Arc of Fire

Describes the area which can be fired upon by a siege engine, determined by the position it is facing. Because a ship’s weapon cannot easily be rotated, there is little time during the loading phase that the weapon can be even incrementally adjusted. This limits the arc of fire to only 30-degrees, as shown below.

Weapons placed on hardpoints located at the fore and aft corners of the ship’s configuration can be adjusted to one of three facings, as shown: directed forward, forward and to the side (as shown in the image), or rearward and to the side. When a weapon is ready to fire, whatever the facing may happen to be when the weapons is loaded, the crew must wait until the desired target moves into the arc of fire, or otherwise fires at whatever happens to be within that arc.

This vastly limits the use of weapons as an attack form … which is INTENTIONAL for game purposes. It is noted that the arcs of fire for the positions of the ship’s weapon are NOT interlocking. While not a simulation of reality, it does control the variables for resolving combat in a game space with a minimum or conflicts when determining the arc of fire that can be hit. Interlocking arcs of fire can be created by allowing the ship’s weapon to turn half-hex increments, if the DM prefers.

If the hardpoint is located on the side of the ship, then the facing of the weapon is limited to either towards the forward or towards the rear, as shown. Again, half-hex increments will allow the weapon to be turned so that it fires perpendicular to the ship.

The time needed to change the facing of a siege weapon 60-degrees is equivalent to the time needed to load the weapon. The weapon must be unloaded before it can be turned.

See Naval Combat

Hardpoints

Strengthened, open places upon the deck of a ship, providing space for ship’s weapons. Hardpoints are fitted along the port or starboard sides of the ship, enabling fire to be directed outward. Weapons placed on hardpoints can be shifted towards different hex faces, using a system of pulleys connected to rings set into the deck.   Each facing allows a 30-degree arc of fire in the direction the artillerist crew desires.

Placed weapons are measured against their hardpoint cost, as shown on the table. Though any ballista or catapult may be placed on any hardpoint, the total hardpoint cost for all weapons that are placed cannot exceed the tonnage of the ship. Therefore, an 70-ton vessel could not mount four light catapults, but it could mount three light catapults and a light ballista (total 68). The same vessel could also mount four heavy ballistas (total 60).

There is no rule for the dispersal of weapons between forward, aft or amidships, nor between port and starboard.

Hardpoints located on the port side cannot be used to fire missiles across the deck towards starboard, and vice versa.

See Naval Combat

Ballista

Similar to a giant crossbow, the weapon relies upon two levers with torsion springs consisting of several loops of twisted skeins. The parts of the bow which form the ends bend towards one another by means of a short rope fastened between them; a shaft is placed into a groove, which is about one half the length of the missile fired, but four times as wide. As the missile is discharged from the shaft, wooden fletching produces a controlled ballistic; the missile hits objects with great force, commonly killing an ordinary person outright on a clean hit, even through armour.

Ballista can be mounted atop walls and on ships. Small ballista of special design, called carroballista, can be emplaced on large wagons.

Ballista bolts will split into dangerous splinters when hitting hard surfaces (applies only to missed shots), which creates shrapnel.

Heavy Ballista 

Weight: 500 lbs.
Minimum crew: 4
Range: 305 feet; short (4-14); medium (15-28); long (29-61)
Projectile weight: 7 lbs
Damage vs. h.p.: 3-24
Rounds to load: 4
Hardpoint cost: 15 tons

Light Ballista

Weight: 250 lbs.
Minimum crew: 3
Range: 350 feet; short (2-15); medium (16-32); long (33-70)
Projectile weight: 4½ lbs
Damage vs. h.p.: 3-18
Rounds to load: 3
Hardpoint cost: 8 tons

See Also,
Combat
Hardpoints
Naval Combat
Siege Engines

Mangonel

Also called the traction trebuchet, a siege engine used throughout Eurasia, particularly in backward regions bereft of the development of the trebuchet, which replaces it. The mangonel operates on manual force pulling cords attached to a lever and sling to launch projectiles. Less complex than the torsion-powered catapult, it was simpler and required less competence to build, while providing comparable range and power.

Weight: 800 to 1400 lbs
Minimum crew: 8
Range: 280 feet; short (12-15); medium (16-30); long (31-56)
Projectile weight: 11 lbs
Damage: similar to light catapult

Skipping (catapult fire)

When a solid stone ball fired from a catapult hits a level surface, it will 'skip' - meaning that the ball continues forward with enough speed to do damage to several persons that may be in the catapult ball's path.

The image to the right is intended to simplify the conditions of a skipping ball as much as possible. Everyone in the "skip shadow" can potentially take damage. In the above, once the ball has either missed or hit figure A (it makes no difference which), the ball will then enter the hex immediately behind A, that occupied by figure B. The ball then "attacks" B, requiring a successful roll against B's armor class to hit and do skipping damage (4-14 for a light catapult, 4-16 for a heavy catapult).

The ball will then take one of three paths - left, right or straight. In the case above, if the ball were to skip right, it would then "attack" figure C. A left or right breaking ball would then either skip to the left or right one last time - either out of the skip shadow or passing through one more potential attack hex.

If the ball were to skip straight ahead or two the left, it would pass by figure D - but it would not attack D because by that time the distance of 20 feet from the target has slowed the ball down enough that it can be dodged.

See Also,
Ship's Weaponry
Weapons List

Shrapnel (siege engines)

Catapult balls that are constructed of broken stone and low-grade masonry will shatter when hitting a hard object. Ballista bolts surprisingly heavy and will split into dangerous splinters when they hit a surface. Either has the potential for breaking apart and causing damage with shrapnel:

All creatures within the orange hexes above can potentially take damage. Each are "attacked" by a d20; those that are hit will suffer shrapnel damage from the weapon that has been used.

See Also,
Ship's Weaponry
Weapons List