The besiegers and the defenders must contend with the vagaries of nature, logistics, morale and their enemies. The tables below help you add depth and flavour to a siege in your campaign.

Attacks

The besieging force will likely try a number of inventive tactics to breach the castle’s walls. Use this list below, to generate the basic details of such actions.

1. Warriors run toward the castle walls carrying long ladders. Some of the attackers carry tower shields, and these warriors are first up the ladders. They hold the shields above their heads to protect themselves from the defenders’ missiles. On the ground, archers unleash a storm of arrows to keep the defenders’ head down.

2. The attackers draw up several wagons filled with wood, straw and other combustible materials. Much of the material piled into the wagon is damp. When the wind blows in the right direction—toward the castle—they set the wagons aflame. Smoke billows from the wagons, which the attackers begin to push toward the castle walls. Behind the wagons, obscured in the smoke, lurks the assault force.

3. At dusk, the enemy draw up a large force opposite one of the castle’s walls. The warriors make a lot of noise—banging their weapons on their shields, taunting the defenders, singing and so on. The spectacle goes on as night falls. The display is a diversion—several enemy champions creep toward another wall intent on using stealth to enter the castle. Once inside, they plan to open the main gates for their fellows.

4. The attackers dig a tunnel to undermine a wall or tower. Observant characters—or perhaps those sent out to disrupt the enemy camp—spot the tunnel entrance, or the hidden piles of spoils carried away from the tunnel. When the tunnel is finished, the sappers plan to pack it with oil-soaked wood and set it on fire. The resultant collapse should cause a collapse and breach the castle defences.

Defences and Counterattacks

Given enough time, the castle’s defenders can devise numerous countermeasures to withstand a siege. Oftentimes, though, attacks come with less warning, requiring impromptu solutions. Use the list below to set up the castle’s existing defences along with any countermeasures used during the heat of battle.

1. A water-filled moat is one of the surest defences against battering rams and other siege engines used to directly attack the castle. If a moat proves impractical, a small team can dig strategically placed trenches and cover them with natural material to conceal them. Additionally, breaking up the ground around the castle hinders ladder placement.

2. Several cauldrons stand in the castle grounds fed by wood- and coal-burning fires. While the inhabitants may have to suffer cold nights, the cauldrons filled with water, sand or oil provide a deadly threat to invaders using scaling ladders.

3. A supply of quarried stones acts as ammunition for catapults situated within the castle. These stones can destroy opposing siege engines or flatten swaths of enemy combatants. In dire situations, livestock or corpses can serve as missiles.

4. Rounding castle walls helps deflect battering rams and make the walls less susceptible to breaching. Though less effective, grease, liquid fat or other slick substances create a similar effect in a pinch.

Dwindling Supplies

When a castle is under prolonged siege, supplies will run low. Use this list, to determine what shortages bedevil the defenders. 

1. Iron & Coal: The castle’s blacksmith is hard at work repairing the garrison’s arms and armour and forging new arrowheads, crossbow bolt tips and the like. Unfortunately, this frenzy of activity is eating into his stock of raw materials—iron bars, coal and the like. (The castle’s bowyer/fletcher, leather worker and other essential crafter could also be in a similar situation).

2. Animal Fodder: Because the castle is under siege, more beasts of burden and horses are stabled within its walls. Sadly, supplies of animal fodder are running low and soon the stablemaster must slaughter some of the animals.

3. Healing Supplies: A constant stream of wounded soldiers and the like make their way to the castle’s healers—either clerics, apothecaries or army surgeons. This constant demand is depleting the healers’ supplies of bandages, unguents and the like. Alternatively, the castle’s clerics could be running low on consumable magic items such as potions and scrolls.

4. Wine & Ale: The castle is running low on wine and ale to slake the defenders’ thirst. During particularly harrowing times, the castle’s lord uses both drinks to boost the morale and bravery of his soldiers. When the castle runs dry, a mutiny—or collapse in morale—could ensue.

Low Morale

Prolonged sieges take their toll on even the doughtiest warriors, and ebbing morale can prove more dangerous than enemy attacks. The castle’s lord or lady, or others in charge, must mitigate the causes of hopelessness among the soldiers and deal with its effects. Use this list, to determine the nature and level of the despair faced by the defenders.

1. Several defenders wish to surrender. The castle’s lord or lady must assuage their fears and inspire them to keep fighting.

2. Tempers flare among the castle’s guardians and fights break out, with each side blaming the other for failures and losses suffered during the siege. The situation requires a calming influence to restore faith within the ranks.

3. Defenders sneak out of the castle at night to make a deal with the besieging army, hoping to trade safety for intelligence on the defences. The traitors have convinced themselves everyone will die during the siege, so they hope to spare themselves from certain doom.

4. Rumours about horrible treatment by the enemy spread among the defenders. While this might seem to bolster resolve among them, they instead suffer sleepless nights as their imaginations run wild considering the torture awaiting them should the castle fall.

Want More?

This article is an extract from 20 Things #57: Besieged Castle. Add the book to your GM’s toolkit today! Alternatively, check out the 20 Things Archive for more handy, flavoursome and time-saving 20 Things articles ready for immediate use in your campaign.