Siege Towers

Siege Towers:Each of these pieces of equipment moves 1 " per turn for every two men pushing, with a maximum movement of 4" per turn with eight men pushing. Such equipment cannot be moved across ditches or moats unless they have been filled in.

Siege towers will accommodate 5 assault troops on the drawbridge story and 3 on the top deck. Up to 5 figures per turn can climb the ladder from the ground, to the upper decks.

Siege Towers

The purpose of these huge, movable towers is to move attackers up to the wall of a fortress, castle, or other structure and enable them to take on the defenders of the wall from the same height, or perhaps even a higher elevation. A siege tower is as difficult to move as a crushing engine, requiring the same number of figures and subject to the same restrictions.

A siege tower has 10 hits for every 1" (10 feet in scale) of the tower's height. The dimensions of a siege tower, the number of levels within it, and its capacity (in number of figures) must be specified in the rules for a scenario. If the tower has multiple levels, figures can be placed at various elevations within it. (For example, some troops might battle defenders at windows 10 feet off the ground while other attackers are meeting a force guarding the top of the wall 20 feet higher up.)

Siege Towers

These massive, cumbersome creations ranged from simple scaffolds of hastily-felled trees, sometimes with little or nothing to protect those within, to elaborate enclosed structures with such refinements as hinged shutters and even small draw-bridges to streamline access to the tops of the castle’s walls. Siege towers often provide their occupants with some bonus to AR against missile weapons. Depending on the particular tower’s construction, this bonus can range from -2 (for target figures protected by an open doorway or window) to -4 (for target figures behind loopholes or arrow slits).

This variation in construction also affects the sturdiness and “survivability” of a siege tower. Although the figure for hits given in the BATTLESYSTEM rules-10 hits per 1” (10’ in scale) of height-makes sense as an average, the actual number of hits can range from 6 hits per 1” of height to as high as 15 hits per 1” for singularly elaborate towers.

Siege towers are vulnerable to fire attacks, as described on page 86 of the BATTLESYSTEM rules. Troops within an ignited siege tower suffer casualties as if they were the target of an AD 8 attack on each turn they remain in the burning structure. If they don’t immediately leave the burning tower, they must also make a Morale Check, at a -1 penalty, at the beginning of the second turn.

The weight of siege towers makes it very difficult to move them. The BATTLESYSTEM rules state (page 84) that they can be moved up only the gentlest of slopes, and at that only if propelled by twice the usual number of figures. Should it be necessary to move the siege tower downhill-in the rare case of a castle set in a depression or dell or surrounded by earth ramparts-the same rule applies: the tower can negotiate a slope no steeper than 1” rise or fall for every 12” of horizontal distance, and even then only if twice the normal number of figures propel it. Note that additional motive force won’t make it possible for the tower to negotiate steeper grades. Sheer mass isn’t the only problem: having a small base and high center of gravity, towers are typically rather unstable, and would topple on a steeper slope regardless of motive force.

Intelligent opponents would recognize that wrecking the wheels of an approaching siege tower will render it useless, and would probably concentrate their attacks on these targets. Assume that a siege tower that has sustained 25% of its total number of hits has been immobilized. Repairs can be made, but require the participation of at least 20 troops (two figures) equipped with tools and materials, and take 2-6 hours. During this time, these troops are exposed to missile fire.

Siege Towers from Stronghold Builder's Guide

The siege tower described in Chapter 5 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide weighs 1,600 pounds empty, so a team of horses will probably be necessary to wheel it into position. The siege tower is essentially a 0.5-space guard post (300 gp) placed three stories up (400 gp ×0.5 spaces) and given two layers of wood wall (1,000 gp ×0.5 spaces). You can build taller, more durable, or more spacious siege towers by using the stronghold construction rules in Chapter 2.