SPOILERS ---- Speculation on Multiverse Naval Conflict

It had occurred to me that IF Arcana has shield spells capable of stopping a physical projectile (like an arbelst bolt) then that spell could be improved to the point that it stops bullets and artillery. I seriously doubt that could make it last long (power requirements would likely be very high), but it may enable Arcanan naval forces to fight back.

They would still have the problem of largely ineffective weapons, but at least one obstacle is lessened.

It would also increase the demand for accumulators. Simply running a ship for a week is comparable to dragon scale levitation spells. Adding shields that can stop the kinetic energy of heavy, fast moving shells would massively increase the need for accumulators. Short to creating and then maintaining power net closer to the front, can Arcana supply warship and the army?

Astelon wrote:It had occurred to me that IF Arcana has shield spells capable of stopping a physical projectile (like an arbelst bolt) then that spell could be improved to the point that it stops bullets and artillery. I seriously doubt that could make it last long (power requirements would likely be very high), but it may enable Arcanan naval forces to fight back.

They would still have the problem of largely ineffective weapons, but at least one obstacle is lessened.

Simple observation:

Sharona has Whitehead style self propelled torpedoes.

That's why their battleship secondary batteries have gotten larger to deal with larger torpedo boats & torpedo carrying Torpedo boat destroyers.

Arcania cannot shield against what they don't know about.

The reaction of Arcanian mages to disassembling a captured on a beach whitehead torpedo would be fun to write.

Likely the first few Sea Drakes would attack torpedoes swimming close to them.

The surviving Sea Drake riders would eventually get the word back...but the turn around time for Arcania on a disassembled torpedo to mages and back would be at least six months.

And there do not seem to be the amphibious equivalent of Hummers for Arcanian Sea Drake's to used in naval warfare.

PeterZ wrote:It would also increase the demand for accumulators. Simply running a ship for a week is comparable to dragon scale levitation spells. Adding shields that can stop the kinetic energy of heavy, fast moving shells would massively increase the need for accumulators. Short to creating and then maintaining power net closer to the front, can Arcana supply warship and the army?

Astelon wrote:It had occurred to me that IF Arcana has shield spells capable of stopping a physical projectile (like an arbelst bolt) then that spell could be improved to the point that it stops bullets and artillery. I seriously doubt that could make it last long (power requirements would likely be very high), but it may enable Arcanan naval forces to fight back.

They would still have the problem of largely ineffective weapons, but at least one obstacle is lessened.

The problem with Sharona's current torpedo technology is that they are not self guiding. A predictive distance viewer may help in that regard, but the opposing vessel should still be able to maneuver out of the incoming torpedo's path. This assumes that the Arcanan ships know to watch for them of course.

Astelon wrote:The problem with Sharona's current torpedo technology is that they are not self guiding. A predictive distance viewer may help in that regard, but the opposing vessel should still be able to maneuver out of the incoming torpedo's path. This assumes that the Arcanan ships know to watch for them of course.

My dad served on a DE in WW2 which ducked torpedos from Japanese subs. Those weren't self guided. But that being said, ducking torpedos requires both alertness and agility. Come up short on either of these and you are toast. That dodging is possible doesn't always mean that everybody can do it or that it is successfully accomplished all the time by those who can.

Dad was convinced that Murphy's Law was invented by the U.S. Navy!

Don

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Astelon wrote:
The problem with Sharona's current torpedo technology is that they are not self guiding.

Ummm...no.

Whitehead torpedo's are not _Homing_.

They definitely are gyroscopically guided to follow a consistent course and speed.

That is how 1940's analog fire control computers could fire spreads of them on predictable courses to a position where a ship might be in the future.

If anything, Sharonan predictive distance viewers will make Sharonan whitehead torpedo's almost as accurate as 1960's homing torpedo's, within their range.

We saw an Arcanan vessel slide sideways away from a dock. That indicates they have the necessary agility to dodge torpedos. With the proper awareness and warning they might even position themselves safely between two torpedos within a single spread.

And why use torpedos at all when the shells will be arriving much to quickly to out maneuver.

Astelon wrote:We saw an Arcanan vessel slide sideways away from a dock. That indicates they have the necessary agility to dodge torpedos. With the proper awareness and warning they might even position themselves safely between two torpedos within a single spread.

And why use torpedos at all when the shells will be arriving much to quickly to out maneuver.

Some of them can dodge, at least. The normal method for dodging was to turn the ship so that either the bow or the stern of the ship was facing the torpedo, denying it a broadside shot. Hopefully the swerve in doing that put you on a parallel course with the torpedo as it goes buzzing past.

The key to this is to be alert to the torpedo's coming and a notion of which way to maneuver before it arrives.

My impression is that torpedos were normally a weapon for smallerwarships and subs. It takes larger ships to handle the guns for firing the shells you are talking about here...

IIRC, the Arcanan ships are made of wood... That would seem to put them at a seriousdisadvantage facing a proper Sharonian cruiser...

Don

Even a lightly armored Sharonian ship with small guns would have a serious advantage when facing wooden hull Arcanan vessel. The Arcanan ship might be faster, but I don't see that helping them a while lot.