Cauldron

The most common form of this weapon is a huge kettle placed in a frame that allows it to tip and spill its contents on unfortunate opponents below. The same effect can be obtained by suspending a barrel, bucket, or bladder from a beam and tipping or splitting the container so that its contents spill out.

Unless otherwise noted, the contents of a cauldron pour down in a stream one square wide. When it hits the ground, it forms a puddle three squares wide and three squares long, centered on the point of impact. If there is a wall or similar barrier that keeps the pool from spreading out, the pool is five squares long and two squares wide, with the long side lying along the barrier.

The amount of damage a cauldron inflicts varies with the type of material in it:

· Flaming oil burns for two rounds, inflicting 2d6 points of damage on the first round and 1d6 points of damage on the second round;

· Boiling oil must be heated for at least one hour before use or it is treated exactly like flaming oil (once heated its temperature can be maintained as long as fuel is available). Boiling oil burns for two rounds, inflicting 4d6 points of damage the first round and 1d6 points of damage on the second round;

· Boiling water is much cheaper than boiling oil. It must be heated for 30 minutes before use. Boiling water inflicts 2d4 points of damage when it strikes a creature and 1d4 points of damage the round thereafter as it soaks into fur or clothing and continues to scald. Creatures entering the area of effect on the second round take no damage;

· Molten lead must be heated at least four hours before use, and the volume of hot liquid is generally small. Molten lead forms a puddle two squares wide and two squares long, with one square directly under the cauldron and spreading away from the cauldron to the left or right as the attacker chooses. Molten lead sears its targets for three rounds, inflicting 4d6 points of damage the first round, 3d6 points of damage the second round, and 2d6 points of damage the third round.

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