Caravans¶
Caravans are groups traveling a route between settlements, by land or by water. Wagons or ships, drivers or sailors, guards and cargo bundled into a mobile community. Where Traders sit at their shops and Households live in their homes, Caravans move.
Theme: Merchant Caravan¶
Mercantile caravan. A Caravan Master owns or manages the outfit; Wagon Teams carry the goods; Guards escort. Buys at one settlement and sells at another along a regular Route.
Example names: the Martin Company, the Silver Road, the Long Wheel.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village | 1 Caravan Master, 1-2 Wagon Teams, 2 Guards | Personality, Route, Specialty | Depot |
| Town | 1 Caravan Master, 3-6 Wagon Teams, 3-5 Guards, 1 Clerk | Personality, Route, Specialty | Depot |
| City | 1 Caravan Master, 6-12 Wagon Teams, 6-10 Guards, 2-3 Clerks | Personality, Route, Specialty | Depot |
Theme: Merchant Ship¶
A mercantile ship or small fleet at sea or on a river. Buys at one port and sells at another along a regular Route.
Example names: House Vardan, the Northerly Line, Captain Sten's Fleet.
| Scale | Creatures | Features | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town | 1 Ship Captain, 1 Ship, 2-4 Guards, 1 Clerk | Personality, Route, Specialty | Depot |
| City | 1 Ship Captain, 1-3 Ships, 2-4 Guards per Ship, 1-2 Clerks | Personality, Route, Specialty | Depot |
At city scale, a Ship Captain operating more than one ship is typically a Merchant House; treat as a Noble.
Details¶
Creatures¶
Caravan Master. The trader who owns or manages the caravan. Professional with proficiencies in Insight, Persuasion, land vehicles, and one appropriate tool. In cities, the Caravan Master may be a Noble who runs multiple caravans. Loot: as stat block; signet or seal, ledger of the current run, purse (5d10 gp village, 5d10×10 gp town, 5d10×100 gp city); the caravan's charter and route contract; keys to the Depot.
Clerk. Records and paperwork; assists the Caravan Master or Ship Captain with ledgers, contracts, and customs papers. Professional. Loot: as stat block; ledger, ink, 1d10 gp coin purse.
Ship. The base unit of a water caravan. One vessel with crew. The DM picks the ship type based on the port and route, using the DMG vehicle stat blocks:
- Keelboat - river or short coastal work. 4 Sailors. Small hold, single mast, shallow draft. Fits a river town or a modest coastal port.
- Longship - northern short-haul or specialty coastal. ~20 Sailors. Oar-assisted, can beach, common in cold-water and raider-heritage cultures.
- Sailing ship - the classic deep-water merchantman. ~20 Sailors. Deep hold, two or three masts, the default for a proper port city and any long-haul route.
Sailors are Commoners with proficiency in water vehicles. On a longship or sailing ship, a Bosun (Professional or Veteran) serves as the master under the Captain. Ships tie up at the Depot's wharf or slip between voyages; Sailors sleep aboard or in dockside boarding houses. Loot: cargo keyed to Specialty and scaled by hold (1d100 gp keelboat, 5d100 gp longship, 10d100 gp sailing ship); the crew's kits (1d10 gp collective); the ship itself.
Ship Captain. The trader who owns or captains a merchant vessel. Professional with proficiencies in Insight, Persuasion, water vehicles, and navigator's tools. In cities, may be a Noble running a Merchant House with multiple ships. Loot: as stat block; signet or seal, ledger of the current voyage, purse (5d10x10 gp town, 5d10x100 gp city); the charter and route contract; keys to the Depot; a good coat.
Wagon Team. The base unit of a caravan. One covered wagon, 2 draft animals (draft horses or mules), and 1-2 Teamsters. Teamsters are Commoners. Wagons carry cargo; Teamsters sleep in or under the wagon when the caravan camps; the Wagon Teams follow in a train behind the lead. Loot: cargo (2d100 gp); the Teamster's kit (bedroll, tools, 1d10 gp); the wagon itself; the draft animals.
Features¶
Personality. The caravan's collective character. Roll d6 by theme.
Merchant Caravan: 1 punctual (arrives on schedule; every stop on the route knows when to expect them); 2 reckless (risks storms, robbers, and shortcuts; occasionally legendary hauls, occasionally arrives empty); 3 diplomatic (courts local Rulers and Faithful; welcomed as a guest, not just a trader); 4 exclusive (elite clientele, exotic goods, hard to source, high margins); 5 struggling (last few runs went badly; short on wagons, guards, or supplies); 6 corrupt (partners with smugglers or bandits; safer routes for a cut).
Merchant Ship: 1 punctual (arrives on schedule; every port on the route knows when to expect them); 2 reckless (risks storms, pirates, and shortcuts; occasionally legendary hauls, occasionally arrives empty); 3 diplomatic (courts harbor authorities and port Guilds; welcomed as a guest, not just a trader); 4 exclusive (elite clientele, exotic goods from far ports, high margins); 5 struggling (last few voyages went badly; short on hands, guards, or repairs); 6 corrupt (partners with pirates or smugglers; safer passage for a cut).
Route. The caravan's regular circuit. Includes at least two settlements, travel days between each (typically about a week per stage), stopover time at each (2-3 days normally, longer at major markets or holy sites), and seasonality (some routes close in winter, others open only in dry season). d6:
1 short circuit (2-3 nearby settlements; runs every 2-3 weeks); 2 regional (5-8 settlements across a region; runs every 2-3 months); 3 seasonal (opens spring or summer; over winter the wagons and Teamsters winter over); 4 dangerous (crosses hostile terrain; premium goods, premium guards, high loss); 5 exclusive (long-haul; only a few crews can make the trip; annual or biannual); 6 dying (route once great, now thin; the caravan is looking for a new circuit).
Specialty. What the caravan carries. Roll d6 by theme.
Merchant Caravan: 1 ore and metals (iron, copper, silver, gems); 2 grain, salt, and preserved food; 3 wool, hide, and cloth; 4 wine, oil, and spices; 5 luxury goods (silks, exotic timber, art); 6 general (whatever pays best on the route).
Merchant Ship: 1 fish, salt, and coastal short-haul; 2 grain, oil, and preserved goods; 3 wool, hide, and cloth; 4 wine, spices, and perfumed woods; 5 luxury goods (silks, exotic timber, art from far ports); 6 general (whatever pays best in the ports of call).
Locations¶
Depot. The caravan's home base at the settlement where its route starts and ends. Located in the caravan's home commercial district (Trade, Craft, Mining, Logging, Fishing). For a land caravan, a warehouse for goods, a barn or paddock for the draft animals, a small office for the Caravan Master and Clerks, and sleeping quarters for Teamsters. For a water caravan, a wharf-side or riverside warehouse, a mooring, slip, or berth sized to the ship type, and shore quarters for Sailors between voyages. Loot: goods in the warehouse keyed to the Specialty; the Master's or Captain's strongbox (5d10 gp for a small village depot, 5d10x10 gp town, 5d10x100 gp city); records of the caravan's routes and clients; the draft animals in the barn or the ship at the wharf.