Where are the great wars?

[brian 333]

Lieutenant Tarek led her platoon up the slopes of Hill 23 under the cover of darkness. By dawn the rest of the army would have encircled the city; it was her job to secure this height and install the giant trebuchet that was bundled in her backpack. The giant flinger, the engineers had calculated, would have the height advantage, and this would augment its range enough to allow it to attack without fear of reprisal.

But it had to be installed on the tall, flat-topped hill first.

Her scout returned.

"A hundred yards, two watchers, both asleep."

"Take the corporal," she said. "Make sure those guards can't get a signal to the city."

She motioned to the sergeant, and in the pale light of the new moon gave him the handsign to settle the troops in place.

And they waited.

A quarter hour later and the first blue glow in the sky announced the coming sun. And the scout returned, casually strolling down the trail.

"All clear, Lieutenant," she said. "This way."

After an hour of stooping and crawling up the hill, they ended by walking to the top as the sky brightened and the shadows on the ground deepened. Shadows which conveniently concealed what had become of the guards.

The place had once been a watchtower, but it was nothing more, now, than a flat circle of broken paving stones. A perfect place to set up the seige engine.

The Lieutenant set her platoon in a defensive formation, (she would not share the fate of the enemy guards,) then unpacked the toy in her backpack. Once it was in place she looked around, feeling somewhat foolish. There was nothing to do but say it:

"Blyflyk."

Nothing happened. Well, the nearest of her troops turned to watch, but the foot-tall toy siege engine remained one foot tall.

"Bliflik."

"Blyflik."

A few muffled chuckles from the watching troops was her only reward.

"Sergeant, do you recall the word?"

"Blythfwk."

The toy grew. And grew. At thirty feet it stopped growing, a giant upright pole reaching up to the glowing dawn sky, its sling dangling. The four troopers assigned to operate the machine jumped to the wheels which cranked the stay which pulled the giant pole down into its firing position as the sergeant walked around the machine examining its every detail.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"Where's the ammunition?" the grizzled veteran asked.

***

Wars create opportunities for adventurers to show their stuff, but there is a great deal more to waf than two armies going toe to toe like the Spartans vs. the Persians. One aspect of war in a pseudo-medieval setting is siege warfare. Siege warfare incorporates engines of destruction which rival cannons in every way.

In fact, cannons only replaced more traditional siege engines because of the fear they induced in besieged populations. A trebuchet can fire as fast and as powerfully as a contemporary field gun, and at much longer ranges given the quality of gunpowder of the early medieval era, but they lack the psychological impact of the thunder of cannon fire.

Trebuchets are but one tool in the siege engineer's toolbox. Ballistae offer long range accuracy, hoardings offer protection for troops attempting to sap, or undermine, walls, and sows and rams drill or smash through walls and doors.

Each siege engine must be built and operated by Siege Engineers. This group of specialized warriors defeat their enemies with tools rather than swords, and they kill wholesale.

***

To create a Siege Engineer, the character must have a minimum Intelligence of 13
Substitute d8 hit dice for the fighter's d10.
The character follows the fighter's advancement, but the first and every second Bonus Feat must be taken from the Siege Engineer's list.
Additional skills are available to this class.

Siege Engineer Feats:

The first bonus feat for this class, taken at first level, is Siege Warfare. It is a prerequisite for the other siege engineer feats. It grants the character the ability to draw accurate scale maps of a defended point and to identify the weaknesses of its defenses. Each subsequent feat defines a class of siege engines the character can design and operate in combat conditions.

This feat also allows the character to train crews in the operation of the engines with which the engineer is proficient.Each of the following feats defines the available classes.

Earthworks - the character can design and supervise construction of defensive dikes, berms, and pits. Enemies crossing such defenses must save, (DC = 10 + Engineer Level) or move at half speed across prepared terrain, and while so doing they are exposed, granting +2 To Hit bonus to the defenders. Additionally, earthworks provide cover and concealment to those defending them.

Hoardings - the character can design and supervise the construction of mobile defensive structures which can be roofed, thus providing those inside with up to 100% concealment. The amount of protection offered is variable: a canvas hoarding will not stop an attack, while one covered in wood might protect against arrows but be vulnerable to falling boulders.

Sapping - tunnels dug under walls can cause them to collapse. Knowing where to place such tunnels for maximum effect, and knowing how to support the tunnels so they only collapse when ordered is the art of the engineer.

Countermining - wars can be fought under the ground as sappers are hunted down by tunnelers from the other side. The goal is to stop the enemy before he can gain access inside the defenses or breach the walls.

Catapult - torsion-operated stone throwers of several kinds can be built to hurl projectiles at defenses or attackers. These are small, relatively mobile, and comparatively easy to build.

Trebuchet - the big gun of the ancient world, this weapon can fire small stones at speeds exceeding the speed of sound, or they can hurl objects as large as a grand piano. They aren't very mobile and suffer accuracy issues, but given time a trebuchet could pound a pyramid into rubble.

Ballista - for long range accuracy these giant crossbows are hard to beat. Some fire stone balls while others hurl spears, bundles of darts, or steel-capped poles, which makes them very useful in a variety of situations.

Rams - battering rams are usually applied to natural breaches such as doors and drawbridges. Repeatedly banging their mass against the portal eventually shatters it. Hoardings may protect those operating it.

Sows - giant drills which are used to weaken and collapse wall sections by hollowing out their foundations take longer to do their work, but no wall, no matter how well built, can stand once its footing has been perforated.

Explosive Demolitions - this involves the use of explosives in siege warfare, from mines to petards. The DM has final say as to its relevance in the setting.

Siege engineer skills:

Archetecture
Blacksmithing
Carpentry
Craft Siege Engine
Masonry
Mining

***

Incorporating the Engineer into a campaign is easy if there is a large scale war, or if the characters are mercenaries.