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Dralnu
2010-09-30, 01:42 AM
A player wants to use a Craft skill to build siege weapons and stuff. I think it's a cool idea, but is there a book I can look at that has rules for these things? If not, any ideas on how it should work?

Specifically, she's a dread necromancer that wants a "Craft (Necrotech)" to build evil weapons to bolster the evil army that she works for.

Also, are there any balanced variants for crafting things without having an associated XP cost?

Kaww
2010-09-30, 01:56 AM
Heroes of battle pg 94 holds the answer to: 'how to craft siege engines?'

As for DN and Craft Necrotech I would rule that she might make them with a -5 penalty.

Heroes of battle is the answer to many of war related questions in DnD.:smallwink:

Gavinfoxx
2010-09-30, 01:56 AM
Well... I think some dragon magazine somewhere has rules for hallowing out dragons bones as transport...

Just raising a bulette as undead and using that as transport isn't that bad either.

Has the character read the Dread Necromancer Handbook?

And the various "living in a flying box" threads? I came up with one... but that's more something an Artificer or Wizard would do...

Frosty
2010-09-30, 01:59 AM
Well first the player needs a Barracks, then a Factory with a Tech lab Add-on...

Gavinfoxx
2010-09-30, 02:01 AM
Well first the player needs a Barracks, then a Factory with a Tech lab Add-on...

I wasn't going to go there, but someone did.... >.>

Frosty
2010-09-30, 02:03 AM
I wasn't going to go there, but someone did.... >.>
And don't forget crafting materials! He needs to have 1 vespene gas on hand for every 250g market value! :smallbiggrin:

Dralnu
2010-09-30, 02:21 AM
Fixed title.

Heroes of Battle is a good find. Very useful, thanks.

The player likely read the handbook and I just did. No siege weapons in there. No idea what the flying box thing is. Is it related to my question?

Kaww
2010-09-30, 02:27 AM
Fixed title.

Heroes of Battle is a good find. Very useful, thanks.

The player likely read the handbook and I just did. No siege weapons in there. No idea what the flying box thing is. Is it related to my question?

It is, sort of. It's related to DN and crafting.

DO NOT MENTION TO PLAYER/S UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

That's my .02$

Gavinfoxx
2010-09-30, 02:43 AM
Oh, there are a number of threads that talk about crafting mobile bases of operations:

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19857754/Living_in_a_Flying_Box..

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3630.0

I came up with one myself:

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9278

I'm sure a few more folk can link you to some more threads that talk about moving forts?

And... in general, siege weapons are often constructs, sadly, which require lots of XP, gold, and Craft Construct to make!

See Mechonomocon...

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=177.0

There are some big ballista constructs in one of the secondary eberron books, as well as some ballista rules in HoB, I think... there is even a necromantic version!

Maybe you can gainfully combine the stats of the two?

Stormwrack and Arms & Equipment Guide have rules for vehicles... those combined with Stronghold Builder's Guidebook should give you some ideas...

Personally, because someone in a game I was playing in wanted some animated 'adventurer ready' large crossbow things, I decided to write one up in a house rule... but it's more a sniping weapon...

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=9001

Dralnu
2010-09-30, 02:05 PM
Wow, amazing advice as always. Thanks everyone, these links are gold! :smallbiggrin:

I have one more question: All these craft skills require you to spend XP. Is there a fair alternative to paying XP if the player wants one? He mentioned that a previous DM allowed him to craft by converting the XP cost to 5x the gold cost. I was thinking something similar, or maybe "craft XP" awarded to him by level so he can make a limited amount of stuff for no XP, but I'm not sure what's a balanced number.

Gavinfoxx
2010-10-01, 12:34 AM
Well... BoED has Ambrosia, which, among other things, can be used as XP for items... about 200 gp per 2 xp I think...

Here's what I think... the Wand of Cure Light Wounds or the Wand of Lesser Vigor is perhaps the single easiest to sell magic item in D&D. If a normal merchant hangs around and waits to sell this thing, they basically can sell XP for a price of 12.5 gp per XP, and someone is ALWAYS willing to buy a fully charged Wand of Cure Light Wounds or a Wand of Lesser Vigor at Full Price on short notice, than there should probably be a market for buying something that can be used in the place of Crafting XP, at a rate of roughly 25 gold per 2 xp, since that is what people selling wands of cure light wounds are doing ANYWAY.

So yes, if someone wants to purchase a spell with an xp cost, its 5 gp per xp, but that's in the course of specifically casting a spell that has an XP cost, NOT crafting an item.

If the person wants to craft things that are awesome and powerful, using rules as they exist, they should really be an Artificer, Archivist with lots of crafting feats, or Wizard with lots of crafting feats. Sorry...

There's also the craft points system...

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/craftPoints.htm

What crafting feats does the character have, though? It takes more than just skill to craft something! It takes spellcasting being available, and feats, and xp...

Paul H
2010-10-02, 10:05 AM
Hi

My favourite weapons are:

Wand of Fireball
Wand of Stone Shape
Wand of Shatter
Wand of Solid Fog

et al

Erm - I see a patten here! lol

Cheers
Paul H