Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Frostbite_Ravenheart 07-19-07, 05:50 PM	Hi, my group and I have decided to take our campaign towards a more militaristic type of game with larger battles and way more strategy. We are all about 13th-14th level and will become 15th-16th level before we start getting into more serious battles. Before we get there, one of the things we were thinking about is how we can make (somewhat) quick and cheap fortifications for short-term and long-term use. We have two spell-casters, a druid and a wizard, and the wizard is to put forth the effort to learn spells like Move Earth if we can convince him that making forts can be done well. We've come up with ideas just as combining Move Earth and Wall of Stone to make basic wall and trent patterns or hills but I'd appreciate anyone's help they can give us when it comes to make any type of fortification or natural defense (IE: using plant growth to create thorn hedges) or any other related help. Thanks, FB
BillTheManiac 07-19-07, 08:11 PM	For long-term, you can buy one. Check out Stronghold Builder's Guide. For short-term, you want a circle of good one-way cover (short walls with Wall of Stone) on higher ground (Move Earth). Then you want as many obstacles as possible in between. Pits are good for this. They are hard to cross and provide no cover. Earthbound Spell allows you to make spells into traps.
Frostbite_Ravenheart 07-19-07, 09:08 PM	We're on a low-magic-item, low-budget, low-gold campaign so buying a suitable one for short-term isn't really an option. What book is Earthbound spell from? -Frost
Mock26 07-19-07, 10:47 PM	Wall of Stone is a good method of creating walls quickly. Transmute Rock to Mud followed up by Dispel Magic is only slightly less good.
Saragon42 07-20-07, 07:17 AM	The Lyre of Building is only 13,000gp, easily affordable at your level even in a low-wealth game. Not only will it do in 30 minutes what 100 men could do given three days, it can protect fortifications against attack for a short while.
stuporhero93 07-20-07, 12:47 PM	Have a player go into IotSV. Get some one to blow some XP on permancy for permanent forts, or not for short terms.
solbergb 07-20-07, 04:49 PM	Put it on a demiplane. Physical fortresses are easily bypassed with teleport, disintegrate, fly, etc. You can harden it somewhat with things like hallow+dimensional lock, mordenkeinen's sanctum, anticipate teleport or whatever. But if your opposition is 10-15th level, your best defense is secrecy, and its physical location not being on the same plane (and preferably being on a plane where you get to set the rules) If you are level 10-15 and building it in a low cash campaign, yeah. Use wall of stone a lot, with shape stone where needed for finer detail. Fabricate, shape wood and move earth can also be very useful. The only free magic traps are explosive runes, put them everywhere :)
doomblade403x 07-20-07, 05:15 PM	Transmute rock to mud + Transmute mud to rock: Cast Stone to mud and have workers put the mud into forms. Dispel Magic = bricks or stones which will be easily stackable, and molded into a fortress. Put them together with mud in between and cast mud to stone. Badda bing you got yourself a solid wall or fortification that will be a monster for invaders to bring downa Move earth: Good for lay of the land type stuff. they can straighten the hills and make an invaders life a living hell on flat ground. Can also be used to dig moats and such. Light or continual light: Rogues rule the night, but only if they have shadows to move about in. Light spells used liberally inside and outside your fortress will keep everything well in sight so even the densest gaurd can see an infiltration. Making a mirrored lighthouse light and using one of these spells can also make a good searchlight if the light is on a good swivel. Engineering: This is just a skill, but in this kinda game it's vital to have an engineer. The engineer is gonna be the one planning the keeps construction, and he's also the dude who can oversee the building of those seige and counterseige weapons. Wind wall: You want to keep from loosing wall gaurds to archers? Enchant something on each side of the keep with wind wall, and let them waste a volley or two. The good news is since the wind is blowing towards them, your light missile attacks wont be affected. Location: A good location is key. I could go into a million or so spells that would make your keep a nightmare to tackle, but all you really need is a PHP and a little creative thinking.
Kuruk 07-20-07, 06:23 PM	The good news is since the wind is blowing towards them, your light missile attacks wont be affected. Going to have to nix that. An invisible vertical curtain of wind appears. It is 2 feet thick and of considerable strength. It is a roaring blast sufficient to blow away any bird smaller than an eagle, or tear papers and similar materials from unsuspecting hands. (A Reflex save allows a creature to maintain its grasp on an object.) Tiny and Small flying creatures cannot pass through the barrier. Loose materials and cloth garments fly upward when caught in a wind wall. Arrows and bolts are deflected upward and miss, while any other normal ranged weapon passing through the wall has a 30% miss chance. (A giant-thrown boulder, a siege engine projectile, and other massive ranged weapons are not affected.) Gases, most gaseous breath weapons, and creatures in gaseous form cannot pass through the wall (although it is no barrier to incorporeal creatures). While the wall must be vertical, you can shape it in any continuous path along the ground that you like. It is possible to create cylindrical or square wind walls to enclose specific points. Nowhere does it say that the wind is going in a particular horizontal direction. It indicates that everything simply gets thrown upwards . Wind Wall stops all arrows, it does not discriminate between which way they are going. They are all neutralized.
doomblade403x 07-20-07, 07:51 PM	My bad, was gust of wind I was thinking of. Gust of Wind Evocation [Air] Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: 60 ft. Effect: Line-shaped gust of severe wind emanating out from you to the extreme of the range Duration: 1 round Saving Throw: Fortitude negates Spell Resistance: Yes This spell creates a severe blast of air (approximately 50 mph) that originates from you, affecting all creatures in its path. A Tiny or smaller creature on the ground is knocked down and rolled 1d4×10 feet, taking 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet. If flying, a Tiny or smaller creature is blown back 2d6×10 feet and takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage due to battering and buffeting. Small creatures are knocked prone by the force of the wind, or if flying are blown back 1d6×10 feet. Medium creatures are unable to move forward against the force of the wind, or if flying are blown back 1d6×5 feet. Large or larger creatures may move normally within a gust of wind effect. A gust of wind can’t move a creature beyond the limit of its range. Any creature, regardless of size, takes a -4 penalty on ranged attacks and Listen checks in the area of a gust of wind. The force of the gust automatically extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames. It causes protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 50% chance to extinguish those lights. In addition to the effects noted, a gust of wind can do anything that a sudden blast of wind would be expected to do. It can create a stinging spray of sand or dust, fan a large fire, overturn delicate awnings or hangings, heel over a small boat, and blow gases or vapors to the edge of its range. Gust of wind can be made permanent with a permanency spell.