Miedvied/BoneSpear
Bone Spear Artillery
The Bone Spear Artillery - created using the Walking War Machine spell - is forged from such a motley collection of bone and flesh that tracking down any individual portion of it to a particular body (or identifying it as particular body part) is almost impossible.
The Bone Spear artillery itself appears, in construction, to be similar to a ballistae; a sheer surface with a dozen orifices, from each of which protrudes a single bone-crafted spear. This surface is flesh, however, and not bone - save for the spears themselves, the entire construction appears to be a patchwork of flesh; the firing surface is roughly four yards in width, and a yard in height. It is large enough that troops advancing with the Bone Spear are offered 50% cover (a battery of Bone Spears can provide the cover bonus for an entire unit.)
Mounted just above the firing surface is an extended cannon-like protrusion, running the entire length of the Bone Spear Artillery, and extending a yard past the firing surface. It pulses rhythmically, and veins constantly shift under its skin. Though it cannot fire often, when it does, nearby corpses rise to fight again under the command of the leader controlling the Artillery.
The Artillery itself is three yards in depth. Behind the sheer wall which holds the massive spears rests a pair of 'wheels' - each roughly a yard in diameter, and completely circumscribed with small wiggling protrusions to give it traction. Some would believe these protrusions to be fingers or toes; they might not be incorrect. The Bone Spear Artillery is a (frighteningly) sentient and mobile being; it requires no outside force to move or direct it.
Fired bone spears are rapidly regrown by the Bone Spear artillery itself; a hideously frightening process to watch.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
Virtues: Valor 5, Compassion 1, Conviction 1, Temperance 1
Abilities: Awareness 1, Endurance 3, Presence 1, Resistance 3, Archery 4 (Ballista +3), Dodge 1
Base Initiative: 6
Attack:
- Ballista Attack # (One Bone Spear): Accuracy -1, Damage 11L*, Range 300 yards, Rate 1, M&S Rate 3
- Ballistae Swarm # (All Bone Spears)**: Accuracy +3, Damage 25L*, Range 300 yards, Rate 1/15, M&S Rate 1
- Abyssal Essence Cannon: Accuracy +6, Damage Special (see below), Range 500 yards, Rate 1/5, M&S Rate 3
*As with zombies, wounds caused by the bone spears are likely to become infected. Add 2 to the difficulty of the Stamina + Resistance roll to resist infection.
** Area attack; cannot be dodged, only parried.
# Piercing attack. Halve armor soak.
Dodge Pool: 4 Soak: 2L / 4B (Skin)
Willpower: 10
Health Levels (ballista firing wall): 30 to damage (-3 to attack pool) / 80 to destroy
Health Levels (abyssal essence cannon): 20 to damage (-3 to attack pool, only raises half as many zombies) / 40 to destroy.
Health Levels (wheel): 15 to damage (reduce speed by half) / 30 to destroy
Essence: 1
Abyssal Essence Cannon: This cannon is rendered operable by a large soulfire gem contained deep in the belly of the bone spear artillery. When fired, the soulfire gem is temporarily drained (it re-energizes quickly; thus it's Rate) - until that time, the bone spear artillery is rendered completely inert.
The cannon itself causes no harm to living beings in Creation (in the Underworld, it quickly renders them other than living - 60L damage), nor does it harm undead in any way (neither in Creation nor in the Underworld.) Its use lies in the fact that when striking an area (it is an area-effect weapon; when fired, it discharges a sizzling sphere of black energy that travels in a straight line from the cannon. It erupts at a point willed by the artillery; thus, it can erupt at any point between the muzzle of the cannon and the limits of its range. Upon erupting, every corpse within fifty yards of that point will within five rounds (or by the beginning of the next combat round, if using Mail and Steel time) rise as a common (extra) zombie. The ST should adjudicate how many bodies are laying around, though if combat has been pursued for any amount of time, simply assume that a Talon (11-75) of zombies has been raised.
If used in a corpse-rich area (a cemetary, or perhaps an Abyssal citadel, etc.) it would not be inappropriate for the unit raised to be a Wing instead.
re: Essence Cannon. How much more phallic can you possibly get? @_@
_Ikselam
