Mounts and vehicles are a great way to get around quickly in any Dungeons & Dragons campaign. If your adventure takes place across a vast continent, archipelago, or mountain range, you’re likely going to want to find some way to travel without just having to go everywhere on foot. But, you might be wondering exactly how to use mounts and vehicles.
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The 2024 Player’s Handbook offers a lot of practical rules and uses for mounts and vehicles that can work for any Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Let’s take a look at some of these uses and how to implement them into your game.
What Are Mounts And Vehicles?
Put simply, mounts and vehicles are alternative methods of traversal offered in Dungeons & Dragons that don’t involve walking or teleportation. Both of these are also great for carrying adventuring gear and avoiding encumbrance.
Here are some examples of different mounts and different vehicles you can use in D&D.
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Type |
Examples |
|---|---|
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Mounts |
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Vehicles |
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Mounts and vehicles can be combined by using tack and harnesses. For example, you could purchase a carriage, along with two horses, and create a vehicle in this manner.
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How To Get A Mount Or Vehicle
Typically, you’ll have to purchase a mount and vehicle in a settlement, unless you happen to find one on your travels. Like all equipment in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, most vehicles and mounts have a set cost, which you can find in Chapter Six.
If you intend to use your mount in combat, you can also purchase barding for them by taking any armor type from the Player’s Handbook, multiplying the cost by four, and adding it to your mount’s inventory.
Remember, if you have a mount that’s a live animal, you’ll also need to purchase feed and stabling as well. You can also purchase different saddles that give you various perks.
How To Use Mounts And Vehicles
Once you’ve acquired a mount or vehicle, there are a few key ideas to keep in mind to use them properly.
- Understand Their Stat Block
- Know Their Cost
- Maintenance
First, for any creature that you’re using as a mount, you’ll want to make sure you have their stat block available to you from the 2025 Monster Manual, as well as any changes to their armor class via barding you’ve purchased. This will help you determine your mount’s speed, attack abilities (if any), and HP.
For larger vehicles, like ships, you should refer to Chapter Six of the 2024 Player’s Handbook for samples of passenger capacity, Armor Class, HP, and more info regarding their stat block.
Keep in mind you’ll want to make sure you have hirelings on hand to help you run a large vehicle. You’ll also want to make sure you’re actively making repairs to your vehicle whenever you’re in port.
The other most important variable to keep track of when using vehicles is speed, as this will help determine travel time and abilities in combat.
If you’re using a sailboat for example, and if you’re sailing a strong headwind, your speed needs to be reduced, at least to half speed. Damage to your vehicle, encumbered cargo, and more should also be taken into account when it comes to calculating speed.
Ultimately, when it comes to mounts and vehicles, it’s important to keep the vehicle feeling realistic, and not like a workaround or cheat code.
Yes, mounts and vehicles can be great for combat scenarios, and can cut down on travel significantly, but they shouldn’t break the game entirely, which is why it’s important to keep an above-table stat block for these handy.
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
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2+