Weather control in war

[DMH]

Or how do nations in typical D&D settings survive such an onslaught of magic?

Now that there are high level people who can cast such powerful spells running around, why aren't they tapped to obliterate cities and farmlands of opposing nations? Even if they are forced into a fight by a similar group, the impact of such a battle is going to be horrendous and possibly lethal for lots of low level bystanders. What happens to a nation when their commoner peoples are killed en masse? At what power level does MAD come into effect?

 

[Brother MacLaren]

Or how do nations in typical D&D settings survive such an onslaught of magic?

Now that there are high level people who can cast such powerful spells running around, why aren't they tapped to obliterate cities and farmlands of opposing nations? Even if they are forced into a fight by a similar group, the impact of such a battle is going to be horrendous and possibly lethal for lots of low level bystanders. What happens to a nation when their commoner peoples are killed en masse? At what power level does MAD come into effect?

I know Dragonlance is not one of the more popular series. And, in fact, I've never played in it myself. But if I remember the books correctly, the Order of High Sorcery was generally neutral during the War of the Lance. The wizards basically stayed out of the way and took care of wizard business. Whether this was official guild policy for all conflicts or if there was a decision take regarding this war, the wizards most certainly did not dominate the war. And wizards didn't rule any lands, though they certainly had the power to kill kings. Part of this could be MAD, with the Order serving as the forum to remind each wizard "There are more of the other two orders than there are of you, and they are powerful." Part of it seemed to me to be "wizards are above the affairs of mundanes."

Or read some comic books. Marvel and DC generally presume that life for the ordinary people is not vastly different than life as we know it, despite the existence of immensely powerful beings. Superman or Thor could destroy an army. Why don't they fight all of the US' battles for it?

 

[Thanee]

In the Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny, weather control is used to great effect in the defense of the kingdom of Amber.

About the question why it is not done... D&D is heroic. Killing off commoners and destroying their villages and farmlands is not heroic.

Bye
Thanee

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

As much as I try to strive to be realistic in the D&D world, even I prefer the notion that most people live a life that is fairly "normal" in terms of the medieval world. Almost everyone is illiterate and has fleas in their bed and farms for a living. And of course they're in danger from orc raids and maybe even the occasional giant.

When magic, especially at high level, hits the fray, then things start getting problematic. I like to go with the theory that, to many people, magic is real. They've seen a mage or sorceror or priest do their thing before in the local tavern at some point in their life.

However, wizards and druids able to wield truly awe inspiring powers are rare in my campaign, however they are definately there. My solution is to set up priests as being fairly rare. Wizards tend to be modelled off the slightly crazed and isolationist wizards of Sepulchrave's SH where they're more interested in their own personal studies then levelling a city or power ("I don't need to rule a city...a can rule a whole plane once I unlock the third isotomic layer of...etc.). I find that this helps a lot with higher level magics and keeps in line with that old line that wizards mess with things that mess with their heads, even if it isn't the Far Realms, the Abyss, or Hell.

Hence, they aren't running around and trying to blow things and people up.

 

[DMH]

About the question why it is not done... D&D is heroic. Killing off commoners and destroying their villages and farmlands is not heroic.

Yet killing orcs (who are people too) is? Are all the high level characters in your world good? No high level evil humans (or other humanoids) at all?

 

[Thanee]

Orcs are monsters (they are in the monster's manual ).

The evil dudes are stopped before they can wreak havoc, of course.

Bye
Thanee

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Yet killing orcs (who are people too) is? Are all the high level characters in your world good? No high level evil humans (or other humanoids) at all?

Sure, killing orcs is good. Its D&D.

Now, that isn't entirely true, but even I agree that there is an idea of what a fantasygame is and isn't. Sure, I've turned it upside down once or twice (the orcs being the good guys) and have even turned a central point in the genre around in a whole setting, but on the whole, most DM's I believe try to follow the general idea of it and that can easily involve saving a village from an orcish attack. If it involves killing innocent orcish women and children in a raid, well that just leads to good Role-playing in a lot of groups I play in between the characters.

 

[DMH]

Orcs are monsters (they are in the monster's manual ).

As are elves and solars.

But lets use this side track- an orc horde can't destroy a city because of its defenses. If they have access to a half-orc (or human) druid 16, why not have him enter the city and use tornados to knock it down? After he uses his control weather spells, he can change into a songbird and fly back to the orc's base and tell them what weaknesses he saw as he flew away.

Or the orcs' druid could strike the farms supporting the city- what do the inhabitants do now?

 

[Hand of Evil]

I try to keep magic out of war, guild rule. There is a simple reason for this, fear of magic users, showing too much power leads to fear and then you have the "territory" issue, devine vs arcane, when you have a world where there are gods you don't mock them.

 

[DragonLancer]

Its never come up in my games to be honest, not so far anyway, but I think it comes down to the DM not wanting to destroy a city or kill off thousands of people. That would be a big change to the campaign (and it could happen).

Looking at it from the perspective of the world itself, I would guess that even the most derranged and evil spellcaster, might view that as an abuse of the magic (if arcane) or not in keeping with his faith (divine, depending on the deity involved).