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Age of Legend Setting

Siege Engines and Supplies

Total cost of procurement for the item is shown, being mostly the cost of supporting labourers. Small quantities of bulk materials (less than 10 pounds) cost 50% more. Any further skilled construction, mixing etc costs extra.
Engines noted as Eastern can be constructed anywhere for the stated cost by an engineer-artillerist of Eastern nationality. Other engines are just as rare in the Eastern Empire as in other places. Supply costs noted as Eastern or Persian apply within the stated empire.

For comparison purposes, one gallon of water weighs approximately ten pounds. Oils and resins are less dense than water, sand-like materials are about twice as dense, metals ten times as dense. One talent is about 60 pounds.

Where bulk materials are abundant close at hand, cost will be 1cp per unit, 2cp for hazardous materials, no reduction for living creatures. Allow 2cp each for handling dead bodies (except standard human funeral), 10sp if infected. Costs for live domestic animals are given elsewhere. Clay pots, barrels and casks are freely available to commanders but costs are given for general reference.

Alum treatment, timber frame, 10' cube (saving throw vs. fire +3) 300sp (100sp Eastern)
Ballista, field (1 cubit; 1-10/2-16hp) 225sp
Ballista, field, with mule-cart 300sp
Ballista, siege (2 cubit) 110sp (75sp Eastern, Persian)
Barrel, wood, 30 gallons 0 (4cp)
Bear, wild, local species 60sp
Bees or hornets, nest 2cp
Bell, cow etc 3cp
Billhook, shovel, pry-bar etc 5cp
Bird (crow, gull etc), live 1cp
Bolt, ballista, fire, prepared (phalarica; burns 2 rounds; can be thrown as spear) 12sp (4sp Eastern)
Bolt, catapult, 3 to 12 cubit 20sp
Bolts, ballista, 1 cubit, score 20sp
Bolts, ballista, 2 cubit, score 25sp (15sp Eastern, Persian)
Cage, heavy timber, 8' cube 40sp
Cage, iron, 6' cube 120sp
Cask, wood, 5 gallons 0 (3cp)
Cauldron, suspended, 30 gallons 50sp
Causeway, 10' wide, 15' high, 20' long (assumes protection for labourers; double cost for moderate current or tide; triple cost for extra 10' depth; 400 man hours, maximum crew 20) 100sp
Crutch (separate or added to spear butt) 3cp
Fascines, brush, fill moat as one causeway section (placement: 200 man hours, maximum crew 40) 15sp
Fire-arrow, blended resin (burns 2 rounds) Eastern only 3sp
Fire-arrow, common 3cp
Fire-pot, automatic (ignited by dew or rain, burns 2-4 rounds) Eastern only 20sp
Fire-pot, common (burns 2-4 rounds) 2sp
Gallery, fixed, or mine-head 250sp
Gallery, movable (tortoise) 525sp (350sp Eastern)
Grappling hook 8cp
Hides, fresh, or vinegar-soaked cloth, 3 layers, 10' x 10' (automatic for gallery, mantlet or siege tower) 1sp
Hinge/ring, iron 3cp
Lead, scrap, per pound 3cp
Ladder (length as required) 2cp
Mantlet, movable, or similar rough timber & hide structure 15sp
Nails, per pound 5cp
Naphtha, blended, per gallon 60sp (20sp Eastern, 10sp Persian)
Naphtha, blended, pint (hand bomb) 12sp (2sp Eastern, Persian)
Net, cargo, 10' x 10' 3cp
Peasant/navvy, daily rations (see elsewhere for semi-skilled workers) 1cp
Pick or sledge-hammer 2sp
Pitch or bitumen, per gallon 1sp
Plating, metal, 10' x 10' 15sp
Pot/jar, clay, 1 pint 0 (1cp)
Pot/jar, clay, 5 gallons 0 (2cp)
Pot/jar, iron or lead, 1 gallon 8sp
Powdered coal burner Eastern only 800sp
Powdered coal fuel, prepared (3 turns use) 20sp
Quicklime, per pound 2sp
Ram, iron-bound (includes suspending chains if in gallery) 120sp
Ram, non-reinforced (6 rounds use) 50sp
Ram-catcher, simple 10sp
Ram-catcher, counterweighted, or man-hook 20sp Eastern only
Ramp, 10' wide, 20' high, 100' long (assumes protection for labourers; 2000 man hours, maximum crew 50; double cost for each extra 10' high) 500sp
Rats, live, 5 1cp
Resin, coarse, per pound 2sp
Ribaldequin with spring-bolt engine 400sp
Rubble, per hundredweight 5cp
Sand, fine, per hundredweight 2sp
Sap, covered, 100' length (excavation: 800 man hours, maximum crew 10) 800sp
Siege tower, 40' 1200sp (800sp Eastern)
Snake, poisonous, or scorpion 5sp
Snakes, poisonous, or scorpions, 5 15sp
Stone-thrower, onager/alakation (light) 225sp (150sp Eastern, Persian)
Stone-thrower, petrary or small spendone (heavy) 600sp (200sp Eastern, Persian)
Stone-thrower, 2-armed, 1 talent (heavy) 900sp
Stone-thrower, 2-armed, 3 talent (as trebuchet) 2500sp
Stone-thrower, 2-armed, 30 mina (light) 600sp
Spar or roller, rough timber, 10' 3cp
Sulphur, per pound 3sp
Tarpaulin, 10' x 10' 8cp
Tow or rags, per pound 1cp
Tunnel, underground, soft earth/heavy clay/rock, bend/fork, 5' square, 8' high 200/300/600sp
Tunnel, underground, soft earth/heavy clay/rock, chamber, 10' x 20', 8' high 600/1000/2000sp
Tunnel, underground, soft earth/heavy clay/rock, 5' wide, 8' high, 10' long 100/200/500sp
Vinegar, per gallon 1sp

SIEGE ATTACK VALUES

The two-armed stone-thrower, an archaic type not used by the late Roman Empire, fires upward at an angle of not less than 30º. These count as indirect fire (AC 0) against targets at less than half their range, long range direct fire (AC 5) from half to maximum range. They also give direct fire against targets between 30 and 100 feet above the catapult's elevation which are size L or fixed (30 mina), ship-sized or fixed (1 talent) or fixed targets only (3 talent). As well as being more expensive, two-armed stone-throwers weigh twice as much as an onager type and take 1 round longer to reload.

Two-armed stone-throwers can hurl over-sized bolts (3, 6 or 12 cubits) to their normal range. A 3 cubit bolt does the same damage as a 2 cubit (standard ballista). Any creature struck by a 6 or 12 cubit bolt must save vs. wands or be killed instantly, and suffers damage equal to a light catapult hit regardless.

The man-hook is a direct-fire siege engine attack (AC 10). A “crow” is used from a height against ground troops; other designs can be used from ground level against troops on a wall. Any small to medium creature struck suffers damage, and can be lifted to 40' height or swung horizontally. The victim can be released at the crew's desire, or by succeeding in a bend bars roll.

The ribaldequin is a device for breaking up attacks of close-order troops. Its most advanced form is wheeled, protected by wooden screens and with a number of polearm-like blades projecting forward.
Although later used to mount hand-guns, in this period the main weapon would be a spring device firing several large arrows equal to field ballista bolts. This crude mechanism is treated as indirect fire against random targets in a group of enemies. Up to four arrows can be fired effectively. Against 50+ close-order troops, all four arrows may hit. Against 20-49 close-order troops, or 50+ open order troops, three arrows are checked for hits. Against 20-49 open order attackers, or 20+ in dispersed formation, two arrows are checked for hits.
The blades cannot generally be used to attack, but may score two hits on horses (check as indirect fire) if the device is charged by cavalry. The ribaldequin can be pushed about by the crew, or drawn backwards by a mule or draught horse.