D&D General How the heck do you fight a medieval war in winter?

[aco175]

if every soldier gets Magic initiate wizard, life gets a lot more easy in winter or any other campaign.

1st; everyone gets Prestidigitation for personal needs.
Keep yourself warm, dry and comfortable, making campfire in any conditions as long there is wood to burn.

2nd: other cantrip slot is divided among:
Dancing lights,
Light,
Mending
Mage hand
Message
Minor illusion

1st level spell slot it divided among:
Alarm
Charm person
Find familiar
Comprehend languages
Disguise self
Fog cloud
Illusory script
Longstrider
Tensers floating disc
Unseen servant

You would not need bowmen unless you wanted range over firebolt. The problem might be that every soldier is a sage or acolyte and nobody can drive the wagon.

 

[Horwath]

You would not need bowmen unless you wanted range over firebolt.

bow is superior to firebolt until 5th level or until 17th level with extra attack.

The problem might be that every soldier is a sage or acolyte and nobody can drive the wagon.

few can take Animal handling, Survival, Land vehicles and cartographers tools.

this is why we have custom backgrounds.

 

[aco175]

this is why we have custom backgrounds.

I do not quite understand them and have not really looked into them, but they seem to be just a way to take whatever feat you want and whatever skills you want by calling it a custom background. I was the mage tower rat catcher growing up so I have spells and Perception and Investigation skills.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

It's not medieval, but...

Sad, really, as one cannot help but suspect that the guy should have known better.

 

[tetrasodium]

Going to add one i don't think was mentioned but not sure if it's cantrip or first level spell. Endure elements would change the course of history and probably be something almost everyone learns in childhood.

You would not need bowmen unless you wanted range over firebolt. The problem might be that every soldier is a sage or acolyte and nobody can drive the wagon.

I forget the name , but I read a book a few years ago where the mc kicked off a lot of political upheaval and wars by inventing what was essentially a thermometer that would show the amount of mana being channeled nearby in a measurable way ∆. That was relevant to the thread and notable to the plot because it shifted magical training to each caster needing to figure out how much how long and so forth to spend on the various parts of casting a spell unique to them over to a quantifiable process that could be standardized so an entire army could start and finish casting an optimized spell like is possible with a volley of arrows

∆literally a Mercury thermometer in description just with a different substance..

 

[Zardnaar]

I do not quite understand them and have not really looked into them, but they seem to be just a way to take whatever feat you want and whatever skills you want by calling it a custom background. I was the mage tower rat catcher growing up so I have spells and Perception and Investigation skills.
View attachment 400485

RAW you can pick a 2014 back ground, floating ASI and whatever origin feat you want.

Custom background 2014 essentially gives you custom origin.

 

[Zardnaar]

Going to add one i don't think was mentioned but not sure if it's cantrip or first level spell. Endure elements would change the course of history and probably be something almost everyone learns in childhood.

I forget the name , but I read a book a few years ago where the mc kicked off a lot of political upheaval and wars by inventing what was essentially a thermometer that would show the amount of mana being channeled nearby in a measurable way ∆. That was relevant to the thread and notable to the plot because it shifted magical training to each caster needing to figure out how much how long and so forth to spend on the various parts of casting a spell unique to them over to a quantifiable process that could be standardized so an entire army could start and finish casting an optimized spell like is possible with a volley of arrows

∆literally a Mercury thermometer in description just with a different substance..

There's low level spells that are good for individuals and small groups.

Most don't do enough for large scale units. Lesser restoration will save an individual but won't save thousands in a plague for example.

 

[Horwath]

I do not quite understand them and have not really looked into them, but they seem to be just a way to take whatever feat you want and whatever skills you want by calling it a custom background. I was the mage tower rat catcher growing up so I have spells and Perception and Investigation skills.
View attachment 400485

well, it still beats:
I want to be tough soldier that can take a beating in protecting my town.
well it sucks for you, here have a Savage attacker, you should have been a farmer if you wanted to take a beating.

and OFC, only sailors are trained in ancient arts of tavern brawling, not soldiers, not farmers, not guards, only sailors.
must be all those ancient aquatic shaolin monks we heard of.

 

[Hussar]

bow is superior to firebolt until 5th level or until 17th level with extra attack.

few can take Animal handling, Survival, Land vehicles and cartographers tools.

this is why we have custom backgrounds.

Not really. Unlimited ammunition is FAR superior to bows.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Not really. Unlimited ammunition is FAR superior to bows.

That is a very situation-dependent comparison.

• How often does an archer run out of arrows? If never, unlimited is irrelevant.
• How often is a caster unable to use spells because the target is greater than 120ft away? If never, range is irrelevant.

The answer to both is almost certainly "sometimes" and it will vary wildly.

The topic of this discussion is war, implying large scale battles where both are certain or almost certain to happen. The other end of the skirmish line with more than 50 people is going to be more than 120ft away, let alone the enemy. And a battle can easily last long enough that archers run out of arrows, especially at higher level archer that gets multiple shots or after they spend several rounds volleying as the enemy closes to firebolt range.