Some thoughts on D&D warfare

[Odysseus]

Why are there armies?
D&D warfare is likely to be high casulty , even allowing for healing and ressurection. High casulties are costly, so wheres the gain?
There's good vs evil conflicts. But your not going to commit all those forces unless you've a chance of winning.
If theres a generations old conflict between two groups. There would be standing armies, but also they would be prepared for each others tactics and abilties. And again, there wouldn't be any conflict unless one side thought they could win.
Although D&D warfare looks like medieval warfare. The reasons for maintaining D&D armies are more likely to be similar to 21st century reasons.

 

[S'mon]

I am pretty certain that the barbarian would plough through a 1000 warriors (war1-3), AC ia high enough that only a 20 will hit and there are no criticals. If someone hits, the first 5 points of damage are negated. An average warrior has a STR of 12-13, thus +1 damage, let's assume he uses a long sword that's 2-9 damage if he hits. So an average attack that hits a 20th level barbarian would do 1.25 points of damage. The barbarian has 175 hitpoints, that's 140 hits, or 2800 attacks. Only a handfull of warriors can make an attack per round (8 in ideal circumstances), the barbarian on the other hand cuts through them like butter with his greater cleave feat (i can imagine very few 20th lvl iconic barbarians without it)...

Historically a longsword is a personal defence weapon & is a really silly weapon to outfit your army with, even in D&D where it's ahistorically cheap. Take strapping youths with STR 14, with power attack and a big club at Wr-1 they do 1d10+5 damage on a hit. Longspears are much better, you can get a huge number of attacks vs the lone barbarian doing 1d8+5/x3 crit with 10' reach.

 

[gizmo33]

I am pretty certain that the barbarian would plough through a 1000 warriors (war1-3), AC ia high enough that only a 20 will hit and there are no criticals. If someone hits, the first 5 points of damage are negated. <snip>

Anyone seen the "Mob" template (DMGII I think) ? I wonder if it would change the situation that Cergorach is describing if low-level warriors were to form mobs. I can even imagine variations on the template - with a somewhat more dignified name - that could form shield walls and such. A mob template-like thing could be the basis for turning large numbers of mooks into something very dangerous.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Players'-side account of the Battle of Scorn'el, the climax of my previous campaign.

PCs were involved! Well, that changes the whole equation. Even I recognize that the unapproachable martial majesty that should be invoked even by the merest gloss of the Mongols in a campaign world is as nothing before the heroism of PCs. All my reservations are dispelled a good show by all accounts.

 

[S'mon]

PCs were involved! Well, that changes the whole equation. Even I recognize that the unapproachable martial majesty that should be invoked even by the merest gloss of the Mongols in a campaign world is as nothing before the heroism of PCs. All my reservations are dispelled a good show by all accounts.

Yeah, without the PCs the Overkingdom would have lost. Their left flank on the hills would have been turned before the Mongali took the heavy losses that affected the later course of the battle. Also without the PCs the Overking wouldn't have returned next day for a rematch.

- Actually without the PCs' political involvement earlier in getting the Scornic League to join the Overkingdom there would only have been 100,000 eastern Scornic troops vs 116,000 Mongali and the League army would probably have been annihilated. Basically about a year's worth of my campaign focussed on the PCs building up a force capable of stopping the Mongali.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

That's very cool! I have yet to try a large scale political game in that mode, but it does sound like a very tempting story to tell.

 

[Anabstercorian]

And it's not like he won't have a few potent healing potions he can call on should fate frown on his hubris.