Siege Weapons: Difference between revisions

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===Firing Crew===
===Firing Crew===
The firing crew is the rest of the people manning the siege weapon and assisting in its reloading, aiming and firing during combat.  The firing crew is usually NPC's, in which case they are treated as minions, i.e., they have one hit point and any successful damage action kills them.  The firing crew is not required to have a proficiency in the siege weapon.  Each member of the firing crew may roll to assist any of the Siege Gunner's to-hit rolls or pip expenditures for Sunder attempts, requiring a [[Knowledge (Engineering)]], [[Piloting (Drover)]], [[Profession (Engineer)]], [[Piloting (Sailor)]] or [[Profession (Soldier)]], with an Easy DC for the CR of the Siege Weapon.  Each successful aid another adds +2 to the Siege Gunner's Action Pips for that Interval, though each failed aid another attempt applies a -1 to his Action Pips. Once gained, these pips may be banked as normal, requiring a single Action Die be discarded to do so.  A good siege crew is very useful!  The number of firing crew is the same as the minimum crew rating of the siege weapon, and cannot be larger than this.  No, you cannot stack up two dozen assist bonuses with a siege weapon, sorry.
The firing crew is the rest of the people manning the siege weapon and assisting in its reloading, aiming and firing during combat.  The firing crew is usually [[NPC]]'s, in which case they are treated as minions, i.e., they have one hit point and any successful damage action kills them.  The firing crew is not required to have a proficiency in the siege weapon.  Each member of the firing crew may roll to assist any of the Siege Gunner's to-hit rolls or pip expenditures for Sunder attempts, requiring a [[Knowledge (Engineering)]], [[Piloting (Drover)]], [[Profession (Engineer)]], [[Piloting (Sailor)]] or [[Profession (Soldier)]], with an Easy DC for the CR of the Siege Weapon.  Each successful aid another adds +2 to the Siege Gunner's Action Pips for that Interval, though each failed aid another attempt applies a -1 to his Action Pips. Once gained, these pips may be banked as normal, requiring a single Action Die be discarded to do so.  A good siege crew is very useful!  The number of firing crew is the same as the minimum crew rating of the siege weapon, and cannot be larger than this.  No, you cannot stack up two dozen assist bonuses with a siege weapon, sorry.


===Range===
===Range===
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To directly attack a single creature in Abstract Combat, determine the distance to the creature from the siege weapon, and make sure the creature is not inside the minimum range of the siege weapon (if any).  If so, the creature cannot be targeted.  Next, determine if there is any range penalty to hit the creature, based on the range increment listed for the siege weapon.  The siege gunner then rolls his skill to gain Action Dice in his Action pool, rolls any or all of them to see if he can exceed the creature's Armor Class.  Each member of the firing crew can perform the 'aid another' action to assist with this roll, up to the maximum number of firing crew the siege weapon supports.   
To directly attack a single creature in Abstract Combat, determine the distance to the creature from the siege weapon, and make sure the creature is not inside the minimum range of the siege weapon (if any).  If so, the creature cannot be targeted.  Next, determine if there is any range penalty to hit the creature, based on the range increment listed for the siege weapon.  The siege gunner then rolls his skill to gain Action Dice in his Action pool, rolls any or all of them to see if he can exceed the creature's Armor Class.  Each member of the firing crew can perform the 'aid another' action to assist with this roll, up to the maximum number of firing crew the siege weapon supports.   


If the siege weapon is attacking directly, then cover, concealment, and other miss chances apply normally.  If the siege weapon is making an AOE attack, cover and concealment and other miss chances have no effect, but affected creatures may make a saving throw to reduce or avoid the damage.  See each weapons write-up for these saves and the save DC's. This means that yes, area of effect siege weapons are VERY effective at wiping out a castle's defenders, even if they are hiding behind the fortifications. A castle's defenders are advised to quickly disable any siege weapons they see.  Note that creatures move VERY quickly during an Interval, so it is not uncommon for a Siege Weapon to be prepared for firing during a given Interval, and the wait, cocked and ready. for several minutes, waiting to see if they can catch a lot of targets in their shot.
If the siege weapon is attacking directly, then cover, concealment, and other [[miss chance]]s apply normally.  If the siege weapon is making an AOE attack, cover and concealment and other miss chances have no effect, but affected creatures may make a saving throw to reduce or avoid the damage.  See each weapons write-up for these saves and the save DC's. This means that yes, area of effect siege weapons are VERY effective at wiping out a castle's defenders, even if they are hiding behind the fortifications. A castle's defenders are advised to quickly disable any siege weapons they see.  Note that creatures move VERY quickly during an Interval, so it is not uncommon for a Siege Weapon to be prepared for firing during a given Interval, and the wait, cocked and ready. for several minutes, waiting to see if they can catch a lot of targets in their shot.


If the attack hits, the creature takes damage equal to the listed damage of the siege weapon.  If it is a direct attack, then the base damage of the siege engine is increased by the level of the Siege Gunner.
If the attack hits, the creature takes damage equal to the listed damage of the siege weapon.  If it is a direct attack, then the base damage of the siege engine is increased by the level of the Siege Gunner.

Latest revision as of 20:24, 22 January 2022


WORK IN PROGRESS, DO NOT USE


Weapons can be built in almost any size you can imagine, which is why Large Greatswords even exist. Sadly, the weapons as written are as large as can be wielded by any creature, no matter how you may try. But, what if you make the weapons even bigger, and stop trying to wield them? It is indeed possible to build a crossbow twenty-five feet across, and such a behemoth is a sight to behold in battle!

Such gigantic weapons, too big to wield but certainly not too big to USE, are the provenance of Siege Weapons. Such gigantic weapons are used to kill castles and fortresses, along with such jobs as dealing with giant monsters and invading fleets.

Because of their enormous size, siege weapons hit unbelievably hard. They can be used to Sunder structures and fortifications. Indeed, this is one of their principal uses: Sundering the fortifications of a hard target, or, sundering the other side's siege weapons. Siege weapons can also be used to attack creatures, although getting a hit this way can be difficult, since creatures move around a lot more than structures. Many siege weapons damage everything within an area of effect, making them more adept at targeting creatures and clusters of personnel.

Core Mechanics

Most encounters involving Siege Weapons will be resolved using the Abstract Encounter rules. During large-scale battles, Siege Weapons act on an Interval of one hour, meaning they generally get ready to fire once per hour. That some, some Siege Weapons are fast enough that their encounters are resolved using the Real Time rules, meaning they act MUCH faster than other Siege Weapons. In general, only Siege Weapons that work at Close range are fast enough to be used in this way, meaning that if the players see such a Siege Weapon being deployed on the battlefield, it is in their best interests to take an active role against that device!

Siege weapons are treated as weapons you cannot use directly. As with all Abstract Encounters, the stats and feats a character uses to fight in normal combat have little to no effect upon siege weapons (with the notable exception of the Hand Onager, which is a genuine weapon and can be used in Real Time.) Once per hour, the Siege Gunner uses their Profession (Siege Engineer) or other applicable skill to make a skill roll, which then grants them a number of Action Dice which they roll to gain Action Pips. You must exceed the Hardness (Sunder DC) of your target with your Action Pips in order to inflict a Sunder upon it. You may only make a skill roll, roll Action Dice, and expend pips once per Interval. In more detail, this process is:

  • Make a skill roll:
Each siege weapon has a skill associated with it, usually Profession (Siege Engineer), which determines expertise at that particular weapon's use. On your turn, you make a skill roll against this skill.
  • Alternate Skills: If you do not have any ranks in the skill for your weapon, you may instead use any bailiwick skill in its place, and the GM may allow other skills to be substituted on a case-by-case basis.
  • Determine action pool:
If you used Profession (Siege Engineer), you divide your skill roll's result by 5 (round down), and take this many d6 dice into your action pool for the round. If you used a bailiwick skill instead of the appropriate Profession skill, you divide your skill roll's result by 10 (round down) instead. If the GM allows you to substitute another skill, divide that result by 12, round down, to determine the number of Action Dice.
  • Minimum action pool: No matter how poorly you roll on your skill roll, a player character always get a minimum of 2d6 for your action pool.
  • Roll action pool and determine expenditures:
You then roll your action pool of d6's, and may allocate the results of your roll to attempt a Sunder maneuver on a target in your siege weapon's legal range. The number of pips you expend must equal or exceed the target's hardness to inflict a Sunder. If you expend pips to beat the Hardness (Sunder DC) by 5 or more, you gain an extra Sunder success. If you are attacking a creature, the number of pips you expend must exceed the creature's normal Armor Class if you are using a direct fire attack. If you are using an area of effect siege weapon, you must hit AC10 (modified by range, cover, etc) to place the area of effect where you wish it, and all affected creatures in that area of effect make a saving throw for half damage.
  • Banking dice: In the event that you don't have enough pips in your action pool to successfully perform an action, or you have left over dice which you did not use this round, you can also bank those unused dice until the next turn, adding their existing pips to your next round's action pool. You must expend(discard) one die each round for each die you wish to bank, and you generally expend all the lowest die results to bank all the highest die results. This simulates making 'ranging shots' to get your weapon dialed in. There is no limit to the number of dice you can bank each turn within these limits, and banked dice do not affect how many dice you get to roll due to your Skill roll in future rounds.
  • You can't split dice: Note that pips from d6's in your action pool cannot be split up. That is, you must use all of the pips on a single die if you use any of them. This means if you wish to purchase an expenditure which costs 12 pips, and you have three 5's on your action pool dice, you must spend all three dice to pay for the 12 pip cost, effectively wasting 3 pips of your action pool. Alternatively, you could bank your dice until next turn, and hope that your next turn's action pool dice allow you to divide your results less wastefully. Note that once pips are banked, they may be spent as you wish and you do not have to track how many pips were on each die.

Note that your BAB or Maneuver Offense have no effect upon these rules. You may gain bonuses to your Action Pool (inherent or enchantment) from the Siege Weapon, along with any assists from the crew, and that's all. Stat bonuses do not count:No matter how high your Str or Dex, it does not help you to aim a battering ram. Similarly, Feats and magical bonuses applied to the Siege Gunner do not count either. Unlike most weapons, Siege Weapons are large enough that many of them make area of effect attacks, and even smallish ones can use bursting ammo to deadly effect. The Siege Gunner and all members of the firing crew must stay adjacent to a siege weapon to operate it.

Siege Gunner

A Siege Gunner is the primary actor in a firing crew for a siege weapon. A Siege Gunner needs at least one feat and at least one skill in order to operate a siege weapon properly. (See below for details.)

The Siege Gunner makes the skill rolls, rolls the Action dice, and if used against creatures, makes the damage rolls for the siege weapon's attacks. Since Siege Weapons are simply another class of weapons, the damage increase rules ARE in effect for direct attack siege weapons! Thus, if the Siege Gunner is above 5th level the weapon damage dice against creatures are doubled. If they're above 10th they are tripled, etc. Since all skill rolls are based upon the Siege Gunner's skill, and the damage increases with their level, it is advisable to have your Siege Gunner be as high level as possible. A Siege Gunner must have either the Siege Engineer feat, or an Exotic Weapon Proficiency with the specific type of siege weapon which he is leading. Without this feat, the Siege Gunner suffers a -1 penalty on all Action Pool dice rolls, and cannot be assisted by a crew. Thus, if you gain 6d6 from your skill roll, when you roll them out they are counted as one less each for purposes of reach a DC. Note: This does NOT cause 2's to count as 1's for purposes of a mishap! (See below.) In addition, the Siege Gunner needs Profession Siege Gunner or a Bailiwick skill, to determine the number of dice he adds to his action pool each round.

Mishaps

Siege weapons are complex and very large. That said, if you have a properly trained crew, you can operate a siege engine in perfect safety. However, operating a siege weapon is a rare skill, so what happens if you try to just 'get along' and use a Siege Weapon without any applicable training? Well, that is when Mishaps can occur. If your Siege Gunner does not have either the Siege Engineer or the correct Exotic Weapon Proficiency, you take the penalty described above. Far worse, every time you roll Action Dice, either to attempt a Sunder or hit an AC, if you roll twice as many 1's as you roll 6's (rounded up), a Mishap has occurred. For example, if you roll no sixes and one 1, there is no Mishap, but two 1's means there is. A Mishap gives the siege weapon the Broken condition, rendering it unfit for further use until repaired. Far worse, the effects of whatever ammunition was loaded when the Mishap occurred is inflicted upon the firing crew. This usually kills the firing crew unless they are of some monstrous or extraordinary ability, and is a good reason to have spare crew members available.

Firing Crew

The firing crew is the rest of the people manning the siege weapon and assisting in its reloading, aiming and firing during combat. The firing crew is usually NPC's, in which case they are treated as minions, i.e., they have one hit point and any successful damage action kills them. The firing crew is not required to have a proficiency in the siege weapon. Each member of the firing crew may roll to assist any of the Siege Gunner's to-hit rolls or pip expenditures for Sunder attempts, requiring a Knowledge (Engineering), Piloting (Drover), Profession (Engineer), Piloting (Sailor) or Profession (Soldier), with an Easy DC for the CR of the Siege Weapon. Each successful aid another adds +2 to the Siege Gunner's Action Pips for that Interval, though each failed aid another attempt applies a -1 to his Action Pips. Once gained, these pips may be banked as normal, requiring a single Action Die be discarded to do so. A good siege crew is very useful! The number of firing crew is the same as the minimum crew rating of the siege weapon, and cannot be larger than this. No, you cannot stack up two dozen assist bonuses with a siege weapon, sorry.

Range

Siege weapons use abstract range bands, defined as:

Close: Within 50 feet

Short: 51 to 1600 feet

Medium: 1601 feet to 2 miles

Long: 2 mile to 15 miles

Out of Range: 15 miles to 50 miles.

Out of Sight :51+ miles


Out of Range represents the limits of how far away you can see a Siege Weapon if you have a Spotting Station in a vessel or fortification. Without a Spotting Station, Out of Range becomes Out of Sight.

Note that very few wielded weapons or spells can reach even to the beginning of Medium range for a Siege Weapon, and a Long range Siege Weapon can outrange nearly any other effect. During siege warfare, the referee adjudicates all non-siege weapon attacks in Close, Short, or Medium range, usually by declaring the beginning of Real Time combat and rolling an initiative order.

Range bands for a Siege weapon inflict a -5 penalty to the Action Pips required per band longer than Close. Thus, attacks at Short range take a -5 penalty to Action Pips, Medium -10, and Long -15.

Many ranged siege weapons cannot fire at Close range at all, such as Trebuchets, Catapults, and Tornado Mills. Melee Siege Weapons, such as Battering Rams, Screws, and Lava Looms, can only target at Close range, and often act in Real Time combat.

Mobile Siege Weapons:

Some Siege Weapons are battlefield mobile. Thus, they act in Real Time combat, have a standard initiative and move speed, and can be moved that speed by all members of the full crew spending a move action in a round. This requires the entire crew to be present. This movement is affected by rough terrain, obstacles, etc, as normal. There are some Siege Weapons that can only attack while moving, such as a Juggernaut or a Devil Wheel, and some Siege Weapons only have Close range attacks, and so if used in an attack they must first be moved to Close range of their target. Such weapons include the Battering Ram and Ox-Tail Flail.

Note that some Siege weapons have speed 0: Such weapons cannot be moved unless the entire crew expends a full-round action to move them one square.

Caveat: Vehicles may have siege weapons mounted upon them, and a very common such weapon is a Battering Ram. In such cases, the siege weapon is attached to the vehicle and moves with it. Such siege weapons are only stationary in relation to the vehicle. As the vehicle moves, so does the siege engine. An example is a Siege Tower, which is a specialized (very slow) vehicle which is used to scale walls and mount Siege Weapons.

Attacking Creatures With Siege Weapons

To directly attack a single creature in Abstract Combat, determine the distance to the creature from the siege weapon, and make sure the creature is not inside the minimum range of the siege weapon (if any). If so, the creature cannot be targeted. Next, determine if there is any range penalty to hit the creature, based on the range increment listed for the siege weapon. The siege gunner then rolls his skill to gain Action Dice in his Action pool, rolls any or all of them to see if he can exceed the creature's Armor Class. Each member of the firing crew can perform the 'aid another' action to assist with this roll, up to the maximum number of firing crew the siege weapon supports.

If the siege weapon is attacking directly, then cover, concealment, and other miss chances apply normally. If the siege weapon is making an AOE attack, cover and concealment and other miss chances have no effect, but affected creatures may make a saving throw to reduce or avoid the damage. See each weapons write-up for these saves and the save DC's. This means that yes, area of effect siege weapons are VERY effective at wiping out a castle's defenders, even if they are hiding behind the fortifications. A castle's defenders are advised to quickly disable any siege weapons they see. Note that creatures move VERY quickly during an Interval, so it is not uncommon for a Siege Weapon to be prepared for firing during a given Interval, and the wait, cocked and ready. for several minutes, waiting to see if they can catch a lot of targets in their shot.

If the attack hits, the creature takes damage equal to the listed damage of the siege weapon. If it is a direct attack, then the base damage of the siege engine is increased by the level of the Siege Gunner.

If the siege weapon has an area of effect, it works the same as targeting a creature, except that the target is the ground (or other surface, or even merely a point in space), with an Armor Class of 10. However, creatures in the area of effect may make a saving throw. Some siege weapons inflict additional status conditions on creatures which fail this save. Refer to the individual siege weapon listings for details.

Attacking Structures With Siege Weapons

To attack a structure using Abstract Combat, determine the distance to the target from the siege weapon, make sure the siege weapon can reach it, and that the target is not inside the minimum range of the siege weapon. Since Abstract Combat uses the Theatre of the Mind, the referee simply declares the range, and the player characters can react to this announcement, working to move the Siege Weapon closer or further away. If the target is outside the legal range limits, the target cannot be attacked. Next, determine if there is any range penalty to hit the structure, based on the range increment listed for the siege weapon. The siege gunner then makes a skill roll to determine how many Action Dice he has in his Action Pool. He may bank some of them or attempt to expend pips to equal or exceed the Sunder DC of the target. Each member of the firing crew can perform the 'aid another' action against an Easy DC for the CR of the Siege Weapon to assist with this roll, up to the maximum number of crew the siege weapon supports. Each successful Aid Another adds two pips, each failed roll removes a pip.

If the attack exceeds the structure's Sunder DC, it inflicts the number of Sunder successes listed for the weapon. If the Sunder DC is exceeded by five or more, one additional Sunder is inflicted.

Nearly all structures require multiple successful Sunders before they become Broken. Some complex structures, such as vehicles and other siege weapons, may also take penalties for every successful Sunder inflicted against their Durability prior to becoming Broken. Note that (Hardness) Sunder DC and Durability apply to each five foot cube of large, simple, durable items, such as mountains, city gates, castle curtain walls, and the like.

Splash Damage While Attacking Structures

While attacking a structure with direct fire ammunition, a Siege Weapon's incredible power also causes splash damage to all creatures close to where the shot landed, if any number of Sunders was successfully inflicted.

The amount of splash damage is equal to the minimum that could be rolled against creatures if used to directly attack creatures. As always, creatures in the area of effect of the splash damage are allowed a reflex saving throw against the DC assigned to the weapon itself. If the save is made, creatures only take half damage. This damage represents flying stone chips, massive wood splinters, debris, electric discharges, waves of heat, eerie corposcent discharges, and any other effects the siege weapon may inflict.

The area of effect of the splash damage is determined by the size of the siege weapon's ammo, which is based upon the size of the siege weapon.

A size Large siege weapon inflicts splash damage in the square struck and all adjacent squares, an area of 3x3 squares centered on the target square.

A size Huge siege weapon inflicts splash damage on an area of 5x5 squares centered on the target square.

A size Gargantuan siege weapon inflicts splash damage on an area of 7x7 squares centered on the target square.

A size Colossal siege weapon inflicts splash damage on an area of 9x9 squares centered on the target square.

A size Titanic siege weapon inflicts splash damage on an area of 11x11 squares centered on the target square.

Note that only siege weapons that use ammo cause splash damage, melee and close siege weapons such as battering rams, juggernauts, devil wheels, and the like do not.

Attacking a Siege Weapon

Attacking a siege weapon works exactly like attacking a structure, using the Sunder DC listed in the siege weapon's individual listing. As with structures, siege weapons usually require multiple successful sunders before they become Broken. However, each successful Sunder inflicted against a siege weapon inflicts a cumulative -1 penalty on any banked Action Pips held by the Siege Gunner each Interval. It is possible to armor and reinforce a Siege Weapon. Armoring a siege weapon is treated as if the weapon has a Siege Gallery of its same size class attached to it, at double the normal cost. Reinforcing a siege weapon adds ten to it's Defensive Sunder Rating at the cost of double the base cost. Armoring and reinforcing stacks. Armoring a siege weapon raises the number of cartloads of cargo required to move it by fifty percent.

Repairing a siege weapon that has the Broken condition requires the Make Whole spell, which takes 10 minutes to cast, or the Profession (Engineer) skill, which requires a skill check with a DC equal to the listed Sunder DC of the siege weapon. If successful, repairs take 1 hour per the listed number of Sunder successes required to break it in the first place. This number can be reduced by 1 hour per 5 by which the skill check DC is exceeded, to a minimum of 1 hour. It is a really good idea to have a wand or scroll of Make Whole available, if you can....

Disable Device

Ah, sabotage! A character with Disable Device may attempt to use that skill to render a Siege Weapon unusable. This typically involves removing a smaller piece of the Weapon, such as part of the trigger mechanism, or a governor, or mis-aligning the aiming mechanism, or some other rather subtle effect. Inflicting major damage on a Siege Weapon is covered under the Sunder rules. To disable a Siege Weapon using Disable Device requires 2d4 rounds of uninterrupted work, and requires a Disable Device roll of 20, plus 5 per size category of the Siege Weapon. Thus, 25 for a Large Weapon, 30 for a Huge, 35 for a Gargantuan, 40 for a size Colossal, and 50+ for size Titanic. To speed up such a Disable Device roll inflicts a -10 penalty to the roll for every round you reduce the time by. To quickly repair a Siege Weapon from such Sabotage requires a Profession (Siege Engineer) skill roll against the same target number, and similarly requires 2d4 rounds of work. To permanently repair the Weapon after such subtle damage requires the crew to spend a full day, going over the Weapon from top to bottom and setting it back to rights.

How To Read The Entries

Name

This is the name of the siege weapon in question. An Exotic Weapon Proficiency gains you proficiency in only one named siege weapon. For example, "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Large catapult" does not also get you proficiency in using a Medium Catapult.

Cost

This is how much the siege weapon costs to buy or have made.

Sunder Bonus

This is the bonus pips the siege weapon adds to the Action Pool of the Siege Gunner for Sunder attempts each Interval. Siege weapons generally don't add a bonus to any other combat maneuvers, although GM's are encouraged to allow creative play. Note further that siege weapons generally cannot be used to Sunder items smaller than a full square in size, so the players cannot get rid of pesky artifacts by strapping them to the mouth of a cannon. Sorry, all those afflicted by cursed items!

Sunders Inflicted

This is the base number of Sunders one attack by this Siege Weapon applies to an object targeted. Basic Siege Weapons inflict one Sunder per hit, which may be increased by 1 if you expend Action Pips equal to it's Sunder DC +5. More advanced Siege Weapons may inflict far more Sunders upon a success than that.

Hit Point Damage

This is the amount of damage the siege weapon deals to personnel, if any, on a successful to-hit roll. Structures successfully hit by the siege weapon suffer a Sunder instead of a damage roll, using the Siege Gunner's expended Action Pips plus the Sunder Bonus rating of the Siege Weapon and any successful Aid Other bonuses. The target DC of the Sunder varies, depending on the target. See Breaking Objects for a list of DC's and the number of successes necessary to break/destroy the target structure.

Hit Point Damage Type

Against creatures, Siege Weapons can deal Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing damage, and some siege weapons can even inflict elemental or magical damage types. When attacking personnel, this damage type determines whether DR or ER can be applied by the targets to reduce the damage inflicted. Against structures, all siege weapons grant the listed Sunder Bonus, regardless of damage type.

Area Of Effect (provisional)

This is the area of effect the siege weapon's attacks deal damage to. If the siege weapon deals damage to personnel, AOE damage is NOT increased by the Siege Gunner's level, and all affected creatures in the area of effect may make a saving throw. This save is detailed in each siege weapon's write-up. If the target is a structure, the area of effect determines how many squares of the structure are damaged. Normally, structural damage only applies to a single complex object (like a vehicle or a siege weapon) or to one 5 by 5 square of a structure or other large simple object.

Max Range (Min range)

This is the range increment of the siege weapon. Unlike bows and crossbows, Siege Weapons use abstract and very, very long range bands, and take a -5 penalty on the pips required to exceed the Sunder DC or AC of targets, per range band beyond Close. Feats that the Siege Gunner may possess to improve their normal ranged attacks do not apply to Siege Weapons. Sorry!

In addition, some siege weapons are unable to attack targets inside a particular range. When such a restriction exists, this minimum range is listed in parentheses after the range increment.

Crew to Fire (min/max)

The minimum crew number is the minimum number of people required to fire the weapon in combat, and the maximum crew is the number of crew the siege weapon can usefully employ. A siege weapon with fewer than the minimum crew cannot be fired, while a siege weapon with more crew than the listed maximum gains no benefit from the people above that listed maximum, aside from the ability to take battle casualties and remain at maximum crew. One member of this crew is designated as the Siege Gunner, who makes the skill rolls, action dice rolls, and any other rolls required for the siege weapon, while the remaining crew may use the 'aid another' action for many of these rolls.

The physical size of the members of the crew is assumed to be size medium. Size small creatures can participate in a firing crew on a siege weapon designed for a sized-medium crew with no issues. If a siege weapon was designed for a different sized crew (such as a siege weapon built by and for giants), the crew must be within 1 size category of the siege weapon's designated crew size, or they cannot participate in the crew.

Rate of Fire in Real Time

Here is a major difference between siege weapons and smaller types of wield-able weapons. Siege weapons are almost always very slow, compared to a wield-able weapon. The rate of fire is how often the siege weapon can be fired in combat. Most ranged siege weapons have complex reloading procedures which must be followed after each shot. As a result, siege weapons tend to have a very low rate of fire and must be resolved in Abstract combat. Such siege weapons can generally fire once in a Real Time combat, if they were ready to fire when the combat began. Melee Siege Weapons (battering rams, juggernauts, and the like) act in Real Time, and attack in the rounds specified in each weapon's entry.

Crew to Move

This is the minimum number of people required to move the siege weapon while in or out of Real Time combat, as well as the maximum number of people who can be involved in moving it. Unlike the firing crew, larger creatures can assist in moving a siege weapon without penalty, if desired. Thus, a group of giants can pull a catapult built for a sized-medium crew. In fact, larger creatures are more efficient at moving these objects, taking up the space of only 2 medium-sized crew, while granting the benefit of 4 medium-sized crew. Creatures more than 1 category over the size of the siege weapon's assumed crew size grant no greater benefit than a creature 1 size category larger, but neither do they take up more room. (Just go with it; it keeps it simpler.) Sized small creatures are treated as sized medium for purposes of participating in moving a siege weapon.

Creatures on the move crew of a siege weapon must have a minimum strength of 12 to provide any benefit to the crew.

For every 2 personnel on the move crew above the listed minimum, the listed move speed of the siege weapon is increased by 5 feet per round, to a maximum of the slowest base land speed of the crew moving the siege weapon. For example: Horses are size Large, so each horse used to help move a siege weapon built for size medium creatures counts as four crew. Horses can also help move even siege weapons built for size Huge creatures, but they only count as 1 crew each in such a case.

Move Speed

This is the base move speed of the siege weapon, when manned by the minimum listed Crew to Move. For every 2 personnel on the move crew above the listed minimum, the listed move speed of the siege weapon is increased by 5 feet per round, to a maximum of the slowest base land speed of the crew moving the siege weapon. Note that siege weapons are not really designed for long-distance travel. Dragging it around on a battlefield is no problem, but if you want to drive it to the next province, you need to take it down and put it in a proper set of wagons. No, you cannot use a siege weapon as a vehicle for your party, no matter how cool that might seem. In Real Time combat, a Siege Weapon moves a number of squares appropriate for its Move speed each round the crew works to move it. In Abstract combat, a Siege engine moves a mile for each five feet of move during the course of an hour-long Interval.

Setup Time

This is how long it takes to set up a ranged siege weapon for combat, once it is moved to its desired location on the battlefield. The same amount of time is required to take the siege weapon back down, and prepare it for moving again. The time taken for the Rate of Fire in Real Time rating ONLY begins accruing after the siege weapon is fully set up. It is not possible to 'pre-prep' a shot, move out of cover, fire, and then move back into cover, even though that would be super cool. If you are a siege weapon, you have to be on the battlefield and take your lumps.

To set up or tear down a siege weapon requires the maximum amount of crew to finish in the listed time. If you have less than the maximum crew but more than or equal to the minimum crew, the time to set up or tear down is doubled.

While set up for combat, most ranged siege weapons cannot be moved from their location, though most can be turned to a different facing (which is why facing is ignored in the to-hit rules).

Moving a siege weapon long distances is possible while it is torn down. In such cases, the siege weapon is treated as cartloads of cargo and loaded aboard wagons or ships. A large siege weapon takes up four cartloads of cargo space, a Huge siege weapon takes up sixteen cartloads of cargo space, a size Gargantuan siege weapon takes up sixty cartloads of cargo space, a size Colossal siege weapon takes up two-hundred fifty cartloads of cargo space, and a size Titanic siege weapon takes up one thousand cartloads of cargo space. Yes, a big siege weapon will load down an entire caravan by itself.

Siege weapons that are mounted on a ship or other vehicle are rarely setup or taken down, since they move with the vessel. However, size Titanic siege weapons cannot be mounted n a vehicle of any size: They require such massive foundations they cannot be used on any mobile platform, no matter how large.

Defensive Sunder DC

This is the target DC for something to try to destroy the siege weapon. (Also see Disable Device, above.) As with any other structure, the siege weapon can only be broken by means of a Sunder combat maneuver or the action of another Siege Weapon. Furthermore, as with most structures, most siege weapons require multiple successful Sunder attempts before the weapon is actually Broken. Sunders made by other Siege Weapons during Abstract Combat stack with Sunders made by melee or other weapons during Real Time Combat. Many Siege Weapons are made of wood, such as Ballistas and Catapults, while other are made of metal, such as cannons, bombards, and cauldrons. As always, Real Time melee weapons require the Sunder property to affect Siege Weapons, assuming all other rules are followed.

For each successful sunder inflicted prior to being broken, all Action Pips expended for creature to-hit rolls and object Sunder attempts made by the siege weapon's crew are at a cumulative -2 (though this does not affect the siege weapons damage or reduce its own Sunder DC). Once the listed number of successes has been reached, the siege weapon gains the Broken condition, and is rendered unusable.

Repairing a siege weapon that has the Broken condition requires the Make Whole spell, which takes 10 minutes to cast, or the Profession (Engineer) skill, which requires a skill check (not roll) with a DC equal to the listed Sunder DC of the siege weapon. If successful, repairs take 1 hour per the listed number of successes required to break it in the first place. This number can be reduced by 1 hour per 5 by which the skill check DC is exceeded, to a minimum of 1 hour.

Repairing a siege weapon that has taken sunder successes but not been fully broken is also possible, and takes the same amount of time, or, a Make Whole spell. Depending on the rate of fire desired, with enough magic it is possible to repair a siege weapon faster than it is taking damage. This fact is why the crew of a siege weapon is often the best target.

Siege Weapons

Catapult, Large

x
Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple Weapon, Size Large 900 gp +4 1 4d6 Bludgeoning Single Target (5'Square) Short Range (Close Range) min 2/max 4 1 shot/round min 4/max 10 30 ft. 1 minute DC 17 4 successes
A large catapult is a siege weapon which is capable of attacking personnel or structures. It can be moved reasonably easily, and requires only 1 minute to set up, once in position. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10). A Large Catapult uses Large ammunition, and when targeting a structure does 4 points of physical bludgeoning splash damage to personnel nearby, with a Reflex save versus a DC of 13 for half damage. A Large catapult can use alternate ammo types. A Large catapult is counted as a CR3 object.

Catapult, Huge

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple Weapon; Size Huge 3750 gp +5 2 6d6 Bludgeoning Single-target or 5' radius Short Range (Close Range) min 2/max 4 1 shot/1 round min 6/max 12 20 ft. 5 minute(s) DC 19 8 successes
A huge catapult is a siege weapon which is capable of attacking personnel or structures. It can be moved reasonably easily, and requires five minute to set up, once in position. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10). A Huge Catapult uses Huge ammunition, and when targeting a structure does 6 points of physical bludgeoning splash damage to personnel nearby, with a Reflex save versus a DC of 16 for half damage. A Huge catapult can use alternate ammo types. A Huge catapult is counted as a CR6 object.

Catapult, Gargantuan

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple Weapon; Size Gargantuan 8000 gp +6 3 8d6 Bludgeoning Single-target or 5' radius Short Range (Close Range) min 4/max 6 1 shot/1 round min 8/max 16 20 ft. 10 minute(s) DC 21 12 successes
A gargantuan catapult is a siege weapon which is capable of attacking personnel or structures. It can be moved reasonably easily, and requires ten minutes to set up, once in position. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10). A Gargantuan Catapult uses Gargantuan ammunition, and when targeting a structure does 8 points of physical bludgeoning splash damage to personnel nearby, with a Reflex save versus a DC of 19 for half damage. A Gargantuan catapult can use alternate ammo types. A Gargantuan catapult is counted as a CR9 object.

Name

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple, Martial, Exotic; Size Large, Huge, Garg, Clossal, Titanic XXXX gp +x x Xd6 Bludgeoning Single-target or x' radius Short Range (Close minimum) min x/max y 1 shot/1 round min y/max z xx ft. x minute(s) DC xx x successes
Description, explanation, any unique rules. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10).

Name

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple, Martial, Exotic; Size Large, Huge, Garg, Clossal, Titanic XXXX gp +x x Xd6 Bludgeoning Single-target or x' radius Short Range (Close minimum) min x/max y 1 shot/1 round min y/max z xx ft. x minute(s) DC xx x successes
Description, explanation, any unique rules. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10).

Name

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple, Martial, Exotic; Size Large, Huge, Garg, Clossal, Titanic XXXX gp +x x Xd6 Bludgeoning Single-target or x' radius Short Range (Close minimum) min x/max y 1 shot/1 round min y/max z xx ft. x minute(s) DC xx x successes
Description, explanation, any unique rules. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10).

Name

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple, Martial, Exotic; Size Large, Huge, Garg, Clossal, Titanic XXXX gp +x x Xd6 Bludgeoning Single-target or x' radius Short Range (Close minimum) min x/max y 1 shot/1 round min y/max z xx ft. x minute(s) DC xx x successes
Description, explanation, any unique rules. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10).

Name

Size and Complexity Cost Sunder Bonus Sunders Inflicted Hitpoint Damage Hitpoint Damage Type Area of Effect Max Range (Min Range) Crew to Fire Real-Time Rate of Fire Crew to Move Move Speed Setup Time Defensive Sunder DC Durability
Simple, Martial, Exotic; Size Large, Huge, Garg, Clossal, Titanic XXXX gp +x x Xd6 Bludgeoning Single-target or x' radius Short Range (Close minimum) min x/max y 1 shot/1 round min y/max z xx ft. x minute(s) DC xx x successes
Description, explanation, any unique rules. It can be used with Profession (Siege Engineer) (1AD/5) or any Bailiwick Skill(1AD/10).