Table: Siege Engines
Item Cost Damage Critical Range Increment Crew
---- ---- ------ -------- --------------- ----
Catapult, heavy (100 ft. minimum) 800 gp 5d6 - 200 ft. 5
Catapult, light (100 ft. minimum) 550 gp 3d6 - 150 ft. 2
Ballista 500 gp 3d6 X3 120 1
Ram 2,000 gp 4d6 ?3 - 10
Siege tower 1,000 gp
Catapult, Heavy: A heavy catapult is a large engine capable of throwing rocks or heavy objects with great force. When fired, one of the crew makes a Profession (siege engineer) check (DC 20). If successful, where the object actually lands is determined by rolling 1d12 and consulting the Deviation (10 Ft. to 16 Ft.) Diagram on page 68. The center is the desired target. If the check is failed, the DM secretly rolls and consults the same deviation diagram. The result is now where the catapult is actually aimed. This new result is used as the center to determine the actual deviation of the attack. For example, a catapult is used to attack a stone tower. The Profession (siege engineer) check fails, so the DM rolls 1d12 and gets an 11. By consulting the diagram, she determines that the actual target is 10 feet from the desired target, behind and to the left. Now, a crew member rolls 1d12 and gets an 8. After consulting the Deviation (10 Ft. to 16 Ft.) Diagram on page 68 to see where the object goes, the DM ascertains that it falls 10 feet short and to the left of the actual target, which is 20 feet to the left of the desired target.
Loading the catapult and preparing it to fire takes the full crew 8 full rounds. Initially aiming (or reaiming) takes 10 minutes in addition to loading and preparation time. Three to four crew members can operate the device in three times this time. Fewer than three crew members cannot operate the device.
Catapult, Light: This is a smaller, lighter version of the heavy catapult (see that entry for how to operate it). Two crew members can load and prepare this device in 5 full rounds and aim (or reaim) in 5 minutes. One person can crew the engine, but it takes three times the time to aim and prepare.
Ballista: The ballista is essentially a very large crossbow. It makes attacks with a straight attack roll (1d20) with no modifications (no character base attack bonuses, ability modifiers, etc.) except for range. Loading and cocking a ballista is 3 full-round actions.
Ram: This heavy pole is suspended from a movable scaffold that allows the crew to swing it back and forth against construction. Make an unmodified attack roll against the AC of the construction, with failed attempts dealing no significant damage. The ram can be used to make an attack every 3 rounds if fully crewed. With five to nine people, it can be used every 6 rounds. Fewer than five people cannot operate it.
Siege Tower: This is a large wooden tower on wheels or rollers that can be rolled up against a wall to allow attackers to scale the tower and thus to get to the top of the wall with cover. The wooden walls are usually 1 foot thick.
