Ram Wheel

This imposing artefact consists of a scaffolding similar to those used to hold a battering ram; however, instead of a ram, the contraption holds a wheel of four spinning arms, each of which has a spinning, smallish ram attached to one end. Thanks to a lever and chain device attached to its side, this wheel may be spun at great speeds with relatively little effort, allowing its four ram heads to strike a target alternately.

Ultimate Equipment Guide II

Author Greg Lynch, J. C. Alvarez
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

Ram wheels are extremely large and unwieldy, being taller even than some siege towers. They are relatively light for their size, however, and their wheels allow them to be rolled on even ground by a sufficiently large crew. Given a ram wheel’s set-up, it may only be used to attack targets that are at roughly the same height as its axis – the point at which a spinning ram has a greater range.

When a ram wheel is spun, one of the characters working the lever must make a special attack roll using his base attack bonus at a -4 penalty. If the attack succeeds, thetarget suffers ram damage once per round for the next four rounds, as all four spinning rams strike the target alternately.

If the total attack roll (counting the -4 penalty) is higher than 15, the ram wheel deals twice the damage indicated each round, as its great whirling speed allows it to hit with two rams on a single round. A ram wheel cannot deal more than twice its base damage per round, regardless of the total attack roll. Spinning a ram wheel requires at least one Huge or larger, two Large, four Medium or eight Small creatures.

Ram Wheel: 2,500 gp; Damage 2d6; Critical -; Range -; Typical Crew 4