Protecting Troops from Fireball

[Storyteller01]

What kind of combat are we talking about, and what intel do the leaders have?

Example:
Is it a castle seige? If so, will catapulting/ballistas be used before the siege? Will this spread out the wizards, or over-tax their spells for the days (other spells used for defense)? Given their low hp, will they survive the barrage (I'm assuming the spellcasters are on the line, or the formation wouldn't be threatened)?

 

[Lord Wyrm]

Here's my answer:

1. Hire mid-high level rogue
2. Have him sneak around the night before battle and bury a stilleto to the hilt in anyone sleeping near a spellbook
3. Attack at dawn

 

[Napftor]

If you want to go the "early detonation" route, rules for such an action are already available: http://www.enworld.org/shop/index.php?do=product&productid=674&source=Search for

 

[Nail]

Because armies are cool, and castles are cool, and mass warfare is cool. Not to mention a staple of the fantasy genre.

Even if D&D makes them completely nonsensical.

Exactly. Mass warfare (of the kind that involves commoners and 1st level warriors) doesn't work in 3.xe. It's just that simple.

 

[dcollins]

So why does the DMG have a whole section labelled "Invasion in the D&D Game" that says "Most soldiers are 1st-level warriors..."? Is it simply mistaken?

 

[Nail]

Mistaken? Nope. It's RAW, and not errata'ed.

Misguided? Yep. Very.

 

[irdeggman]

There are several products out there that address mass combat (I believe it in the recently resurrected topic). All address how to handle troops and spells on the battlefield, albeit in different ways.

Cry Havoc

Fields of Blood

BRCS (at Birthright.net)

All are 3.0/3.5.

 

[dcollins]

So, do those products identify any effective magical protections for a formation of typical soldiers against a fireball?

 

[Cabral]

Okay. This isn't cheap. But it should be effective and versatile.

Antimagic Field in the path of oncoming magic
Great for the evil horde led by a beholder

 

[Mistwell]

What counts as mid-level?

For instance, while it'd still tie up your caster, rather than counterspelling (which requires picking a specific caster) your wizard COULD ready an action to cast a spell that would break the line of effect if an enemy cast an area-of-effect spell. For example: ready an action to cast a Wall spell of your choice in the path of the fireball.

Alternately, you could summon a flying creature with the Fire subtype, and have it ready an action every turn to intercept the fireball en route before it reaches the infantry - cause an early detonation.

Have a Lev 1 Wizard or Sorceror ready an action to cast a silent image (1st lev spell) of a wall of stone in the line of sight. Cheap, easy, effective.

A lev 1 Wizard or Sorceror could also just as easily ready an action to cast a magic missle, to interupt the casting of the other caster.