Magic Items: Arming the armies

[Kilmore]

A little idea for a discussion.

I'm of the opinion that the vast majority of magic items created were made for the express benefit of various kingdoms and other governments, and the officials and soldiers therein.

These items often find their ways into the hoards of treasure that characters discover, so maybe the +1 longsword that the Bard identifies doesn't have a name like "Foecleaver" or something like that, but he would be able to say "Ah, this was the basic magical sword used by the armies of the Great Kingdom in their wars against Iuz in the last century".

By extension, at least a sizeable number of a kingdom's regular soldiers will have magic items. While it may take well over a month to produce a masterwork sword worthy of enchantment, most realms will have a sizable workshop busy with creating these weapons. In addition, these magical items will be more hearty than mundane items, which means they last longer and can be handed down several generations of soldiers.

So, my questions are:

1. Am I completely off my rocker with my theories?

2. Who in the armies get these items? Certain elite units? Officers? Units specifically sent out on campaigns? The cavalry? Everybody?

3. Do they ever become surplus? What happens to them? How do they end up in civilian hands?

4. What magical equipment is regularly issued to the soldiers?

 

[diaglo]

YMMV,

all my +1 weapons have a name and a background.

 

[Ashy]

IMHO, it really depends on the level of magic in your campaign. If you run the sort of campaign where magic missle is the sort of thing that gets an entire village talking (i.e. very low magic) then a +1 weapon would be very hard to come by and armies would not be equipped with them. However, if you run the sort of campaign where cerain grey-beared, pipe-smoking wizards haev trists with goddesses every other week, then yea, your theories could be considered plausible.

HTH!

 

[Storminator]

I think magic armor for officers is more plausible. You lose a LOT of soldiers in a war, and if you lose a battle you don't want dozens of magic swords going to the other side.

But you do want to keep your officers upright until the end, so magic armor is very useful.

PS

 

[officeronin]

Well, since a +1 sword isn't much better than a masterwork unless you're fighting things with DR, and armies don't fight things with DR, I don't see it for an army.

I'd imagine MW weapons would be in evidence for professional, full-time soldiers. An elite troop might have swords that cast magic weapon 2/day -- especially if the kingdom is in the habit of fighting necromancer armies...

For my money, I'd go for a use-activated goodberry bags, and never again worry about supply trains!

OfficeRonin

 

[Hand of Evil]

I would go special units (if then).

The cost with putting magic swords into the hands of each warrior would start to cause issues as army size increase and you have loss. You also would not want the have these weapons fall into the hands of your foes.

I would take the money saved and build an area effect shoot from a distance weapon that was easliy transporable on the battlefield (aka Magic-user).

 

[Greatwyrm]

I just don't see most governments desiring or even being able to afford outfitting large numbers of troops with magic anything.

Look at a masterwork longsword. Something like 315 gp, right? For the same cost, you could equip and train a cavalryman with a light war horse, standard weapon, and decent armor.

Maybe for high ranking officers and SMALL elite units, but definitely not en masse.

 

[Tonguez]

People always forget about the huge COST of making even normal swords let alone magical ones and this is mainly because DnD economics is pure fantasy.

So we have dwarfs fine but from the amount of weapon smiths around it would seem that DnD worlds have an abundance of readily accesible iron ore and that the number of people buying weapons and armour is such that a blacksmith can survive on that market alone (and supposedly ignore the peasant farmer and his need for plough shears, nails and horse shoes.)

and IF Dwarfs have made such an abundance of Iron available why haven't they got clever and started stockpiling the stuff in order to drive up prices and make the Kings start paying them copious amounts of gold and precision gems; trade concessions; and/or territorial grants?

so yeah I don't think armies would have magic weapons (and imc all +1 weapons are named and probably legendary - either by fact or association)

 

[haiiro]

How much of a role do spellcasters play in battles in your campaign (particularly arcane casters)?

If battles are being decided by war wizards slinging fireballs, then I think it's unlikely that magic weaponry would be mass-produced for average soldiers. Also, having clerics on hand to bless units, cast magic weapon and greater magic weapon, etc. would get around the problem of having costly magical items falling into enemy hands after a battle.

Generally speaking, I think only truly elite units would have access to magic weapons, armor, etc. - basically, just the folks who are already least likely to die. Like the issue as a whole, though, this depends on the magic level in your campaign (as others have noted).

 

[officeronin]

I just don't see most governments desiring or even being able to afford outfitting large numbers of troops with magic anything.

Look at a masterwork longsword. Something like 315 gp, right? For the same cost, you could equip and train a cavalryman with a light war horse, standard weapon, and decent armor.

Maybe for high ranking officers and SMALL elite units, but definitely not en masse.

I'd go with MW weapons. You've already got a weaponsmith who spends all his time making weapons. Assuming he's competent, you could give him a +10 craft item, and he can make MW weapons all day -- for a mere 2000 gp!

OfficeRonin