Runestone Trebuchet

From Improvised Ammunition to Chaotic Tactics

As the last of the boulders was sent flying above the ramparts and Maplewood's defenders were left scrambling for a new plan, the Court Wizard recalled his collection of Runestones kept in the treasury. Much too small to do any real damage, but each of them Inscribed with potent Evocation spells. If there were any time to use them, it might as well be in defense of their home; Worst case scenario he'd at least get to test a theory that'd been stuck in his mind for some time now.

"Gentlemen, it is now that I implore you to hear me out! I have a plan!!!"

As a last ditch effort during The Siege of Maplewood Keep, the defenders took advantage of the Court Wizard's hoard of Inscribed Runestones to use as ammunition for their trebuchets. Not only did this tactic lead to their eventual victory, it proved the Court Wizard's ongoing theory of alternative ways to cast spells as well as open the door for a far more chaotic siege tactic moving forward. A bit of a double edged sword, but nonetheless a new innovation in the use of magic in war.

Until this event, it was believed in Wizardry that most Damage or Control Spells could only be casted through the user with very few exceptions. If you casted Arcane Missile, Fireball, or Wall of Water you would still have to control, throw, or raise it respectively. For the most part this is true, and if the Wizard had just launched the Runestone on its own nothing would come of it. But through a clever combination of Enchantment Spells and the, at the time, newly discovered technique of Delayed Casting, he had essentially invented the Wizard equivalent of an Alchemist's time bomb. The Inscribed Runestone would essentially cast itself without need for an external user.

This new tactic was not without its own kinks and flaws. Firstly, a Wizard (as far as we know, the spells and techniques needed to pull this off can only be accessed through Wizardry) must be present to both charge and arm the projectile. Secondly, the projectiles cannot be fully prepared in advance as the act of Delayed Casting is essentially lighting the fuse, at that point the Runestone is extremely volatile and must be used immediately and with extreme caution. Thirdly, no matter the system, study, or method of casting, a Spell is still a Spell. Should the opposition have casters of their own there is always the risk of the projectile being countered in the best case, or either reflected back to you or used to empower themselves in the worst case.

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Bonus Lore

Outside of war, the innovation led to a new class of adventurers who combined the study of Wizardry and Alchemical Weaponry (bombs), creating hybrids between Spells and Concoctions to quickly craft explosives in the heat of combat, to take advantage of both magical and non-magical damage and statuses.

Spell Combo

Arcane Missile

While in the air, the projectile bursts into a number of shards based on the strength of the Spell during casting. Without a caster the missiles have no way of homing in on targets, but when combined with a basic casting of any Wisp Spell (Flame Wisp, Arcane Wisp, Water Wisp, etc.) the missiles will automatically lock on to any targets within about 20 feet. Otherwise they just plummet to the ground, creating a small burst at the point of impact.