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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GuardianLurker" data-source="post: 3377100" data-attributes="member: 786">Restating the problem:Hmm... we really need more details on the level and class distribution. Does the army have *any* spellcasters? Are the mages generalists? Transmutation specialists? Etc. It can all have a big impact. Assuming the actual NPC setups look like this:Mages: 1 12th, 1 11th, 1 10th, 2 9th, 3 8th, 6 7th, and 6 6th; all generalists, with a casting stat of 16.Army: No spellcasters at all, but plenty of item support. Troops are 50% Warrior 1s, 25% War 2s, 10% War 3s, 5% War 4s, 5% Ftr 1s, 2% Ftr 2s, 2% Ftr 3s, and 1 %Ftr 4s. The sprinklings of 5th+ I'm not going to worry about. All have 13 Con.I really have to wonder if the General isn't being gotten rid of by his higher ups. Given the time constraints, and the proposed approach, the odds are overwhelmingly tilted against him. Marching down the penisula and beseiging the castle is not a good idea.Assuming a frontal assault on the castle with massed troops (the attacker's worst case): I can assume the mages can toss 20 fireballs a round (1 each). Each fireball can effect a *maximum* of 44 medium-sized troops (assuming no augmentation). The average fireball does 7.5d6 damage, with a Ref save of 16, or 26.25 hp before saves. My Warriors have 5.5/11/16.5/22 HP, and save 20% of the time. My Ftrs have 6.5/13/19.5/26 HP, and also save 20% of the time. Assuming a single fireball volley catches an even mix, each volley kills 440 War 1s, 220 War 2s, 70.4 War 3s, 35.2 War 4s, 44 Ftr 1s, 17.6 Ftr 2s, 14 Ftr 3s, and 7 Ftr 4s, reducing my army by 848 troops (out of a maximum of 880). In 12 rounds, my Army's gone. Maybe more like 20, given that the later rounds will see fewer fireballs. Basically, if I try to take the castle, I have to be able to swarm the walls in 10 rounds, or I lose.Ultimately, I've got a few main concerns if I'm going to assault the castle somehow - I've got to get my troops there quickly, mostly intact, and without large clustering.Trying for all three: Another option is a flotilla of small boats, each fitting in a individual invisibility sphere, and staging a marine assault. And/or fire-proofed troop ships. The problem here is that until I make the assault, the troops are mostly defenseless.If I'm willing to sacrifice a *large* portion of my troops, I might be able to assault the castle if each assault squad is small enough and can climb the walls quickly enough.However, given that my objective is to "remove the threat" and not military conquest, and the inability to refuse, I'd be redefining the problem. A better solution is to avoid the need for an assault somehow. One possibility is to use saboteurs/fifth columns to undermine the enemy's willingness/ability to fight.  The problem here is that (assumption) if my citizens are fleeing into the mage's country to stage insurrection against me, any infiltrators would be likely to defect.Another option is a propaganda campaign. A few bards optimized for diplomacy given 2-4 months could probably make a *huge* dent in my enemies willingness to fight. Or if I can't get enough diplobards, I'll bet that one of those 20 mages could probably be turned.Buy the mages off - for the cost of that army, I could probably buy a number of years of peace. Spellbooks and spell research don't come cheap. On again, just buy (and turn) a few of the mages.Or, assuming it really is an attempt to get rid of me (the general) assassinate/stage a coup against the leaders who are trying to kill me. Then plan a better war, assuming it's still a problem.Or heck, as a final attempt, if the mages are claiming a "just war" based on my ruler's actions, sign a treaty addressing/correcting the issues the mages are complaining about, at least the big ones. Even if I don't sign the treaty, I can gain months/years of peace while I negotiate. And if I'm smart, I can even turn the raiding into the mages problem.</blockquote>

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