Thundercannon

A powerful weapon originally designed by Cianier Dy’Nien, she built a couple during her first stint at sea though truly perfected the design and deployment during her years of captaincy (between 1353-1372). Her reinvigoration of the design was due, in part, to the Time of Troubles and the failings of magic that were exposed during that period. Once magic returned, and the gods ascended back into the heavens, Cianier continued to develop the Thundercannon design.

While some are found outside of her ownership, those are her early models and lack the reliability of those that she created for the Sea-Wraith in 1369. The details that follow apply only to those that she has created during and after 1369.

A Thundercannon is a long metal tube, mounted on a small wheeled carriage. The tube is engraved with motifs of storm clouds and lightning above a stormy sea. A panel in the side of the tube allows one to load specially made capsules* that are loaded and then sealed into the tube. A powerful, spring loaded plate at the bottom of the tube is cocked back via a lever to build tension which, when released, rams the plate into the capsule and launches the ammunition at great speed toward an enemy ship.

Thundercannon Ammunition consists of slightly modified Thunderstones. 1-3 in each capsule, with each stone capable of doing extensive damage to the hull of an enemy ship and possibly deafening any enemy crew caught near the explosion.

It takes one crewman to load and fire a thundercannon, though two are required to move the heavy devices, or to bring further capsules up from the armoury.

Statistics:
Weight: 1,200lbs.

Cost: 1,000gp

Damage: 2d6 (Per stone loaded)

Critical: x3

Range Increment: 70 feet.

Weapon Space: 1

Crew: 1

Note: Sourced from ‘Salt and Sea dogs’ supplement and imported into Faerun.