Cannons

[Bynw]

copied without permission from AEG website on 7th Sea regarding cannon rules for d20.


d20 Cannon Rules

One of the deadliest weapons in the naval arsenal is the cannon. In real life, few people who have been hit with a cannonball (or even had one fly too close to them) have lived to tell the tale. Heroes in a naval battle are likely to take a certain amount of collateral damage from cannon fire, if only from the splinters that are hurled off of shattering timbers by speeding cannonballs.
Cannon stats are provided in the following format:

The common name for the cannon.
Cost: How much gold the cannon costs
Damage: The number of Vitality Points: the cannon inflicts to its target.
Critical: The damage multiplier applied to damage (i.e., the number of times you roll damage, with all modifiers) in the case of a critical hit
Range Increment: The Range Increment of the cannon. When you roll to hit with a cannon, you make a Profession (siege engineer) check (DC 20). The Range penalty is applied to the skill check.
Crew: The number of crew needed to operate the weapon. The text will describe the penalty for operating the cannon without the required crew (this is usually applied to the Aim and reload times).
Aim: The time required to aim the cannon at a new target or to initially aim the cannon at its first target. Crew are considered to make minor adjustments to the cannon between volleys; this is not considered aiming, but rather part of the reload process.
Reload: The time it takes to load or reload a cannon after it has been discharged.
Move: The distance the canon can be moved as a move equivalent action with a full crew participating.
When the crew of the cannon wish to fire it, one of them makes a Profession (siege engineer) check (DC 30) and subtracts any range penalties from his roll. If the check is successful, the user rolls another d20. If the result is a natural 20 on the second roll the cannon hits the desired location; on any other roll the DM rolls 1d4 and consults the 1 ft. to 5 ft. deviation chart on page 68 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The result is where the cannon was aimed and hits.
If the Profession check fails, the DM rolls 1d12 and consults the 10 ft. to 16 ft. deviation chart on page 68 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The center of the chart is the desired hit location. The result is where the cannon actually hit, and should be used to check for deviation on the 1 ft. to 5 ft. chart.
It only takes one person to fire a cannon. The cannon may be reloaded and aimed with only one person, but this triples the number of full-round actions that it would normally take. If two men are aiming and loading the cannon the time taken is only doubled. This holds true for moving the cannon as well.



Standard Boarding Cannon
Cost: 250G
Damage: 2d8
Critical: 19-20 (this weapon sores a threat on a natural 19 or 20, instead of
just a 20)/x3
Range: Increment: 200
Crew: 3
Aim: None.
Reload: 3 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 25
Wt. (tons): 1/16

Standard 6 pound Cannon
Cost: 300G
Damage: 3d6
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 225
Crew: 3
Aim: 3 full-round actions
Reload: 6 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 30
Wt. (tons): 1/12

Standard 10 pound Cannon
Cost: 400G
Damage: 3d6
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 250
Crew: 3
Aim: 5 full-round actions
Reload: 8 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 40
Wt. (tons): 1/10

Standard 12 pound Cannon
Cost: 500G
Damage: 4d8
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 275
Crew: 3
Aim: 5 full-round actions
Reload: 10 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 60
Wt. (tons): 1/8

Standard 20 pound Cannon
Cost: 1000G
Damage: 5d10
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 300
Crew: 3
Aim: 5 full-round actions
Reload: 20 full-round actions
Move: 5 ft.
Hit Points:: 80
Wt. (tons): 1/3

Horse Cannon
Cost: 600G
Damage: 5d6
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 200
Crew: 3
Aim: 3 full-round actions
Reload: 8 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 60
Wt. (tons): 1/6

Cannons can be incredibly deadly. However, they are bulky and difficult to aim. The Halifaxians have attempted to address this weakness by hitching some of their smaller cannons to teams of horses. The horses must be unhitched before the cannon is fired, but the procedure is still much faster than pushing the enormous weapon around.
It takes a full-round action to hitch or unhitch the cannon from a team of four horses. When unhitched the cannon may move up to 5 feet as a move equivalent action. However, when a horse cannon is hitched up, it can move as far as 40 feet. In addition, aiming the cannon only requires 1 full round action, due the assistance the horses provide when hitched.

Adanian Roaring Cannon
Cost: 2000G
Damage: 5d12
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 300
Crew: 4
Aim: 5 full-round actions
Reload: 10 full-round actions
Move: 5 ft.
Hit Points:: 100
Wt. (tons): 1/2
The Adanian have built on the strength of cannons to make them even more powerful at the expense of maneuverability. When an Adanian roaring cannon is fired, it sounds as though lightning has struck nearby. Men and horses evaporate as the screaming balls tear through the ranks and the survivors often run for their lives.
In addition, anyone within twenty feet of a person killed by a roaring cannon must make a Will save (DC 15) or suffer the effects of fear.

Arrin Clockwork Cannon
Cost: –
Damage: 4d10
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 150
Crew: 1
Aim: 3 full-round actions
Reload: –
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 60
Wt. (tons): 1/3
Clockwork weapons are sometimes found on sunken Arrin ships. They are usually incomplete and require repair from a skilled weaponsmith (typically a Profession (weaponsmith) check (DC 20) required). When operational they deliver a blast of energy unlike anything seen on Teara Adan. The weapon usually only has 3d6 charges before it becomes completely useless.
Currently, the Spectral Magicians know no way of recharging clockwork cannons. The clockwork cannon does not need to be reloaded between firings. It does not fire like a standard cannon; Instead the clockwork cannon is fired like a ballista. Its makes its attack with a straight 1d20. No modifications are made to this roll (no bonuses, attack bonuses, ability modifiers, etc.). The AC of a non-moving target is always 10.
Clockwork cannons are very rare, and as such cannot be purchased normally. A few crop up for sale on the black market every now and then, and Arrin shipwreck sites may produce a few samples as well. Details and the exact cost of the cannon in such circumstances is up to the DM.

Other non-Cannon Artillery
Some older technology is still used by the more primitive cultures of Teara Adan, such as in the Southlands. Their game statistics have been provided below.

Small Catapult
Cost: 500G
Damage: 3d6
Critical: –
Range Increment: 150
Crew: 2
Aim: 5 full-round actions
Reload: 10 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 50
Wt. (tons): 1/4

Large Catapult
Cost: 800G
Damage: 5d6
Critical: -–
Range Increment: 200
Crew: 5
Aim: 5 full-round actions
Reload: 20 full-round actions
Move: 5 ft.
Hit Points:: 90
Wt. (tons): 1/2

Ballista
Cost: 500G
Damage: 4d8
Critical: x4
Range Increment: 275
Crew: 1
Aim: 3 full-round actions
Reload: 5 full-round actions
Move: 10 ft.
Hit Points:: 40
Wt. (tons): 1/2

Swivel Base
Cost: 75G
When a cannon is attached to a swivel base it reduces the number of actions required to aim or re-aim the cannon by 2 (to a minimum of 1 full round action) and the required crew needed to aim or re-aim the cannon is reduced to 1. This does not affect the time or crew needed to load or reload the cannon.