Shipyard Locked
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Seeing as my next campaign is going to focus more on surface world skirmishes than dungeons, I want to include things like ballistas in the tactical mix. The 5e DMG provides rules for them, but they are honestly so perfunctory they need to be expanded on for actual play.
Here's my version of a D&D relevant ballista. Design goals:
- Not meant to be super realistic
- Can be operated by one character with Martial Ranged Weapon proficiency
- Ballistas are basically intended to be used by NPC forces, but a PC can take control of one and use it against their enemies.
- Semi-portable, but really meant to be left static
- I intend to eventually write up a Siege Weapon Master feat of some sort that makes ballistas and mangonel scale up with the levels. I don't expect any players to take it, but then I can slap it onto NPCs.
Tell me what you think?
Weapon: Ballista
Martial Ranged Weapon
Cost: 200gp, damage: 3d10 piercing, weight: 300 lb., range: 120/480
Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed
A ballista is not carried like a normal weapon. Instead, it is treated as a large object on the battlefield. It comes with wheels to facilitate relocation, but it is still cumbersome. A character using a ballista can move it when they move, but their speed is halved. A ballista cannot be fired during any round it was moved.
To use an unattended ballista, a character must move into its space, which counts as difficult terrain and provides half cover. He may immediately spend an action to fire. If an enemy moves into the ballista’s space as well, attacks made with the ballista have disadvantage. An enemy can attempt to take control of the ballista by spending an action to make a contested Strength (Athletics) check against the current user’s Strength (Athletics).
Firing the ballista follows all the usual rules of a two-handed ranged weapon with the Loading property, except that enemies merely standing next to the ballista's space do not impose disadvantage on attack rolls.
A ballista bolt can hit multiple targets that are lined up in a row, like a line spell. Each target requires an individual attack roll. Such an attack will hit the shooter’s allies if they are in the line. Alternatively, the shooter can arc the bolt to hit only a single target.
Here's my version of a D&D relevant ballista. Design goals:
- Not meant to be super realistic
- Can be operated by one character with Martial Ranged Weapon proficiency
- Ballistas are basically intended to be used by NPC forces, but a PC can take control of one and use it against their enemies.
- Semi-portable, but really meant to be left static
- I intend to eventually write up a Siege Weapon Master feat of some sort that makes ballistas and mangonel scale up with the levels. I don't expect any players to take it, but then I can slap it onto NPCs.
Tell me what you think?
Weapon: Ballista
Martial Ranged Weapon
Cost: 200gp, damage: 3d10 piercing, weight: 300 lb., range: 120/480
Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed
A ballista is not carried like a normal weapon. Instead, it is treated as a large object on the battlefield. It comes with wheels to facilitate relocation, but it is still cumbersome. A character using a ballista can move it when they move, but their speed is halved. A ballista cannot be fired during any round it was moved.
To use an unattended ballista, a character must move into its space, which counts as difficult terrain and provides half cover. He may immediately spend an action to fire. If an enemy moves into the ballista’s space as well, attacks made with the ballista have disadvantage. An enemy can attempt to take control of the ballista by spending an action to make a contested Strength (Athletics) check against the current user’s Strength (Athletics).
Firing the ballista follows all the usual rules of a two-handed ranged weapon with the Loading property, except that enemies merely standing next to the ballista's space do not impose disadvantage on attack rolls.
A ballista bolt can hit multiple targets that are lined up in a row, like a line spell. Each target requires an individual attack roll. Such an attack will hit the shooter’s allies if they are in the line. Alternatively, the shooter can arc the bolt to hit only a single target.
Ballista 5e Dmg Download
I had an idea of adding piracy elements to a campaign of standard fantasy, and I came to think of the artillery pirates usually might have on their ships. Here are a few, and I could use some help with transcribing them so that they would make sense with minimal effort and be mostly in line with the rest of the language in 5th edition.
Ballista:
Size: Large
Actions: 3 actions to prepare the shot, 1 action to aim, 1 action to fire.
Area of effect: 5 ft x 200 ft. line
Damage: 8d6 (average 28) piercing damage (Dex save to avoid)
Siege Weapon Drawback: ?
Cannon:
Size: Large or Medium?
Actions: 3 actions to prepare the shot, 1 action to aim, 1 action to fire.
Area of effect: 5 ft x 200 ft. line
Damage: 14d6 (average 49) bludgeoning damage (Dex save to avoid)
Siege Weapon Drawback: A cannon has a strong recoil, and anyone directly 5 feet behind the cannon at the time of firing must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
Catapult:
Size: Huge
Actions: 4 actions to prepare the shot, 2 actions to aim, 1 action to fire.
Area of Effect: A point of your choice within 200 ft. range
Catapult Missile:
Single: 10d6 (average 35) bludgeoning damage in a 20 ft. radius sphere (Dex save half)
Mortar: 14d4 (average 35) bludgeoning damage in a 30 ft. radius sphere (Dex save half)
Siege Weapon Drawback: Catapult is inaccurate weapon and the chosen point of origin has a margin of error of 3d10 feet minus your intelligence modifier (rounded down, minimum 0) in random direction.
Trebuchet:
Size: Huge
Actions: 6 actions to prepare the shot, 2 actions to aim, 1 action to fire.
Area of Effect: A point of your choice within 300 ft. range
Trebuchet Missile:
Single: 14d6 (average 49) bludgeoning damage in a 20 ft. radius sphere (Dex save half)
Mortar: 20d4 (average 50) bludgeoning damage in a 30 ft. radius sphere (Dex save half)
Siege Weapon Drawback: A trebuchet is inaccurate weapon and the chosen point of origin has a margin of error of 2d10 feet minus your intelligence modifier (rounded down, minimum 0) in random direction.
When attacking with a Siege Weapon against a very large target, such as a ship or a creature of at least huge size, you make an attack roll against it with a bonus equal to your Proficiency Bonus + your Intelligence modifier. You make the attack roll only once, and compare the result against all valid targets within the area of one missile.
All other targets within the same area are subject to a saving throw DC equal to 8 + Proficiency Bonus + your Intelligence modifier. If the saving throw fails, the targets are affected by the missile as normal.
- The rate of fire of a ballista was relatively slow because it took considerable effort to load and aim the weapon. People of medium and smaller stature were at a particular disadvantage. Large creatures could usually operate a ballista more proficiently. It took a crew of four to man the largest ballistae. Variants Edit.
- The Ballista Turret is a stationary turret used for firing Spear Bolts and Chain Bolas. Players must mount the turret to control and fire it. Notes edit edit source The weight of the materials is incredible and will quickly encumber even the largest of dinos that aren't designed to take the load, even encumbering low level brontosauruses.
- Good day everyone, I am working on creating some spells for 5th edition. Normally I'd do what everyone recommends and just re-skin an existing spell. That always works and works well. However I am doing something unique - the details are many - and I don't have the luxury of just re-skinning a fireball this time. What I need are a set of good guidelines - and we have them.
- Ballista range is 120/480 (DMG p255) for 3d10 piercing dmg over three rounds. Longbow range is 150/600 (PHB p149) for 1d8 piercing dmg plus a static modifier in one round.
- Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide - Master of Rules Here we are at the fourth and final part of my comprehensive look at the 5th edition DMG. I still have to rely on photos from the book for the most part, so I apologize in advance.
Ballista 5e Dmg 2
Medium Ballista. Medium object Armor Class: 16 Hit Points: 40 Damage immunities: poison, psychic Cost: 100 gp Like the crossbow, except bigger and mounted on a stand. Before it can be fired, it must be loaded and aimed.