Options for a siege.

[Crow]

If you game at Andy's place in San Clemente, stop reading now or I promise to whip out the TPK scenario I devised before this one...

The above applies to Andy, Josh, Matt, and Corinne. The spoiler is intended for any not affiliated with the San Clemente game.


I was going to be running a battle in the next session. Basically, the group will have been notified of the impending attack, and will have anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks to prepare (if they decide to help).

What I am trying to do is give them many options that will act as tradeoffs, and can help their chances to win the battle. The battle will be fought "in the background" mostly, except when the heros decide to intervene, and will have some Dynasty Warriors-esque battles against enemy captains and generals.

The Town they are defending is pretty small, and not fortified. It has a blacksmith, general store, and an inn, as well as a temple of Yondalla staffed by low-level clerics (highest is level 6).

I was wondering how the players can use these resources. For instance;

The blacksmith is capable of making about 15 spears per week that can be used to equip a peasant militia, or he can make different types of gates for the gatehouses, but it will cost extra gold to get materials and will take up most of his time (meaning no peasant militia, unless the players come up with something else <encouraged>).

How can I use the other facilities available to the town in ways like this? Preferably ways that require a time tradeoff, since that is their most valuble resource. They're pretty poor though too, so monetary costs could be good, but remember most of the costs for things the citizens can provide will be free, since it's their butts otherwise.

Temple of Yondalla (stone cathedral, low-level halfling clerics)
Blacksmith (skilled in weapon and armorcraft due to servicing the garrison)
General & Feed Store (general goods, feed)
Inn (about 12 beds, a tavern downstairs, plus the stables)

I have used the stronghold builder's guide to set out a myriad of fortification options (and times to build them) as well (by far most of my time was put towards this, so it is solid already), but now i am looking for "little extras".

[CatCameBack]

Insufficient Data to Process your request:

Who or what is attacking?

Please describe where the town is situated (coastline, jungle, mountains, hills, etc.).

Power levels and makeup of the group?

[Alex12]

Heated lard/fat can act like the Grease spell, and doesn't take long to set up. Also, look through the first couple pages of the Horror Campaign (formerly Army of Commoners) thread to find good tactics. Those guys had even less time to prep, and fewer resources, and they fought off an army of Kythons!

[BRC]

Move earth, or a few summoned earth elementals can undermine walls preety effectily.
Cast "Knock" On the gate.
put torches on the walls for archers to light arrows in.
get a wizard onto the wall, have him cast Wall of Fire onto the parapet to create a beachhead, then dispell it when the troops are climbing the ladders to storm the walls.

If the battle is at night, use hooded lanterns, pointing light away from the walls towrds the army, the attackers can't see the defenders, but the defenders can see the attackers.
Catapults+Feather Fall
Get your wizards to put a symbol of sleep on the front gate, any attackers take a nap.

[elliott20]

in terms of the peasant population, what exactly are they doing? They could be spending their time making traps, fortifying gates (with the direction of someone with the know how), barricading areas that they would like to block off, or just evacuating their families so that if the fight goes badly, at least their families will survive.

The clergy should be spending their time on preparing magical support, be it in the form of healing potions, healing scrolls, buffs, what even just little bless trinkets.

Just use the DMG create magic item guide and use that for calculation. In the DMG it says it takes one day per 1000 gp worth of the items. So the clergie's time can be spent that way.

Or they can be spent blessing or even learning how to fight.

[Crow]

I'm not looking for tactics for the most part. That is up to the players. I was mainly looking for ways to utilize the few businesses in town, and do so in such a way that there are multiple options, but they don't have time to choose them all.

Having the clerics prepare some scrolls and such to use in battle is a good idea. Maybe something like they can prepare scrolls and have more at their disposal (but be limited to needing a cleric to cast it), or they can brew potions (which anyone can use), but fewer units would have them available?

Also, having the tavern keeper cook up some grease is a great idea, as well as have the general store start making torches and such.

The peasant population will mostly be disposed in making the walls/moat stuff. It is not a big town at all.

There is no wizard available in this group either.

The attacking army will be a "viking" type army, but the players don't know that yet. Mostly medium infantry, very little mounted support, some archer support. If the fortifications are finished by the time they arrive, they will build a rams, and possibly a mangonel or two.

The town is situated amongst farmland, mostly flat flood plains some distance from a large lake. The attackers will have traversed upriver via longboat, and landed on the lakeshore some 2 miles away.

[elliott20]

don't forget, there is also the problem of securing food supplies, rounding off proper territory, and basically just training the peasant militia so they're up to snuff. Also, the players could be given the option of doing some recon work. They could either send people out and basically leave it up to chance, or they can go themselves, get some guaranteed info, but then not be around to direct the resources.

the blacksmith you pretty much have covered. I would just like to say that blacksmiths can also make some rudimentary armor and such too. (If he's been tasked to do so.)

[Crow]

don't forget, there is also the problem of securing food supplies, rounding off proper territory, and basically just training the peasant militia so they're up to snuff. Also, the players could be given the option of doing some recon work. They could either send people out and basically leave it up to chance, or they can go themselves, get some guaranteed info, but then not be around to direct the resources.

the blacksmith you pretty much have covered. I would just like to say that blacksmiths can also make some rudimentary armor and such too. (If he's been tasked to do so.)

I thought about the armor, but the crafting time for even padded armor is ridiculous. Basically 3 per week.

As for scouting, that is something I have been thinking about as well. The players know a guy (level 3 scout, the players are level 6-7) who has a band of mercenaries who do that sort of thing, as well as harass the enemy. I havn't decided if that guy should be anywhere around yet (maybe in the Inn?). If he is, I figured he would offer his services to either scout and harass, reducing the number of enemy that arrive, and delaying their arrival, or train some "upgraded" peasant troops that can be available for the battle. I may leave these options up to the players. (they do the scouting/harassing, or they train to make some "upgraded" peasant troops) I don't want the group to split up though....it's a huge pain for me, and bogs things down.

The town will have provisions to last for a while, but it won't matter too much. The attackers will not want to wait.

[elliott20]

well, it seems like you got your bases pretty much covered then. The next step is to play out any possible encounters with the enemy scouting party.

[Crow]

Tenative List thus far;

Blacksmith:

- 15 spears/week
- better gates
- siege weapons (to fire at enemy from behind walls)

Temple:

- potions for soldiers (cure light wounds)
- train "medics" (to save wounded soldiers)
- fortify as makeshift keep

General Store:

- Help cook up grease
- make torches for walls
- boiling oil

Inn/Tavern

- Hire mercenaries
- convert to hospital
- help cook up grease