If you were a General...

[Bryon_Soulweaver]

All soldiers and spellcasters would get training in everything. Learn to understand what a wizard is casting; learn to kill others with effectivness (1d4 sneak attack kind of thing); learn to wield four different martial weapons and one exotic weapon if one isnt a warrior or fighter; everything. They would need to be preparred for anything. Commanders of armies would have to take a level or two in some spellcaster or psionic class for flexability and controlling soldiers.

There would be a spellcaster for every squad (five soldiers and one spellcaster or psion). At higher levels it wouldnt be worth it for them to have bodyguards, since they can wipe out an army of 1st-5th level soldiers, the army being 200-500 large, at a distance. [Fire storm can work wonders!]

Now, about calvery. Depending on the Kingdom and the kingdom alignment, I have different ideas. For a CE Kingdom, I would have the most powerful wizards/clerics/psions create horse, riding dog, large dragonfly abominations. LG Kingdoms would have horses, or good dragons if the great creatures let them, large riding animals, griffons, and other almost non-intelligent animals (I know animals are smart, sometimes, but in D&D, they're not). CN Kingdoms would care, they're madmen. Control a dragon, get a horse and breed it to a rasp, use hippogriffs as base creatures to creating abominations, whatever. But like I said, it would depend on the Kingdoms major alignment.

Cost? I'll figure that out later.

 

[Tonguez]

1 Level 18 Druid
Druids are the ultimate in battlefield control and they can do it at long range (eg Earthquake Range: 400 ft. + 40 ft./level, Elemental Storm 100 ft. + 10 ft./level. Even low level Druids have access to Entangle, Fog Clouds, Stone to Clay, Heat Meta, Buffs and Healing etc. SNA is nice and if I'm right a large air elemental in Tornado form (a 40 foot high cone) can pick up (and hammer for 2d6 damage) something like 50 - 80 medium sized creatures before spitting them out the top (where they then suffer falling damage)


1 high level 'Lance' (as described by JackGiantKiller)
This serves as the Mage-killer brigade taking out the big guns from the enemy. I might include a Monk because they are fun

Mooks as a preference the low level mooks are Druid/Fighter and Barbarian
Druids for the entangle spell, fighter for the feats. Barbarians have the strength of heavy infantry and (almost) the speed of cavalry

As back up I might also have 2 each of mid-level Marshal and a Bard to serve as the Communications center (mounted on the back of a Roc and with some means of amplifying the Bards Music abilities)

 

[painandgreed]

I'd say at least would be main classes with emphasis on mid and upper lvels. I'd start by putting low level rogues on the payroll all across my land and others. It doesn't take much Gather Information to report rumors of war or armies on the march. From there, organization would be based upon an "adventuring party" style of 2 arcane casters, 2 divine casters, 2 rogues, and 4 fighter types. the lower level types would run various errands and gather better intelligence. The mid-levels would spend most of their time keeping track of the ememy low and mid level NPCs. Spending time during peace to make sure that adventuring parties and notable up and coming groups that are sympathetic to my ememies die before reaching mid-levels. Higher level groups would keep track of the enemies high levels and do something about them if possible. High level casters would also use divination type spells to see where danger is coming from and to judge strategy. In advent of war, the groups would begin by assassinating or otherwise removing ememy forces before they can gather together. In general strategy, it would always be to have enough information to assure that my forces have superior numbers and levels over the enemies. Low level shucks would be gathered out of the genral population to help control gained territory and run interference where they might be successful.

 

[Rabelais]

If I had significant resources, I'd work on ritual magic. Nuke 'em from orbit. Everybody is going to have some grunt Half-orc types on the border to make sure that the bad guys stay on the otherside of the bridge, or what have you. If I really had a budget, I'd get my War Wizards to work on the Ritual magic, blighting of the lands type spells.

If you can manage to deny access to resources, and access to territory, not necessarily occupying it yourself, then you can keep the bad guys away from your resources, and your territory. Of course, you run the risk of ONE BIG WAR, then it's Dark Sun, and the next thing you know you've got Mul's running around.

 

[DM_Matt]

The backbone of an OFFENSIVE force would be a couple high-level druids. Control Weather/Winds to create tornados will destroy any army or city so long as you protect the casters. Additionally and can summon some big nasties and animal growth them, and use burn. Other things would be needed for defense or occupation, tough, because if the enemy gets to your city the tornado tactic is suddenly a lot less desirable.

 

[Kaodi]

Ummm...

How do you figure that there are going to be so many of these mid-high level characters just sitting around without agendas of their own, waiting to be called off for war...
And what makes you think a high level druid is going to want to fight a war for you? Seeing as wars destroy land. And before you answer, " conscription " just think of the smack down those high level characters could lay down on *your* forces.
Exceptional characters are supposed to be exceptional... And that whole thing about magical equipment too... And, if it were you, how much money would you expect per day for your assistance, if you were say a 7th level wizard with problems of his own, or an 10th level fighter making a fortune as an adventurer... I think most character classes would be lower levels, just like the warriors and fighters on the lines.

 

[drothgery]

How do you figure that there are going to be so many of these mid-high level characters just sitting around without agendas of their own, waiting to be called off for war...

Patriotism (the Empire is the strongest force for Law and Goodness in the world, after all), faith (the Church supports the Empire, and its enemies are often heathens or heretics), and incentives (land, titles, favorable marriages, outright cash payments if needed).

Of course, the other factor here is that I think that first level characters are teenagers (actual age may vary by race, but humans are usually teenagers), just barely mature enough to be trusted on their own; competent adults are usually 3rd to 5th level.

 

[painandgreed]

How do you figure that there are going to be so many of these mid-high level characters just sitting around without agendas of their own, waiting to be called off for war...

The core and most loyal groups are goign to be the lords, their associates and cohorts. They'll fight to support the power structure because they are the power structure. Others will be similarly entised with postions and rewards as they grow more valuable. The low level groups that work for the kingdom aren't going to just be able to walk away once they feel they've got enough levels to support themselves. Lands, titles, and servants can be given to those who deserve them. Of coruse, sometimes you've got to go take those lands and servants from somebody else.

They you have the various free agents, that no matter how free will usually end up aligning themselves with one kingdom or another. The good groups with paladins will side with the good kingdoms and the evil will side with the evil. When war comes about, they'll join in not only to keep those they find aberant from winning but also for the same reason as most soldiers joined in at the time, loot. Most of the adventurer groups my character has been part of are more than willing to go to combat if they get to keep all the stuff they can pick up off the enemy they kill.

Unaligned groups will probalby either flee the region of the war or have the power to keep themselves neutral. Most likely kingdoms that find unaligned adventure groups in their region will attempt to conscript or kill them because if they aren't aligned with them already and aren't leavign the area, then they might be working for the otherside. Groups that are powerful enough to cause trouble with this are powerful enough to deal with diplomatically and either make them a better offer or soem arrangements of neutrality.

The trouble with high level characters in such situations is that at that point role playing becomes important. Individual motivations for that character and those of the sides involved will make most of the decisions and will vary from game to game. Thus the questions isn't going into that because any attempt to do so would pretty much have to be tailored for a particular campaign.

 

[Nifft]

Yeah, man. I'd get myself some seriously high-level Druids and summoner Wizards.

-- N

 

[Tonguez]

The trouble with high level characters in such situations is that at that point role playing becomes important. Individual motivations for that character and those of the sides involved will make most of the decisions and will vary from game to game. Thus the questions isn't going into that because any attempt to do so would pretty much have to be tailored for a particular campaign.

Exactly and the perfect example of this is LOTR and Treebeards entry into the War - that pretty much analogous to a 'neutral' high-level Druid being persuaded to support the cause, but as stated it is absolutely campaign specific