Siege Damage

The players will often encounter situations in which it is important that a stronghold be broken into. In these situations, the overall employment of siege tactics should be secondary to the thrill and glory of the players going "mano-a-mano" with their foes. In other words, the battle should be the background against which the players act. Sixteen months of siege may be realistic, but it isn't much fun!

The critical point in a siege is that moment when the walls face a direct assault. This is especially true in a role-playing adventure. The following table simplifies this process of breaking down walls.

To use the table, the DM determines what type of wall is being assaulted, and its closest approximation on the Table. Cross-reference the type of attack being made and roll 1D20. If the resulting roll is higher than the number required, the attack does no significant damage; if the roll is lower, the wall begins to give way.

For each point below the required saving throw, the structure loses one cubic foot of structure. For example, suppose a stone wall 10' thick fails its saving throw by six points. The wall now loses a portion of its structure equal to six cubic feet of area (i.e., a hole two feet wide, three feet high, and one foot deep).

Table of Contents