I need a bigger boom.

[Artemis97]

I'm working on GMing a game featuring pirates, sailing ships, and adventures on the high seas. It's a low magic game, D&D 3.5. So, in lieu of tossing fireballs around, I need cannons.

I found some rules for gunpowder weapons in the DMG, but aside from bombs, I didn't find anything that would be close to a cannon. I'm sort of at a loss of where else to look, and I'm sure my Players would love to come alongside and open up a volley on the broadside of an enemy ship. For a well aimed shot to split the mast and send it crashing to the deck, dragging down the rigging. A shot below the waterline dooming the ship to a slow death as it sinks to the bottom, the chilly sea pouring inside...

*ahem*

In brief, does anyone know where I can find some stats for cannons? Thanks.

[Apophis]

You could use a Bombard from Stormwrack.

[Zeofar]

Just so you know, you don't use a "well placed shot" to take down a mast, you used a barrage of chain-shot or bar shot, the bolas of the sea.

That said, Stormwrack would be your best resource and basically will outline specifically what you're looking for. Otherwise, you could lightly modify Heroes of Battles' Ballista or Scorpion operation rules for a basic representation of cannons.

[Artemis97]

Yes, yes, do excuse me for being a tad cinematic and forgetting about such things at nearly 1am.

Thank you for the Stormwrack recommendation. I will have to find myself a copy.

[grimbold]

operating the cannons you could have explosives experts from Ultimate Prestigge classes.
my friend thought he was so clever 'inventing' that PrC until i showed him it was already done.

[Tyndmyr]

Play 7th sea. It is awesome at this stuff.

[TroubleBrewing]

Play 7th sea. It is awesome at this stuff.

OHmigoshthis. So much this. 7th Sea is GREAT at cinematic swashbuckling encounters. One of your stats is "Panache", for crying out loud.

If you don't like their rolling system (it's based on Lo5R), there's a d20 modification out there somewhere.

[dsmiles]

IIRC there are cannons in the Iron Kingdoms setting book.

[Tyndmyr]

OHmigoshthis. So much this. 7th Sea is GREAT at cinematic swashbuckling encounters. One of your stats is "Panache", for crying out loud.

If you don't like their rolling system (it's based on Lo5R), there's a d20 modification out there somewhere.

While true, the d20 version, swashbuckling adventures, isn't nearly as awesome or as complete as the d10 system. I reccomend the original, its easy enough to pick up.

But yeah, cinematic, lower magic, ship friendly...this is your system.

[Flickerdart]

Can't you just refluff balistae? They're in the DMG, I'm pretty sure. SRD, anyway.

[Hanuman]

Blast disks, trebuchet or ballista is generally the way to go, mind you alchemical explosives are EXTREMELY expensive in most campaigns.

[Artemis97]

I've heard of 7th Sea, but I'm not familiar with the systems you guys are refering to at all. And while it does sound like a lot of fun, I've already statted out quite a bit for DnD 3.5, and my players are mostly finished building their characters. I'd hate to ask them to do more work, especially for a system I wouldn't understand. I'll look into it for a furture game, perhaps. Or maybe adapt some things. Thanks for the reccomendation.

Like Stormwrack, I will try to find that Iron Kingdoms book. I don't know what it is, but it sounds interesting, if one may judge a book by its title. Thanks.

Refluffing ballistae was going to be my back-up plan if I couldn't find anything else.

And I'm not sure what blast disks are, but they sound like fun! Where might I find those?

Thanks again everyone for your input.

[Apophis]

A blast disk is pretty much a magical land-mine. They are in the Magic Item Compendium.

[Sindri]

Sorcery and Steam has extensive rules for cannons, as it's basically a steampunk setting for D&D.
Edit: it's published by Legends & Lairs, and was made for 3.0 but that shouldn't be a problem with this.

[Incanur]

The Stormwrack heavy bombard actually does vaguely decent damage. The guns in the DMG are hardly a threat to anyone. They might be barely worth using if they only required simple weapon proficiency and didn't cost an arm and a leg. But even then only at low levels.

[Sindri]

The guns in the DMG are hardly a threat to anyone.

Then there's the part where a modern day high powered rifle is less accurate than a longbow, and pistols are significantly shorter range than a sling...
Yeah, most characters would do more damage using the guns as clubs.

Sorcery and Steam does this better, giving guns halfway decent range and damage, but they're still less powerful than a skilled archer.

[Incanur]

The general strangeness of D&D combat makes modeling guns rather difficult. You'd think pistols and muskets would at least get a fatter damage die (see the RoS great crossbow) or some bonus against armored characters.