Fight in Dungeons and Dragons It can be fun, but it can also be slow and complicated. This problem is exacerbated when a fight becomes too large, such as during a siege or large-scale battle; that’s why, many DMs often look for different mechanics to use in these circumstances that change the rhythm of combat. Employing large, heavy siege weaponry is one way to do this, although in previous editions siege weapon options have often been too slow to be effective or too low in damage.
THE Dungeon Master Guide 2024 aims to change that, with modified rules for existing siege weapons and three new options for players to wreak havoc. New options not only make siege combat more interesting, but also more powerful than their older counterparts and add some magical spice that things like catapults or cannons are missing. These changes should make big battles much more fun, both for players to play and for DMs to run.
D&D’s New Siege Weapons Add Large-Scale Chaos
Armando Lightning, Fire and Beer
THE DM 2024 Guide contains rules for ten siege weapons, three of which are entirely new. The new options are the Flamethrower Coach, the Keg Launcher and the Lightning Cannon. Each one is pretty self-explanatory, firing electrical bolts or launching poisonous beer over castle walls. But the most interesting thing is the carriage, which also works as a defense vehicle and as a weapon to set things on fire.
The rules for each of these weapons include how many actions they take to ready and fire, as well as the damage they deal, and these three meet the best damage/action ratio among the options presented. Still, old-school weapons like cannons and trebuchet remain viable due to their huge range and damage output, although they tend to be slower. These new rules give players more useful options when it comes to taking down an enemy fort – or defending their own.
How to fight large-scale battles with the 2024 DMG
Place your players on offense or defense
Many of these siege weapons take several turns to load, aim, and eventually fire, which can give allied players and enemy minions quick actions during combat. This makes your actions impactful, but it still allows the players and the big bads to take center stage. This alone can be great for decreasing the time spent on each individual NPC in a big fight, but more than that, it can allow regular people to keep up with the damage of higher level players.
And at higher levels of play, when the players themselves become nearly invincible, the introduction of weapons like this can keep risks high. The players themselves may be difficult to kill, but threatening destruction to their carefully constructed base or hometown will make the threat seem dire. Whether they’re being used by the players themselves or the villains working against them, these siege weapons can spice up Dungeons and Dragons combat and helps balance many different types of encounters.
Source: Dungeons and Dragons/YouTube