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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Al" data-source="post: 1991754" data-attributes="member: 2486">Your only realistic bet is to break the siege.  Even today, with modern logistics and transportation, 200,000 refugees arriving in one area is a major humanitarian problem.  In the Middle Ages, you can safely say that the vast majority of them are dead.As for sieges themselves, I'm skeptical about the "go for the walls tactic".  For one, Disintegrate requires an 11th level caster (not many of those) and the range of the Ray means that they're dangerously close to enemy archers and defensive spellcasters (Disintegrate has medium range; Fireball has long range) and most of the counter-measures can be executed at much lower level (See Invisibility at 3rd, Fireball or Lightning Bolt at 5th).  In any case, these can be countered with the lower level Wall of Stone, which simply fills in the gap left, or Wall of Force (though WoF is a more temporary solution) Teleport-raids are a good option for the besieging power, but only briefly, since the city could get conventional troops there at a far greater rate.  Personally, I see a high-magic besieging army as using tactics of aerial bombardment: Fly is a relatively low-level spell and can be put in wands, and the same with Fireball.  There is serious potential for incendiary attacks, particularly since most medieval houses would be made of wood, and streets tending to be very narrow.  Alternately, "granary rushes" can be particuarly painful: teleport in and burn down food stores.</blockquote>

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