A weird kind of mount somehow?
Maybe a magic item with permanent expeditious retreat on it? Perhaps a kind of clockwork.
What about mountain bikes for off road?
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It gives you a boost to movement speed, but requires a free hand to operate.
It's much different than a motorcycle or a horse because you're still operating under your own power.
I would model it using direct light to glimmer off the chrome. Draped in a chiffon throw and with tasteful tassels hung from the handlebars. Then lube it up so it's dripping in grease...
A device. Increases speed over long distances on paved roads, or gives a boost like the sprinter racial trait in combat distances. Requires ride checks to control if you get hit or use one or no-handed. Takes a move action to mount/dismount. Counts as a mount for abilities that function on a charge. Does not function on unpaved roads or under heavy loads.
I agree with almost all of it, and i'll summarize and add:
- A device.
- In sizes, like weapons, you can use small and medium bikes if you are a medium sized character. Feats are required for one size larger or smaller bikes. Bonuses and penalties vary with bike sizes.
- Special bikes, like mountain and BMX, are masterwork devices and provide special bonuses or qualities, e.g., bonus on acrobatics or be able to use off-road.
- Increases speed over long distances on paved roads or gives a boost like the sprinter racial trait in combat distances.
- Requires ride checks to control if you get hit, use one or no-handed, wearing armor or encumbered. No-handed requires momentum. Small bikes have penalties to use one-handed or no-handed.
- Have a weight limit, beyond it they get damage.
- Takes a move action to mount/dismount. Swift action to "drop" it.
- You need to spend on skill ranks to give it proper maintenance. Craft to improve it, makes replacements or additional pieces. Profession to just keep it up. Also you need the right tools for it.
- Certain maneuvers require being trained in acrobatics otherwise you just use it to move.
- Feats to use it in combat, meaning not provoking attacks of opportunity or use mobility feat with it.
- It doesn't count as mount for certain situations, because is powered by its rider.
- You cannot 5-ft-step with a medium sized bike.
I like it! I can imagine rogues in city scenarios using them a lot; a barbarian puzzled by those weird tracks; that strange engineer in the city that promotes them as a healthy and clean alternative to horse and mules... and those freaking kobolds that are annoying us and when we are about to reach them, we turn around the corners and they are not there, where the f*ck they're going that fast with no magic!
I imagined a variant... the tricycle.
Your party goes in a dungeon, the entrance suddenly gets blocked by a heavy rock, a painted face goblin suddenly appears to welcome the party, riding a tricycle, then says: "Greetings and Welcome... I want to play a game!"
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A device. Increases speed over long distances on paved roads, or gives a boost like the sprinter racial trait in combat distances. Requires ride checks to control if you get hit or use one or no-handed. Takes a move action to mount/dismount. Counts as a mount for abilities that function on a charge. Does not function on unpaved roads or under heavy loads.I agree with almost all of it, and i'll summarize and add:
- A device.
- In sizes, like weapons, you can use small and medium bikes if you are a medium sized character. Feats are required for one size larger or smaller bikes. Bonuses and penalties vary with bike sizes.
- Special bikes, like mountain and BMX, are masterwork devices and provide special bonuses or qualities, e.g., bonus on acrobatics or be able to use off-road.
- Increases speed over long distances on paved roads or gives a boost like the sprinter racial trait in combat distances.
- Requires ride checks to control if you get hit, use one or no-handed, wearing armor or encumbered. No-handed requires momentum. Small bikes have penalties to use one-handed or no-handed.
- Have a weight limit, beyond it they get damage.
- Takes a move action to mount/dismount. Swift action to "drop" it.
- You need to spend on skill ranks to give it proper maintenance. Craft to improve it, makes replacements or additional pieces. Profession to just keep it up. Also you need the right tools for it.
- Certain maneuvers require being trained in acrobatics otherwise you just use it to move.
- Feats to use it in combat, meaning not provoking attacks of opportunity or use mobility feat with it.
- It doesn't count as mount for certain situations, because is powered by its rider.
- You cannot 5-ft-step with a medium sized bike.
I like it! I can imagine rogues in city scenarios using them a lot; a barbarian puzzled by those weird tracks; that strange engineer in the city that promotes them as a healthy and clean alternative to horse and mules... and those freaking kobolds that are annoying us and when we are about to reach them, we turn around the corners and they are not there, where the f*ck they're going that fast with no magic!
Some situations might even model after Fly, with a minimum speed to avoid skill checks to stay upright instead of hover.
Probably some Constitution checks if you use one too long as well, based on marching and so on. Hustling to go faster would tire you, et cetera.
I'd scratch Profession for maintenance, but more because Craft is usually used for repairing things if memory serves. Craft (clockwork) if it exists, perhaps?
A good starting point might be the game's own vehicle rules, too.
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Now that I took my own advice, it looks like you could probably take a light chariot, modify HP down, remove the pulling creatures (it's pushed by the driver), and that should be doable, I think.
(Please remember, bicycles are relatively recent inventions! These things are serious technology.)
(Edit: I was vague on some modifications, but seriously, speed as listed for a light chariot relative to its rider sounds pretty reasonable.)
Please remember, bicycles are relatively recent inventions! These things are serious technology.
Yes, the big thing with bicycles is that they require to be produced and need maintenance and you cannot do it without standardization and for that you need a consensus in measurement systems and for some parts you need some level of industrialization in the society... Something the society of that moment had not... well, you can replace some things with magic, but this would wipe out the simplicity and beauty of the bicycle.