Practical applications for fire

I am posting two automaton items this week used to build weapons.  A melee weapon and the often discussed flame thrower. Yes, it’s been a busy week and I’m digging into the archives again.

Also, while you are here: a new ACKs book is up for funding that's usable in most B/X derivative games - Aryx's Almanac of Unusual Magic. I'm really excited for this one as it has the Terran Engineer in it, I'm really curious how that one turns out. For some reason... That said all the alternate magic systems look like very interesting options so check it out.

Rocket hammer

This massive two-handed hammer uses rocket propulsion to achieve devastating blows. This destructive force is due to a miniaturized rocket mechanism mounted behind a solid iron head. The large handle and grip has little to do with the damaging blow and is mainly to give the operator something to hold on to and help guide the head once the engine is engaged. Blows from the hammer count as melee attacks that do a base of 3d6 damage. Each ignition of the rocket chamber consumes a charge of specially refined rocket fuel that costs 6gp per pint, with the head holding six pints. Reloading the head requires a full turn to perform. If the wielder triggers a cleave, they do not need to consume another charge unless they have to move towards the next target.  In this case another charge is used to maintain the swing through the step (if no charges remain the cleave is cancelled).

Without fuel the weapon is unbalanced and unwieldy, it can be used as an improvised club in a pinch. When wielded this way, attacks are made with a penalty of -1 to hit and doing only 1d6 damage (as a large club).

The rocket hammer can be built by a 3rd level machinist at a +3 build penalty taking 22 days with a base construction cost of 14,500gp.

Rocket hammer

Hit dice: 6 (held object)

Armor class: none

Move: none

Weight: 2 st. (1 st. carry capacity used to hold fuel)

Carry: ammunition only (fuel reserve holding 6 pints of rocket fuel, each unit costing 6gp for 36 gp when full)

Attacks: 1 hammer smash (3d6 damage)

Positive abilities (total): Automaton immunities *, Object, Reduced weight (8 times) **. (***)

Negative abilities (total): Cannot move *, Requires ammunition (rocket fuel costing 6gp, counts as six items loaded) ####, Requires operator (two-handed weapon proficiency, mechanist or learned) *. (** ####)

Cost (net abilities): 14,500 (####)

Flamerod

This terrifying device projects a cone of burning oil gel, 30' long and 10' wide, igniting all in it's area effect. Those in the area effect take 3d8 points of fire damage. A successful saving throw vs. Blast halves this damage. Any target damaged by the initial blast will suffer an additional 1d8 points of fire damage in the following round as the gel continues to burn. The flames will also ignite any flammable material within the blast area.

The device itself is a two handed rifle-style object with three fuel canisters attached underneath the barrel. Each fuel canister is good for one blast and canisters loaded with oil gel cost 3gp. It requires one action to attach each new canister, with three rounds required to fully reload the flame rod. The wielder must be proficient with arbalests to use the device and be trained in its use.

The flamerod can be built by a 1st level machinist at a +2 build penalty taking 15 days with a base construction cost of 7,750gp.

Flamerod

Hit dice: 2 (object)

Armor class: none

Move: none

Weight: 1 stone (1 st.) (3 st. Fully loaded)

Carry: ammunition only (3 pints of fuel costing 6gp per pint)

Attacks: none

Positive abilities (total): Automaton immunities *, Mechanical special ability (second level spell) **, Object, Reduced weight (5 times) * ##. (**** ##)

Negative abilities (total): Cannot attack *, Cannot move *, Requires ammunition (expensive refined version of military oil costing 3gp per pint with each counting as one item) ####, Requires operator (arbalest proficiency and mechanist or learned) *. (*** ####)

Cost (net abilities): 7,750 (#### ##)

The following spell was built to cost the special ability. I haven’t written it up as a spell but it would be simple to do.

Cone of fire (2): Blast, 1d8 damage per level (35), elemental - fire (x1), target 30’ long x 10’ wide cone (x1.5), range 0’ (x0.4), duration instantaneous (x1), saving throw reduces spell effects by half (x0.75), arcane (x1); cost 15.75; Blast, 1d8 damage per level (35), one round delay (x0.9), maximum 1d damage (x0.1), elemental - fire (x1), target 30’ long x 10’ wide cone (x1.5), range 0’ (x0.4), duration instantaneous (x1), saving throw avoids (x0.5), arcane (x1); cost 1; total cost 16.8.

Note: balance warning - mechanical special ability - if you have a mechanist class with personal automaton embedded in the class build (such as the bugman scavenger or human mechanist) and take the scavenger proficiency, this item could be taken as a personal automaton at first level. In making this I have assumed the spell is at minimum caster level for the spell at that level, like a wand. Maybe it should use the maker's level as the equivalent when built, up to the wand limit. This would be a good balancing rule to add to mechanical special ability anyway I think. The player can still tinker with the item to increase the damage up to the maximum 3d (assuming a wand limit, you may want to allow personal versions to go higher).

Notes and pricing the flamer

When I upped my flamerod to a level 3 spell build to test the visitor 5d6 damage version (which would need caster level 5), I found the item costs 21,000. This is very close to the Secrets of the Nethercity cost of 25,000. Though for a permanent item this should be the equivalent of a first level spell. I’m assuming a second level spell minimum here, but I wonder if an easy rule of thumb for costing visitor items is to use a multiplier of x25? This would simplify a lot of calculations and reflect a permanent item that requires a resource to operate. I will explore this more later.

I explored hammers with lower damage, but they felt somewhat less spectacular. Given a two handed weapon normally does 5.5 average (1d10) and the rocket hammer does 10.5 (3d6) it is about twice the damage. For something with limited swings this felt right, at 2d6 it was the same as a weaker +2 sword but with a fuel mechanic. I added the cleave consume mini rule as it made sense where a cleave can move you to different targets and you need to re-ignite the chamber.