Enchanted Castles!

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Fortresses are an essential part of the campaign environment. However, it doesn't take much thought to realise that in the typical D&D game, with all of the magic about, the average, *mundane* castle just wouldn't do. Some other dimensions present themselves.

Castles and fortresses need to be fully integrated into the magical environment. In my campaign, magic can be used to speed up the construction time of fortresses, and also to build fortresses that have a range of magical properties.

In addition to magical properties for castles, there is also the consideration of architecture. There really shouldn't be any kind of *technological* restrictions on the height, design, and so on of castles. Castles in a fantastic environment can have gravity-defying design enhancements, huge towers, and many other magical effects that would make them interesting, and more survivable in a magical environment.

How has integrating magic into the campaign changed the way you design, and build castles? Have you let your players get really wild with designing and developing their castles? What kinds of effects has magic had in your castle design?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Cake Mage]

wow, never thought of that before. I just used magic to help make them but not much else beside the occasional permanent telaport cirlce.
what other kinds of magical properties did you have in mind?

 

[DMaple]

Haven't you been paying attention?

Castles can't be Enchanted.

 

[Bonedagger]

I wonder if most people would pay the extra gigantic costs (I assume it's expensive ). For me it sounds like using magic this way often would be like shooting flys with cannons (A waste of enegy). But then again. This is fantasy and only the imagination is the limit

 

[Ristamar]

The upcoming Stronghold Builder's Guidebook may address some of these issues.

 

[Nightfall]

I myself am curious about the Stronghold Builder's Guide, mainly so I can figure out a good way to have both a well fortitied castle AND a well hidden tower for a lich I'm thinking about creating. Course both will be hidden near the border of the Negative Plane, so it will have to be dark!

 

[Rogue]

Haven't you been paying attention?

Castles can't be Enchanted.

...really? Or is this an attempt at humor? If so, you must spare the dim-witted. If not, then please enlighten me with references.

Rogue

 

[Falcon]

I can't help but think of the Tower at Charm from the Chronicles of the Black Company, by Glen Cook. The place was built on sorcery--most of it to prevent other sorcery from inflicting damage on it. The thing is, if you have highly-magicked castles and such, then there necessarily must be magicks that can counter said castles, as well as strategies for dealing with such strongholds, developed from centuries of experience with such things.

It isn't like there is suddenly an uber-enchanted fortress that appeaers amidst a land totally unprepared for such a happening, especially in your campaign world, SHARK.

For every strategy there is a counter strategy. The question then becomes what amount of magic needs to be invested in the design of a castle that will be both effective and counter the anticipated magic that will be marshalled against it.

 

[DM with a vengence]

Some sort of Spell Turning effect with Disintegrate, Passwall and Stone to Mud loaded in it would be a useful defense. Wall of Fire generators placed across the battle field could seriously mess up charges and formations, while Ganest's Farstrike (R&R) would prevent operation of any sort of siege machinery. Even one lightening tower, such as the ones around the Outer Fane in RttToEE would wipe the floor against a conventional army while keeping a few wands of Repair Light Damage (T&B) or power stones of the psion power that increases the hardness of an object might just give your castle that extra few rounds of survivability. And for the truely evil, a series of Walls of Force with automated counterspell devices set to Disintegrate would make it almost impossible for anything to hurt you.

Since it is almost impossible to hurt or lay siege to a highly magical castle, I suspect that many battles would be one in the surrounding country side as groups of hidden rangers ambush artillery mages while knights mounted on hippogriffs duel it out in the skies above against summoned air elementals. Scrying and counter-scrying goes back and forth as opposed diviners and illusionists attempt to win the war of information. Occasionally, one side sends out a crack team of high level specialists to deal with the other side. The battlefields of a high magic war are not for the timid and low saving.

I think that a high magic siege would be pretty interesting to see.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Excellent point, Mr. Falcon, excellent point indeed. Allow me to expand and clarify some thoughts. In such a magic-laden world, indeed there would be offensive magics available to assault such a fine castle. There would, I think, be a semblance of a kind of arms-race and mighty struggle between the defending forces and the assaulting forces.

The assaulting forces would easily have weather-controlling magics, countered on occasion by the defenders control of the weather. Each side would carefully weigh the pros and cons of attacking or counter-attacking in the midst of different wild weather.

The assaulting forces would have elementals, and so could the defenders. Both could summon supernatural forces, and each would cast terrible imprecatory prayers against the wicked enemy. Each would attack, and counter-attack with divinely blessed super-powered special forces, and each could have enchanted siege weapons and other engines of war.

For example, the defenders and attackers alike could have catapults that were animated, to move and load/reload automatically. Targeting would be selected by the crew. These catapults could be enhanced with range and damage enhancers, thus being more devastating. Imagine magic catapults firing enchanted ammunition that exploded upon contact into maximized Incendiary Clouds, or terrifying Clouds of Teeth.

Scorpions, (Ballistas) which are hasted, and fire enchanted missiles. Imagine missiles enchanted to explode as fire-balls, or streak across the foggy morning like lightning bolts.

Imagine Castle Gates with the ability to regenerate damage. Have emplaced wands fitted into arrow-slits, each charged and each soldier knowing the command word to activate them. From the walls rain streams of magic Missiles down upon the attackers.

Imagine Runes of Summoning inscribed near castle towers, with a touch and a command, would summon a pack of Dire Tigers.

Have several Decanters of Endless Water emplaced in the roof of an enclosed gatehouse. When the enemy troops rush in, the gates close down on them, and then the flood waters are let in at high speed to drown them. Then, the gates are opened, and the water drains away, leaving a press of dead attacking soldiers.

Have stables that project Circles of Healing, so that horses led into the radius can be swiftly healed, and ready for action again.

Imagine the attackers having enchanted siege rams that have runes of Disintegration inscribed upon black iron ram-heads. With each strike, the massive gates would suffer.

Imagine war-towers animated to walk by themselves, bringing loads of soldiers to attack the parapets.

Imagine towers and citadels having air-conditioning, or heating, and having chambers enchanted with freezing tempatures so as to store meat supplies, and other chambers refrigerated so that mass supplies can be maintained in optimum conditions at a cheap cost.

Imagine doors having magic locks, and magical strength. Walls would be strengthened, and there could be light globes that would dim upon command to provide light, or darkness, as per the appropriate spell.

These are just a few ideas that I sometimes employ in sieges and castle defense in my campaign. The different nuances and spells I think are practically endless in their applications. I think the struggle should be fierce between the two sides, each fighting with all the mundane, and magical resources at their command.

What do you think?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK