D&D 5E Magic chainsaw stats?

[Voadam]

My 5e group is going through a conversion of the ancient tech crashed spaceship in a fantasy world adventure path of Iron Gods. While in the Mad Max wastelands section the party has just defeated an orc warlord with an unholy magic chainsaw. The party hexblade is willing to give up his greataxe and a hand to attune to it just so he can say groovy a lot. I see the DMG does not have chainsaw stats in the modern sci-fi section, just a reference to an intelligence check to figuring out how to use them. Any good stats for an unholy chainsaw appropriate for a 6th level party?

 

[Voadam]

My first thought is 2d6 +1 magic necrotic. Which would be easy to input into Fantasy Grounds.

The losing a hand thing is just flavor the PC wants. The intention is it will not have significant consequences so I am not considering it in power balance considerations.

 

[Weiley31]

My 5e group is going through a conversion of the ancient tech crashed spaceship in a fantasy world adventure path of Iron Gods. While in the Mad Max wastelands section the party has just defeated an orc warlord with an unholy magic chainsaw. The party hexblade is willing to give up his greataxe and a hand to attune to it just so he can say groovy a lot. I see the DMG does not have chainsaw stats in the modern sci-fi section, just a reference to an intelligence check to figuring out how to use them. Any good stats for an unholy chainsaw appropriate for a 6th level party?

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Not sure if it would help ya but: Lazer & Liches: Player Mix and Iron Kingdom: Requiem (Along with The Nightmare Kingdom supplement) has rules for Chainsaw weapons pretty much.

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Lasers & Liches: Players Mix - Welcome to the Retroverse! An exciting new 5E universe from Lasers & Liches that resides in a place of half faded me

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(I have both of these (Nightmare Kingdom isn't out yet but I backed the Kickstarter so backers got a playtest preview/early draft of the book), so I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about how they work in that regard if you are unable to check them out personally).

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There's also Steampunk Weapons D&D 5E by Trabality and there is a Chainsaw in that Weapons table as well.

Steampunk Weapons for D&D 5th Edition - Tribality

Pirate Weapons | Steampunk Weapons | Steampunk Armor | Steampunk Equipment If you like steampunk, check out Steampunk Adventurers for 5e, which is now available on DriveThruRPG from Tribality Publishing! With STEAMPUNK ADVENTURERS you can provide your players with new player character options...

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(Their Chainsaw rule for hitting a Nat 1 is interesting).

Those have been pretty much my go-to rules/picks for Chainsaw weapons in 5E.

Also: if you want a Grenade Launcher with a Chainsaw bayonet attachment, this is your best option right here!

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[EzekielRaiden]

Since the chainsaw is magic, I assume it runs without fuel.

2d6 seems a little...I dunno, kind of bland, that's basically just a +1 greatsword. I would want it to have either a special feature of some kind or some other means to stand out from the crowd.

Perhaps make it a 3d4 weapon? Still using nice simple dice, but this reflects how consistent a chainsaw is. It hurts real good, but it's more a consistent kind of hurt, rather than the swingy "sometimes tons, sometimes none" of a 1d12 weapon?

You might also pair it with a unique physical damage type, like "rending" or the like, since chainsaws are...not really any of the three standard physical damage types. That would be a good way for it to do consistently high damage and be scary even to opponents that are otherwise resilient against such harm.

 

[Reynard]

Off the top.of my head, I would do something like:

2d6+Str magic evil slashing damage, +1d6 per round of continuous damage (treat as a grapple check). Max damag 6d6. If the creature being sawed succeeds at their check, the effect ends and the extra damage dice reset. If they succeed by 5 or more, the wielder takes 2d6 plus the targets strength modifier and the target can start the "grapple".

 

[Weiley31]

That would be a good way for it to do consistently high damage and be scary even to opponents that are otherwise resilient against such harm.

Pretty much they would ignore Resistance to Slashing damage and be good against Constructs.

 

[aco175]

I was thinking of something that allows for explosive damage. 2d6 for starter and every 6 you roll, you get to add another d6. This way when you crit and roll 4d6 you get a good chance of rolling more d6s to make even bigger damage.

 

[Haplo781]

2d6 damage, doubled against undead and aberrations.

 

[Clint_L]

Plus it has to have a feature where it is really good at doing structural damage against wooden or other light structures.

 

[jgsugden]

d4 damage when off, d4+d8 when on.

 

[el-remmen]

There is a magic item called "The Chain Sword" in an old issue of Dragon (probably 1E, but maybe 2E) but if I can find it I'll scan the page for you.

 

[Deset Gled]

For those of you that know what the first chainsaw was designed for...

... I'm guessing if the inventor was a wizard he would have just cast Enlarge/Reduce instead.

 

[Incenjucar]

1d4 damage, 2d8 ongoing damage until the target makes a reflex save or moves away. The first whack of a chain saw isn't where the damage is, it's what happens after it gets a hold.

 

[Ancalagon]

Chainsaws can do pretty gnarly wounds, but they actually are ... pretty bad as a weapon. A sword, an axe, will cleave in a swift motion. A chainsaw is "WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR", you need prolonged contact. Unless your target is immobile... they just are going to move out of the way.

Think about it - we've had mass stabbings with knives, swords, axe rampage... but chainsaws? Not really.

... but if the group is fine with that, maybe give it the vicious property? (more damage on a crit)

 

[ECMO3]

If it is a chainsaw it should have a damage bonus vs plants.

 

[Stormonu]

2d6 slashing (magical) damage seems fine. Remember, replacing the hand to use it is making it a one-handed weapon - that's pretty good for that.

@ECMO3 has a good point - maybe have it do double damage to structures, such as a tree, door, etc. ?

 

[Voadam]

Chainsaws can do pretty gnarly wounds, but they actually are ... pretty bad as a weapon. A sword, an axe, will cleave in a swift motion. A chainsaw is "WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR", you need prolonged contact. Unless your target is immobile... they just are going to move out of the way.

Think about it - we've had mass stabbings with knives, swords, axe rampage... but chainsaws? Not really.

... but if the group is fine with that, maybe give it the vicious property? (more damage on a crit)

Realistically chainsaws would be terrible weapons as if it hit a snag, such as on metal spikes, the chain could snap at great risk to the wielder.

But my D&D DMing style already has an explicit heavy Army of Darkness PG 13 action horror (comedy) tone as a goal, so having an Ash-style magic chainsaw that does not break and can be used to decapitate as a slashing maneuver is completely appropriate.

Plus for this sci fi fantasy D&D game I already have a steampunk set of space marine style plate mail for the Acme cleric, with a magic power fist gauntlet (reskinned +1 mace and holy symbol) they acquired, so a 40K Chainsword aesthetic for the hexblade on recovered loot from the same bad guy faction as they got the Power Fist from is OK.