This is a thought exercise.
You're a high level caster. I prefer wizards, but other casters are fine.
You create a spot with a view of the city, for sake of argument lets say top of a tower. It could just as easily be a centrally located peak in a mountainous city. (think Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janerio.)
So you have a panoramic view of the city, massive amounts of time, money, and magical power.
You want to create a spot that will allow you to single handedly turn the tide in the chance your city is attacked.
What protections/abilities/etc would you put on your place of power?
I'm thinking you need to keep the enemy from harming you while still giving yourself a super power boost.
This should be RAW, but not necessarily RAI.
Off the top of my head I'm thinking of a stationary "Traps" that gives you various effects
Generally useful:
a Mnemonic enhancer every round effect. Basically never run out of low level spells. 3rd and below if memory serves. This would actually cover a lot. Unlimited fireballs at your caster level for example.
Something for communication with your forces on the ground. Could be as simple as message, but perhaps there's a better answer.
Defense
Wind wall
Blade barrier for good measure in case someone manages to get close
Offense
Summon monster 9 (or the best you have) trap usable at will.
Snapdragon fireworks. I know it's not much damage, but it's long range and is a move action after the initial cast. What else would you do with a move action when you'll be standing in one place?
Any long range evocations would be useful.
What else? The idea is that you're going to be throwing devastating magic while staying in one place.
Globe of invulnerability. Just never worry about enemies throwing lots of low-level spells at you. Remember, if you are on top a high tower, everyone can see you.
Shades for something like a quasi-real Ramparts, create a barrier that you can still cast/see through but that hides your position.
A Mass Hold Monster trap, or better yet, Overwhelming Presence trap.
Mass Suffocation.
Gate, with some friends you've met along the way ready to come help.
Globe of Invulnerability, always useful.
Tsunami
Summon Monster IX
Meteor Swarm
Spellbane if you know the spells you want to stop.
Various constructs placed around the city to act as guards, each made to look like statues or memorials.
Globe of invulnerability. Just never worry about enemies throwing lots of low-level spells at you. Remember, if you are on top a high tower, everyone can see you.
Right. The bolded part is why you want Lots and lots of protection.
Various constructs placed around the city to act as guards, each made to look like statues or memorials.
Definitely.
Globe of invulnerability. Just never worry about enemies throwing lots of low-level spells at you. Remember, if you are on top a high tower, everyone can see you.
Mage's Private Sanctum, with Permanency applied. You can see out, but targeting you is extremely difficult. Since you're a very powerful wizard type casting this, 17(+) 30' cubes will make your exact co-ordinates very hard to pinpoint, especially if you keep moving ('one place' does not mean standing still, your strongpoint could be dozens of balconies.
Solid cover you can hide behind as required. Most spells can be cast through small windows in cover if necessary.
Many, many archer buddies.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/energy-siege-shot
This spell transforms any ammunition fired by the target ranged siege engine into ammunition made of pure energy. When casting the spell, the caster picks a one of the following energy types: acid, cold, electricity, fire, sonic, or force. The ammunition within the siege engine now deals that type of energy damage on a hit, though the amount of damage dealt by the ammunition does not change, nor does it change any of the other effects of the ammunition. Unlike other forms of energy damage, this energy damage does full damage to objects.
Based on the type of energy the caster chose while casting, the ammunition also gains one of the following effects.
Acid: The ammunition deals half its damage in a splash to all creatures and unattended objects within 15 feet of the target hit by the siege engine. Creatures can halve the splash damage with a Reflex saving throw. The DC of the splash is the same as the DC of the spell.
Cold: The ammunition creates an ice sheen within a 20-foot-radius burst around the target of the siege engine’s attack. That sheen lasts 1d6 rounds. Creatures within the ice sheen are entangled. Any creature within the area of the ice sheen at the start of its turn takes 2d6 cold damage.
Electricity: Creatures hit by the siege engine attack or within 15 feet of the attack are staggered for 1 round.
Fire: Creatures and wood objects within 15 feet of the attack may catch on fire.
Sonic: Creatures hit by the attack or within 20 feet of the attack must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw or be deafened for one hour. The DC of this effect is the same as the spell DC.
Force: No extra effect.
-------------------
That, plus you make any constructs or summoned creatures fire them.
Emphasis on bold. For 1d6 rounds all creatures in a 20 foot radius (pretty decent size) are entangled for 1d6 rounds (no reflex save) and take 2d6 damage per round.
So you have...massive amounts of time, money, and magical power...This should be RAW, but not necessarily RAI.
Oh. Well the answer is obvious then.
Simulacrum Wish Factory.
Wish the enemy dead.
So you have...massive amounts of time, money, and magical power...This should be RAW, but not necessarily RAI.Oh. Well the answer is obvious then.
Simulacrum Wish Factory.
Wish the enemy dead.
Lol. I guess that is what I asked for, but lets err on the side of things a generous DM would allow.
Although the simulacra idea isn't a bad one. A "Trap" simulacra factory. While you're fighting every X minutes a simulacra copy forms. Hell, have a few of these around the city for use by specific high level powerful allies.
Every X minutes you get a copy of the high priest, high archaist, Captain of the guard, Etc.
Cheesy, probably. Effective, yes.
The idea of Energy Siege Shot made me think... being an NPC, and fulfilling a very specific role, this might be a perfect time for a Siege Mage. Not an archetype that seems worth it most of the time, but if you had your tower and city protected by cannons or the like, you could do some fun things with that.
The idea of Energy Siege Shot made me think... being an NPC, and fulfilling a very specific role, this might be a perfect time for a Siege Mage. Not an archetype that seems worth it most of the time, but if you had your tower and city protected by cannons or the like, you could do some fun things with that.
I like the idea of the mage tower with a few siege engines at the cardinal points.
TCG: Really enjoy the question - here's my $0.02.
I think the Wizard would be much more likely to try to "Army of One" the opposing forces.
If I were a high level cleric I would use the threat of invasion to turn my city into a bastion of the faithful. I would probably try to shelter as many non-combatants as possible in the temple to my god and use spells like Greater Planar Ally to enlist the most powerful Angel to my cause I could. The Angel (hopefully a Planetar or similar) would serve as our army's champion and face off with the most powerful threat the enemy host has to offer. I would lead our forces from the front lines, inspiring my troops and calling down miracle after miracle.
Not sure if this works with the original topic or not but how about a high level cleric with a researched spell... basically a mass version of Sanctuary. Ward the entire city so that the opposing army may not even be able to attack.
The more I think about it the more I think the Simulacra army in the waiting is the best plan.
I'm coming up with a cohesive plan that uses a simulacra trap (complete with 50X worth of components) that creates a specific creature every 12 hrs. I'm thinking copies of the PC's would be fun, but something with SLA's might be more appropriate probably something with flight too. Either they creatures would be put into stasis somehow (an easy fix with a greater demiplane) or simply live happily on the demiplane until needed.
Anyway, i'm working on the logistics, but essentially you have a massive army that the enemy does not know about. Effectively someone will underestimate you and be made an example of. then anyone else that tries to attack will know that your city has more defense than it appears.
Edit: I need a good generally useful candidate creature for this.
Not sure if this works with the original topic or not but how about a high level cleric with a researched spell... basically a mass version of Sanctuary. Ward the entire city so that the opposing army may not even be able to attack.
Not a bad idea, but even if they don't attack they've still got the city held hostage. They'll just wait until your supplies or spell runs out.
Edit:
Although lots of sanctuary traps scattered throughout the city would go a long way to keep the crime rate down and could be used in case of an invasion by the general populous.
The more I think about it the more I think the Simulacra army in the waiting is the best plan.
I'm coming up with a cohesive plan that uses a simulacra trap (complete with 50X worth of components) that creates a specific creature every 12 hrs. I'm thinking copies of the PC's would be fun, but something with SLA's might be more appropriate probably something with flight too. Either they creatures would be put into stasis somehow (an easy fix with a greater demiplane) or simply live happily on the demiplane until needed.
Anyway, i'm working on the logistics, but essentially you have a massive army that the enemy does not know about. Effectively someone will underestimate you and be made an example of. then anyone else that tries to attack will know that your city has more defense than it appears.
Edit: I need a good generally useful candidate creature for this.
Pugwampi gremlins. Lots of them. Give your side luck bonuses, possibly from a researched mass divine favor, and laugh as the invaders trip over their own feet.
A foresight effect on your spot would be very helpful.
Pugwampi gremlins. Lots of them. Give your side luck bonuses, possibly from a researched mass divine favor, and laugh as the invaders trip over their own feet.
It's devious and I love it, but in order for that to work you'd have to give your forces (if not your population) a luck bonus to make them immune. Unless you're population is Gnoll, fey, or other pugwampi.
Although you could make a small army of simulacra pugwampi and release them into your enemies encampment.
Edit: Lantern archons could be good, though the argmenent that they dont have bodies could be argued.
Perhaps elder earth /ice elementals
Edit: Or Simulacra dragons!
We're focusing on defense much more than offense here.
I like the idea of Walls of Force, or (if you're really crazy) permanent Prismatic Spheres. But can you actually cast spells out of these? You could rely on some kind of Forcecage effect for cover.
Your sanctum could have a variety of "eldritch machines" that can buff you. Say this command word and it casts Stoneskin on you. Say that command word and it casts Protection from Evil or Protection from Spells. Another command word and it casts Protection from Energy. Basically a giant staff that you don't have to (and in fact cannot) carry with you.
Naturally your sanctum could be from inside a Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. They cannot starve you out, and you can live in comfort and even style. You could have people in there with you too. I don't see anything preventing you from making simulacra of servants or even yourself from within your mansion. In essence you have a demiplane that you can retreat into. What's not to love?
For offense purposes, you could create hidden teleportation circles, and use magic to bamf into strategic points, attack, and when you need to run away, bamf back to your home base. Use some staves and you won't be losing out on too many spells too.
The eldrich machines should all have the same command word and link to the same point.
Safety is only part of the point. The other part is looking badass and kicking ass.
Edit: and no you can't cast magic through a prismatic sphere (or wall). If it's your sphere you can enter and exit though.
True strike trap to cast it on you every round for those spells you actually have to roll to hit with.
Basically it seems you'd want every buff spell you know cast every round on you.
A true creation trap at CL 20th that creates either equal quantities of matter and antimatter osmium at 640 kilograms per cubic foot for 12800 kilograms of matter and antimatter converting each other to pure energy.
The amount of energy released in joules is equal to the square of the speed of light, 3*10^8 m/s, squared, or 9*10^16, times the mass in kilograms, giving us a final result of 1.152*10^21 joules of energy, or 115,200 petajoules.
One megaton is equivalent to 4.184 petajoules. The energy released by this trap every time it's activated is equal to roughly 27533.5 megatons of TNT.
For comparison, the Tsar Bomba, the largest manmade explosion in real life, was 57 megatons. It leveled a village some 55 kilometers away from its test site, made a mushroom cloud 64 kilometers high, and created a shockwave that could be measured even after its third passage around Earth. Now, and this is the important bit, that bomb was less than 1/400th as powerful as the explosion our true creation trap would create.
Collateral damage? No problem. Just give your city immunity to fire, radiation, and whatever other damage types your GM decides a matter/antimatter reaction causes.
Alternatively, just have it create 20 cubic feet of supercompressed hydrogen plasma. Hydrogen's the most common element, so it should be nice and cheap.
EDIT: Two factors to consider- the true creation trap would be ridiculously expensive, but you only ever need one.
And explosions don't scale linearly. It's 483 and a bit times stronger than the Tsar Bomba, but it won't be 483 times bigger. You don't have to worry about destroying the entire planet.
There's also a large difference between protecting a city against attack (and getting razed) and protecting it against long term occupation. Which is your primary concern here?
Good points all. Regarding the above, it's a thought exercise. Which do you think is more important, why, and what are you going to do about it?
A true creation trap at CL 20th that creates either equal quantities of matter and antimatter osmium at 640 kilograms per cubic foot for 12800 kilograms of matter and antimatter converting each other to pure energy.
The amount of energy released in joules is equal to the squ...good stuff...
And explosions don't scale linearly. It's 483 and a bit times stronger than the Tsar Bomba, but it won't be 483 times bigger. You don't have to worry about destroying the entire planet.
Now all I need is a mathematician physicist dm.
My solution is to kill everything else on the planet, then gate/planar bind some loyal outsiders to help your city settle. Repopulation shouldn't be too much of a problem, since a genetic pool of 1,000 or so is the bare minimum needed to ensure a healthy stock. Any city that can afford true creation bombs should have a much higher population. If that still doesn't work, then offer said outsider allies the chance to settle large portions of the planet in exchange for their service.
Getting back on topic. I'm looking for also practical ideas. It's not pragmatic to make a "all buffs trap."
So thinking along the lines of permanency, mages private sanctum is a good one for concealment. perhaps have several towers with a black bubble over them so no one knows which is you. Perhaps put simulacra or other casters on the others.
Tower, concealment, high winds, long range evocations, summoned monsters, Anything else?
Work with a cleric, consecrate your defensive post to the god(s) of the city, and have a hallow spell with some useful booster spell cast on it. There's a wide choice.
Guards and wards on the tower, obviously.
I intend for the top of the tower to be held aloft by immobile rods. So if someone destroys the tower your "spot" is still fully functional floating in the air.
Immovable rods can support 4 tons each, and they're relatively cheap, too, so that should work.
Of course, at higher levels you may have to contend with thins like antimagic field.
They're 3rd party, but these look like they'd make useful defenses, particularly if you combine the concentration checks with pugwampis.
I suppose what I really need are some long range spells?
Reach metamagic could also be helpful here.
Immovable rods can support 4 tons each, and they're relatively cheap, too, so that should work.
Of course, at higher levels you may have to contend with thins like antimagic field.
They're 3rd party, but these look like they'd make useful defenses, particularly if you combine the concentration checks with pugwampis.
Just keep the rods far enough apart they they couldn't get 4 anti magic fields there. Plus if they're that close you can probably blast them to powder.
Further looking into this, Antipathy on the tower is a good idea, especially if the invading army is of a particular kind, or aligned a particular way.
Elemental Swarm makes for a good attack troop, to go after the bulk of the enemy army.
Shambler plus Call Lightning Storm could be a lot of fun.
If your city is surrounded by trees or plants of any significant size, Siege of Trees and the Greater version would make for good defenses of the city itself.
Summon Elder Worm, let the Purple Worm burrow its way under the city and out to the advancing army, wreaking havoc on their ranks.
Astral Projection is good for extending your reach, especially since I think force spells extend onto both planes concerned.
So I have a high level mage who has his own wizard's tower with all sorts of protections on it. Not to get too involved into his approach, but it depends quite a bit on illusions, misdirection and lots of items that allow him to see and be warned if something happens.
Plus he has his own private army that he has hired.
And he has a bunch of constructs and simulacra.
He's evil, so he's also got a ton of lethal traps set up.
Now, he's not interested in protecting a city though, he'd be more inclined to be the wizard a city needs protection FROM.
One thing I would caution any wizard about is advertising their presence by building a big tower that is obviously designed to oversee a city. Now, such a tower might be an excellent diversion from the wizard's REAL strategy.
As others have pointed out, as powerful as spellcasters are, once you start considering battle tactics across square miles of battlefields, you learn pretty quickly what the range limitations on spells actually are. The best approach is to create choke points on the approaches to the city and have those monitored, trapped and manned with buffed up defenses.
|
Cloudkill is your best friend for killing armies. Most armies involve a lot of low- level warriors or fighters. Cloudkill lasts for minutes per level, covers a wide area, and will roll over the enemy forces. If you create a line of Cloudkills (or better yet, Mythic Cloudkills), they can just sweep over the enemy line and leave a large pile of the dead in their wake. If you can imbue your tower with the ability to create an instantaneous circle of Cloudkills around the city...
|
So I have a high level mage who has his own wizard's tower with all sorts of protections on it. Not to get too involved into his approach, but it depends quite a bit on illusions, misdirection and lots of items that allow him to see and be warned if something happens.
Plus he has his own private army that he has hired.
And he has a bunch of constructs and simulacra.
He's evil, so he's also got a ton of lethal traps set up.
Now, he's not interested in protecting a city though, he'd be more inclined to be the wizard a city needs protection FROM.
One thing I would caution any wizard about is advertising their presence by building a big tower that is obviously designed to oversee a city. Now, such a tower might be an excellent diversion from the wizard's REAL strategy.
As others have pointed out, as powerful as spellcasters are, once you start considering battle tactics across square miles of battlefields, you learn pretty quickly what the range limitations on spells actually do. The best approach is to create choke points on the approaches to the city and have those monitored, trapped and manned with buffed up defenses.
This.. enlarge and widen are great however battlefield control is what will get you the win. pits, walls illusions and SM. You are the one who determines how the battle unfolds.
P.S. Wizards Rule, Sorcerors Drool
Necromancers are handy, if cliche, against an army. Shadows/wraiths/spectres from Create Greater Undead, especially at night or coupled with Control Weather spells to block sunlight. The beauty is that as they kill, they make more. Exponentially growing army. Of course, control is an issue :)
Necromancers are handy, if cliche, against an army. Shadows/wraiths/spectres from Create Greater Undead, especially at night or coupled with Control Weather spells to block sunlight. The beauty is that as they kill, they make more. Exponentially growing army. Of course, control is an issue :)
Bag of holding full of shadows is always a fun option.
Or this.
That.. is awesome. Man, I wonder if they are PFS legal.
Not sure if this works with the original topic or not but how about a high level cleric with a researched spell... basically a mass version of Sanctuary. Ward the entire city so that the opposing army may not even be able to attack.
so... fairy law?