Flamethrower and Poisonthrower - yes, for a D&D Campaign

Brasswatchman

First Post
Hey, everyone,

First time posting on this site. Long story short, I'm prepping a new D&D campaign that uses some steampunk elements. Here's a pair of items that I recently came up with; I'd appreciate any comments you could send my way, especially regarding balance and cost.

Thanks.



FLAMETHROWER
Cost: 391 gp
Damage (Small): 2d4
Damage (Medium): 2d6
Critical: x3
Range Increment: 5 ft.
Weight: 40 lbs.
Type: Fire

FLAMETHROWER FUEL TANK (10 SHOTS):
Cost: 40 gp
Weight: 12 lbs.

This horror of gnomish technology, produced by the Davros Workers’ Collective, shoots a short burst of flame out of a rifle-like device, held in the user’s hands. The rifle is in turn connected by a hose to a large tank, carried on the wearer’s back. Despite the apparently advanced nature of the device, the technology has its limitations; the device’s fuel is partially alcohol-based, and does not burn at a very high temperature. The chance of a target’s clothing catching on fire is therefore relatively small; however, the device also has a relatively small chance of combustion.
The device is considered a two-handed ranged weapon. Its use within melee combat provokes an attack of opportunity, as is standard for ranged weapons. The device also has a maximum range of 20 feet; it cannot hit a target that is further than this distance away.
Flamethrower fuel may also be thrown as a splash weapon. Since the tank was not created to be thrown, consider it as having a range increment of 5 feet. Since the tank does not contain an ignition device of its own, the player must find a way to set the fuel on fire. The fuel does 1d6 damage per round; it burns for twenty rounds, unless snuffed.

POISONTHROWER
Cost: 300 gp
Damage (Small): Special (see text).
Damage (Medium): Special (see text).
Critical: Special (see text).
Range Increment: 5 ft.
Weight: 30 lbs.
Type: Poison

POISONTHROWER STANDARD TANK (10 SHOTS):
Cost: 100 gp
Poison: Injury, Fort Save DC 10, initial/secondary damage 1d2 Str.
Weight: 3 lbs.

POISONTHROWER PRIMER:
Cost: 20 gp
Weight: 1.5 lb.

This gnomish device allows the user to deliver a dose of injury or contact poison from long range. The poisonthrower looks similar to the gnomish flamethrower, though slightly lighter, having been derived from the same technology: the user holds a short rifle, connected via a hose to a tank on the back. When the trigger is pulled, the rifle produces a short spurt of clear liquid capable of arching across a battlefield.
The poisonthrower is a two-handed ranged weapon. Its use within melee combat provokes an attack of opportunity, as is standard for ranged weapons. The device also has a maximum range of 30 feet (slightly longer than the flamethrower’s, due to a relatively lighter payload); it cannot hit a target that is further than this distance away.
While the Davrosian army typically uses small monstrous spider poison (contained within the standard tank; see above), the poisonthrower is capable of delivering any injury or contact poison. The poison must be dissolved within a chemical primer in order to be useable. The amount of primer sold above is sufficient to prepare ten doses of poison.
The poisonthrower does not produce an injury; therefore, a poisonthrower using an injury poison can only effect targets that have already been wounded. In game terms, a target must have taken at least 1 hp of damage to be vulnerable to a poisonthrower using this type of payload.
 

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I read somewhere once that the ancient Chinese had developed a flamethrower, but it was more like a siege engine than a battlefield weapon.

That poisonthrower is a scary concept. I'll never underestimate those gnomes again!
 

Welcome on board!

Brasswatchman said:
When the trigger is pulled, the rifle produces a short spurt of clear liquid capable of arching across a battlefield.

This would of course not work IRL. Liquid shot at any significant speed through air will quickly be brokeen up by the turbulence and scatter into a fine mist, not reaching anywhere.
I'd recommend putting the poison into some sort of container meant to break on impact.

For the flame thrower I'd recommend using alchemist's fire, which is the D&D equivalent of greek fire (and napalm). Both the byzantine army and the arabs used siphons to spray greek fire over their enemies and their ships.
Dragon #334 had an article about alchemist's fire and fire throwers that you might find interesting.

Chinese firethrowers were generally more akin to rockets with the jet turned against the enemies.


And at last I'll have to to tell you that this is a subject more appropriate for the House Rules forum than the Rules forum (which is meant for questions about the rules rather than inventing new ones) ;)
 

Henrix said:
And at last I'll have to to tell you that this is a subject more appropriate for the House Rules forum than the Rules forum (which is meant for questions about the rules rather than inventing new ones) ;)

Ah. Understood. N00b's mistake, sorry about that. If any of the mods are watching and want to move this thread, I'd appreciate it.

As for the Dragon magazine approach to flamethrowers - anything in particular you could mention to me? Thanks.
 
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I'm still a bit worried about the issue of price. Does everyone think what I've come up with sounds fair? I'll admit that the prices are a little bit arbitrary, since I really don't have any basis for comparison.
 

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