Re: Bombers

Harry Bandoian wrote:
>
       Well, first off, the only problems I have with your plan so
> > far is that
> > 5-10 lb of explosives, in middle ages, isn't really going to do much.
> > If you're using black powder, it might be as big as a standard fireball
> > (I'm unsure on this one).  If you're going to just dump barrels of greek
> > oil or smoke powder with flaming wicks on some hapless city, you can do
> > this pretty easily by just pushing off the side of a hammership or
> > something.  In fact, I really don't see the advantage of a special
> > bomber sj over a regular one, but feel free to try to expand this out.
> > I'd like to see where you want to go with this.
> >
> Thats not the idea: by using a ship of 50+ tones or more the ship would be
> spotted immediatly and dispached. The idea of using small ships is TO STAY
> undectected. I mean thats how stealth bombers work, if they weren't
> undectectable to radar theyed get targetted with AA-weapons and alas
> DESTROYED. Yuo cant juz use a hammership or some other HUGE ship. OK, your
> idea would be fine if u bombed a groundling city with no defences, as a
> matter a fact it probably be better (more pay load)! So in some ways we are
> both right!

	Umm, once a bomb has been dropped, being small won't save you in the
least.  In fact, it may be a major hindrence because a smaller bomber
couldn't carry enough crew to ward off attack or even take a hit or
two.
	And by defenseless city, what mean?  No matter what, the only defense a
city has against a bombing attack is mages.  Catapults and ballista are
useless unless the bomber is just absolutely stupid (flying lower than
several hundred feet up).  Of course, spelljammers have the advantage of
hovering, so they don't need complecated math & devices to account for
the momentium of bombs:)  So the only defense is flying/teleporting
magi, who would overwhelm a fighter-sized spelljammer.
	Now don't take this the wrong way.  I like the idea of bomber
spelljammers.  In fact, there are numerous examples of this in official
material (example: 3rd book; scro bomb port Walkaway).  I would think,
however, that larger bombers would be more efficent at mass destruction
than smaller ones, just as the larger bombers in WW2 were more efficent
than the smaller ones.  However, the smaller ones would be a better
choice for precision bombings and hitting minor targets not really
worthy of being hit by the bigger bombers.
	On a different note, I would imagine spelljamming aware/active cities
would have defenses against such attacks.  Good one: magic items that
obsure the entire city & surrounding area with fog.  You can't hit what
you can't see.  Another good one: horizontal walls of force put over
important buildings.  Another good one: require all building be made of
stone, slate roofs (you can't burn it down).  Just some ideas:)

--
Night Druid

"DAMN!!  I get 25 E.P. for sewing my own wounds???
I'm rippin' them babies out and sewing them again!!!"
-Bob, Knights of the Dinner Table

"I only chewed in self defense; I never swallowed"
-Draco, Dragonheart