Questions tagged [medieval]
For questions about the medieval era (500-1500AD o.e.) as a whole.
630
questions
-1
votes
1answer
48 views
How do I reconcile humans and demons?
Humans and demons are one of many races within my fantasy world. These two races gave been going at it for a couple of hundred years.
No one remembers which side started it first. The humans, of ...
48
votes
20answers
7k views
How to make this “friendly war” plausible?
I'm trying to come up with this scenario in a sort of "medieval fantasy" setting.
There are two towns. One, Caertydin is a large city with all the appropriate tropes, while the smaller town, Siege is ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
Building a formula 1 car within one month?
!
One of my characters wants to participate in a medieval chariot race. The catch is, they use magical chariots that can go at significant speeds, similar to today’s street cars.
So he and his ...
6
votes
4answers
191 views
Best weapon to be wielded by tentacled creatures?
In my world, there's a tentacled race of amphibious creatures. They evolved in water, but can also survive on land. They're roughly human sized, but they're boneless and they move around on six ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
How would one create an effective basketball and soccer ball in medieval Europe?
I have a character that travels back in time, from present-day USA, to medieval Europe - specifically, year 1272, present-day UK.
Say in this scenario, they really enjoyed those sports in modern USA ...
17
votes
7answers
6k views
Could an army armed with only spear-like weapons be effective?
The superiority of pole arms and spears in particular has become a pretty common meme across multiple online communities, so that got me thinking; what if you had a fighting force in which the only ...
4
votes
3answers
167 views
Where would Elves build a self sufficient stronghold?
Elves now a days are mostly peaceful but they weren't always. a long time ago their was a mighty Elven empire being the first to smelt steel while the other races were still using bronze armor and ...
3
votes
4answers
164 views
Why are tomb guardians often more powerful than the king personal guards?
When the king passed away, his corpse is often kept inside a tomb filled with booby traps and seemingly always protected by powerful tomb guardians. These tomb guardians are actually rocks and ...
8
votes
7answers
704 views
Food ingredients in the medieval ages compared to their modern counterparts?
One of my characters (who comes from Earth) wants to open a restaurant in a fantasy world. This world is currently in its medieval era.
The restaurant would serve all sorts of modern food; deep fried,...
25
votes
25answers
5k views
If a portal scroll is cheap and easily available why they are not used when one's life is in peril?
Set in the medieval period, adventurers like to frequent the guild hall to check out the bounty lists, which are updated on a daily basis. Many of the requests on the list requires adventurers to pit ...
7
votes
13answers
5k views
Effectiveness of a glowing hot tungsten sword against medieval era knights?
A blade made out of tungsten alloy that’s also electrically heated to 3000C. The shape and sharpness is similar to a katana.
The user carries a battery pack that provides enough energy for the sword ...
5
votes
4answers
179 views
How to prevent medieval houses from being burnt to ground by fire breathing dragons?
Medieval houses generally made out of timber were often being raided by several dragons that can breathe chemical fire at a distance. They seldom touch the houses with their razor sharp talons nor ...
16
votes
8answers
6k views
Feasible and rational way to give food and water to a prisoner?
There is a lord who is being kept prisoner in a castle tower by a griffin who has taken over his home, but requires the lord be kept alive for political value. Naturally this requires the griffin ...
9
votes
9answers
5k views
Which is easier to develop: a piston prop engine or a jet engine?
I’m writing a novel where people from our universe move to another.
The other universe is a fantasy one with medieval technology.
These people have the help of an advanced AI that contains the ...
5
votes
4answers
155 views
What is the incentive for mortal beings to go on an epic adventure to gather resources for the gods?
Set in the medieval period, the benevolent gods periodically post requests for brave mortals to go on an adventure of a lifetime. There are usually no rewards upon successful completion of the quest. ...
2
votes
7answers
449 views
Would there be any advantage to employ once enemy mercenaries to fight in a medieval war?
Imagine 2 kingdoms are constantly at war and both sides would hire mercenaries for this cause, usually they will hires mercenary soldiers from the adjacent villages but this time one of the King's ...
4
votes
2answers
122 views
What acts could an Extremist Anti-Peace group commit to make two friendly nations go to War
If there was an Anti-Peace group that wanted two neighboring nations to go to war, what kind of actions could they take?
They're malicious, fueled with hate, and they have little to no empathy for ...
5
votes
3answers
109 views
How to slay my acid dragon?
Now that I created a lovable and sweet western dragon, it is high time to toss him into Hell.
Obviously, slaying a dragon isn't an easy task, especially when he is actively running away from you.
...
3
votes
4answers
170 views
How can pole vaulting in medieval battle be useful?
I'm thinking of an elite stealth forces consisting of a handful of soldiers from the medieval times with the sole purpose of carrying out sneak attack on enemy camp especially to destroy important ...
2
votes
1answer
153 views
How fast could a medieval transportation cross a sea of honey?
Set in the medieval period around 16th century C.E., all the saline water turns into honey ( avg. viscosity is approximately 10000 centipoise at room temperature). How fast can the medieval people ...
0
votes
4answers
180 views
Giving a Will/Inheritance to a goat in a medieval setting? [closed]
A lord of a manor is dying and plans to leave his manor and fortune to a goat, who is a demon in disguise. I'm wondering how can I make this idea feasible. Being a demon, the goat could influence the ...
2
votes
4answers
273 views
How long would it take to kill an army of 100k
The time period is similar to the crusade time instead of asia there is an entirely different island continent. The people on it are not homosapiens but some different earlier branch. they are though ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
Medieval City Region Economic Model
In the attached diagram, the grid on the left side shows several layers from my world-building project. Each square represents a 4x4 sq km (2.5x2.5 sq miles) area.
Layer 1: Terrain, showing the ...
6
votes
5answers
805 views
Fantasy Tax Rate Realism
In a story I'm planning, I want taxes to have an actual rate, and not just handwaved away.
The setting is classical medieval with Inheritance (book) type of magic.
I was thinking a flat 10% of ...
3
votes
1answer
164 views
Feasibility of a griffin living in a castle?
In my story there is a griffin who has a long time grudge with the lord of a castle. When the lord ends up in a very weak position, the griffin takes the opportunity to kill him and seizes his castle ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views
How a character from the future, reincarnated in the medieval times, could use their knowledge without being accused of witchcraft? [closed]
The setting: more or less our regular medieval times, no magic or magical creatures, but religion is big and most people believe in folklore and superstition.
The plot: character from the far future ...
4
votes
5answers
202 views
Swords as a standardized sidearm and tool
The swords in question are basically machetes, being built for toughness and as a slashing weapon. The army that is using these swords is a professional force of pikemen and crossbowmen, but is ...
4
votes
3answers
278 views
How would magic users be incorporated into the military?
My magical world is getting into the medieval age and plate armor is becoming a thing. My magic system is simply drawing runes in the air(sometimes)/ground. A skilled person could draw a simple rune ...
5
votes
4answers
170 views
Bug-sized halberd?
I'm constructing a world where insects battle using medieval and fantasy weapons. I'm trying to think of an object that could be used by a bug as a halberd - that is, part spear, part axe. For example,...
3
votes
1answer
144 views
Would insect farming be viable for a preindustrial society?
Many societies have and continue to practice entomophagy, and many environmental activists promote the consumption of insects as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional meat. It is ...
37
votes
18answers
14k views
How many generations would it take until the noble and peasant classes become different species and cannot interbreed?
In this world:
Technology: medieval, it should fit with real world history, for example:
Low life life expectancy due to poor medical technology (vulnerable to disease), warfare,
High infant ...
6
votes
2answers
264 views
How to manufacture/acquire strong acids in a medieval society?
Background
In a medieval society with minor fantasy elements, a scientifically minded and not-very-ethical character is looking to acquire some strong acid for a "project" of his. He is particularly ...
0
votes
4answers
542 views
How can a city-state keep their monopoly on firearms
I created a low-fantasy world (there is magic, but it cannot really do much) centered around a city-state similiar to medieval/renaissance Venice.
On the broken remains of an old empire they became a ...
6
votes
4answers
235 views
Feasibility of mute Soldiers on a medieval battlefield
In a story that I am building, I want to have an elite force of cavalrymen who are totally mute.
In typical fantasy settings, soldiers in an army loudly announce their presence on the battlefield (...
1
vote
6answers
297 views
Would it makes sense for medieval warriors to carry giant bladed weapon on weak gravity?
Imagine Earth has been a tenth as massive as it is now, does it makes sense for warriors in the medieval period to carry bladed weapon bigger than themselves? for this purpose we have to assume no ...
0
votes
4answers
112 views
How should this chase go? [closed]
In a fantasy (ie quasi-medieval) setting, a large group of riders is pursuing a smaller group of riders over an effectively endless plain with no place to hide. Initial contact is made from, say, two ...
3
votes
3answers
148 views
Three piece suit in Medieval Fantasy Fiction
How would you describe the clothing of a merchant banker in a world similar to 15th century Florence?
Assuming a "three piece suit" won't cut it.
3
votes
6answers
357 views
How would an elite force(special forces and SWAT) work in a medieval setting?
During the medieval ages we had the knights as the "noble" soldiers(although more akin to a commander or a general I think) of their king.
But I'm not interested on the knights.
What I want to know ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
How could a medieval melee weapon slice through ankylosaurus?
Set in the early 14th century A. D. the sudden appearance of dinosaurs wrecked havoc on the world, no one know why but everybody raced to come up with powerful theories except for a particular group ...
2
votes
3answers
129 views
How would a roughly medieval military be changed by flying couriers?
Aial is one of the most renown and sought after couriers in the world, that partly has to do with his work morale and partly with the fact that he's an aarakocra (I have to change that name because it'...
6
votes
6answers
251 views
How to adapt premodern warfare to area-of-effect magic?
This is the enemy infantry line.
This is our archmage casting fireball.
Area of effect spells can be found in most magic systems. However, whatever the exact effects of the spells are, hitting a ...
20
votes
15answers
9k views
How would sword design change if the aim was to cause as much immediate bleeding as possible?
Supposedly there is a school of magic that allows telekinetic manipulation of blood (and only blood).
Your telekinetic powers can not penetrate solids and other liquids (including human skin) so you ...
3
votes
3answers
134 views
How fast could a group of slaves in rebellion build a palisade fort with a gate and flanking towers/ whats in it? [closed]
I have a high fantasy story about a slave rebellion in an adjacent kingdom being backed by an empire who wishes to seize control over the kingdom. The deal is they'll help win the war and end the ...
4
votes
5answers
5k views
How to optimise the use of 10 nuclear fuel pellets in medieval period?
Suppose 10 standard nuclear fuel pellets have been sent back in time to the 14th century A. D. scattered across 10 adjacent towns via a disposable time machine. Would people in the medieval period be ...
3
votes
3answers
185 views
Effects of metallic skin in close combat
Royal guards paraljia undergoes a ritual at the end of their training. This antic ritual transforms their body variety of metals and rocks ( similar to colossus from x-men) After this crucial ritual ...
3
votes
2answers
141 views
What plants would lizardfolk cultivate in this hostile world
Lizardfolk are sentient and sapient humanoid reptilian creatures with heights between 190cm and 180 cm. Lizardfolk are partially mesothermic, with most of the waste heat, their muscles generate, being ...
5
votes
7answers
546 views
Lizardfolk are too OP, what weakness would make the most sense for them?
So, based on their abilities, lizardfolk (humanoid reptiles) should be a more prevalent race in my setting than they actually are. When I say they're overpowered, I mean they have everything to expand ...
2
votes
2answers
146 views
How would medieval knights capture the anti-metal dragon?
Set in 13th century A. D. a gargantuan dragon weights 100 ton is cutting across a town and hundreds of knights gathered there to defeat it, this docile dragon is a herbivore and cannot fly. It have ...
9
votes
4answers
161 views
To catch a mocking dragon [closed]
So, you've decided to be a dragon slayer. There are less convoluted ways of assisted suicide. However, if you aren't here to end it all and genuinely think you will be hailed as a hero, well, you won'...
6
votes
3answers
191 views
How to travel between “Little Prince” style planets without high technology?
Some advanced human civilization built a large, 6,000 km diameter gravity balloon and filled it with a breathable atmosphere as well as small, rocky bodies with radii of ~200 meters and masses of ~$6 \...
