Heavy Chariot — Reinforced Fighting Platform
At a Glance
- Type
- Heavy two-wheeled fighting or ceremonial chariot
- Team
- Strong horse or draft-animal team
- Purpose
- Protected fighting platform, military display or light artillery carrier
- Ground
- Broad, firm roads and open fields
- Strength
- Sturdier and broader platform than a light racing chariot
- Weaknesses
- Weight, turning radius, axle damage and restricted terrain
A heavy chariot advances with a rumble rather than the sharp clatter of a racer. Its broad platform bears armed men, a standard or a small engine of war, while its driver struggles to hold a powerful team to a straight course. Speed still matters, but the weight of the structure makes a sudden turn dangerous.
Such vehicles are uncommon on most battlefields in 1454. They may appear at royal ceremonies, in surviving military traditions or among peoples whose terrain and tactics favour the chariot. A heavily built fighting vehicle can intimidate troops who have never faced one, but it is no substitute for a cavalry charge on broken ground.
Frame, Crew and Armament
Two heavy wheels support an axle beneath a reinforced platform, with shafts and harness for a strong team. The driver stands at the front, while a warrior or gunner uses the remaining space. A light ballista can be mounted on certain battle chariots, but the crew must still bring the vehicle to a stable position to aim and work the weapon effectively.
Handling. The team must have room to advance and turn. A narrow village street, steep slope or barricaded road can trap a heavy chariot. The driver must balance speed against the risk of overturning or injuring the pullers.
Durability. Stronger wheels and a wider platform help carry equipment, but neither creates an armoured fortress. The axles and harness remain vulnerable; an immobilised chariot is an exposed target.
The Last Charge of the Bronze Prince
At a ruined battlefield a noble heir brings out his family’s heavy chariot, promising to reclaim the standard buried beneath an enemy’s siege mound. The vehicle’s bronze fittings bear a mark that matches the sealed gate of a nearby tomb. When the horses reach the mound they refuse to advance, and the old commander’s name is heard from under the earth.
Heavy Chariot — Vehicle Rules
Heavy Chariot — D&D 2024
Official base drawn vehicle. The printed Chariot costs 250 GP and weighs 100 lb. A heavily reinforced fighting chariot is a setting variant, not a separately published chariot in the equipment table.
| Base Chariot | 250 GP |
|---|---|
| Base Weight | 100 lb. |
| Base Propulsion | Draft animals |
Heavy Chariot (setting design). The following complete vehicle replaces the basic purchase when a heavier battlefield platform is required.
| Cost | 450 GP |
|---|---|
| Weight | 400 lb. |
| Crew | driver and two fighting passengers |
| Body AC | 16 (custom) |
| Body HP | 80 (custom) |
| Propulsion | Appropriately strong animal team |
| Mounted weapon | One light ballista, purchased separately |
Driving. Routine movement on clear ground uses the draft team’s pace. A hazardous turn or obstacle requires a DC 15 Dexterity check with relevant Land Vehicles proficiency; on failure the chariot cannot move further that turn. A ballista’s crew, loading and attack rules are distinct from steering. Damage to horses, wheels or harness is resolved separately from the body. The 16 AC and 80 HP are setting values, not official rules for a heavy chariot.
Official base reference: D&D 2024 — Tack and Drawn Vehicles.
Heavy Chariot — D&D 2014
Official base drawn vehicle. The printed Chariot costs 250 gp and weighs 100 lb. A heavily reinforced fighting chariot is a setting variant, not a separately published chariot in the equipment table.
| Base Chariot | 250 gp |
|---|---|
| Base Weight | 100 lb. |
| Base Propulsion | Draft animals |
Heavy Chariot (setting design). The following complete vehicle replaces the basic purchase when a heavier battlefield platform is required.
| Cost | 450 gp |
|---|---|
| Weight | 400 lb. |
| Crew | driver and two fighting passengers |
| Body AC | 16 (custom) |
| Body HP | 80 (custom) |
| Propulsion | Appropriately strong animal team |
| Mounted weapon | One light ballista, purchased separately |
Driving. Routine movement on clear ground uses the draft team’s pace. A hazardous turn or obstacle requires a DC 15 Dexterity check with relevant Land Vehicles proficiency; on failure the chariot cannot move further that turn. A ballista’s crew, loading and attack rules are distinct from steering. Damage to horses, wheels or harness is resolved separately from the body. The 16 AC and 80 HP are setting values, not official rules for a heavy chariot.
Official base reference: D&D 2014 — Tack and Drawn Vehicles.
Chariot, Heavy — Pathfinder 1e
Official Chariot, Heavy — Large land vehicle; Squares 6 (10 by 15 ft.; 5 ft. high); Cost 200 gp.
Defense
AC 8; Hardness 5; hp 80 (broken 44); Base Save +1.
Offense
Maximum Speed twice the pulling creatures’ speed; Acceleration half the pulling creatures’ speed; CMB +2; CMD 12; Ramming Damage 1d8.
Description
Propulsion muscle (pulled; six Medium or two Large creatures); Driving Check Handle Animal or Profession (driver) with animal-intelligence pullers, Diplomacy or Intimidate with intelligent pullers; Forward Facing towards the draft team; Driving Device reins; Driving Space two most forward squares; Deck 1; Weapons light ballista.
This is the actual Pathfinder siege-capable chariot, not the ordinary 250 gp chariot of the D&D equipment lists. Use the siege-engine rules for its mounted ballista and the vehicle rules for driving and collision.
Official source: Pathfinder Ultimate Combat — Chariot, Heavy.
Heavy Chariot — D&D 3.5e
Setting transport — complete custom profile. The core 3.5e SRD does not publish a distinct heavy chariot, and these statistics are not the Pathfinder vehicle block.
| Cost | 450 gp |
|---|---|
| Weight | 400 lb. |
| Crew | driver and two fighting passengers |
| Body | Hardness 5; 80 hp |
| Draft team | Six Medium or two Large animals |
| Movement | Team’s movement and ordinary 3.5e travel rules |
| Mounted weapon | Light ballista, priced and operated separately |
Handling. A hazardous turn requires a DC 15 Handle Animal check; failure halts the remaining movement. Opponents can attack a horse, rein, wheel or exposed passenger without first destroying the main body. Ballista aiming, loading and attacks follow the core siege-engine rules, without importing Pathfinder vehicle CMB or CMD.
Core framework: D&D 3.5e SRD — Transport and Siege Engines.
Other Chariots
Compare the Light Chariot and Medium Chariot in the Vehicles catalogue.
Sources and Licensing
Pathfinder 1e statistics are from Ultimate Combat. Other edition sections cite their own transport and equipment rules.
Illustration: Andrea Mantegna, Triumphs of Caesar, Royal Collection, reproduced from a public-domain image credited at Wikimedia Commons.
Section 15: Copyright Notice — Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat. Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; authors Jason Bulmahn, Tim Hitchcock, Colin McComb, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Russ Taylor.
Keep this reference growing
If this page helped with your reading or game, you can support its upkeep or explore the curated books.
Explore the Bookshop — epics, classics and stories behind imagined worlds.