sling bullet alternatives

[taliesin15]

I know that stones are already seen as a good alternative to bullets for sling wielders--but I was thinking that some projectiles might be more effective than others--seems like Quartz would do more cutting damage than most natural stones--to take this analogy even further, seems like rich high level characters might even consider using gems that are harder and sharper, say diamonds, could, if shaped the right way, might really do a lot of damage. Whaddya think?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Do you realize how much a walnut-sized diamond would cost???

In the Arms and Equipment Guide, there are some special arrows. Why not make similar sling bullets:
- Alchemist's Bullet: hollow sphere filled with alchemist's fire.
- Shoot thunderstones
- (hm. I thought there were more...)

The problem I would see with using sharp bullets is the fact that you might damage your sling when using said bullets...

Also, instead of spending a fortune on precious-stone sling bullets, you might want to invest in a magic sling instead (flaming, shocking, etc.)

AR

 

[AuraSeer]

An edged bullet wouldn't be as effective as you might think. A sling throws things in a simple arc, and doesn't impart the kind of sideways movement required for a blade to be useful. (Try cutting a steak by just pressing the knife down onto it, rather than sawing back and forth. Nearly impossible, right?)

Sharp points for piercing damage are no better, because a slung bullet tumbles randomly in flight. It probably won't hit with the sharp end first. If you make it with points all over the place, like a star shape, you increase the air resistance and make the bullet travel more slowly-- so it will actually do less damage.

As for slinging gems around.... well, if you've got that much money, throw away the sling and buy a self-loading magic crossbow.

 

[Stormrunner]

While gems may be "hard", in the sense that they can scratch or abrade most other materials, they are also quite brittle. How does a gemcutter create the facets of a diamond? By tapping it just right with a little hammer and chisel. Whack a diamond with a sledgehammer and you get diamond dust, not a dented hammer.
The sling bullet is better than a pebble because it's A) heavier (lead/iron rather than stone) and B) smooth and balanced, producing less air resistance and a straighter flight path.

However, the comic Neotopia had a tribe of wild elves who deliberately used carefully-chosen unbalanced rocks in their slings, allowing them to throw "curveballs" to hit opponents hiding behind cover. This is rather unrealistic, but "cool" enough (and not too overpowered) that I could see allowing it as an Exotic Weapon feat, like halfling skiprocks.

 

[Maldur]

Gloranthian trolls had a lead coin, the bolg. When they would run out of sling ammo, they would chew a few of them together to form a new bullet.

 

[painandgreed]

You want weight in a sling bullet as it's a kinetic weapon. Gold would be much better than gems if you really wanted better sling bullets. Platinium might be even better because it's heavier than gold.

Of course, wait till the Complete Adventurer comes out and you'll have "capsules", little things of alchemical goodness. Not sure, but I bet you could use them in slings as I know there are capsules made for putting on weapons.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Depleted uranium.


Jeff

P.S. With adamantium claws!

 

[Jesus_marley]

Has any one posted or published rules concerning the slingshot?

I actually still own one from when I was a child, I can attest that they do some wicked damage. Especially depending on the type of ammo. As a kid I was able to shoot marbles and pebbles through inch thick cedar shingles. If I tried now.... *shudder*.

of course, I wasn't limited to marbles and pebbles either... We discovered that pennies could be equally as lethal...

 

[Mighty Halfling]

Don't forget Halfling Skiprocks. These require a Exotic Weapon Prof. When they hit the first target, the richochet and can hit a second target within a certain distance. Essentially it gives you two hit chances with one attack action. You can find them in Sword & Fist. (They may also be in the WotC Arms & Equipment Guide.

 

[cmanos]

going from a standpoint of heavier is better with a slingstone ( I can go into the physical calculations if you really want)...

10 lead bullets = #5 = 1sp

...

1 bullet = #0.5 = 1cp

..

#1 lead = 2cp

Given #1 gold = 50gp
given #1 Platinum = 500gp
given Lead density = 11340 kg/m3
given Gold density = 19320 kg/m3
given Platinum density = 21400 kg/m3

1 #0.5 gold sling bullet would run you around 25gp apiece
1 #0.5 platinum sling bullet would run you around 250gp apiece

Id say, to be more effective they would have to be heavier....as gold and platinum are denser than lead, a #0.5 sling bullet in either of these metals would be smaller in diameter...if you made them the same size they would be approximately 2x as heavy. Perhaps they would count as a LArge sling bullet and do 1d6 points of damage, but then I'd also rule that the range increment was more like 20'.

You'd be probably better off making them out of silver, enchanting them, and giving them to the Paladin to take out the Balor....