Worldbuilding a Fantasy Army | Tips for D&D and Fiction Writing

After many drafts of this script and sorting through a lot of copyright checks, I finally have the next video! This is a general collection of concepts, examples, and discussion points that will help you consider how to go about building the various aspects of your fantasy militaries.
We're only dealing with medieval and sword-and-sandal style of armies today, but there will be much more variety to talk about in future videos.
#worldbuilding #fantasy #medieval #writing #dnd
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fantasy armies, writing fantasy battles, fantasy worldbuilding, writing advice, fiction writing, medieval warfare, fantasy warfare

[@thenovelscripts3727]

Re-uploaded. Sorry if there are choppy bits. Trying to keep clear of copyright hell!

[@iratevagabond204]

"Regular bows which are only really best against unarmored foes"
A bow's capabilities are determined by it's draw weight and the properties of the arrow being fired.
A crossbow's main advatages is the flatter trajectory, ease of learning, and the use of mechanical cocking devices. They also have shorter draw lengths, in general, so require higher poundages to make up for that.
A bow, in draw weights for war, physically changes your body due to the strength and conditioning necessary to become competant. A bow becomes harder to draw the farther back you pull the string, and as there is no "let off" like with modern compound bows, you're gonna be hard pressed to hold it drawn for very long.
The longbow is simply a self-bow with a long draw length, and are relatively quick and easy to make. Flat-bows are actually more effecient than self-bows, and can be made from a greater variety of wood at war-poundages without risking catastrophic failure.
Whether or not armor can be defeated by an archer comes down to the distance from the target, where the arrow hits on the target, the poundage of the bow, the weight of the arrow, and the type of arrow head. It doesn't directly matter if you're using a self-bow, flat-bow, or composite bow.

[@babybrix9955]

I’m literally about to flesh out my military within this new kingdom I’m crafting up. This helps a ton!

[@rainghostly]

This was exactly what I needed right now to bring some structure into all the thoughts and ideas I have been pondering over for a while now. Thank you, great video!

[@thenovelscripts3727]

Hey, you're welcome. I'm glad I could help!

[@small_howl]

currently building an army of monsters for my bbeg this is really helpful

[@scottpankonin1068]

Extremely well thought-out. I liked the economic basis that would have to create limits on the type of military possible, and the prevalence of retinues/personal armies under a specific noble.

[@jordanrayner8980]

I'm going to be a big fan bro, nice work... I'm also a massive worldbuilder...

[@thenovelscripts3727]

Thanks. Always great to meet a fellow worldbuilder!

[@bladestar2322]

Only really did one Fantasy Army back in my old AD&D days. I commanded an Army of Samurai, with Muskets and Cannon into the Realms. It was set just after one Adventure pack, magic had gone haywire or temporarily stopped, protecting a woman who became a Goddess or something. It's been 22 years so I have forgotten a lot of it. Samurai Army in the West would be formidable enough, add firearms and we pretty much took over a large area. Since we were good guys and fair rulers we were welcomed.

[@thenovelscripts3727]

That's definitely what makes it fun: getting to personally experience large scale fights and culture clashes that never happened in our history.

[@bleekskaduwee6762]

I really enjoyed the video, I am currently working on building 4 strike groups from the mercenary company that 2 of my main characters are partly in charge of. They are heading into a section of the 9 hells to retrieve an important artifact .

[@projectredmenace4742]

Thanks, I needed something like this

[@kalebthehistorian5928]

The armies of Nitheria are vast and complex, with those who rely on magic using it to empower their swords, muskets, and cannon. Increasing durability, range, accuracy, and lethality. (If a man of little faith is struck with an enchanted blade or bullet, he will begin to disintegrate and burn slowly and painfully until he is not but dest) However, true violet blooded sorcerers are rare, typically forming the officer class of these armies. With powerful mages able to perform complex spells such as portals and unit sized shields to defend their men from shellfire and the volleys of their foes, in exchange for preventing their own men from firing. Lesser mages, on the other hand, such as those granted light magic or those with weak bloodlines, typically find themselves as enchanters, field medics, and officers. Lastly, there are those who understand magics true nature and embrace it, calling upon demonic Eldredge power to grant themselves vison, or summon winter storms in the midst of a hot summers day. Then, to call upon hellish black flames and summon demons, unleashing them in situations where none shall live to tell of their evil acts, as most condemn primeval magic. Of course, there is more, but I shall not say another word.

[@LordDany]

In My world the great Empire of plhoglhat has armies however you are not forced Into duty, however, the Empire has elite wizards known as the Royal Archwizards they are what you would call One man armies,
Also the Empire is on a arquipélago and their ships are specialy imbued with Magic and stuff.
A civilian can list himself to post mortem duty, once Said civilian dies the Royal Archwizard Necromancer goes and takes the body after a time of greave, basicly the main army of This Empire is a host of skeletons generations long

[@thenovelscripts3727]

That post mortem duty is pretty metal. I definitely think that having powerful wizards will make warfare focus on magic and magic users more than conventional fighting.

[@LordDany]

@@thenovelscripts3727 with high power Magic convencional warfare goes brrrr the variables that Magic intales break war as we know it for better or worse.

[@comso3632]

Criminally underrated

[@DragonKingZero]

Are you familiar with Lost Odyssey? I feel like its opening cutscene offers a potentially interesting look into how magic (particularly healing magic) could impact a pitched battle, especially for an army with a means to extend its effectiveness over a large area.

[@TheAnimeAtheist]

2:24 That assertion is questionable. While it is true historically that many knights came with horses, you also have to keep in mind the setting that we're potentially laying out here. For example, in a world with lots of magic, terrain distortion would be a thing, which could seriously hamper the ability of horses to be as effective as they were historically. Magic also has the potential to impact the ability of charge formations. If area spells are readily available, mass charges in tight groups with very expensive units would be a disastrously stupid tactic. As such knights may feel that horses in combat are often an unsuitable affair.
2:46 Okay this is a misunderstanding of how bows worked. First of all, while it is true that crossbows had higher penetration than longbows, it wasn't that significant in a practical sense. At the end of the day, neither could be expected to pierce anything beyond maile, outside of dumb luck. As such the penetrating power of longbows and crossbows, in a practical sense, was more comparable than not. Also, while the longbow has a very long range for a large bow, the fact remains that composite shortbows, with the same power and lighter arrows, could shoot farther and still penetrate maile. The reason some cultures preferred one over the other has more to do with climate, terrain factors, and construction costs rather than one being better than the other.
7:46 The importance of levies varied depending on the time period, as did their wealth. It wasn't so much wealthy lords equipped their peasants well, so much as wealthy lords simply had wealthier peasants who could equip themselves better. Everyone had poor untrained levies in the 9th century, but everyone had well equipped and trained levies in the 15th century. However, by the 15th century, the armies emphasized a more professional role, such that they could be counted on all year round, rather than periodically. As such the importance of levies waned in the later centuries.
11:26 No they will not. Most armies tried avoiding pitched battles. They were in fact, the exception, not the rule. A pitched battle was only pursued when one side thought they could wipe out the other with minimal loses. Often times though neither side wanted to risk it. As a result, most fighting took place during the foraging, raiding, and screening when two opposing armies happened to bump into one another. I say happen to, because often times armies were effectively blind. Which, by itself, made pursuing a pitched battle rather difficult to begin with.
13:08 People like Alexander were again, the exception, not the rule. Most commanders for most of history prefer leading from the back, not the front. While it can be a moral boost to have a leader at the front, an even greater moral loss can occur upon said leaders early death. As such most commanders for most of history found the back a better spot to be.
21:19 One of the best ways to counter magic is to simply space out your troops. Long lines of tight formed columns are probably a terrible idea in the face of destructive magic. So not doing that is a great start.
21:50 While mage hunting is one idea, that's easier said than done. Finding, getting to, and neutralizing said mage is going to be a rather difficult task when they are surrounded by supporting troops of many varieties. There's also the point that while magic can be destructive, healing magic can do a lot to curb loses.
22:55 Commonly is a bit of a stretch.
23:14 they'd probably throw magic at it. Elephants and Ogres are a lot easier to deal with when you have supernatural acid throwing. Armies would likely prioritize bringing up casters when such foes are found.

[@chillguy9971]

Wars are the most expensive effort any medieval power can conduct, on every level total logistical nightmares.
Bsttl

[@rancor6858]

Amazing video man