Siege Engines

These are weapons used to attack strongholds, or sometimes ships. Their cost may be up to twice as high in a remote location. A siege engine that throws missiles (a ballista, onager, or trebuchet) must have a trained artillerist to fire it; this is the character who makes the attack rolls for the weapon. Missile-throwing engines have attack penalties, detailed below. Note: siege engines are not generally usable against individuals or monsters; the GM may make exceptions for very large monsters like giants or dragons. Review the rules in the Stronghold section on page 199 for details regarding attacking fortified buildings such as castles, towers, fortresses, and so on. Weapon Cost Rate of Fire Attack Penalty Damage Short Range (+1) Medium Range (+0) Long Range (-2) Ballista 100 gp 1/4 -3 2d8 50' 100' 150' Battering Ram 200 gp 1/3 +0 2d8 N/A N/A N/A Onager 300 gp 1/6 -6 2d12 100' 200' 300' Screw 200 gp N/A N/A 1d8 N/A N/A N/A Sow 100 gp N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Trebuchet 400 gp 1/10 -8 3d10 N/A 300' 400' Ballista: This is effectively a very large crossbow that may fire a spear-like bolt or a large stone. It is usually mounted on a tripod or wagon, but may also be mounted on a ship. When firing bolts, a ballista cannot damage brick or stone. A ballista requires a crew of three to operate. Battering Ram: These are usually operated under a sow. They require a crew of eight or more. Screw: This device may be used to attack a stronghold, by means of boring through the walls. A crew of at least eight is required to operate it. It is only used at the base of a wall, and it is usually operated under a sow. Sow: This is a kind of portable roof, used for protection while performing slower attacks on a fortified building. Those under a sow will be harder to hit, receiving at least a +6 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks while taking cover under it. The sow itself has a hardness of 9 and 50 hit points. Onager: This weapon throws a stone with a fairly flat trajectory. Operating an onager requires a crew of four. Trebuchet: This mighty weapon uses a counterweight to fling a stone on a high, arcing path. It cannot fire at targets within 200 yards. If it is aimed at a target that is more than 20 feet higher than the weapon, there is an additional –2 attack penalty. A trebuchet requires a crew of eight to operate.