is often an imperial dreadnaught airship or something as extravagant as a floating island and requires an entire crew to function properly. This provides several bonuses; First, the vessel can now hold a nearly unlimited number of passengers, making Supersized incompatible with the Large property. Secondly, individuals outside the vessel can no longer target anyone inside. Finally, when a Supersized vehicle is reduced to 0 hit points, it remains operational and does not crash or take an injury. Being damaged in this way instead merely allows the attackers inside, where they can potentially disable the vessel by taking out the engines or simply attacking the PCs. At the GM’s discretion, taking a mount or vehicle with Supersized often provides a loyal crew of buccaneers, mystics, soldiers, or other individuals capable of helping keep the thing operational.
- Unorthodox Travel: It's a fact of life - airships can't usually sprout wheels, and chocobos usually have trouble running over water. This ability puts a stop to that; choose an additional movement type (land, sea, air, space, or underground); the mount or vehicle can travel just as well in these conditions as it does normally. For example, an airship could drill through the earth’s crust or sink beneath the sea. This ability may be taken multiple times, choosing a different movement type each time.
Underwater Travel
Final Fantasy heroes may also find it necessary to travel underwater to arrive at their destination, or battle foes beneath the waves. A simple (if rather difficult to believe) rule covers such situations. A character can hold their breath for a total number of full rounds equal to (2 + half their Swimming Skill, rounded down), after which time they are considered to have run out of air. After this point, at the start of every round they have a flat 25% chance of being Stunned and losing 25% of their maximum HP, able to do nothing but swim toward the surface to the best of their ability. A character who succeeds on an Impossible swimming skill at any point in time during the game permanently gains the ability to breathe underwater and suffer none of the previously-mentioned penalties. A character can only be killed by prolonged submersion and suffocation under extreme conditions; generally falling unconscious and winding up somewhere new instead of truly drowning.