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Zombie Ballista

theResetButtontheResetButton Registered User regular
edited April 2007 in Critical Failures
I'm going to be running a game in a few weeks, and when I DM, I like to to explore unorthodox battle ideas. So first off, forgive the absurd McGyver-ness of this idea.

I'm running a game for a fairly low-level party, and I want them to engage a pair of ogres. The ogres will get a surprise round on them and be attacking from a fair distance using a ballista. This would be easy, except I want to use zombies as the ammunition for it. One ogre uses his round to load a zombie into it, and the other uses his round to fire at the party.

My question is: what amount of damage should I do to the zombies? I'll add 3d8 (which is the ballista damage), but I feel like there ought to be falling damage. I've been testing the idea with Troglodyte Zombies and 3d8 + 5d6 worth of damage to them. With their 5/slashing DR, most survive on an average roll with 5 or so hit points left. Should I up the damage to them and use Zombie Bugbears? Or does that sound reasonable? Or at least as reasonable as a ballista set up to fire zombies can be...O_o

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Posts

  • Bliss 101Bliss 101 Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Isn't the ballista damage supposed to already take gravity and kinetics into account? Adding falling damage to that seems redundant.

    Bliss 101 on
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  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    fuck yeah

    INeedNoSalt on
  • theResetButtontheResetButton Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Bliss 101 wrote: »
    Isn't the ballista damage supposed to already take gravity and kinetics into account? Adding falling damage to that seems redundant.


    I'm not sure. It's a difference between being shot and hitting something with your whole body. For example, being hit by a baseball going 90mph hurts a lot, but having your whole body hit something at 90mph is going to mess you up a lot more.

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  • Bliss 101Bliss 101 Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Bliss 101 wrote: »
    Isn't the ballista damage supposed to already take gravity and kinetics into account? Adding falling damage to that seems redundant.


    I'm not sure. It's a difference between being shot and hitting something with your whole body. For example, being hit by a baseball going 90mph hurts a lot, but having your whole body hit something at 90mph is going to mess you up a lot more.

    But if a device that can give a baseball a velocity of 90mph isn't necessarily going to shoot human-sized objects at the same velocity. Kinetic energy and all that.

    Bliss 101 on
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  • theResetButtontheResetButton Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Bliss 101 wrote: »
    But if a device that can give a baseball a velocity of 90mph isn't necessarily going to shoot human-sized objects at the same velocity. Kinetic energy and all that.

    Touche, sir. I suppose that's a good point

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  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Couldn't they load them into something that would protect the zombies, and break apart on impact?

    Reynolds on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Urns. Really big urns.

    Seeing those things smashing into the ground to reveal ravenous zombie hordes would rock.

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • Penguin IncarnatePenguin Incarnate King of Kafiristan Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    A giant hamster ball full of zombie rats.

    Deal with it adventurers-- you're fucked.

    Penguin Incarnate on
  • BYToadyBYToady Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    You have to let us know if the Cleric thinks to hold actions to try to turn (going for the destroy level) the zombies as they come in.

    BYToady on
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  • Gabriel_PittGabriel_Pitt (effective against Russian warships) Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Question: What benefit does this have over just sicking a whole horde of zombie on them at once?

    Or maybe, paste the PCs with a couple of jarred ghouls (or worse, pudding or oozes,) to occupy them while the horde shuffles up.

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  • Fort1tudeFort1tude Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Question: What benefit does this have over just sicking a whole horde of zombie on them at once?

    Or maybe, paste the PCs with a couple of jarred ghouls (or worse, pudding or oozes,) to occupy them while the horde shuffles up.


    Because its fucking awsome this way?

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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Fort1tude wrote: »
    Question: What benefit does this have over just sicking a whole horde of zombie on them at once?

    Or maybe, paste the PCs with a couple of jarred ghouls (or worse, pudding or oozes,) to occupy them while the horde shuffles up.


    Because its fucking awsome this way?

    seriously

    Drop pod zombies. You don't get much cooler.

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Urns.

    Filled with Zombie Rats.

    Which are also on fire.

    Legoman05 on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Shrapnel damage from the urns!

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • Mr_RoseMr_Rose 83 Blue Ridge Protects the Holy Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Urns.

    Filled with Zombie Ninja Ratmen.

    Which throw flaming shuriken.


    Too much?

    Mr_Rose on
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  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Mr_Rose wrote: »
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Urns.

    Filled with Teenage Zombie Ninja Turtles

    Which throw flaming Zombie Rats.


    Too much?

    INeedNoSalt on
  • Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Mr_Rose wrote: »
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Urns.

    Filled with Teenage Zombie Ninja Shahugan

    Which have more ballista that shoot Flaming Were-Rats.


    Too much?

    Fixed.

    Legoman05 on
  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Mr_Rose wrote: »
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Urns.

    Filled with Teenage Zombie Ninja Shahugan

    Which have more ballista that shoot Flaming Zombie Were-Rats.


    Too much?

    Fixed.

    No, now fixed.

    INeedNoSalt on
  • Penguin IncarnatePenguin Incarnate King of Kafiristan Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Mr_Rose wrote: »
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Urns.

    Filled with Teenage Zombie Ninja Shahugan

    Which have more ballista that shoot Flaming Zombie Were-Rats that shoot bees from their mouthes.


    Too much?

    Fixed.

    No, now fixed.

    Penguin Incarnate on
  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Mr_Rose wrote: »
    Legoman05 wrote: »
    Urns.

    Filled with Teenage Zombie Ninja Shahugan

    Which have more ballista that shoot Flaming Zombie Were-Rats that shoot bees from their mouthes.


    Too much?

    Fixed.

    No, now fixed.
    :^:

    INeedNoSalt on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Surely the Teenage Zombie Ninja Shahugan's mini-ballistas should be strapped to their arms.

    Surely.

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • Fort1tudeFort1tude Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Oh man, I just had this idea of zombies with flasks of oil and alchemists fire strapped to them, having them engage the PCs in melee while the main evil wizard is invis, then drop a fireball on all of them from a safe distance away.

    EDIT
    Or you could strap the zombies full of flasks of oil and alchemist fire and THEN launch them out of the ballista, and say that the zombies are soaked in water or treated with something so that they are immune to fire.

    Fort1tude on
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