tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post3241285287085703163..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: Technology 15Alexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-89421504302149962292016-02-26T15:59:41.903-07:002016-02-26T15:59:41.903-07:00"How does one build a warship that will empow...<i>"How does one build a warship that will empower a magic user or a cleric? I usually find it best in these situations to go with something like the real world's version of the thing."</i><br /><br />I'm going to <i>try</i> to discuss this without leaning on "the way I do it."<br /><br />A cannon was something <i>heavy</i> which carried <i>heavy</i> ammunition and <i>volatile</i> powder. This powder was in fact one of the only ways to destroy a ship of the line: cannonballs typically produced mere pinpricks during the Age of Sail, and "injury" was much more common for these craft than "death".<br /><br />Magic turns this on its head. Ten mages might weigh as much as the largest cannon and a few shots and their powder; and one of these mages could unleash horrific devastation on either the enemy craft or its crew. The mage is not restricted by requiring redundancy down the firing line, or its duplication on the opposite side.<br /><br />So the smallest craft can have the equivalent firepower to the most destructive result for a real-world ship. So navies focus on stealth and detection as protection; then, countermeasures for the same. I foresee round after round of maneuver and counter. The only fact saving us from a world of full-on High Magic at Sea would be the daily spellcasting limits.<br /><br />Even so, skilled battle mages would represent many years of training and large sums invested, so maybe they would be comparatively rare: the equivalent of a Master of Artillery required for serious sea-borne mayhem. <br /><br />(Yes, I'm going through your Tech posts again; I've always liked the way you tied the Tech Level to the INT stat, and broke down what societies <b>do</b> when enough intelligence is built upon over time.)Mujadaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07698839746240695386noreply@blogger.com