Siege Beasts[]
| Siege Beast | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monster Class | Mundane | ||||||
| ST | 30 | HP | 30 | Speed | 6.00 | ||
| DX | 12 | Will | 12 | Move | 5 | ||
| IQ | 8 | Per | 8 | Weight | NG | ||
| HT | 12 | FP | 18 | SM Size |
+2 0 | ||
| Dodge | 9 | Parry | 11 | DR | 10 | ||
| Attacks | Crusher (16): Hammer (5d+5 crushing). Cannot be dropped! Mailed Fist (16): 3d+3 crushing Metal Boot (14): 3d+4 crushing | ||||||
| Traits | Bad Temper (12); Fanaticism; Hard to Kill 4; High Pain Threshold; Very Rapid Healing. | ||||||
| Skills | Axe/Mace-16; Brawling-16. | ||||||
| Habitat | NG | ||||||
| Bestiary Origin |
Speculative Fiction | ||||||
| Notes | Are not supernaturally bound, can be tricked or negotiated with. Crusher and armor consist of about 180 lbs of scrap metal. | ||||||
| CER | Not yet calculated | ||||||
Siege Beasts are a large, heavily-armored bipedal monsters, used- or employed for destroying fortifications. Although described with a mallet as a hand replacement, they are even more powerful with both hands—using a maul, or attacking at range with crossbow, ballista, or in more advanced settings, cannon!
Thematics[]
- Siege beasts are thematically very similar to the armored, harnessed trolls in Lord of the Rings. Without their equipment, a siege beast would likely only have DR 4, with a punch attack.
- Siege Beasts are quite different than trolls or ogres stat-wise—mainly in Strength, which Siege Beasts excel. Siege Beasts may be something outside of ogres and trolls entirely, maybe some sort of magical giant/ogre hybrid.
Fanon Tactics[]
The Siege Beast by default is a melee build, relying mainly on their massive DR and HP to approach fortifications. Their main weakness in this regard is fantasy siege weapons--ones that are magitech-enhanced for accuracy. It'll take about 3d damage to reliably scratch a Siege Beast.
Fanon Counter-Tactics[]
A particularly ambitious or charismatic general may be able to arm their siege beasts with siege weapons like scorpions[1] and ballistae[2], giving them a powerful ranged attack. A fallen siege beast might drop a readily-loaded siege weapon, which could be a critical macguffin later in the battle...
Ranged Weapons[]
- 1-lb ballista -- does 4d+1 crushing, see Low-Tech, p.42
- Scorpion, 36" -- 4d impaling
- Scorpion, 45" -- 5d impaling. This one requires a stirrup setup be loaded
Reach[]
Don't forget to add the +1 Reach for all weapons! This allows a siege beast to poke their arm through a gate-breach and bonk anyone on the other side with decent range.
Other Quirks[]
Siege Beasts have a strangely high amount of FP, allowing them to fight and run a lot. This is probably mainly used to sprint towards castle gates, or to hold their breath while running through clouds of deadly magic gas.
Trivia[]
- Described as the "idiot cousins of giants" in The Titan's House, Pyramid 89: Alternate Dungeons II
References[]
- DF 2: Dungeons, p.26
- See also: Dungeon Fantasy 2 Bestiary