Train Tuesday P19: Smart Bombs

We’ve done a couple of Train Tuesday posts covering The Forgotten Rails’ unique and critical power source, Corederite, and found a couple of must-print 3D-printed pieces that expand upon this important DnD campaign element.

Just like in our modern world, energy is a fundamental resource. No juice, no commerce, right? That’s why DM Ben wants the fuel for our fledging hovertrain transportation system to be front and center in the story. Making cool scatter terrain and miniatures that support this mission helps bring it all to life for the players at your game table.

First, here is a brief refresher for anyone catching up on our RPG rail line journey. The Forgotten Rails was founded by three members, also known as 3M (Money, Muscle, and Magic).

The powerful wizard Leland Farce created Corederite’s arcane reaction, and he solely controls the train’s magical energy source. Still, very few details are shared with the public, not even Waterdeep’s Omin Dran.

Stone Scar Elementals naturally shed the raw Corederite mineral. However, large deposits are said to be there for the taking in the Sword Coast’s mountainous regions. They must be harvested at an industrial pace if multiple Hovertrains will ever run continuously through the Realm.

Getting to these larger, denser mineral deposits can be difficult, so we’ve created a mining division to support this booming energy industry. The concept here is that these mighty Thunder Sticks can blow a hole in a mountainside so that a series of specially designed Constructs, known as Stone Scalpers, can then swoop in and gather the precious Corderite rocks.

Thankfully, Aether Studios recently released a new hovertrain set via their monthly Patreon: Ziltek High-Quality Hand Carts. The set contains these silly-cool artillery pieces that can be mounted onto flatbed hovertrain cars (or used individually). You’re gonna love ’em.

Now that we’ve got equipment powerful enough to blast a hole into a dense mountain formation, we need to pair this military-style machinery with the proper ammunition. This is where Schlossbauer’s free Living Bullets STL comes into play! The model can be mounted on a base to look airborne or sit upright like a big cannon shell.

We’ve dubbed these mighty arcane shells “Smart Bombs.” They look like any ordinary WWII bomb ordinance. However, these oversized tin cans quickly come to life once fired from their artillery counterparts. Then they scream towards their intended target at a high rate of speed with incredible accuracy (well…most of the time).

Seeing these greeny meanies in all their glory reminds us of the old V1 buzz bombs that Germany rained down on England in the 1940s. We’ll use this creepy, sputtering Strobe Rockets fireworks audio clip for the sound effect.

The Forgotten Rails assures the public that this equipment is for peaceful mining purposes only, but Waterdeep’s citizens are beginning to fear the worst. Again, no one besides Leeland Farce (the magic) and Collis Strut (the muscle) even knows how the Thunder Sticks and Smart Bombs work collectively.

Look at all the potential plotlines and one-shots here:

• Capture a Smart Bomb (for gp) so it can be analyzed.
• Escort the valuable equipment during transport.
• Stop a military regime of androids before it takes hold.
• Sabotage the artillery to protect the environment.
• Retrieve missing equipment that’s fallen into the wrong hands.

Until next time!