Shut it down! [Problem Solving]

[The_Universe]

Your army numbers in the thousands, and the city of the Dark Emperor of Megadoom stands before you. The siege has lasted for months, but even know the allies of the city's defenders come to roust you from your siege, to break the hold you have gained on the countryside. The Emperor himself hides in a special redoubt, hundreds of miles away, but his minions are coming soon - you need to take the city! Now!

But the Emperor's mages remain inside the city, capably defending the city from their ancient sky-scraping tower.

You have a plan. Warriors inside the city, sympathetic to your cause, have managed to lay primitive explosives inside the tower - mundane in nature, the mages cannot easily detect them, and it is believed that their placement has remained entirely secret.

However, the tower itself is filled with powerful magics - so powerful that as long as its wards remain functional, the explosives are not likely to do enough damage to bring down the tower, giving the mages plenty of time to react to your plot, thus denying you the safety of the city when the rest of the Emperor's forces come. Further, if you could deny the mages in and on the tower access to their magics, even for a short time, you believe that you can gain access to the well-defended walls, and conquer the evil city for your own patron.

There is but one hope - shut down the magic in the mages tower, allowing the explosives to do their deadly work. You don't have long, but your allies inside the city can probably gain access to the tower itself (again), if they must.

How do you deny the tower and the mages their magic?

I'll be happy to answer questions, if something here is not complete.

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Just to make certain Universe, you're looking for help in terms of being the DM and trying to set up an interesting adventure inside of the Tower or looking for help as a player trying to shut down the tower?

For either which scenario, what level are the heroes? Any special resources from either side that we should know about?

 

[The_Universe]

Assume that you are the player, I am the DM, and you want to shut down that tower.

You are somewhere between level 10 and 15, but you might have an ally or two more powerful than that. Nothing epic, but anything below that might be fair game.

 

[Hand of Evil]

using the spells below, say as a device - catapult stones - which do two things, pound the building and dispel magics at the same time. Have to figure the cost per stone but as a 3rd level spell should not be that high.

Dispel Magic
Abjuration
Level: Brd 3, Clr 3, Drd 4, Magic 3, Pal 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target or Area: One spellcaster, creature, or object; or 20-ft.-radius burst
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You can use dispel magic to end ongoing spells that have been cast on a creature or object, to temporarily suppress the magical abilities of a magic item, to end ongoing spells (or at least their effects) within an area, or to counter another spellcaster’s spell. A dispelled spell ends as if its duration had expired. Some spells, as detailed in their descriptions, can’t be defeated by dispel magic. Dispel magic can dispel (but not counter) spell-like effects just as it does spells.
Note: The effect of a spell with an instantaneous duration can’t be dispelled, because the magical effect is already over before the dispel magic can take effect.
You choose to use dispel magic in one of three ways: a targeted dispel, an area dispel, or a counterspell:
Targeted Dispel: One object, creature, or spell is the target of the dispel magic spell. You make a dispel check (1d20 + your caster level, maximum +10) against the spell or against each ongoing spell currently in effect on the object or creature. The DC for this dispel check is 11 + the spell’s caster level. If you succeed on a particular check, that spell is dispelled; if you fail, that spell remains in effect.
If you target an object or creature that is the effect of an ongoing spell (such as a monster summoned by monster summoning), you make a dispel check to end the spell that conjured the object or creature.
If the object that you target is a magic item, you make a dispel check against the item’s caster level. If you succeed, all the item’s magical properties are suppressed for 1d4 rounds, after which the item recovers on its own. A suppressed item becomes nonmagical for the duration of the effect. An interdimensional interface (such as a bag of holding) is temporarily closed. A magic item’s physical properties are unchanged: A suppressed magic sword is still a sword (a masterwork sword, in fact). Artifacts and deities are unaffected by mortal magic such as this.
You automatically succeed on your dispel check against any spell that you cast yourself.
Area Dispel: When dispel magic is used in this way, the spell affects everything within a 20-foot radius.
For each creature within the area that is the subject of one or more spells, you make a dispel check against the spell with the highest caster level. If that check fails, you make dispel checks against progressively weaker spells until you dispel one spell (which discharges the dispel magic spell so far as that target is concerned) or until you fail all your checks. The creature’s magic items are not affected.
For each object within the area that is the target of one or more spells, you make dispel checks as with creatures. Magic items are not affected by an area dispel.
For each ongoing area or effect spell whose point of origin is within the area of the dispel magic spell, you can make a dispel check to dispel the spell.
For each ongoing spell whose area overlaps that of the dispel magic spell, you can make a dispel check to end the effect, but only within the overlapping area.
If an object or creature that is the effect of an ongoing spell (such as a monster summoned by monster summoning) is in the area, you can make a dispel check to end the spell that conjured that object or creature (returning it whence it came) in addition to attempting to dispel spells targeting the creature or object.
You may choose to automatically succeed on dispel checks against any spell that you have cast.
Counterspell: When dispel magic is used in this way, the spell targets a spellcaster and is cast as a counterspell. Unlike a true counterspell, however, dispel magic may not work; you must make a dispel check to counter the other spellcaster’s spell.

Dispel Magic, Greater
Abjuration
Level: Brd 5, Clr 6, Drd 6, Sor/Wiz 6
This spell functions like dispel magic, except that the maximum caster level on your dispel check is +20 instead of +10.
Additionally, greater dispel magic has a chance to dispel any effect that remove curse can remove, even if dispel magic can’t dispel that effect.

 

[Jdvn1]

Get your mages to the catapults and ballistas. Have them cast Anti-Magic Field on all the ammo.

 

[The_Universe]

Get your mages to the catapults and ballistas. Have them cast Anti-Magic Field on all the ammo.

Antimagic field, if I recall correctly, has a 10 foot radius range, centered on the casters. The sieging mages would have to launch *themselves* at the tower via catapult - probably a risky plan.

 

[The_Universe]

using the spells below, say as a device - catapult stones - which do two things, pound the building and dispel magics at the same time. Have to figure the cost per stone but as a 3rd level spell should not be that high.

Just to be argumentative, the mages and the tower could all succeed at the dispel check, making my attack moot. I know it's not statistically likely that everything/everyone will succeed....but it's hardly the most reliable plan. Is there a way to do something similar that would automatically suppress the area's (and the people's within the area) magical powers?

 

[Jdvn1]

Heh, didn't notice it was self-only. I don't have my Complete books with me, but would Otiluke's Dispelling Screen help?

 

[Kashell]

Perhaps having a team of mages go Etheral, go inside of the structure, cast antimagic/dispel magic and teleport out right before the explosive blew up would do the trick.

It's a hard situation that almost requires artifict level stuff to do without some great risk.

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Well, a tower like this isn't something found in the books. As a consequence, there will be no singular means to defeating the tower in terms of a spell or magical item. (I'm refering to the corebooks here...I could be (and probably am) mistaken that something like this not existing in one of the other d20 books out there).

Its going to come down to an assault within the tower. How many mages are inside the tower? Perhaps an assault inside of the tower while the outside city is taken will distract the mages long enough for the external assault to work.

Otherwise, in terms of actually taking down the magical defenses, I would think that (for it to be possible outside of just covering the outside in layers upon layers of Dispel Magics) there has to be a source for the magical energies or powers. Gotta take out that source.

If there is no source, then perhaps setting up antimagic fields on objects (not Core, but still certainly possible unless a few mages are willing to sacrifice themselves) near the centeral supports of the tower and then blowing those areas would work. Sure the rest of the tower is enchanted and will survive the fall, but it'll be on its side and no longer have the command of the city.