Post by Iron Bonny Shades on Dec 14, 2003 0:13:05 GMT -5
here's something I was tinkering with for the last week.
As always feedback is always appreciated.
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Cannon's in Deadlands:
After being unchanged for almost 300 years of use, the humble cannon has been a factor in warfare throughout the civil war. Both the North and the South have scrambled to develop these comparatively simple, yet amazingly effective weapons. At the beginning of the war, it was the north that held a decisive advantage. For the majority of production fascilities and powder mills were located overwhelmingly int the north. However, by 1862 there were a series of munition factories in Augusta, Georgia; Nashville, Manchester, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; Marshall, Texas; and Petersburg, Virginia.
Cannons were oftne classified as two types: Field cannons and siege/garrison artillery. Field cannons are used in the field and grouped into batteries, usually of 6 , but occasionally of four. Each cannon is usually pulled by 6 horses and had a crew of 6 to 8 men. While these crews could conceivably fire up to 4 times per minute, a they usually only fired once every two minutes. The siege/Garrison were huge weapons that were larger and more difficult to move between forts.
With the devlopment of the "new science" this effective weapon of war has gone back the drawing board. New and Effective techniques for reloading, firing and moving the gun have been brought to the forefront making these new guns the terror of the battlefield. What follows are some of the developments in this field.
Larger/Custom guns
Cost: $500 multipled by the pound of the ball.
Damage: 1d12 for every two pounds of the ball up to 6 lbs. For larger Balls, it does 1d20 for every 3 pounds of the ball.
Crit: Stays the same without modifications.
Crew: Add an additional crew Shadow Warrior for every 5 pounds above 12 for the weight of the shot
Weight 200 times the weight of the shot
Reload: add an additiona1 round for every additional 5 pounds above 12 for the weight of the shot.
Note: All cannons have a base reliability of 2.
Ammunition
Canister: Most of the guns used on the battlefield are often little more then oversized shotguns for all intent and purpose on the field. For this purpose, a series of sub caliber bullets are loaded into the barrel to be used at close range If canister is used, any shot fires has a blast area and is easier to hit an oppoinent. It gets a +2 to strike on the first range increment and does full damage. For every increment afterwards, it gains a +1 to hit, with a penalty of a loss of a die to damage, to a minimum of 1 die This continues until the sixth increment when the canister is so dispersed that it no longer does effective damage. It costs $3 per pound of gun for a shot of canister (aka an 8 pound cannister shot would cost $24.
GrapeShot: Siimilar in concept to canister, but has fewer and larger balls, held together with iron rings or trussed up with fabric and twine. While most commonly used in the navy, but grape was at least occasionally issued to field and foot artillery. While different then Canister textually, it has for all game purposes the same cost and effects.
Shrapnel: Often used against a set of troops at long range, this is a thin-cased shell that was filled with bullets, and loaded also with a small bursting charge. In order to simulate the area affect of this armament, it is considered to have a blast radius of triple the pound of the gun, for the purpose of damage and effect. It costs $5 per pound of gun for a shot of Shrapnel (aka an 8 pound Shrapnel shot would cost $40)..
Solid Shot: Used for battering and against mass troops, this is little more then an iron ball shot out of a cannon at high speeds. Like the slugs used in shotguns, it is usually a little inaccurate, and has a -2 to strike. However, it does have increased range and can go 10 increments with no change in damage. It costs $1 per pound of the gun (aka an 8 pound solid shot would cost $8).
Shell: A hollowed out gunpowder shell that has a fuse that is lit when it is shot. It gives a +1 to damage per die and a blast radius equal double the pound of the gun. For example, a 8 pound gun does 4d12 +4 and has a blast radius of 16. It costs.$6 per pound of the gun (aka an 8 pound shell shot would cost $48).
Special Modifications
The following Modifications are commonly available for most cannons:
Brass/Bronze material: While Iron was used, the prefered material until recently for cannons is that of brass or bronze. Softer, yet Tougher, it does not burst so easily. However, the gun cannot be rifled and it is much heavier. Cost: three times the normal cost, and twice as heavy, but it reduces the reliability by one. However, not many additions can be made to such a soft metal.
Rifling: By adding a spin through the forcing the projectile into spiral grooves in the bore of the gun makes it fly straighter, farther, and with more power on impact. However, it often reduces the reliability of the gun in question. Cost 1.5x the normal cost, and doubles the cost for amunition (they need to be bullet shape), but increase the Range increment by 50% and add a +1 To damage per die.
Breach-Loading: By building a breach loader, instead of a muzzle loader, one got increased accuracy and quicker rate of fire, but at the expense of gases lost through reducing overall range. Cost: 2x the normal cost of the gun, but it halves reload times, and increases accuracy by +2 to strike. However, it reduces range increment by a third and increases malfunction by 2.
Howitzer This gun is designed with a shorter barrel and a thinner walled barrel. These reduce the range, but allowed the cannon to be used for indirect fire (see below). Cost: 2x the normal cost of the gun and it reduces the range increment by 5 feet.
Mortar : Theses guns cannot fire directly, they only allows indirect fire. They are usually fixed at a at a fixed angle between 45 and 50 degrees. cost: No change to cost or weight.
New Science:
Of course, with the advent of the new science, it was only a matter of time, before mad scienists set their eyes on getting a better boom for their buck. Below are some of the most successful of such tinkering.
Vapor Cannon Retrofit: The next step in breech loading, the cannon is equiped to use ghost rock gas as a propelant, increasing the range and damage, and reducing the crew size. In game terms, the range increment is increased by 50, damage is increased by +1 per die, it ignores two points of A.C., and crew size is decreased by one. For a Smith and Robbards ghost rock core has about 30 shots which is divided by the poundage of the gun. For an example a 10 pound gun would only get three shots from the ghost rock core. However, Malfunction is increased by 2 if built from scratch or 3 if the cannon is retrofited. Note that this is on top of the advantages and disadvantages of having a breechloader and rifled barrel (which all these cannons are).
Patent Holders: Smith and Robards.
Cost: Add 25% to the overall poundage to the cannon if built from scratch. Add 10% if it is retrofited. This is on top of the other costs of breechloading and rifling.
Ghost steel: Just like in smaller arms, the miracle of ghost metal allows a hardness with no loss of lightness and has become the new prefered material for cannon building. It reduces the weight of the cannon by 1/2 and reduces malfunction by one. Cost: 4x the normal cost of the cannon.
Revolver chambered: Taking the idea of the six shooter one further. This breech loading cannon has replaced the barrel with a rotary magazine, much like the Revolver. It can fire a shot once per round until the gun is empty, then it can be loaded normally. Cost: 5x the normal cost of the cannon, adds a third to the weight and it adds +2 to malfunction.
New skill:
Artilery (int) This skill allows the indirect use of howitzer and mortar. When shooting such guns, it is based on a dc of 15 plus modifiers for range. Even if the weapon is able to fire more then once per round, the maximum one can fire for this is one per round. When being used in this manner, it cannot fire closer then the first two range increments. If the artillery misses, it is off by 10 yards per point that you misses, to a maximum of half of the intended range.
Air Bursts: While fairly difficult to do, it is possible to blow a shell up in the air. While this does minimal damage to any property, it is truly murderous to any infantry in the area. By making a successful roll against dc 20 plus modifiers for range, causes the blast to do an additional 2 dice of damage. Additionally, all cover is negated save fox holes, which provides only half cover. An Air burst can also be setoff by a wooden area. In such situations, roll a die. On an odd result, it naturally air bursts.
This skill can be used to speed up the rate of fire of the cannon. For every round the cannon wishes to fire prematurely, a –2 penalty is added to the artillery roll. Additionally, this penalty is added to the malfunction of the cannon.
Synergy Bonus: Knowledge (mathematics) of 5 or higher gives a +2 to strike to artillerist.
As always feedback is always appreciated.
*************************************
Cannon's in Deadlands:
After being unchanged for almost 300 years of use, the humble cannon has been a factor in warfare throughout the civil war. Both the North and the South have scrambled to develop these comparatively simple, yet amazingly effective weapons. At the beginning of the war, it was the north that held a decisive advantage. For the majority of production fascilities and powder mills were located overwhelmingly int the north. However, by 1862 there were a series of munition factories in Augusta, Georgia; Nashville, Manchester, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; Marshall, Texas; and Petersburg, Virginia.
Cannons were oftne classified as two types: Field cannons and siege/garrison artillery. Field cannons are used in the field and grouped into batteries, usually of 6 , but occasionally of four. Each cannon is usually pulled by 6 horses and had a crew of 6 to 8 men. While these crews could conceivably fire up to 4 times per minute, a they usually only fired once every two minutes. The siege/Garrison were huge weapons that were larger and more difficult to move between forts.
With the devlopment of the "new science" this effective weapon of war has gone back the drawing board. New and Effective techniques for reloading, firing and moving the gun have been brought to the forefront making these new guns the terror of the battlefield. What follows are some of the developments in this field.
Weapon Cost Damage Critical Range Crew lbs Reload Type
Cannon, $3,000 4d12 18-20/x3 50 feet 6 900 lbs 1/4 rounds P
6 pounder
Cannon,
10 pounder $5,000 3d20 18-20/x3 80 feet 6 1500 lbs 1/5 rounds P
Cannon,
12 pounder $6,000 4d20 18-20/x3 100 feet 6 1800 lbs 1/6 rounds P
Larger/Custom guns
Cost: $500 multipled by the pound of the ball.
Damage: 1d12 for every two pounds of the ball up to 6 lbs. For larger Balls, it does 1d20 for every 3 pounds of the ball.
Crit: Stays the same without modifications.
Crew: Add an additional crew Shadow Warrior for every 5 pounds above 12 for the weight of the shot
Weight 200 times the weight of the shot
Reload: add an additiona1 round for every additional 5 pounds above 12 for the weight of the shot.
Note: All cannons have a base reliability of 2.
Ammunition
Canister: Most of the guns used on the battlefield are often little more then oversized shotguns for all intent and purpose on the field. For this purpose, a series of sub caliber bullets are loaded into the barrel to be used at close range If canister is used, any shot fires has a blast area and is easier to hit an oppoinent. It gets a +2 to strike on the first range increment and does full damage. For every increment afterwards, it gains a +1 to hit, with a penalty of a loss of a die to damage, to a minimum of 1 die This continues until the sixth increment when the canister is so dispersed that it no longer does effective damage. It costs $3 per pound of gun for a shot of canister (aka an 8 pound cannister shot would cost $24.
GrapeShot: Siimilar in concept to canister, but has fewer and larger balls, held together with iron rings or trussed up with fabric and twine. While most commonly used in the navy, but grape was at least occasionally issued to field and foot artillery. While different then Canister textually, it has for all game purposes the same cost and effects.
Shrapnel: Often used against a set of troops at long range, this is a thin-cased shell that was filled with bullets, and loaded also with a small bursting charge. In order to simulate the area affect of this armament, it is considered to have a blast radius of triple the pound of the gun, for the purpose of damage and effect. It costs $5 per pound of gun for a shot of Shrapnel (aka an 8 pound Shrapnel shot would cost $40)..
Solid Shot: Used for battering and against mass troops, this is little more then an iron ball shot out of a cannon at high speeds. Like the slugs used in shotguns, it is usually a little inaccurate, and has a -2 to strike. However, it does have increased range and can go 10 increments with no change in damage. It costs $1 per pound of the gun (aka an 8 pound solid shot would cost $8).
Shell: A hollowed out gunpowder shell that has a fuse that is lit when it is shot. It gives a +1 to damage per die and a blast radius equal double the pound of the gun. For example, a 8 pound gun does 4d12 +4 and has a blast radius of 16. It costs.$6 per pound of the gun (aka an 8 pound shell shot would cost $48).
Special Modifications
The following Modifications are commonly available for most cannons:
Brass/Bronze material: While Iron was used, the prefered material until recently for cannons is that of brass or bronze. Softer, yet Tougher, it does not burst so easily. However, the gun cannot be rifled and it is much heavier. Cost: three times the normal cost, and twice as heavy, but it reduces the reliability by one. However, not many additions can be made to such a soft metal.
Rifling: By adding a spin through the forcing the projectile into spiral grooves in the bore of the gun makes it fly straighter, farther, and with more power on impact. However, it often reduces the reliability of the gun in question. Cost 1.5x the normal cost, and doubles the cost for amunition (they need to be bullet shape), but increase the Range increment by 50% and add a +1 To damage per die.
Breach-Loading: By building a breach loader, instead of a muzzle loader, one got increased accuracy and quicker rate of fire, but at the expense of gases lost through reducing overall range. Cost: 2x the normal cost of the gun, but it halves reload times, and increases accuracy by +2 to strike. However, it reduces range increment by a third and increases malfunction by 2.
Howitzer This gun is designed with a shorter barrel and a thinner walled barrel. These reduce the range, but allowed the cannon to be used for indirect fire (see below). Cost: 2x the normal cost of the gun and it reduces the range increment by 5 feet.
Mortar : Theses guns cannot fire directly, they only allows indirect fire. They are usually fixed at a at a fixed angle between 45 and 50 degrees. cost: No change to cost or weight.
New Science:
Of course, with the advent of the new science, it was only a matter of time, before mad scienists set their eyes on getting a better boom for their buck. Below are some of the most successful of such tinkering.
Vapor Cannon Retrofit: The next step in breech loading, the cannon is equiped to use ghost rock gas as a propelant, increasing the range and damage, and reducing the crew size. In game terms, the range increment is increased by 50, damage is increased by +1 per die, it ignores two points of A.C., and crew size is decreased by one. For a Smith and Robbards ghost rock core has about 30 shots which is divided by the poundage of the gun. For an example a 10 pound gun would only get three shots from the ghost rock core. However, Malfunction is increased by 2 if built from scratch or 3 if the cannon is retrofited. Note that this is on top of the advantages and disadvantages of having a breechloader and rifled barrel (which all these cannons are).
Patent Holders: Smith and Robards.
Cost: Add 25% to the overall poundage to the cannon if built from scratch. Add 10% if it is retrofited. This is on top of the other costs of breechloading and rifling.
Ghost steel: Just like in smaller arms, the miracle of ghost metal allows a hardness with no loss of lightness and has become the new prefered material for cannon building. It reduces the weight of the cannon by 1/2 and reduces malfunction by one. Cost: 4x the normal cost of the cannon.
Revolver chambered: Taking the idea of the six shooter one further. This breech loading cannon has replaced the barrel with a rotary magazine, much like the Revolver. It can fire a shot once per round until the gun is empty, then it can be loaded normally. Cost: 5x the normal cost of the cannon, adds a third to the weight and it adds +2 to malfunction.
New skill:
Artilery (int) This skill allows the indirect use of howitzer and mortar. When shooting such guns, it is based on a dc of 15 plus modifiers for range. Even if the weapon is able to fire more then once per round, the maximum one can fire for this is one per round. When being used in this manner, it cannot fire closer then the first two range increments. If the artillery misses, it is off by 10 yards per point that you misses, to a maximum of half of the intended range.
Air Bursts: While fairly difficult to do, it is possible to blow a shell up in the air. While this does minimal damage to any property, it is truly murderous to any infantry in the area. By making a successful roll against dc 20 plus modifiers for range, causes the blast to do an additional 2 dice of damage. Additionally, all cover is negated save fox holes, which provides only half cover. An Air burst can also be setoff by a wooden area. In such situations, roll a die. On an odd result, it naturally air bursts.
This skill can be used to speed up the rate of fire of the cannon. For every round the cannon wishes to fire prematurely, a –2 penalty is added to the artillery roll. Additionally, this penalty is added to the malfunction of the cannon.
Synergy Bonus: Knowledge (mathematics) of 5 or higher gives a +2 to strike to artillerist.
