So I see Crab get crossbows now. Very nice.
Crossbows
Even repeating crossbows, which in essence is a Chinese design.
It is the appropriate place if you're going to introduce it at all - Crossbows are good for people who haven't the training to manage 'proper' bows, have the time to reload, and may need the extra punch to put down something unnaturally tough.
If mechanical siege engines are a thing, then I don't see crossbows being too much of a problem, but then I'm not used to the setting. 'Proper' samurai using them in a field battle would be weird, as it's using mechanical contrivance to replace skill rather than to enhance it.
So what you're saying is... best Crab ever!
1 hour ago, selderane said:So what you're saying is... best Crab ever!
No, its one of these:
Twice with the same joke! You're a riot VaeVictis! Just the bee's knees! Really, I'm in stitches!
I was more thinking something like this.
Just, you know, carried by someone massive like Hida Kisada in the same way Detritus the Troll is noted for using a normally cart-mounted light siege weapon as a 'hand-held' crossbow (okay, that's taking the scale a little bit over the top, I know. He's big, not a ridiculous giant.)
13 hours ago, VaeVictis said:It's dishonorable in Rokugan
But as note, the Crab don't really care about that too much; they're not interested in glory, and certainly not interested in giving anything the other side of the Kaiu wall an honorable fight. Besides which, a weapon like a big crossbow might actually hurt a monster that would laugh at most ranged weapons. And no-one will get too upset over using it on bandits.
Using it on other samurai, of course, would be a totally different matter.
Crossbows, along with Ring Swords and few other miscellaneous weapons used to a Yobanjin thing. Though the Crab are mentioned to have Ballista style siege engines called Oyumi a few times.
Quick, have a peasant uprising with the crossbows!
On 09/10/2017 at 6:22 PM, digdoug said:Crossbows, along with Ring Swords and few other miscellaneous weapons used to a Yobanjin thing. Though the Crab are mentioned to have Ballista style siege engines called Oyumi a few times.
They're actually statted up in A Ronin's Path at the end of the book:
Quote
As an action, a character at range 0–1 of a ballista may make a TN 1 Labor (Water) check to modify one of its mountings or a TN 2 Fitness (Water) check to force it into place. Then, any character at range 0 of the ballista may fire it, using the following profile. Each weapon has five bolts loaded, and it must be reloaded (as an action) after these are fired.
Skill: Martial Arts (Ranged)
Range 2-5
Damage: 12
Deadliness: 10
What strikes me is that the ballista, although somewhat efficient is an archaic weapon. In late middle age it was supplanted by more powerful siege weapons such as trebuchet, and of course later guns and canons. Even though Rokugan isn't our world, I'm surprised the ingenious Kaiu haven't developed better in a 1000 years. Imagine what wondous artillery would come from collaboration between the Kaiu and Agasha.
2 hours ago, Nitenman said:What strikes me is that the ballista, although somewhat efficient is an archaic weapon. In late middle age it was supplanted by more powerful siege weapons such as trebuchet, and of course later guns and canons. Even though Rokugan isn't our world, I'm surprised the ingenious Kaiu haven't developed better in a 1000 years. Imagine what wondous artillery would come from collaboration between the Kaiu and Agasha.
A big catapult-seat who throws in the air agasha shugenja (or better: isawa fire tensai), who will litterally rain fire on the head of their enemies. Then die from falling damage, but they sure will die in an honorable wy
what? Can't shugenja fly (or lightly buoy) anymore?
mainly I was hinting at Kagaku.
Edited by Nitenman3 hours ago, Nitenman said:what? Can't shugenja fly (or lightly buoy) anymore?
mainly I was hinting at Kagaku.
sure hope not
18 hours ago, Nitenman said:What strikes me is that the ballista, although somewhat efficient is an archaic weapon. In late middle age it was supplanted by more powerful siege weapons such as trebuchet, and of course later guns and canons. Even though Rokugan isn't our world, I'm surprised the ingenious Kaiu haven't developed better in a 1000 years. Imagine what wondous artillery would come from collaboration between the Kaiu and Agasha.
True. But I guess it's a question of targets; a trebuchet is better at reducing other fortifications, but the Crab are the ones with the fortress - their targets are essentially big, tough, and occasionally flying beasts, so a big scorpion-style bolt thrower makes sense compared to an indirectly-firing catapult.
Plus, you know, steel blades interact with kami-related stuff. Nothing stops a shujenga using 'biting steel' on a ballista bolt, whilst I'm not sure any of the invocations would help a rock flung from a trebuchet so much.
But maybe your shugenja should still be able to bless that rock.
Actually a strong earth Shugenja is a sort of trebuchet.
Bless this rock so that it might roll through the enemy forces like a thundering bowling ball through a never ending lane of pins.
11 hours ago, Hood281 said:Bless this rock so that it might roll through the enemy forces like a thundering bowling ball through a never ending lane of pins.
Nearby Bushi: "What did that prayer mean?"
Nearby Courtier: "It's the language of the kami - it is not for us to understand."
On 10/12/2017 at 9:38 AM, Nitenman said:What strikes me is that the ballista, although somewhat efficient is an archaic weapon. In late middle age it was supplanted by more powerful siege weapons such as trebuchet, and of course later guns and canons. Even though Rokugan isn't our world, I'm surprised the ingenious Kaiu haven't developed better in a 1000 years. Imagine what wondous artillery would come from collaboration between the Kaiu and Agasha.
In defense of the Ballista for the Crab Clan, while trebuchets are very effective (and probably something they also have) they were primarily constructed for anti-fortification purposes. Yes, with different types of ammunition, this could be changed. However, the Crab Clan do not fight people in castles, primarily. They fight giant, heavily armored monsters from another dimension. As such, the projectile fired by a ballista provides a much greater force over a much smaller striking surface (i.e. the bolt head is smaller than a rock) than a trebuchet. When your magical material is in short supply, you need to make the most of it. A ballista firing jade tipped bolts is more efficient with its jade than a trebuchet hurling jade stones.
However, a trebuchet hurling jade stones enchanted by a Kuni shugenja to explode 15 feet above the ground with the force of a stick of dynamite... well... now we're cooking.
2 hours ago, sndwurks said:However, a trebuchet hurling jade stones enchanted by a Kuni shugenja to explode 15 feet above the ground with the force of a stick of dynamite... well... now we're cooking.
very cool!
also, i will agree on putting some "gaijin pepper" (aka gunpowder-ish) into some kuni weapons... to use only against oni!!
On 12/10/2017 at 3:38 PM, Nitenman said:What strikes me is that the ballista, although somewhat efficient is an archaic weapon. In late middle age it was supplanted by more powerful siege weapons such as trebuchet, and of course later guns and canons. Even though Rokugan isn't our world, I'm surprised the ingenious Kaiu haven't developed better in a 1000 years. Imagine what wondous artillery would come from collaboration between the Kaiu and Agasha.
There is rockets and such mentionned in the Clan Wars miniature game, so back at the start of l5r rpg.
On 10/12/2017 at 9:38 AM, Nitenman said:What strikes me is that the ballista, although somewhat efficient is an archaic weapon. In late middle age it was supplanted by more powerful siege weapons such as trebuchet, and of course later guns and canons. Even though Rokugan isn't our world, I'm surprised the ingenious Kaiu haven't developed better in a 1000 years. Imagine what wondous artillery would come from collaboration between the Kaiu and Agasha.
Actually, if you'd look at L5R 4e, there's tons of Siege Engines statted, including a Trebuchet-like device. However, on the Wall, where the Crab normally siege, they used burning hot oil spewers, old fashioned catapaults for flaming burning pitch-hay bails, and Ballistae because they were most effective against the Shadowlands. They even used jade-laced gaijin pepper bombs. For the crab, it's not using what is new, it's using what's best for the job... after all, pragmatism keeps you alive a bit longer on the wall. When warring against other Rokugani, they used all sorts of "newer" (by our world's standard) siege engines because, instead of fighting horrors such as Giant Oni that could catch those rocks and fling them back, they were fighting weak, squishy humans.
Edited by Daigotsu Naraku