D&D: Five Ways To Avoid Bringing A Sword To A Siege-Weapon Fight
Magic swords are cool and all, but are they as good as siege weapons? Are you sure? Take a look at these and see for yourself.
From ballistae to trebuchets, the Dungeon Master’s Guide is full of the kinds of weapons that you might want to bring along when you’re trying to take down a dragon. Or one of the other various monstrous behemoths that inhabit the various pages of the Monster Manual. And I’m not talking about magic swords or bows. They’re cool and all.
But I’m talking cannons. I’m talking trebuchets. Siege weapons have long been a part of D&D, and in the 5.5E Dungeon Master’s Guide, they cast a large shadow dealing anywhere from 4d6 – 8d10 damage in a devastating blow. If you have the right people, that is.
Trebuchet
Let’s start with an icon. A legend. A true master of the game. The one and only trebuchet. A classic fantasy siege weapon. It’s a kind of catapult in the DMG that can fling its payload in a high arc. It is weirdly enough one of the very specific intersections of the real world and D&D (let me tell you about how a longsword isn’t actually a longsword and studded leather isn’t real). And what a guy. What a beauty, just look at those graceful curves and powerful arms. Dressit up with that skull and you’re ready to serve. Rocks. At a range of 300/1,200 feet.
It takes a crew to work one of these. A crew of five is recommended, because it takes two Utilize actions to load the trebuchet, and two more Utilize actions to aim the trebuchet, with a fifth used to take the “Trebuchet Stone” action, which lets you make a ranged attack roll (+5 to hit) and it deals 8d10 damage on a hit.
And with an AC of 15 and 150 hit points, it’s a sturdy bastion that your crew can bunker down behind. The one downside is they can’t hit a target within 60 feet, because the trebuchet is just too powerful.
Ballista
The other big weapon from the Weapons & Warriors set made real in D&D, the ballista. It’s a big crossbow, effectively, and it hurls potent bolts at your enemies, dealing 3d10 piercing damage on a hit. With a small crew you can load (1 action), aim (1 action), and fire (1 action) at a target.
Although the ballista is a lot more fragile—it has an AC of 15 and only 50 hit points. Which means there’s not a bad precedent for trying to take out the ballista if you find yourself facing one.
Lightning Cannon
Alright, on to the fantasy versions of siege weapons. Starting with the Lightning Cannon. This is basically a magical ballista that is superior to our friend the ballista in almost every way. It deals more damage (4d10 lightning instead of 3d10 piercing) and blasts enemies up to 1,200 feet away, putting it on par with the mighty trebuchet.
It also requires the smallest crew as well, needing only a single Utilize action to Aim it before another Utilize action can Fire it. Meaning a Thief Rogue could potentially fire off a lightning cannon all by themselves.
It’s got a higher AC – 19 – but it only has 30 hit points, making it one of the few siege weapons that could take itself out in a single hit.
Flamethrower Coach
If you’ve played Elden Ring, you know exactly what these little monsters are. They’re a magical siege weapon that needs a crew of two—one to drive it, moving it up to 30 feet, and one to aim the flamethrower turret mounted on the coach.
The flamethrower packs a punch, too, dealing 4d6 fire damage to every creature in a 60-foot long line; thoough it should be a cone in my opinion. But it hits in a 60-foot long, 5-foot wide line. And it gives 3/4ths cover to anyone inside, and with an AC of 19 and 100 hit points, it’s basically a little tank. Even if the flamethrower is puny, you can still use it as a mobile assault vehicle.
Keg Launcher
The Keg Launcher is a name that sounds more like an item to get this party started rather than magical siege equipment. But it launches toxic kegs at distant foes, hitting every creature within a 20-foot radius sphere centered on a point of your choosing within 30-300 feet of the keg launcher.
It is remarkable as the only big AoE weapon (the flamethrower covers
The iron flask, for instance, can only capture a creature that is native to a plane other than the one you’re currently on. Also the creature you capture gets a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw to avoid being trapped. Once trapped, you get a whole hour of a completely loyal ally—after an hour, the creature acts normally. Unless you put it back in the flask.
Happy adventuring!
