Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Castellan" data-source="post: 70179" data-attributes="member: 639">I like all of these ideas. They're really cool! But my-oh-my who is going to pay for them? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" /> I shudder to think how many dragon hoards had to be depleated just for one of these structures to be created.Okay, okay. "This is D&D! Anything can happen!" Yes, that's true. However, if your groups are anything like mine, as soon as I incorporate something of this nature into the game, my players are going to want one, too.Ultimately, I think we get blinded and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of magic effects available to us. I think it's a good idea to simplify. Commanders and Generals are going to make use of the magic that is most readily-available to them. If all their military might resides in one high-level wizard, why would an opposing force do anything other than try to steal or destroy that wizard's spellbooks? Eliminate the high-level wizard (or at least make him have to go home to get his back-up spellbooks, which he'll want to make new copies of before he comes back) and you have a standard enemy force, again.Try this on for size: sit down with the Player's Handbook and look at only the 0-, 1st-, and 2nd-level spells for spellcasters who might be involved in combat (sorcerers/wizards, and priests). I think these are the kind of troops and specialists you'd have access to. Lose an 18th-level wizard, and it might be years or decades before you have another replacement. 1st-level spellcasters are, relatively, a copper piece a dozen! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />In just the 1st-level sorcerer/wizard spell list in the Player's Handbook, I see the following spells that I'd use in defense of a castle (or in attacking it):* Hold Portal -- it won't keep the gates held fast forever, but it's a great stopgap measure.* Shield -- Want to get your battering ram in place without losing so many troops to the archers on the wall? This is the spell for you.* Grease -- Climbing those ladders to get on the walls suddenly became a *lot* harder!* Obscuring Mist -- Want to do something devious near the walls but you don't want the defender to tell what you're up to...?* Summon Monster I -- summon Fiendish Hawks to occupy the archers on the wall so you can get up those ladders, or sneak up close to the wall and conjure some Fiendish Dire Rats to freak out the troops inside!* Sleep -- Good for clearing a wall-segment, or in preparation for a sortie.* Spider Climb -- Who needs a ladder when you can climb up anywhere you want?* Reduce -- Coupled with Spider Climb, you can sneak in through an arrow slit, or maybe even just hop through the portcullis. Once inside, kill/maim/destroy.These aren't even all the spells... Just some obvious choices. But once you've used a bunch of 1st-level spells like this, how much more do you really need? At this level, you've got a serious amount of aid to an attack, especially if you have 30 or 40 wizards or sorcerers to do the casting.Add a few spellcasters with 2nd-level spells and you can wreak havoc on catapults and ballistae with nothing more than a few well-placed Web spells! And do you think that battering ram is going to be useful once you've hit it with a Web spell followed by a flaming arrow? Repeat as needed until no more troops want to take up positions at the ram, or the ram itself is a burnt cinder.True, the high-level stuff makes for some really epic-level storytelling, but from a practical standpoint, I think you're likely to find most of the gruntwork being done by the grunts. And that means low-level troops.Hope I'm not taking the wind out of your sails <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

Verification