Gnome Caravan

One of the oddest sights I’ve seen crossing the Blightmark was a caravan race between the different gnomish factions. The early leader was a chariot pulled by a fearsome beast with four sets of legs bellowing its excitement. It probably would have won too, if the wagon hadn’t broken a wheel going over a boulder. Belching clouds of sour smelling smoke, the fell caravan used an ingenious system of tracks to navigate the rough terrain, but it was the giant clockwork centipede which wound it a way across the finish line first.

The gnome caravan is essential to travel in the Blightmark. These trains of enclosed wagons are heavily warded against the eldritch storms, providing protection and shelter to its occupants. Each gnomish tradition has developed their own characteristic solution to powering their caravans. Spell bright gnomes summon eidolons of great strength to pull their vehicles. Fell knight gnomes develop alchemical engines to propel their caravans at speed over long distances. Clockwrights use intricate machinery and magical infusion to provide each wagon with its own animation and unique abilities.

Essential to each clan’s survival is the abjurer and her assistants. While strong walls and metal reinforcements provide physical protection from the elements, it is the magical defenses infused into each wagon which make it possible to travel across the Blightmark in relative safety. Multiple layers of abjurations are woven into the multicoloured decorations adorning each caravan wagon. These defenses require regular maintenance to ensure the safety of the clan.

by MidJourney AI

Clockwork Wagons

Clockwork wagons are typically large animated objects. These wondrous devices may employ a variety of propulsion methods, including wheels, tracks, or multiple feet. The most expensive of the gnomish caravans, these vehicles are highly prized by their owners and can often stay in one clan for generations. While not usually the fastest of the caravan designs, the clockwork wagon does have two significant benefits: it can travel for days before needing to be wound up again and its controller can give it instructions (ex. "follow this road until sunset") freeing him up for other tasks. Modifications found on the best clockwork wagons include a shelter mode (which transforms the clockwork wagon into a stationary shelter) or exotic materials to provide further protection from hazards.

Alchemical Wagons

Alchemical wagons are often huge vehicles. While larger than other gnomish caravan wagons, the space required for the alchemical engine results in similar capacity. These noisy contraptions require near constant supervision of the engine to ensure continued performance. Like the clockwork type, alchemical wagons can also run near constantly, limited only by their supply of appropriate reagents and fuels. While significantly cheaper than the clockwork variety, the cost of the rare alchemical substances required to run these wagons can quickly add up. Requiring access to a steady supply of reagents leads many fell knights to limit most travel to established routes. Due to the tendency of alchemical engines to explode catastrophically if not carefully maintained, most alchemical wagons rarely last more than a generation or two. Certain gnomish clans have developed truly enormous engines. These powerful devices, while having limited capacity within, can pull an entire series of wagons behind them.

Summoner's Wagons

by WOMBO Dream AI

While both the fell knight and clockwright gnomes invested heavily into creating self-propelled vehicles, the spell bright summoners favour relatively inexpensive wagons pulled by exotic creatures known as eidolons. The power of the eidolon is limited by the experience of its summoner, with only master summoners able to control eidolons capable of pulling a typical wagon. As each eidolon is unique, each wagon is typically custom built and only ever used by a single summoner. Young summoners may often be seen patrolling the outskirts of the caravan in small carts pulled by smaller eidolons. While the overall cost of summoning creatures to pull a mundane cart is significantly less than the clockwright and fell knight solutions, there are a couple of disadvantages to the summoning solution. Eidolons have a mysterious connection to their summoner's conscious mind, and so exist in Riesa only as long as their summoner is awake and alert. Many a young gnome has found themselves waking up alone in their cart in the wilderness as their eidolon disappeared when they nodded off. The most experienced summoners are able to shape eidolons of the largest size, often with many sets of feet, granting them the ability to pull very large wagons at a fast rate of speed.

by WOMBO Dream AI

Sample Gnome Caravans

Each of the examples below provide living space and shelter for up to 8 gnomes each.

Clockwork Wagon

Large land vehicle
Squares 6 (10' by 15')
Cost 25,000 gp
Maximum Speed 50';Acceleration 20'
Propulsion: magic (animated clockwork construct)
Driving Check: none (magic)
Construction: Caster Level 11, animate object, geas/quest, Craft Construct (feat), Craft (Clockwork) DC 20

Alchemical Wagon

Huge land vehicle
Squares 8 (10' by 20')
Cost 6,000 gp
Maximum Speed 60';Acceleration 20'
Propulsion: alchemical (2 squares of alchemical engines)
Driving Check: Craft (alchemy) or Knowledge (arcana) +10 to the DC
Construction: Craft (alchemy) DC 25, Knowledge (Engineering) DC 20

Summoner's Wagon

Large land vehicle
Squares 6 (10' by 15')
Cost 500 gp
Maximum Speed 80';Acceleration 20'
Propulsion: muscle (summoned eidolon)
Driving Check: Diplomacy
Requirements: Summoner Level 8 for Large eidolon (CL 13 for huge)