Crash Cart

Allegedly designed by goblin engineers, a crash cart is a common wagon loaded with alchemical substances, causing it to explode on contact.

Ultimate Equipment Guide II

Author Greg Lynch, J. C. Alvarez
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

What differentiates a crash cart from an explosives-filled, normal wagon is the fact a crash cart is actually built with the specific purpose of exploding. Each and every one of the cart’s nails, cogs and screws is set up so as to be extremely frail and feeble, breaking down to the slightest touch.

Also, the explosive items inside the cart are set to explode as soon as the crash cart breaks down, which makes a crash cart a highly volatile object to say the least. In fact it is very dangerous even to the armies using it, which somewhat limits its popularity, although cannon fodder-based armed forces such as those of goblins and kobolds make liberal use of such self-destruct devices.

A crash cart has a hardness of 4 and 50 hit points; a single horse may pull it effortlessly. It has the same speed and other characteristics as a normal wagon. It does not usually have a rider; the standard tactic is to hitch the cart to a horse or another draft animal and then scare it off towards the enemy.

The cart’s contents explode automatically whenever the vehicle suffers any amount of fire damage or is reduced to zero hit points by any means. Any other violent impact, such as crashing onto a wall, has a 50% chance of causing the cart to explode. Upon exploding, the explosives inside a crash cart deal 15d6 points of damage to any creature or object within ten feet. Creatures are allowed a Reflex save (DC 15) for half damage. Any creature or object within 20 feet suffers 5d6 points of fire damage; a successful Reflex save (DC 15) negates the damage. Creatures or objects within 30 feet must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 10) or suffer one point of fire damage.

Any creature or object damaged by this explosion is at risk of catching fire, as described in the DMG.

Crash Cart: 750 gp; Damage 15d6; Critical -; Range 20 ft. (blast radius); Typical Crew 0