[RPG] How to protect an arthe from a Storm of Vengeance

dnd-3.5espells

So, I'm running an online game of D&D 3.5, and the party is going to be up against an invading army in the foreseeable future, with their own army backing them up. I've established that someone in the opposing army (a Bard 6/Stormsinger 10) is capable of casting Storm of Vengeance, when they used it to pretty well wipe out the unsuspecting garrison of the outpost the PCs started out.

Now that the PCs and the generals of their allied forces know to expect Storm of Vengeance, what tactics could be employed to prevent it from wiping out a 360ft radius circle's worth of their army?

Assume an army of approximately 10,000 with a general assortment of arcane and divine spellcasters in the allied force, which will likely be entrenched in a fortress city of the general style of Minas Tirith (with a large outer wall that would provide cover from the side, but not the top)

Best Answer

An alternative Strategy

This is a bit of a frame challenge. The alternative to "skill on skill" is to set up an asymmetrical fight. The problem to solve is the power of that spell caster to do serious damage to your army/allies.

Plan: the PC's apply their ample magic and talents to stage a commando-style raid to kill or capture the enemy spell caster before the battle starts. (Sun Tzu: The acme of skill is to win the battle without fighting).

High risk, high reward? Yeah. That's the bread and butter of adventure games and action movies. (Luke's raid in the original Star Wars movie (Episode IV) is beyond cliché, but it's not the only example).

It's based on a tried and true template: commando style raids, deep raids, at a critical enemy capability

For a historical example: the US Army Air Corps staged a deep raid, a Long Range Strike, using P-38s to shoot down the plane with Admiral Yamamoto in it. Granted, he was not a spell caster, but depriving the enemy of their outstanding leader (he was really, really good) did not harm the Allied cause. Likewise for you and your allies: taking out that impressive spell caster gives your side an advantage, or takes away the enemy's advantage.

For a Hollywood example: The Guns of Navarone. Commando raid takes out big guns that will do serious damage to allied forces. Spell casters are like artillery in D&D battles.

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