Hi all,
Okay, so hear me out. We have combined our forces with orcs, ogres and goblins. Doing a siege to an Ogre/Orc castle. I have a plan and I'm wondering, how it actually works- the damage, attack rolls and so forth.
Plan: I'll take a catapult. I take a goblin. Equip goblin with something like longsword. Put goblin on catapult. Fire catapult at enemy.
Now, what happens? Do I roll a regular ranged attack (BAB + DEX)?
Does the goblin just go in like a live ammunition, or does he by some miracle get an attack by any chance? Either by flying directly into it, or fly-by swing?
Does the catapult do regular damage, or how does it affect the result?
I don't really care what happens to the goblin (can die), but again, wonder what actually will happen and how.
Any info or similar experience is all welcome.
That's really up to the DM but I can tell you how I would rule this.
1) You would make a normal ranged attack role with the catapult. Your target is the square the enemy is occupying. Much easier to hit, chance for deviation if you miss.
2) The goblin would be making the actual attack against the person occupying the square. Attack rolls modified by a charge, and possibly higher ground. This allows the goblin to decide how to attack. If you aim was poor, but the goblin would land within range to attack, he still has reach to do so. I'd say use the damage listed for the light catapult (4d6) as a baseline, for simplification reasons if you don't want to calculate falling distances (ugh, calculus).
3) The goblin is going to take damage from impacting the ground. Damage would probably be reduced from the actual distance fallen, since he is traveling horizontally a bit, but allow him an acrobatics roll to reduce it further. (4d6, or so, Ref DC 15 for half)
4) if your aim was spot on, give the person in the square a reflex save to avoid being directly hit by the goblin's body (not a weapon attack), for perhaps half damage. Damage would be the falling damage the goblin would normally take without the acrobatics roll.
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Hi all,
Okay, so hear me out. We have combined our forces with orcs, ogres and goblins. Doing a siege to an Ogre/Orc castle. I have a plan and I'm wondering, how it actually works- the damage, attack rolls and so forth.
Plan: I'll take a catapult. I take a goblin. Equip goblin with something like longsword. Put goblin on catapult. Fire catapult at enemy.
Now, what happens? Do I roll a regular ranged attack (BAB + DEX)?
Does the goblin just go in like a live ammunition, or does he by some miracle get an attack by any chance? Either by flying directly into it, or fly-by swing?
Does the catapult do regular damage, or how does it affect the result?I don't really care what happens to the goblin (can die), but again, wonder what actually will happen and how.
Any info or similar experience is all welcome.
Definitely up to the GM. Not covered by rules. Suggest moving thread to Advice. For advice:
I suppose, mechanically, Goblin could ready an action to take place while they were catapulted (since they aren't moving under their own movement). They'd probably need some high perception/intiative check to be able to act while being catapulted. If the readied action comes up, resolve it. Then resolve damage to the goblin as if it "fell" to the target. If the Goblin survives, deal damage to what the goblin hits as improvised ammunition. If the goblin dies, the target just becomes covered in dead goblin, but is otherwise unharmed.
I also suggest some sort of fear check for the goblin, as being catapulted is a death sentence. If they fail by enough, deny them the option for a readied action, as they cower in fear while being flung through the air.
As an aside, launching an ally to certain death seems like it would qualify as an evil act. Not a thing willing creatures would do without being tricked (unless suicidal). And since it's very likely to kill them, it's not something they can practice for, making it a rather iffy tactic (unless the goal is just to kill the goblins...).
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Horizontal momentum does not decrease fall speed unless you have wings to provide lift. It just adds friction burns on top of the bludgeoning gravity facilitates.
I know, I was suggesting using the fall damage rules to determine the damage dealt to the lauched goblin, even though they don't really apply.
The goblin is going to take damage from impacting the ground. Damage would probably be reduced from the actual distance fallen, since he is traveling horizontally a bit...Just, no.
Hey, if you want to bring actual physics into the equation, you can explain to the gods why all the catgirls have perished. I was being considerate. :)
Defiantly houserules. Would do
1. Normal targetting check with catapult
2. The goblin readies an attack then takes it at a big penalty. Think minecraft trying to hit a target with a single click at the end of a free fall. Doable but dam hard without practice
3. Goblin takes fall damage on impact. Since there is litterally no rules on how high a catapults payload goes I would simplify and call it 1/2 or 1/3 horizontal distance
4. Probably do less damage than normal, at least to buildings. Goblins are lighter and squishier than normal catapult payload. I could see a goblin wrapped in spikes hurting a person pretty well though