Remove ads

A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

Reader mode
DragonParadox said:
Warding Shadows, Gilded Blades ​

Thirtieth Day of the Fourth Month 294 AC

Part of you, and it is a small part indeed, can almost congratulate the Lannisters on their tactic. The use of alchemical explosives is one of the better tactics one could use when a single hard point faces a superior army. What had they used for a detonator? The thought is only the faintest ripple upon your mind as you will yourself, Dany, and Lya upwards so that the high perch might reveal all the places where your legionnaires are in peril.

"Alchemical mines," you explain. With a wave of your hand you craft an illusory light to mark the places in the frozen world, the men and women in peril and not even knowing it.

Sheets of living shadow arise from the lights and wrap around those imperiled like strange cocoons, then spin out into funnels to channel the force of the explosion upwards.

Fire flashes, stone shatters as the peaceful street becomes a scene of chaos filled with shouts and struggles as many of them understandably reason that the shadow and the fire must be part of the same attack. Many are wounded, scorched by flames through the gaps in their armor, or pummeled by flying stones, but most struggle to rise or call out to their squad mates for aid. To your relief, none are dead from the attack.

"Loose formation!" you call out, quickly explaining what had gone on. The order goes out to the Dauntless, and from there by brazier to the rest of the Legion. A few moments later the three of you call forth creatures of jagged stone that tower over even the eves of nearby houses, not to fight but to search where the hand and eye of man cannot easily reach.

The news that filters back from the Dauntless turns the moment a touch sourer in your mouth. Bombs had also been triggered east of here on the Street of Lemons. Though it had not been mined to anything like the same extent, the walls of several houses collapsed, crushing several citizens alongside a trio of passing legionnaires.

As the first drops of rain began to fall from the Dauntless' conjured clouds, the fires were thankfully already under control thanks to the actions of a quick-thinking mage with a head for more than battle. As the great ship shifts in the sky like some titanic silver whale to direct as many of its weapons as it can on the Red Keep, the Harbinger sweeps upon great spellsteel wings alongside its lesser kin to seek out unseen foes above to match the perils below.

There are none to be found. Instead, the next sign of the foe comes from the Praetorians already infiltrating the Red Keep. Having pierced the defenses as far as the Iron throne, they found themselves confronted with a foe whose nature might be darkly ironic were they not so deadly.

"Gold Golems, it has to be," Lya says firmly as she listens to the account of Praetorians being burned by acid, seared by lightning, and poisoned by noxious fumes, and especially one who had the misfortune of being petrified and later crushed by a falling column. And it was golems, at least three of them, maybe more supported by Golden Shields who were healing them and empowering them.

Why protect the throne of all things? Granted you have some plans for that pile of swords, but more for the symbolism than any intrinsic worth. You shake off the thought. It hardly matters why they are doing it, only that your Praetorians are dying against foes who are yet beyond their strength. They had been called to serve against mighty foes, it is true, but there are those which they are not meant to face alone.

You picture the throne room in your mind's eye, the brooding presence of the throne lurking at the end of the hall when you had last seen when your father sat upon it.

You are ready.

[] Write in plan to aid the Praetorians

OOC: Not entirely happy with this update. I thought about doing a Praetorian interlude, but it just would not flow properly, between having to establish characterization and present the action something would have suffered or I would have had to break it up and It would have just dragged the narrative tension down in the middle of literal explosions and mage fights.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Made a few additional edits to the chapter, DP.
 
Azel said:
6500 IM for the rituals and I'd say 500 IM of enchanting for the steering wings, so, yes.

I'd have to run some calculations later, but they definitely would be able to easily reach 200 km/h with this.

So it's mostly a matter of if we consider unlimited, very fast flight and some close combat aid as worth that much.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not a big fan of trying to miniaturize the magitek to quite that degree. There should be a reasonable size limit, and that seems well under it, IMO. Hard to picture how it could be small enough to be wearable and robust enough to stand up to the rigors of combat. Super expensive, too, even if the enchanting component is pretty cheap.

Would rather just use simple magic for infantry scale stuff while relying on troops transports and Teleport effects for rapid deployment.
 
You know, maybe they're protecting the throne because Robert asked them to, back when he was sitting on it all the time.
If I were in a fixed location and I knew I had high-level PCs wanting to kill me, I'd ask for some tough, mostly magic-proof static defences. Golems fit the bill quite nicely, if you can't do any better.
 
so how do we deal with the golems and mages? my first awnser is fire but then that is always the go to so we should do something else instead
 
TalonofAnathrax said:
You know, maybe they're protecting the throne because Robert asked them to, back when he was sitting on it all the time.
If I were in a fixed location and I knew I had high-level PCs wanting to kill me, I'd ask for some tough, mostly magic-proof static defences. Golems fit the bill quite nicely, if you can't do any better.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Narrative law in effect. It's always a big magic ritual, or a big stompy monster.

Always.
 
TalonofAnathrax said:
You know, maybe they're protecting the throne because Robert asked them to, back when he was sitting on it all the time.
If I were in a fixed location and I knew I had high-level PCs wanting to kill me, I'd ask for some tough, mostly magic-proof static defences. Golems fit the bill quite nicely, if you can't do any better.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Why squander precious manpower to try and hold the position, then?
Even if the golems were under an old order (unlikely, I'd 100% expect Lannisters to have moved them to Rock instead if that alone was the case), all the men "healing" and buffing them aren't.

No, it seems there's some chicanery abound.
 
Goldfish said:
Not a big fan of trying to miniaturize the magitek to quite that degree. There should be a reasonable size limit, and that seems well under it, IMO. Hard to picture how it could be small enough to be wearable and robust enough to stand up to the rigors of combat. Super expensive, too, even if the enchanting component is pretty cheap.

Would rather just use simple magic for infantry scale stuff while relying on troops transports and Teleport effects for rapid deployment.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's borderline. We need about 10 litres of mercury for the unit, which might be a bit large for the Warden, but should fit fine on the heavier armours.
 
The Praetori have actually decent changes against those things. Launcher shots go against touch AC, so they can damage them that way, and a mix of Explosive Pack / HE-shells and Liquid Ice would do a lot more. In close combat, they should mostly hunker down and stall the golems while the ranged teams lay down fire.

Granted, this will be bloody, but far from hopeless.
 
Azel said:
The Praetori have actually decent changes against those things. Launcher shots go against touch AC, so they can damage them that way, and a mix of Explosive Pack / HE-shells and Liquid Ice would do a lot more. In close combat, they should mostly hunker down and stall the golems while the ranged teams lay down fire.

Granted, this will be bloody, but far from hopeless.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They're all using +4 weapons, too, courtesy of Viserys' Magic Army spell, meaning they'll hit more consistently for more damage.

We equipped the Praetorian assault teams with loads of Elemental Gems, too. Those won't be super useful against the Golems, but they cannot be ignored and they would be major hazards for any Golden Shields who have remained behind to aid the Golems. An assortment of Large-sized elemental running amok will make it more difficult for them to repair the Golems, at least.
 
Pretty sure they protected the throne because we killed everyone with enough initiative to give them orders after the Small Council blew up. This left command in the hands of some armsman-equivalent with a magical binding hanging over his head, who had never had to make a meaningful choice before today so he just protected the place they were normally stationed around.

The Golden Shields' chain of command is very much top-down, after all. That's how Tywin likes it, and Cersei would if anything have tried even harder to push people who might countermand her elsewhere.
 
Last edited:
Goldfish said:
They're all using +4 weapons, too, courtesy of Viserys' Magic Army spell, meaning they'll hit more consistently for more damage.

We equipped the Praetorian assault teams with loads of Elemental Gems, too. Those won't be super useful against the Golems, but they cannot be ignored and they would be major hazards for any Golden Shields who have remained behind to aid the Golems. An assortment of Large-sized elemental running amok will make it more difficult for them to repair the Golems, at least.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Summoning some earth and water Elementals to block the golems would be pretty useful. And sone air and fire to kill the casters.

Mind you, they should have already blown up the casters with Explosive Packs or knocked them out with Fungal Stun Vials. Standing behind some golems is no real protection against Praetori.
 
065tdsa said:
Pretty sure they protected the throne because we killed everyone with enough initiative to give them orders after the Small Council blew up. This left command in the hands of some armsman-equivalent with a magical binding hanging over his head, who had never had to make a meaningful choice before today so he just protected the place they were normally stationed around.

The Golden Shields' chain of command is very much top-down, after all. That's how Tywin likes it, and Cersei would if anything have tried even harder to push people who might countermand her elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Tygett is in command, so they do have some direction, and there are likely knights present who are used to authority as well.
 
Crake said:
Tygett is in command, so they do have some direction, and there are likely knights present who are used to authority as well.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
But Tygett wasn't stationed here until recently, and most of the Knights probably don't understand what the Golden shields do. So the Golden Shields most likely went with what they had prepared and nobody knew to tell them it was unapplicable.

A lot of those knights may have been too busy looking for a way out of this mess since they are probably not mystically bound.
 
Last edited:
@DragonParadox

To be clear: Next time the Praetorians are engaging something beyond their respective CR, they appear to have options.

To block off the melee range stompy stomper: Elemental Gems to summon expendable meatshields. Also a hazard for more squishy caster.

Damaging the hard object pummeling them: Hit it from range with alchemical munitions. The energy damage, blunt damage and piercing damage should not make for fun times, and it begins to add up when you have a squad shooting them.

Disengaging: Collapse a narrow passage with explosives.

I can write this off as them being a bit too green to know all of their options, though.
 
-[] Praetori Orders (to be implemented if not already being executed)
--[] Most Praetori should take cover behind the pillars in the throne room to limit exposure to the ray attacks.
--[] All Praetori not in close combat use their Launchers in the following ways:
---[] Explosive Packs and Fungal Stun Vials fired at the casters to neutralise them.
---[] Liquid Ice fired at the golems to keep them Slowed and causing damage.
---[] Explosive Packs fired at the golems to lower their DR against bolts (IS Praetori swords pierce DR anyway) and causing damage.
---[] Regular bolts (1d10) to cause damage.
--[] Use Water and Earth elementals to support close combat.
--[] Use Fire and Air elementals to attack the casters.
--[] Praetori in close combat prioritize isolating and swarming the golems.
 
065tdsa said:
Pretty sure they protected the throne because we killed everyone with enough initiative to give them orders after the Small Council blew up. This left command in the hands of some armsman-equivalent with a magical binding hanging over his head, who had never had to make a meaningful choice before today so he just protected the place they were normally stationed around.

The Golden Shields' chain of command is very much top-down, after all. That's how Tywin likes it, and Cersei would if anything have tried even harder to push people who might countermand her elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

My money's still on ritual, but think this is also disturbingly plausible. In Canon eight after Tywins assassination KL pretty much fell apart Command wise.
 
I think we should avoid the throne room, y'all. I'm with @egoo in assuming that they're going to try to pull some shenanigans. A prepared trap is the only hope they have of succeeding against us.

Instead, why don't we drop a Wild Arcana'd Forbiddance or Teleport Trap over the entire Red Keep then use Mage's Decree to give a very clear ultimatum. Something along the lines of "All hostile combatants currently engaged with Imperial forces are to surrender immediately. This is your final chance to avoid a pointless death."?
 
Crake said:
@DragonParadox

To be clear: Next time the Praetorians are engaging something beyond their respective CR, they appear to have options.

To block off the melee range stompy stomper: Elemental Gems to summon expendable meatshields. Also a hazard for more squishy caster.

Damaging the hard object pummeling them: Hit it from range with alchemical munitions. The energy damage, blunt damage and piercing damage should not make for fun times, and it begins to add up when you have a squad shooting them.

Disengaging: Collapse a narrow passage with explosives.

I can write this off as them being a bit too green to know all of their options, though.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Luckily the update is vague enough that they might already be doing this. So instead of the full 8 golems we might find only 5 still in fighting shape with two badly damaged, while the Golden Shields are already down to 1/3 from bombardment.

Numbers pulled from thin air. I have no idea how many there are.
 
Azel said:
-[] Praetori Orders (to be implemented if not already being executed)
--[] Most Praetori should take cover behind the pillars in the throne room to limit exposure to the ray attacks.
--[] All Praetori not in close combat use their Launchers in the following ways:
---[] Explosive Packs and Fungal Stun Vials fired at the casters to neutralise them.
---[] Liquid Ice fired at the golems to keep them Slowed and causing damage.
---[] Explosive Packs fired at the golems to lower their DR against bolts (IS Praetori swords pierce DR anyway) and causing damage.
---[] Regular bolts (1d10) to cause damage.
--[] Use Water and Earth elementals to support close combat.
--[] Use Fire and Air elementals to attack the casters.
--[] Praetori in close combat prioritize isolating and swarming the golems.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The Explosive Launcher munitions they're using are serious ordinance, too. Even if the Golems can tank half of the damage from one of these due to DR, that still adds up quickly, never mind what it would do to Golden Shield mages.
Goldfish said:
Launcher Munition / Bomb #1 (10 pounds / 4.5 kg):8d6 Piercing & Bludgeoning damage in a 15 foot blast radius (DC 20 Reflex save for half damage), 2d6 Piercing damage (DC 15 Reflex save for half damage) in an area between 15 (4.5 m) and 30 feet (9 m) from the blast.
  • Material Requirements: Four 2-pound (0.9 kg) of Explosive Packs, one pound (0.45 kg) steel casing, one pound (0.45 kg) of steel shot
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Last edited:
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top