Advanced Fortifications

C
astles and other defensive structures are integral Feature Cost
to the high fantasy experience, so it seems Deathtrap 100 gp per individual trap; 1,000 gp for a
strange that only passing mention is made of complex trap-chamber.
them in the DMG. This article is an attempt to
expand those rules and add some interesting Dungeon 25% of base construction cost.
variations. Escape tunnel 10% of base construction cost.
Gargoyle 500 gp per gargoyle.
defenders
The Anatomy of a Castle Increased 2 gp/day per soldier.
Let's start with the fortifications themselves. There is a garrison
potential for massive variation between castles, depending on Magical traps 200 gp per trap
where they are located, what their purpose is and who built
them. In particular, size, shape and material have a large Moat (dry) 25% of base construction cost.
impact on how much a castle costs to build and how difficult Moat 35% of base construction cost.
it might be to assault. (flooded)
Mountaintop Base construction cost and time are
Types of Castle location doubled.
This list includes information from chapter 6 of the DMG.
Round turrets 10% of base construction cost.
Construction Construction Maintenance
Castle Cost Time Costs Garrison
Deathtrap. Some castles are built specifically to kill
Blockhouse 15,000 gp 100 days 50 gp/day 40 intruders in fiendish complexes of dead ends, trapped
Fortress 1,000,000 1,800 days 1,000 400 corridors and drowning chambers. Individual traps might
gp gp/day include the hidden pit, collapsing roof or fire-breathing statue
from the DMG, while a self-sealing room that slowly fills with
Hill fort 5,000 gp 60 days 50 gp/day 25 poison gas would count as a complex trap.
Large castle 500,000 gp 1,200 days 200 gp/day 100 Dungeon. A resilient, underground complex that provides
Medium 300,000 gp 800 days 150 gp/day 75 shelter in times of hardship. Dungeons cannot be damaged
castle by surface-based attack and fire cannot spread from above
ground into them.
Ruined
castle
N/A N/A 100 gp/day 50 Escape tunnel. When the castle is besieged, an escape
tunnel enables the defenders to retreat in safety. The length
Small castle 50,000 gp 400 days 100 gp/day 50 of the tunnel could be anything from a few hundred feet to
Watchtower 15,000 gp 100 days 25 gp/day 10 several miles.
Gargoyle defenders. Some of the castle's decorations are
Wizard's 25,000 gp 125 days 50 gp/day 5 replaced with dangerous creatures.
tower Magical traps. Arcane glyphs have been inscribed at key
points in the castle, presenting an additional hazard to
Blockhouse. A small building that provides cover for besiegers. Magical traps use the rules for the glyph of
ranged fighters but no accommodation for civilians. Designed warding spell. Spell glyphs could contain any spell of third
to be constructed quickly and cheaply; unlikely to last long level or lower.
against a determined assault. Could be considered as a low- Moats. A ditch surrounds the castle, making it harder to
rise watchtower. get close to the walls. A dry ditch is filled with stakes that
Fortress. A large, fully-militarised structure with strong make it impassable for mounted troops, and the steep slope
defenses and significant firepower. Scientific principles are requires a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to climb.
applied in their design. Flooded moats can be swum across, but swimmers are
Hill fort. An early type of castle where the primary defense vulnerable to attack and unable to carry much equipment
is a wooden palisade around a hilltop, surrounded by with them. Aquatic monsters such as quippers, water weirds
earthworks. or hydras could be brought in to live in a flooded moat, but
Wizard's tower. A wizard's tower is usually taller and less the cost to do so is usually prohibitive.
heavily built than a watchtower, but may include unusual Mountaintop location. Building a castle on the top of a
arcane defenses. The garrison are likely to be apprentice mountain is a logistical challenge, but is worthwhile because
wizards or summoned monsters. the natural defenses and steep escarpments make assaulting
it a daunting prospect.
Additional Security Round turrets. Square turrets are vulnerable to attack by
Beyond the basic structure of the castle, various additions or siege weapons, as the corners can be smashed to
changes can be made to increase its strength. The following compromise the structure's integrity. Rounded towers are
can be applied to any type of castle at a cost equal to the harder to break down, having no obvious weaknesses. They
stated percentage of the base castle's construction cost. have resistance to damage from siege equipment.
Siege Rules

B
y and large, siege warfare can be carried out Collapsing Walls
using the standard rules. Armour Classes and Fighting in and around castle buildings presents the
Hit Points for objects, including wooden and possibility of large quantities of masonry collapsing onto
stone walls, are detailed in the core books, as people, or people standing on top of a wall being injured as it
are the rules governing climbing, falling, crumbles. As a general rule, when a creature is standing on a
swimming and traps. However, some of the section of wall that is demolished, I would treat that as if it
situations involved in attacking or defending was falling, but double the amount of fall damage. Creatures
fortifications are not covered or are left ambiguous. Here are that are standing within a certain distance of the foot of the
some rulings I would make: structure - probably half its height to either side - would be
subject to a flat 4d6 bludgeoning damage (DC 13 Dex save
AC & HP for Structures for half).
Permanent structures, such as walls, towers and buildings,
should be broken down into 10 foot cubes for the purposes of Killing Fields
HP and damage: attacks against part of a wall destroy only In most castles, towers and baileys are set in such a way that
that part (though unsupported sections of wall above a attackers are exposed to constant attack from defending
destroyed section may well collapse shortly afterwards). archers. Figuring out how many archers are able to fire and
Based on the information in the core books, I would use the rolling their attacks individually is impractical, so instead I
following statistics: would have all attacking creatures that start their turn in a
Hit Points. Walls have 30 HP per inch of thickness. The zone overlooked by garrisoned towers roll a DC 13 Dexterity
walls of a standard building might be 6" thick. Fortified saving throw. They would then take 2d6 piercing damage on
buildings might have walls 1 or 2 feet thick, while the a failure or 1d6 on a success.
curtain walls of a castle are likely to be at least 5 feet thick
if made from stone (that would be 1,800 HP per section). Spiraling Staircases
That may seem a lot, but there wouldn't be much point to Spiral staircases can be either right-handed (turning
building walls in the first place if they couldn't resist clockwise from the ascender's point of view) or left-handed
attack! (turning anticlockwise) - most are right-handed. I would say
Armor Class. The ordinary armor classes for materials that melee attacks made by a creature whose handedness
listed on page 246 of the DMG can be used for most matches the stairs against a target on a higher step have
structures, but some parts of a castle are likely to be disadvantage. If a character's handedness has not been
reinforced using special materials or techniques. Wooden determined previously, roll a d100. On a roll of 1-88, the
doors banded with iron should have an AC of 16 or 17, for character is right-handed, on 89-99 they are left-handed and
example. Earthworks might have an AC of 12 (though they on a 00 they are ambidextrous.
can be made very thick to compensate). Lastly, in areas
where stone is scarce, castles may be built from ceramic
bricks. I would give this an AC of 15.
Burning Buildings
Although the strongest fortifications are made of stone,
wooden buildings are also used where resources are scare,
time is short, or no attack is expected. If such a building is set
on fire by any means, the fire can spread quickly. I would rule
that an unchecked fire would fill the room it's in after 1
minute. Any creature in the room would then take 2d6 fire
damage at the start of their turn. The risk of the fire
spreading to a neighboring room/building could be
represented by a d20 roll, with modifiers to account for wind
direction, fireproofing, etc., as appropriate. A wooden
building that has been burning for 10 minutes starts to
collapse.

Under Siege by guang2222

 Flame Dragon
New Siege Equipment Large Object
Although the DMG covers this one pretty well, here are a few
additional toys for you to play with. Armor Class: 18
Hit Points: 100
Arcane Cannon Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
Large Object Flame dragons are hollow stone statues mounted on
wheels, containing mechanisms and fuel that allow them to
Armor Class: 17 belch flames at nearby targets. Mainly used against invaders
Hit Points: 50 after they have breached the internal spaces of a fortress, a
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic well-placed battery of flame dragons can turn a courtyard or
Arcane cannons come in many shapes and forms, hallway into a impassable hellscape.
depending on the whims of their creators. They are deployed A flame dragon holds enough fuel for five flame blasts, but
much like gunpowder cannons, but fire a blast of magical requires three actions to refill. It must contain fuel and be
energy instead of a conventional projectile. Arcane cannons aimed before it can be fired; aiming and firing require one
are usually mounted on a wheeled carriage. Before it can be action each.
fired, an arcane cannon must be charged and aimed. It takes Flame Blast. The dragon sprays flames in 30-foot cone.
one action to charge the weapon, which must be performed Any creature in the area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving
by a spellcaster, one action to aim it and one action to fire it. throw, taking 13 (3d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as
Arcane Beam. The cannon projects a beam of energy in a much on a successful one.
line 120 feet long and 5 feet wide. Any creature in the area Explosive. If a loaded flame dragon is destroyed by fire
must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) damage, it explodes. Any creature within 20 feet of the
force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a weapon must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking
successful one. 28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a
successful one.
Rocket Battery
Large Object
Armor Class: 14
Hit Points: 50
Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
A rocket battery takes the form of a wooden or metal rack,
from which dozens of rockets can be simultaneously
launched. While they can be difficult to aim, the characteristic
screeching sound of the rockets can be extremely
intimidating, causing all but the most disciplined troops to
dive for cover.
Rocket batteries are usually light enough to be carried by a
single humanoid, and may or may not be wheeled. Non-
wheeled versions require one minute to limber or unlimber.
Before it can be fired, the battery must be loaded and aimed.
It takes two actions to load the racks, two actions to aim and
one action to fire.
Rocket Barrage. The rocket battery aims at a point within
600 feet. Any creature within 40 feet of that point must make
a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage
on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Furthermore, any creature within 60 feet of the target must
make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or fall prone and be
frightened until the end of their next turn.
Explosive. If a loaded rocket battery is destroyed by fire
damage, it explodes. Any creature within 20 feet of the
weapon must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking
28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a
successful one.

Helstorm Rocket Battery by Unknown

Special Ammunition
The special types of shot described below can typically be
used by any ranged siege weapon. Liquid munitions are for
use with cauldrons.
Alchemist's Fire. 16,000 gp per cauldron-full.
Although incredibly expensive, a cauldron full of
alchemist's fire is likely to spell doom for whatever it is
poured on, no matter how tough they may be. This functions
exactly like boiling oil (see DMG 255), except that it does
12d12 fire damage instead of 3d6.
Boiling Wax. 30gp per cauldron-full.
Boiling wax works much like boiling oil, except that it deals
only 1d6 fire damage. Targets that fail their Dexterity save are
restrained for one minute, though they can attempt the saving
throw again at the end of each of their turns.
Breaching Shot. 25 gp per round.
Designed to break down fortifications, a breaching shot
might include a charge of corrosive acid, carry a minor
thunder enchantment or be cunningly shaped to penetrate
walls. Attacks with this munition deal double damage to
objects and structures; this can be stacked with similar
abilities possessed by the weapon or its crew.
Guiding Shot. 100 gp per round.
This piece of ammunition is imbued with divination magic
that enables it to be used as a beacon to guide other shots
towards the same target. If you hit a target with this shot, any
attacks by the same siege engine against the same target
within the next minute have advantage.
Holy Water. 100gp per cauldron-full.
Holy water is harmless to most targets, but against fiends
and undead, it deals 4d6 radiant damage. Any fires or burning
creatures in the area are immediately extinguished.
Incendiary Shot. 50 gp per round.
Most siege engines can fire burning shot -- ballistae bolts
with oil-soaked tows, barrels of pitch for a trebuchet or
bucketfuls of burning coal in a catapult. These munitions all
deal their conventional damage as usual, but then burst or
explode, scattering flames in a small area even if the original
attack missed. Any creature within 10 feet of the target (or
within 10 feet of the edge of the weapon's normal area of
effect) takes 3d6 fire damage, or half as much on a successful
DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. Flammable objects in this area
catch fire.
Quicksilver. 1,000gp per cauldron-full.
When quicksilver is poured onto creatures from a
suspended cauldron, it deals no damage, but they must make
a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 24
hours. Creatures that fail their saving throw must also roll
once on the long-term madness table. The 10-foot square
area that the quicksilver was poured on becomes difficult
terrain for the next minute.
Scatter Shot. 10 gp per round.
Any siege weapon that makes an attack roll against a single
target can be modified to target an area using some form of
shrapnel or grapeshot. Instead of making an attack, choose a
point within range. Any creature within 10 feet of this point
must make a Dexterity saving throw or take half of the
weapon's normal damage (they take a quarter of the normal
damage on a successful save). The DC for this saving throw is
equal to 8 + the weapon's normal attack bonus.

Crusader by Unknown