[Dragaera] The New Palace

[Howard Brazee]

On 6/2/2010 12:29 PM, Alexx Kay wrote:
>> Dragaeran warfare has apparently gone through constant evolution with
>> changes in military technology. Specifically, according to Sethra and
>> Paarfi, the biggest technology changes have involved improvements in
>> sorcery. I can well imagine a situation where bows and arrows existed once
>> upon a time, but were supplanted later by other ranged weapons
>> (Flashstones, et al)....
>>      
>    

We have examples in Carthage and elsewhere of sling stones with stamped 
prayers/spells on them.   It's interesting to explore what possibilities 
we see from that technology - for instance targeted sling stones.
> I suspect it would be Cool if, during at least one period of history,
> there were *no* practical ranged weapons.  That would certainly change up
> the nature of warfare in interesting ways.  (It would almost have to be
> short term, though, as the pressures to invent a trump technology would be
> huge.)
>    
I remember reading a SF story where arrows are used in space warfare 
because their shape allowed a large mass moving at a slow speed, going 
through the force field.
>
> Bows themselves may have been countered, in multiple ways.
>
> Bows are relatively delicate pieces of technology.  A "bow-breaking" spell
> would probably be pretty easy to create.  Eventually, someone else might
> invent an enchantment to protect bows from the breakage spell.
>    
There are lots of different types of ways to project arrows.    
Especially if we have magic available.

Apparently teleporting rocks above the enemy apparently isn't useful in 
the battles we've seen.   Maybe this is a range thing.    They can stop 
long range projectiles, but not short range projectiles.   (If you can 
stop short range projectiles, why not stop swords?).    But when they 
are in Vlad range, projectiles work.