Warfare in a fantasy world is bound to be different than either modern real world war, or historical medieval war. The assumptions that would have been made in ancient times of the real world might no longer hold true in a world where magic exists. Additionally, the technological advancement of the world of Nailara does not follow the same path as our history.
Siege Weaponry
Catapults, Trebuchets, Ballistae
These still find widespread use, as they are constructed of readily available materials and require significantly less training to master than more expensive options. They are most common in small keeps, forts, and in less wealthy nations. The most skillfully built of these devices could launch projectiles up to 300 meters, though shorter ranges are much more common.
Cannons and Gunpowder
Gunpowder has been invented, but tends not to see widespread use. Its volatility, and the need for expensive supply lines mean that it is seen as an inferior weapon to simply training a warmage, which requires only food and sleep. The most skillfully built cannons can fire at a range of up to 2 kilometers.
The most common usage of cannons and gunpowder based weaponry are sailors and aboard ships, where immediate and overwhelming firepower is needed. As sailors tend to believe, "A ship with a cannon might sink a ship with a mage before it gets close, but if you have neither a ship nor a mage, you should invest in a white flag."
Balefire Engines
Balefire Engines are a relatively new arcane construction similar to a cannon, but even simpler and safer to operate. They fire magical fireballs at great distances, up to about 2 kilometers, and require no magical ability or ammunition to operate. Though maintenance is required by a skilled technician, they are considered the pinnacle of siege weaponry.
Unfortunately for poorer nations, Balefire Engines are exorbitantly expensive. Made from
Archgold layered with numerous enchantments, they require both rare materials as well as very skilled artificers to construct - nearly all balefire engines are produced by either the nation of
Indo or knock-off designs by the
Calashi.
The Worldfire
The Worldfire is a unique and frightful weapon capable of launching magical blasts from miles away. It is the size of a castle itself, built into a mountaintop keep. The full extent of its power is a secret known only to its creators, but its destruction of the mountain Thesnoq was more than 150 kilometers in distance. Rumors are that it was damaged from the exertion.
Spells and Magic
War Mages
A war mage is a mage whose training specializes in spells useful in mass combat. Slow and expensive to train, but lethal in their application, war mages are one of the most sought after commodities for a nation's armies. A single mage can often directly determine the outcome of small skirmishes, and sway long conflicts in their favor.
When using the 5th edition ruleset, a full fledged war mage would be expected to know 3rd tier spells. Skills above that would be notable, and likely promoted to leadership positions.
Magical Traps
Runes of warding and other magical traps tend to be expensive to implement, and often require significant time to set up. They tend to be found most often in fortified locations, or in particularly important battlefields.
The danger of these magical traps are most visible in the
Spellscar, whose landscape and even weather has been altered by the extensive use of magical weaponry and traps.
