Ballista Defense

A heavy ballista mounted to cover a chokepoint, manned and reloaded to punch bolts through anyone who advances.

Spotted with Stealth DC +23 (master). To disable, a creature must make a DC 36 Thievery (master) check to sabotage the ballista by reaching through the firing slit from outside (this DC is reduced by 10 if the PCs are in the room with the ballista), or a DC 33 Intimidation check to frighten off the Pitax Warden operating the ballista. The ballista is immune to critical hits, object immunities, and precision damage.

Ready and Load [Reaction]

Each round the ballista runs a 3-action routine: 1 action to fire a ballista bolt and 2 actions to reload. The bolt is a ranged attack at +24 (range 300 feet) dealing 2d12+15 piercing. After ten rounds, the ballista is out of ammunition and can no longer function.

Level 11 · Complexity Complex

Stealth DC +23 (master)

Disable

• Thievery DC 36 (master) — to sabotage the ballista by reaching through the firing slit from outside (this DC is reduced by 10 if the PCs are in the room with the ballista)
• Intimidation DC 33 — to frighten off the Pitax Warden operating the ballista.

AC 31

HP 80 · Hardness 20

Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage

Trigger The alarm is raised while the PCs are approaching the Palace

Effect The guards ready and load the ballista. The ballista defense then rolls Initiative.

Reset (1 day) If the PCs haven't reached 30 Liberation Points, additional ammunition for a ballista can be secured in a day, but if the PCs have reached 30 Liberation Points, a ballista that runs out of ammo cannot be reset.