Any way to get a turret?


Advice


I'm writing my own adventure as a new GM, and while I feel like I have most of my bases covered, I've run into a wall.

One of the encounters I have planned is a ranged vanara bandit who fights from the trees. The bandit is also skilled at making traps. One of the traps I have planned is a heavy crossbow "turret" which, when triggered, fires a shot at everyone it detects.

My first thought was to make a trap, but I have no idea if I'm doing right. Currently, the trap looks like this:

Crossbow Turret CR 3
Type Mechanical; Perception DC 0; Disable Device DC 22
Effects
Trigger proximity; Reset automatic; Bypass hidden switch
Effects heavy crossbow fires 4 times, +4 (1d10/19-20)

Will this work? Is there a bette way to make a turret? The party will be APL 1.


How is it finding and targeting people? Most arrow traps shoot at fixed fields of fire where targets are presumed to be. There's not plausible mechanism by which a crossbow can see potential targets, differentiate them from friendlies, or align itself and shoot at them.


Make it an animated object. If you look up animated objects in the bestiary on the prd you can eyeball it pretty well. Just remove its move speed in exchange for a new ranged attack dealing 1d8+1ish. Should be decently balanced at CR 2 or a bit lower


Looks right if you don't want it determining between friend and foe. I would also stat it as a target-able creature as that is how all the turrets I use get treated.


play a summoner put all evolution points into extra arms and light crossbow proficiency(or long bow) get the edolon rapid reload and multi weapon fighting and then have a mobile turret unit capable of shooting 10+ times a round


Well, unless you need the rules, don't worry about it.

Otherwise, you need to explain how the trap works, at least to us. It is a crossbow that when triggered fires 4 bolts.
I don't know if that means it fires 1 bolt a round for up to 4 shots, or if the trap fires 4 bolts rapidly at the target triggering it (or 4 crossbows fire 1 bolt each). I don't know if triggering the trap animates it for x rounds (or as long as target in vicinity) and it fires up to 4 times before running out ammo or if it fires 4 times a round.

Most triggered traps are aimed and fire at a location, like where a tripwire is stepped on, or a pressure plate, or at a doorway when a door is opened. So that's part of the trigger, but if you have it actually aiming and targeting, then you need to add a arcane eye, darkvision, clairvoyance, or other effect that reasonably would give it sight (adding see invisibility or true seeing if you want it able to target invisible foes and such.)

Also, looking at the +4 to hit. That sucks. Even a CR 1 trap typically is a +10 or more. Though that represents it being aimed where the target is setting it off. If you have it autonomously targeting, then the +4 is fine assuming that's what a typical creature challenge would hit at for your expected CR.

I will just suggest, and comment, that a heavy crossbow will have a very high chance of taking out a 1st-level character (into unconsciousness anyhow.) Obviously if they drop to the 1 bolt they get a +4 AC for being prone (though... they count as 0 Dex for being unconscious, unless you want to rule the bolts just fly over their head, which is fair.) This is fine if it's a corridor trap and the party can heal it (which spends resources) since it's unlikely to decimate the entire party. So someone can at least tend and move the others. Much more dangerous if it triggers in an encounter or sounds an alarm that attracts guards (which is how most traps should work; in tandem with creatures, otherwise they're just speed-bumps.)


Your a DM, you don't need things to be exact. As long as it makes sense then use it.

Given what your going for it would make much more sense to just make a creature and call it a trap. A magical wooden box that is concealed on tree's and makes ranged attacks against those that come within range

Make it a construct that can't move. Mechanically it will do everything you want.


Add a magical component, tied to an alarm spell, to determine intruders and people to let through. That way it shoots at intruders in the area of the alarm but not people with the password or 'key'.


There is something like what you describe in the Black Markets book, the autosniper trap. Have a lot of those or make the crossbow magically reload itself.

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