Magic Items: Arming the armies

[Greatwyrm]

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

All you're paying for in that 2000 is labor. You'll still need about 100gp in materials, per sword. Being generous and assuming a sword a week, that adds another 5200 gp over a year.

 

[Umbran]

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?

And my answers are:

1)Somewhat, insofar as magic items are hideously expensive. So, it rather depends on how much wealth you've got around, and how many spellcasters with the proper feat in the kingdom. Plus, it depends on how close to history your game runs. In the real wotrld, standing armies were tiny things. The masses were called up only at need, and you wouldn't be handing out expensive weapons to people who weren't permanently in your employ. Rather than say that they are made "for the army", you'd be better off thinking "were comissioned by the king for his trusted men". Most of these trusted men would be included when the king called for troops to fight.

2)As above - the nobility and knights would probably get such weapons. Note that footsoldiers were generally poorly equipped in the real world, and IIRC they weren't exactly well-respected. One does not give magic items to cannon fodder who are doomed to die and lose them.

3)Surplus? You probably don't have that many magic weapons to have surplus. They'd get into civilian hands by gift of the king, or by scavanging on the battlefield.

4)What equipment a soldier would get probably depends on how likley he was to die. Anything magical on a dead soldier is lost. So, those commoners that make up the bulk of your army won't have diddly. Even the low-level warriors won't have much.

 

[magnas_veritas]

Re: Re: Magic Items: Arming the armies

And my answers are:

1)Somewhat, insofar as magic items are hideously expensive. So, it rather depends on how much wealth you've got around, and how many spellcasters with the proper feat in the kingdom. Plus, it depends on how close to history your game runs. In the real wotrld, standing armies were tiny things. The masses were called up only at need, and you wouldn't be handing out expensive weapons to people who weren't permanently in your employ. Rather than say that they are made "for the army", you'd be better off thinking "were comissioned by the king for his trusted men". Most of these trusted men would be included when the king called for troops to fight.

It may be more cost-effective to make wondrous items or wands. A few portable Everful Larders will completely eliminate your dependence on long supply trains and reduce foraging significantly; a rough calculation from Stronghold Builder's Guidebook gives a cost of 27k for a single stronghold space that crawls by itself. A minimal wand of fireball will have far more killing power than an equivalent sword. You can slaughter entire units with that, and break the formation of those that survive to be finished at your leisure.

Brad

 

[magnas_veritas]

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".

The only possible way that I can see this happening is if the society responsible has vast resources, far beyond what a pseudo-medieval D&D game has. An example would be the Age of Legends from Wheel of Time...common soldiers were issued what are put into game equivalents as +1 weapons, and use lightning bolt-firing weapons.

Unless you're looking to significantly change the balance of your game, it's best if the society that's making all this is separated from the present by a few thousand years and one or two pole shifts/ice ages/massive upheavals.

Brad

 

[Hygric]

In my own golden age of Greyhawk campaign at the moment, I have the Suel empire's armies having magical equipment, such as heavily enchanted unit standards, bags of carrying (lighten the load that the soldier carries in it by 25%) and items such as potions of CLW here and there. Some elite units have javellins of lightning, and enchantments on balistae (such as flaming) are quite popular to. I guess that items such as a Murlynd's Spoon would be good choices, as well as items that could cure disease or wounds.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

All you're paying for in that 2000 is labor. You'll still need about 100gp in materials, per sword. Being generous and assuming a sword a week, that adds another 5200 gp over a year.

Wall of Iron could cut down on the materials cost.

 

[Valmur_Dwur]

I'll throw a couple of crowns in

I personally say not likely just like the rest of the posters have. But then this is because I have weapons specially created as a one time thing. Plus 1 swords are really figured at higher prices due to the fact they also do other things And I am of the asumption in my WoG that the normal soldiers have scalemail at best. My town guards have leather that sort of thing.
However to answer your questions based on what you are wanting to know I would answer the following:

1. Only in the fact that we are talking about magic weapons in make beleive worlds

2. I would say only the heroes of a time ie: Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom for an example from Greyhawk. So I would say elite units only at best or high level officers

3. I can't see them being surplus if you have a powerful weapon you would use it first, I know I talked about this somewhere else one time. Basically human nature is to strike first with your most powerful attack. It is when it fails thaty you are in trouble
Civilians could come upon it through unfamiliarity of what it is they have. "Son take this weapon Grandad used and once chopped a goblin clean in half." "Thisaway, Grandad and (insert diety here)can watch over you and you mightna cut a goblin or two yourself!"

4. The only magical equipment issued to the troops are Father Ragnar to heal your wounds or pray for your soul and Mystic Ciombor who you need to make sure no Orc gets near cause he'll save you from needing to see Father Ragnar

Cheers!