Best strategy against anti-material monsters

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For my story the inhabitants of the setting find themselves fighting against endless hordes of monsters. But these monsters have several traits that will require unique strategies against them which I am trying to work out.

The setting
First of all some background on the world they're living in. Its set in a large kingdom about half the size of western Europe and is surrounded by barrens. These barrens are infested with the monsters and are constantly attacking. The area in between the kingdom and barrens is known as the frontier. A massive stretch of land filled with walls, fortresses and other defenses. If one of them were to fall it would be a simple matter to fall back. The tech level is undecided. I was thinking late second industrial revolution but medieval is also a possibility.

Magic
The setting does have a magic system but it is not too relevant to the tactics. It is of a runic nature and by drawing on ley lines anythign within the parameters of the rune can be done. It is not that suitable for use by units and is usually reserved for reinforcing defenses or enhancing long range weaponry like artillery.

The Monsters
The monsters are the creatures of a God of the void. They desire to wipe out everything and they are created by this god for doing so. They have multiple traits that make them difficult to stop.

• Attraction to magic: The world is held together by magic so they have an ability to seek it out and destroy it. Magic can be found in all living things, running through the landscape as ley lines and in runic circles made by mages. This draws them endlessly into the kingdom which still has functional magic thanks to its defense from the monsters.


• Anti-material: Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash. This severely limits the effectiveness of different weapons. Melee weapons will wear out quickly in combat and armour will crumble after a single hit. This obviously makes ranged weapons a smarter option. Defenses like walls can have some effectiveness at holding them back depending on thickness. They will need to be constantly patched and repaired however with constant attacks. Due to the magic running within living creatures their crumbling effect is different on them. Organics will wither instead. Organs will stop and limbs will become useless. Damage depends on amount of exposure, limited exposure will leave the tissue functional if scarred and crippled. Large exposure will leave tissue dead and after that it will crumble just like anything else.


• Endless variety/numbers: There is no end in sight to the numbers of the monsters, society has basically just been holding them at bay at the frontier. They can come in many different shapes and sizes, appearing both like real animals and mythical ones.


• No organs: Due to their nature as monsters of the void, they do not require anything to survive and therefore have no vital organs. Killing them is dependent on body damage. Cutting them to pieces and blowing them up are effective at killing them. Ranged weapons like guns generally don't do much more than slow them down. Although higher caliber and higher spread guns are effective. Large amounts of small wounds have also been shown to kill them, as if they were bleeding out, although no blood has ever been observed from them.

---

I need to work out what tactics would be best against these monsters. Both on an organizational army wide scale and independent unit scale ie what training and equipment soldiers receive and what tactics the army uses.

EDIT:

Alright I'll give you some extra details and clear some things up.

• Withering organics is not an extra thing that happens before crumbling to ash. Its just the same thing happening in a different way.


• touching a single part of an object will not cause the entire thing to crumble, only the touched area. Parts surrounding it will weaken however, monsters must use repeated attacks and touches to destroy things. This means the size of an object matters, a bullets small size will lead to near immediate disintegration upon entering their body but a thick stone wall could last a siege.


• Their disintegration ability is in effect over the entire body, touch it anywhere and you will crumble. They are immune to the effect themselves so no friendly fire.


• As creatures of the void, they are not all physically there. Hence no need for organs and such. While they can be touched and killed, they do not fit in with the rest of nature. Basically eldritch monsters. They also appear to fade away into smoke upon death, leaving no bodies.


• The durability of the object matters when crumbling. e.g. stone lasts better than clay. Metal weapons can survive a few hits(as long as the structure is still sound)


• There are monsters capable of things like flight, swimming and burrowing through the ground. Their numbers vary. Tunneling monsters are uncommon but do exist, they are more common in areas with plenty to dig through like mountains. It takes a while for them to dig but still faster than any natural earth creature thanks to their disintegration. Flyers are common but still less than standard land creatures. Anti-air weaponry would be effective against them.
  Oceans and water bodies in monster territory tend to be teeming with them. Sailing in monster waters is effectively suicide since they can destroy the bottoms of ships. The only sailing activity is limited to a safe and secure bay which is kept clean of monsters as well as freshwater bodies deep with safe territory.


• The lower density of liquids and gases leads to the disintegration being less useful. e.g. water will become lifeless and less buoyant while air becomes stale and thin.


• Monsters can tone down their ability at will, this is mostly done for convenience though, not much use walking when the ground is gone.


• The origin of the monsters is not known by society. It appears they just spawn within their own territories. Created by their god.


• Monster strategies usually come down to either strong individuals or pack hunting. Packs will usually stick to monsters of similar body types but this is not guaranteed. Monsters can form large hordes of many types which will attack in waves. Their God does little to lead them past simply creating them.


• Monster intelligence can vary, most are nothing more than primal creatures whose only instinct is to seek out magic and destroy. But some can rise higher to use strategy in combat or lead their fellows like an alpha. Some can even organize entire armies of monsters but these are rare and their tactics pretty simplistic outside of maneuvering.


• A single type of monster has developed which is capable of mimicking humans and infiltrating society to bring it down from inside. Their existence is not known to humans so tactics don't really exist against them.


• Humanities goals has basically just been survive for their entire history since the monsters first started showing up. All they have been able to do. While they have fallen back and reclaimed bits of the frontier many times, they have never really been able to advance much further. Doing something about them will be the main plot of the story but for now I want to know the tactics already in use.


• Very frontlines forts can expect 2-5 attacks a week, they use the time between attacks to recover, repair and restock.


• It is not uncommon for groups of monsters to make their way past the frontline, this is why its so important for extra fortifications behind them. So recorded monster has made it all the way to the kingdom through the entire frontier's defenses.


• Society is geared towards supporting the frontier, with resources and troops being sent out as often as possible. Internal politics can occasionally decrease this supply(because politicians can be bickering idiots at times)


• Runes can not be freestanding or created instantly. They must be drawn onto something. So good for reinforcing a wall or adding an extra effect to it, not so much for force fields. Using them in the defense also has the extra drawback of attracting more monsters


• The monsters cover basically the entire world except for this kingdom. Their more dense around the kingdom itself since the barrens don't really have any magic to attract them. It is theorized that there may be other kingdoms out there which have managed to survive like them. But between the monsters and distance contact it not viable until the threat is dealt with.


• Terrain will regenerate over time when magic is available. Ley lines will naturally create features of the terrain and said features will simultaneously reinforce the ley lines. E.g. rivers and ridges are more likely to end up running over ley lines. This means that within the barrens the monsters have destroyed most features of the landscape to weaken and destroy the ley lines. As long as the kingdom still stands, the ley lines of the world will continue to regenerate using them as a source while simultaneously being targeted by monsters.


• If the monsters were successful in destroying all magic including ley lines on the planet, it would die and come apart. If every planet in a system lost its lines then its star would be turned into a black hole(systems and planets function as gigantic runes keeping the universe together). The God of the void aims to do this everywhere


• The monsters were not always attacking. There was a period where there was a good god protecting them until he got preoccupied with keeping the universe together elsewhere. They had gotten to about bronze age tech before the monsters started appearing. Much of the world was swiftly lost and they retreated into the fortified kingdom.

---

Phew, the number of things you only think to add after posting, well here we go. Time to say if anyone points out more details I could add....

creature-design military-defense strategy

share|improve this question

edited 22 mins ago

asked 1 hour ago

ArcWraith

447214

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Military combat questions like this are notoriously difficult to answer because they depend on countless details you can't tell us. For example, the best tactics to use are the ones which defeat the monster's tactics. Without knowing what the monsters do and how they think, we can't say what is best. Also, what is the goal of society? Are we trying to hold a specific plot of ground? Raise the next generation? Just give the God of the void a hearty middle finger?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash" so, any projectile thrown at them too, or only what they touch with a specific part of their body?
  – Alexis
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  What's the organization of the monsters? Do they raise armies? Do they form hunting packs? Are they individual predators? Do they come from one specific place, or multiple, or wherever they feel like?
  – Cadence
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  When I saw this question in the feed, I was assuming "anti-material" as in "anti-matter", so I wanted to come in and tell you to just shoot them with a bullet and they will explode in a burst of gamma rays. :(
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith How do the monsters move if everything they touch crumbles into ash/dust? Wouldn't the ground they walk on also crumble? And if they can't crumble each other, can you fashion a weapon out of their skin.bones and use it against them? Do you have any sources of say unlimited water? or lava? And do they react to pain?
  – Shadowzee
  58 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 7 more comments

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

For my story the inhabitants of the setting find themselves fighting against endless hordes of monsters. But these monsters have several traits that will require unique strategies against them which I am trying to work out.

The setting
First of all some background on the world they're living in. Its set in a large kingdom about half the size of western Europe and is surrounded by barrens. These barrens are infested with the monsters and are constantly attacking. The area in between the kingdom and barrens is known as the frontier. A massive stretch of land filled with walls, fortresses and other defenses. If one of them were to fall it would be a simple matter to fall back. The tech level is undecided. I was thinking late second industrial revolution but medieval is also a possibility.

Magic
The setting does have a magic system but it is not too relevant to the tactics. It is of a runic nature and by drawing on ley lines anythign within the parameters of the rune can be done. It is not that suitable for use by units and is usually reserved for reinforcing defenses or enhancing long range weaponry like artillery.

The Monsters
The monsters are the creatures of a God of the void. They desire to wipe out everything and they are created by this god for doing so. They have multiple traits that make them difficult to stop.

• Attraction to magic: The world is held together by magic so they have an ability to seek it out and destroy it. Magic can be found in all living things, running through the landscape as ley lines and in runic circles made by mages. This draws them endlessly into the kingdom which still has functional magic thanks to its defense from the monsters.


• Anti-material: Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash. This severely limits the effectiveness of different weapons. Melee weapons will wear out quickly in combat and armour will crumble after a single hit. This obviously makes ranged weapons a smarter option. Defenses like walls can have some effectiveness at holding them back depending on thickness. They will need to be constantly patched and repaired however with constant attacks. Due to the magic running within living creatures their crumbling effect is different on them. Organics will wither instead. Organs will stop and limbs will become useless. Damage depends on amount of exposure, limited exposure will leave the tissue functional if scarred and crippled. Large exposure will leave tissue dead and after that it will crumble just like anything else.


• Endless variety/numbers: There is no end in sight to the numbers of the monsters, society has basically just been holding them at bay at the frontier. They can come in many different shapes and sizes, appearing both like real animals and mythical ones.


• No organs: Due to their nature as monsters of the void, they do not require anything to survive and therefore have no vital organs. Killing them is dependent on body damage. Cutting them to pieces and blowing them up are effective at killing them. Ranged weapons like guns generally don't do much more than slow them down. Although higher caliber and higher spread guns are effective. Large amounts of small wounds have also been shown to kill them, as if they were bleeding out, although no blood has ever been observed from them.

---

I need to work out what tactics would be best against these monsters. Both on an organizational army wide scale and independent unit scale ie what training and equipment soldiers receive and what tactics the army uses.

EDIT:

Alright I'll give you some extra details and clear some things up.

• Withering organics is not an extra thing that happens before crumbling to ash. Its just the same thing happening in a different way.


• touching a single part of an object will not cause the entire thing to crumble, only the touched area. Parts surrounding it will weaken however, monsters must use repeated attacks and touches to destroy things. This means the size of an object matters, a bullets small size will lead to near immediate disintegration upon entering their body but a thick stone wall could last a siege.


• Their disintegration ability is in effect over the entire body, touch it anywhere and you will crumble. They are immune to the effect themselves so no friendly fire.


• As creatures of the void, they are not all physically there. Hence no need for organs and such. While they can be touched and killed, they do not fit in with the rest of nature. Basically eldritch monsters. They also appear to fade away into smoke upon death, leaving no bodies.


• The durability of the object matters when crumbling. e.g. stone lasts better than clay. Metal weapons can survive a few hits(as long as the structure is still sound)


• There are monsters capable of things like flight, swimming and burrowing through the ground. Their numbers vary. Tunneling monsters are uncommon but do exist, they are more common in areas with plenty to dig through like mountains. It takes a while for them to dig but still faster than any natural earth creature thanks to their disintegration. Flyers are common but still less than standard land creatures. Anti-air weaponry would be effective against them.
  Oceans and water bodies in monster territory tend to be teeming with them. Sailing in monster waters is effectively suicide since they can destroy the bottoms of ships. The only sailing activity is limited to a safe and secure bay which is kept clean of monsters as well as freshwater bodies deep with safe territory.


• The lower density of liquids and gases leads to the disintegration being less useful. e.g. water will become lifeless and less buoyant while air becomes stale and thin.


• Monsters can tone down their ability at will, this is mostly done for convenience though, not much use walking when the ground is gone.


• The origin of the monsters is not known by society. It appears they just spawn within their own territories. Created by their god.


• Monster strategies usually come down to either strong individuals or pack hunting. Packs will usually stick to monsters of similar body types but this is not guaranteed. Monsters can form large hordes of many types which will attack in waves. Their God does little to lead them past simply creating them.


• Monster intelligence can vary, most are nothing more than primal creatures whose only instinct is to seek out magic and destroy. But some can rise higher to use strategy in combat or lead their fellows like an alpha. Some can even organize entire armies of monsters but these are rare and their tactics pretty simplistic outside of maneuvering.


• A single type of monster has developed which is capable of mimicking humans and infiltrating society to bring it down from inside. Their existence is not known to humans so tactics don't really exist against them.


• Humanities goals has basically just been survive for their entire history since the monsters first started showing up. All they have been able to do. While they have fallen back and reclaimed bits of the frontier many times, they have never really been able to advance much further. Doing something about them will be the main plot of the story but for now I want to know the tactics already in use.


• Very frontlines forts can expect 2-5 attacks a week, they use the time between attacks to recover, repair and restock.


• It is not uncommon for groups of monsters to make their way past the frontline, this is why its so important for extra fortifications behind them. So recorded monster has made it all the way to the kingdom through the entire frontier's defenses.


• Society is geared towards supporting the frontier, with resources and troops being sent out as often as possible. Internal politics can occasionally decrease this supply(because politicians can be bickering idiots at times)


• Runes can not be freestanding or created instantly. They must be drawn onto something. So good for reinforcing a wall or adding an extra effect to it, not so much for force fields. Using them in the defense also has the extra drawback of attracting more monsters


• The monsters cover basically the entire world except for this kingdom. Their more dense around the kingdom itself since the barrens don't really have any magic to attract them. It is theorized that there may be other kingdoms out there which have managed to survive like them. But between the monsters and distance contact it not viable until the threat is dealt with.


• Terrain will regenerate over time when magic is available. Ley lines will naturally create features of the terrain and said features will simultaneously reinforce the ley lines. E.g. rivers and ridges are more likely to end up running over ley lines. This means that within the barrens the monsters have destroyed most features of the landscape to weaken and destroy the ley lines. As long as the kingdom still stands, the ley lines of the world will continue to regenerate using them as a source while simultaneously being targeted by monsters.


• If the monsters were successful in destroying all magic including ley lines on the planet, it would die and come apart. If every planet in a system lost its lines then its star would be turned into a black hole(systems and planets function as gigantic runes keeping the universe together). The God of the void aims to do this everywhere


• The monsters were not always attacking. There was a period where there was a good god protecting them until he got preoccupied with keeping the universe together elsewhere. They had gotten to about bronze age tech before the monsters started appearing. Much of the world was swiftly lost and they retreated into the fortified kingdom.

---

Phew, the number of things you only think to add after posting, well here we go. Time to say if anyone points out more details I could add....

creature-design military-defense strategy

share|improve this question

edited 22 mins ago

asked 1 hour ago

ArcWraith

447214

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Military combat questions like this are notoriously difficult to answer because they depend on countless details you can't tell us. For example, the best tactics to use are the ones which defeat the monster's tactics. Without knowing what the monsters do and how they think, we can't say what is best. Also, what is the goal of society? Are we trying to hold a specific plot of ground? Raise the next generation? Just give the God of the void a hearty middle finger?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash" so, any projectile thrown at them too, or only what they touch with a specific part of their body?
  – Alexis
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  What's the organization of the monsters? Do they raise armies? Do they form hunting packs? Are they individual predators? Do they come from one specific place, or multiple, or wherever they feel like?
  – Cadence
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  When I saw this question in the feed, I was assuming "anti-material" as in "anti-matter", so I wanted to come in and tell you to just shoot them with a bullet and they will explode in a burst of gamma rays. :(
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith How do the monsters move if everything they touch crumbles into ash/dust? Wouldn't the ground they walk on also crumble? And if they can't crumble each other, can you fashion a weapon out of their skin.bones and use it against them? Do you have any sources of say unlimited water? or lava? And do they react to pain?
  – Shadowzee
  58 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 7 more comments

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

For my story the inhabitants of the setting find themselves fighting against endless hordes of monsters. But these monsters have several traits that will require unique strategies against them which I am trying to work out.

The setting
First of all some background on the world they're living in. Its set in a large kingdom about half the size of western Europe and is surrounded by barrens. These barrens are infested with the monsters and are constantly attacking. The area in between the kingdom and barrens is known as the frontier. A massive stretch of land filled with walls, fortresses and other defenses. If one of them were to fall it would be a simple matter to fall back. The tech level is undecided. I was thinking late second industrial revolution but medieval is also a possibility.

Magic
The setting does have a magic system but it is not too relevant to the tactics. It is of a runic nature and by drawing on ley lines anythign within the parameters of the rune can be done. It is not that suitable for use by units and is usually reserved for reinforcing defenses or enhancing long range weaponry like artillery.

The Monsters
The monsters are the creatures of a God of the void. They desire to wipe out everything and they are created by this god for doing so. They have multiple traits that make them difficult to stop.

• Attraction to magic: The world is held together by magic so they have an ability to seek it out and destroy it. Magic can be found in all living things, running through the landscape as ley lines and in runic circles made by mages. This draws them endlessly into the kingdom which still has functional magic thanks to its defense from the monsters.


• Anti-material: Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash. This severely limits the effectiveness of different weapons. Melee weapons will wear out quickly in combat and armour will crumble after a single hit. This obviously makes ranged weapons a smarter option. Defenses like walls can have some effectiveness at holding them back depending on thickness. They will need to be constantly patched and repaired however with constant attacks. Due to the magic running within living creatures their crumbling effect is different on them. Organics will wither instead. Organs will stop and limbs will become useless. Damage depends on amount of exposure, limited exposure will leave the tissue functional if scarred and crippled. Large exposure will leave tissue dead and after that it will crumble just like anything else.


• Endless variety/numbers: There is no end in sight to the numbers of the monsters, society has basically just been holding them at bay at the frontier. They can come in many different shapes and sizes, appearing both like real animals and mythical ones.


• No organs: Due to their nature as monsters of the void, they do not require anything to survive and therefore have no vital organs. Killing them is dependent on body damage. Cutting them to pieces and blowing them up are effective at killing them. Ranged weapons like guns generally don't do much more than slow them down. Although higher caliber and higher spread guns are effective. Large amounts of small wounds have also been shown to kill them, as if they were bleeding out, although no blood has ever been observed from them.

---

I need to work out what tactics would be best against these monsters. Both on an organizational army wide scale and independent unit scale ie what training and equipment soldiers receive and what tactics the army uses.

EDIT:

Alright I'll give you some extra details and clear some things up.

• Withering organics is not an extra thing that happens before crumbling to ash. Its just the same thing happening in a different way.


• touching a single part of an object will not cause the entire thing to crumble, only the touched area. Parts surrounding it will weaken however, monsters must use repeated attacks and touches to destroy things. This means the size of an object matters, a bullets small size will lead to near immediate disintegration upon entering their body but a thick stone wall could last a siege.


• Their disintegration ability is in effect over the entire body, touch it anywhere and you will crumble. They are immune to the effect themselves so no friendly fire.


• As creatures of the void, they are not all physically there. Hence no need for organs and such. While they can be touched and killed, they do not fit in with the rest of nature. Basically eldritch monsters. They also appear to fade away into smoke upon death, leaving no bodies.


• The durability of the object matters when crumbling. e.g. stone lasts better than clay. Metal weapons can survive a few hits(as long as the structure is still sound)


• There are monsters capable of things like flight, swimming and burrowing through the ground. Their numbers vary. Tunneling monsters are uncommon but do exist, they are more common in areas with plenty to dig through like mountains. It takes a while for them to dig but still faster than any natural earth creature thanks to their disintegration. Flyers are common but still less than standard land creatures. Anti-air weaponry would be effective against them.
  Oceans and water bodies in monster territory tend to be teeming with them. Sailing in monster waters is effectively suicide since they can destroy the bottoms of ships. The only sailing activity is limited to a safe and secure bay which is kept clean of monsters as well as freshwater bodies deep with safe territory.


• The lower density of liquids and gases leads to the disintegration being less useful. e.g. water will become lifeless and less buoyant while air becomes stale and thin.


• Monsters can tone down their ability at will, this is mostly done for convenience though, not much use walking when the ground is gone.


• The origin of the monsters is not known by society. It appears they just spawn within their own territories. Created by their god.


• Monster strategies usually come down to either strong individuals or pack hunting. Packs will usually stick to monsters of similar body types but this is not guaranteed. Monsters can form large hordes of many types which will attack in waves. Their God does little to lead them past simply creating them.


• Monster intelligence can vary, most are nothing more than primal creatures whose only instinct is to seek out magic and destroy. But some can rise higher to use strategy in combat or lead their fellows like an alpha. Some can even organize entire armies of monsters but these are rare and their tactics pretty simplistic outside of maneuvering.


• A single type of monster has developed which is capable of mimicking humans and infiltrating society to bring it down from inside. Their existence is not known to humans so tactics don't really exist against them.


• Humanities goals has basically just been survive for their entire history since the monsters first started showing up. All they have been able to do. While they have fallen back and reclaimed bits of the frontier many times, they have never really been able to advance much further. Doing something about them will be the main plot of the story but for now I want to know the tactics already in use.


• Very frontlines forts can expect 2-5 attacks a week, they use the time between attacks to recover, repair and restock.


• It is not uncommon for groups of monsters to make their way past the frontline, this is why its so important for extra fortifications behind them. So recorded monster has made it all the way to the kingdom through the entire frontier's defenses.


• Society is geared towards supporting the frontier, with resources and troops being sent out as often as possible. Internal politics can occasionally decrease this supply(because politicians can be bickering idiots at times)


• Runes can not be freestanding or created instantly. They must be drawn onto something. So good for reinforcing a wall or adding an extra effect to it, not so much for force fields. Using them in the defense also has the extra drawback of attracting more monsters


• The monsters cover basically the entire world except for this kingdom. Their more dense around the kingdom itself since the barrens don't really have any magic to attract them. It is theorized that there may be other kingdoms out there which have managed to survive like them. But between the monsters and distance contact it not viable until the threat is dealt with.


• Terrain will regenerate over time when magic is available. Ley lines will naturally create features of the terrain and said features will simultaneously reinforce the ley lines. E.g. rivers and ridges are more likely to end up running over ley lines. This means that within the barrens the monsters have destroyed most features of the landscape to weaken and destroy the ley lines. As long as the kingdom still stands, the ley lines of the world will continue to regenerate using them as a source while simultaneously being targeted by monsters.


• If the monsters were successful in destroying all magic including ley lines on the planet, it would die and come apart. If every planet in a system lost its lines then its star would be turned into a black hole(systems and planets function as gigantic runes keeping the universe together). The God of the void aims to do this everywhere


• The monsters were not always attacking. There was a period where there was a good god protecting them until he got preoccupied with keeping the universe together elsewhere. They had gotten to about bronze age tech before the monsters started appearing. Much of the world was swiftly lost and they retreated into the fortified kingdom.

---

Phew, the number of things you only think to add after posting, well here we go. Time to say if anyone points out more details I could add....

creature-design military-defense strategy

share|improve this question

edited 22 mins ago

asked 1 hour ago

ArcWraith

447214

For my story the inhabitants of the setting find themselves fighting against endless hordes of monsters. But these monsters have several traits that will require unique strategies against them which I am trying to work out.

The setting
First of all some background on the world they're living in. Its set in a large kingdom about half the size of western Europe and is surrounded by barrens. These barrens are infested with the monsters and are constantly attacking. The area in between the kingdom and barrens is known as the frontier. A massive stretch of land filled with walls, fortresses and other defenses. If one of them were to fall it would be a simple matter to fall back. The tech level is undecided. I was thinking late second industrial revolution but medieval is also a possibility.

Magic
The setting does have a magic system but it is not too relevant to the tactics. It is of a runic nature and by drawing on ley lines anythign within the parameters of the rune can be done. It is not that suitable for use by units and is usually reserved for reinforcing defenses or enhancing long range weaponry like artillery.

The Monsters
The monsters are the creatures of a God of the void. They desire to wipe out everything and they are created by this god for doing so. They have multiple traits that make them difficult to stop.

• Attraction to magic: The world is held together by magic so they have an ability to seek it out and destroy it. Magic can be found in all living things, running through the landscape as ley lines and in runic circles made by mages. This draws them endlessly into the kingdom which still has functional magic thanks to its defense from the monsters.


• Anti-material: Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash. This severely limits the effectiveness of different weapons. Melee weapons will wear out quickly in combat and armour will crumble after a single hit. This obviously makes ranged weapons a smarter option. Defenses like walls can have some effectiveness at holding them back depending on thickness. They will need to be constantly patched and repaired however with constant attacks. Due to the magic running within living creatures their crumbling effect is different on them. Organics will wither instead. Organs will stop and limbs will become useless. Damage depends on amount of exposure, limited exposure will leave the tissue functional if scarred and crippled. Large exposure will leave tissue dead and after that it will crumble just like anything else.


• Endless variety/numbers: There is no end in sight to the numbers of the monsters, society has basically just been holding them at bay at the frontier. They can come in many different shapes and sizes, appearing both like real animals and mythical ones.


• No organs: Due to their nature as monsters of the void, they do not require anything to survive and therefore have no vital organs. Killing them is dependent on body damage. Cutting them to pieces and blowing them up are effective at killing them. Ranged weapons like guns generally don't do much more than slow them down. Although higher caliber and higher spread guns are effective. Large amounts of small wounds have also been shown to kill them, as if they were bleeding out, although no blood has ever been observed from them.

---

I need to work out what tactics would be best against these monsters. Both on an organizational army wide scale and independent unit scale ie what training and equipment soldiers receive and what tactics the army uses.

EDIT:

Alright I'll give you some extra details and clear some things up.

• Withering organics is not an extra thing that happens before crumbling to ash. Its just the same thing happening in a different way.


• touching a single part of an object will not cause the entire thing to crumble, only the touched area. Parts surrounding it will weaken however, monsters must use repeated attacks and touches to destroy things. This means the size of an object matters, a bullets small size will lead to near immediate disintegration upon entering their body but a thick stone wall could last a siege.


• Their disintegration ability is in effect over the entire body, touch it anywhere and you will crumble. They are immune to the effect themselves so no friendly fire.


• As creatures of the void, they are not all physically there. Hence no need for organs and such. While they can be touched and killed, they do not fit in with the rest of nature. Basically eldritch monsters. They also appear to fade away into smoke upon death, leaving no bodies.


• The durability of the object matters when crumbling. e.g. stone lasts better than clay. Metal weapons can survive a few hits(as long as the structure is still sound)


• There are monsters capable of things like flight, swimming and burrowing through the ground. Their numbers vary. Tunneling monsters are uncommon but do exist, they are more common in areas with plenty to dig through like mountains. It takes a while for them to dig but still faster than any natural earth creature thanks to their disintegration. Flyers are common but still less than standard land creatures. Anti-air weaponry would be effective against them.
  Oceans and water bodies in monster territory tend to be teeming with them. Sailing in monster waters is effectively suicide since they can destroy the bottoms of ships. The only sailing activity is limited to a safe and secure bay which is kept clean of monsters as well as freshwater bodies deep with safe territory.


• The lower density of liquids and gases leads to the disintegration being less useful. e.g. water will become lifeless and less buoyant while air becomes stale and thin.


• Monsters can tone down their ability at will, this is mostly done for convenience though, not much use walking when the ground is gone.


• The origin of the monsters is not known by society. It appears they just spawn within their own territories. Created by their god.


• Monster strategies usually come down to either strong individuals or pack hunting. Packs will usually stick to monsters of similar body types but this is not guaranteed. Monsters can form large hordes of many types which will attack in waves. Their God does little to lead them past simply creating them.


• Monster intelligence can vary, most are nothing more than primal creatures whose only instinct is to seek out magic and destroy. But some can rise higher to use strategy in combat or lead their fellows like an alpha. Some can even organize entire armies of monsters but these are rare and their tactics pretty simplistic outside of maneuvering.


• A single type of monster has developed which is capable of mimicking humans and infiltrating society to bring it down from inside. Their existence is not known to humans so tactics don't really exist against them.


• Humanities goals has basically just been survive for their entire history since the monsters first started showing up. All they have been able to do. While they have fallen back and reclaimed bits of the frontier many times, they have never really been able to advance much further. Doing something about them will be the main plot of the story but for now I want to know the tactics already in use.


• Very frontlines forts can expect 2-5 attacks a week, they use the time between attacks to recover, repair and restock.


• It is not uncommon for groups of monsters to make their way past the frontline, this is why its so important for extra fortifications behind them. So recorded monster has made it all the way to the kingdom through the entire frontier's defenses.


• Society is geared towards supporting the frontier, with resources and troops being sent out as often as possible. Internal politics can occasionally decrease this supply(because politicians can be bickering idiots at times)


• Runes can not be freestanding or created instantly. They must be drawn onto something. So good for reinforcing a wall or adding an extra effect to it, not so much for force fields. Using them in the defense also has the extra drawback of attracting more monsters


• The monsters cover basically the entire world except for this kingdom. Their more dense around the kingdom itself since the barrens don't really have any magic to attract them. It is theorized that there may be other kingdoms out there which have managed to survive like them. But between the monsters and distance contact it not viable until the threat is dealt with.


• Terrain will regenerate over time when magic is available. Ley lines will naturally create features of the terrain and said features will simultaneously reinforce the ley lines. E.g. rivers and ridges are more likely to end up running over ley lines. This means that within the barrens the monsters have destroyed most features of the landscape to weaken and destroy the ley lines. As long as the kingdom still stands, the ley lines of the world will continue to regenerate using them as a source while simultaneously being targeted by monsters.


• If the monsters were successful in destroying all magic including ley lines on the planet, it would die and come apart. If every planet in a system lost its lines then its star would be turned into a black hole(systems and planets function as gigantic runes keeping the universe together). The God of the void aims to do this everywhere


• The monsters were not always attacking. There was a period where there was a good god protecting them until he got preoccupied with keeping the universe together elsewhere. They had gotten to about bronze age tech before the monsters started appearing. Much of the world was swiftly lost and they retreated into the fortified kingdom.

---

Phew, the number of things you only think to add after posting, well here we go. Time to say if anyone points out more details I could add....

creature-design military-defense strategy

creature-design military-defense strategy

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edited 22 mins ago

asked 1 hour ago

ArcWraith

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edited 22 mins ago

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  Military combat questions like this are notoriously difficult to answer because they depend on countless details you can't tell us. For example, the best tactics to use are the ones which defeat the monster's tactics. Without knowing what the monsters do and how they think, we can't say what is best. Also, what is the goal of society? Are we trying to hold a specific plot of ground? Raise the next generation? Just give the God of the void a hearty middle finger?
  – Cort Ammon
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  "Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash" so, any projectile thrown at them too, or only what they touch with a specific part of their body?
  – Alexis
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  What's the organization of the monsters? Do they raise armies? Do they form hunting packs? Are they individual predators? Do they come from one specific place, or multiple, or wherever they feel like?
  – Cadence
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  When I saw this question in the feed, I was assuming "anti-material" as in "anti-matter", so I wanted to come in and tell you to just shoot them with a bullet and they will explode in a burst of gamma rays. :(
  – Aaron
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  @ArcWraith How do the monsters move if everything they touch crumbles into ash/dust? Wouldn't the ground they walk on also crumble? And if they can't crumble each other, can you fashion a weapon out of their skin.bones and use it against them? Do you have any sources of say unlimited water? or lava? And do they react to pain?
  – Shadowzee
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  Military combat questions like this are notoriously difficult to answer because they depend on countless details you can't tell us. For example, the best tactics to use are the ones which defeat the monster's tactics. Without knowing what the monsters do and how they think, we can't say what is best. Also, what is the goal of society? Are we trying to hold a specific plot of ground? Raise the next generation? Just give the God of the void a hearty middle finger?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash" so, any projectile thrown at them too, or only what they touch with a specific part of their body?
  – Alexis
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


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  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  What's the organization of the monsters? Do they raise armies? Do they form hunting packs? Are they individual predators? Do they come from one specific place, or multiple, or wherever they feel like?
  – Cadence
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


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  When I saw this question in the feed, I was assuming "anti-material" as in "anti-matter", so I wanted to come in and tell you to just shoot them with a bullet and they will explode in a burst of gamma rays. :(
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


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  @ArcWraith How do the monsters move if everything they touch crumbles into ash/dust? Wouldn't the ground they walk on also crumble? And if they can't crumble each other, can you fashion a weapon out of their skin.bones and use it against them? Do you have any sources of say unlimited water? or lava? And do they react to pain?
  – Shadowzee
  58 mins ago
  
  

  
  
  
  

1

1

Military combat questions like this are notoriously difficult to answer because they depend on countless details you can't tell us. For example, the best tactics to use are the ones which defeat the monster's tactics. Without knowing what the monsters do and how they think, we can't say what is best. Also, what is the goal of society? Are we trying to hold a specific plot of ground? Raise the next generation? Just give the God of the void a hearty middle finger?
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

Military combat questions like this are notoriously difficult to answer because they depend on countless details you can't tell us. For example, the best tactics to use are the ones which defeat the monster's tactics. Without knowing what the monsters do and how they think, we can't say what is best. Also, what is the goal of society? Are we trying to hold a specific plot of ground? Raise the next generation? Just give the God of the void a hearty middle finger?
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

1

1

"Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash" so, any projectile thrown at them too, or only what they touch with a specific part of their body?
– Alexis
1 hour ago

"Anything the monsters touch crumbles into dust/ash" so, any projectile thrown at them too, or only what they touch with a specific part of their body?
– Alexis
1 hour ago

1

1

What's the organization of the monsters? Do they raise armies? Do they form hunting packs? Are they individual predators? Do they come from one specific place, or multiple, or wherever they feel like?
– Cadence
1 hour ago

What's the organization of the monsters? Do they raise armies? Do they form hunting packs? Are they individual predators? Do they come from one specific place, or multiple, or wherever they feel like?
– Cadence
1 hour ago

1

1

When I saw this question in the feed, I was assuming "anti-material" as in "anti-matter", so I wanted to come in and tell you to just shoot them with a bullet and they will explode in a burst of gamma rays. :(
– Aaron
1 hour ago

When I saw this question in the feed, I was assuming "anti-material" as in "anti-matter", so I wanted to come in and tell you to just shoot them with a bullet and they will explode in a burst of gamma rays. :(
– Aaron
1 hour ago

1

1

@ArcWraith How do the monsters move if everything they touch crumbles into ash/dust? Wouldn't the ground they walk on also crumble? And if they can't crumble each other, can you fashion a weapon out of their skin.bones and use it against them? Do you have any sources of say unlimited water? or lava? And do they react to pain?
– Shadowzee
58 mins ago

@ArcWraith How do the monsters move if everything they touch crumbles into ash/dust? Wouldn't the ground they walk on also crumble? And if they can't crumble each other, can you fashion a weapon out of their skin.bones and use it against them? Do you have any sources of say unlimited water? or lava? And do they react to pain?
– Shadowzee
58 mins ago

 | 
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6 Answers
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Use their attraction towards magic to drown them into poop

It's too exhausting to renew all these expensive defense mechanisms. There is one resource the kingdom will never run out of: poop.

Let your drowning tank refills itself, as monsters are irresistibly lured toward the huge pile of magical artifacts you placed at the bottom of it.

It is actually a win-win situation: unpleasant odors are evacuated as poop is now constantly vanishing due to contact with the monsters.

Latter in your story, it will be discovered that the god sending the monsters is a benevolent one, who found this creative way to stimulate the development of sewage systems among humans.

Possible downside The kingdom is being steadily depleted in organic material, especially nitrogen, so you will need a solution for farming.

share|improve this answer

edited 33 mins ago

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

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  This answer deserves a bounty.
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  "So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
  – ArcWraith
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  "Am I not a brilliant God?!"
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Questions like this are hard because the answer is always the same: "Find what works well, and do it as much as possible." Sadly, this puts us in opposition with you. Our job is to break your system. Whatever rules you put in place, my job is to find ways to bend and break them.

Accordingly, the first thing I'd do is start using weapons that are still living. Why let my weapon crumble when its lifeforce can "wither" instead. All it needs to do is stay functional until the enemy is gone. Likewise, I'd probably build forts out of living trees to form a useful barrier.

Other than that, the answer would be the same as it is in every case. Find what is effective against the creatures, and do it repeatedly. You haven't stated in the question what works against them, so I can't say what that is. But your people will need to find it, and do it.

Also: take the fight to them. You can't just "survive" forever. If you never gain any ground, you'll only ever lose ground. My recommendation, not knowing anything useful about the creatures: raise violent pets. Start raising animals that might fight back against the creatures if unleashed. If you can train them to do something which hurts the creatures, train them accordingly. If you're up against an endless horde, and you're only surviving, you're losing.

Oh yeah, one more trick for anyone who has played Starcraft: Float to the island.

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answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

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  I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
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  Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
  – ArcWraith
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  @Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
  – Cort Ammon
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  @ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
  – Cort Ammon
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  ... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
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Build walls and weapons out of materials that cannot wither or crumble to ash. A fortress in the frozen North could be built out of ice. Pikes could be gold coated. Burning oil doesn't wither nor does boiling tar.

In the end you need to destroy the portal letting them in. I'd build a fortress to hold them off and start a massive magical ritual for the purpose of attracting them as they seem to be creatures drive by instinct alone this way an attack force could attempt to close the portal from behind.

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answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

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The monsters are anti-material, so weapons would be extremely ineffective as each one would be single use. There is no way any economy could create weapons at this rate.

Simply patching your walls could work for some time, depending on how fast your walls disintegrate. This however would result in an ever growing group of monsters tearing down your walls and will prove unsustainable in the long run.

The only way to limit your resource usage is to make sure you are not attacked by these monsters. Hiding obviously is not feasible since they track down your magic. So that only leaves one option: prevent them from reaching you! You can do this with a water cannon as used by the police force in riot control. You could even add in abrasive components as done in watter jet cutting to not only push the monsters away, but also actively hurt and possible deter them.

You could build such a water canon by utilizing a dam that collects water. If you build a single structure like the Hoover Dam and build an efficient pipe network with limited losses you should be able to cover quite a large area depending on the density of the monsters.

The water would be coming out at just under 2.2 MPa (using the Bernoulli equation). Which is about the same as that of the riot police*.

p = rho * g * h

The most modern water cannons use 20 l/s*. The Colorado river supplies 500 m^3/s* so this should be enough to continously supply

500.000/20 = 25.000

cannons, which I recon should be enough to hold off at least 5.000 monsters at any given moment if you take into account a 60% loss (at the high end) and aim two canons at each monster.

*All numbers are from wikipedia

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edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

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  While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
  – ArcWraith
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  @ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
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  @ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
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  I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
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Deep trenches and moats would be useful for slowing down the monsters without presenting them with matter that would be vulnerable to their disintegration ability. It would also help group them so they would be more vulnerable to artillery and massed fire.

Depending on the exact nature of your magic system - a magical barrier such as a runic force shield may be much more resistant to attack than any wall made of a mundane material. Reinforcing your structures with magic to resist disintegration may also work.

As for offence - melee is obviously inadvisable, as is allowing them to get to close to your defences really. Massed artillery fire seems to be the way to hold them at bay, bolstered by magic as much as possible. Depending on your technology level, weapons such as white phosphorous will allow you to level the playing field.

Flamethrowers could also allow small units to effectively combat the monsters, though fuel usage may be a problem.

Rune circles could be used a magical "honeypots" to lure creatures into a certain area before shelling the ever-loving beejeezus out of it from a safe distance. If magic can affect the monstyers, laying down area affect spells to weaken them as they run toward you defences may also be useful

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answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

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Use their power against them

Section removed as OP updated they are immune to their own anti-material. See edit history for how that could have been done otherwise.

A more mundane approach

Ranged weapons, whether by length or by projectile, are what started to win wars later on anyway, and many melee weapons are lethal from just 1 or 2 hits. So really, although these enemies sound awful when described, they really aren't individually a lot worse than fighting other humans after all.

After re-reading the question again, I notice you suggest that arrows and guns just slow them down and it takes a lot of shots to kill them. In that case, arrows are less feasible in large scale attacks, but pole arms defending walls still work well. And when on the offensive, pole-arms behind trenches.

Also start using modern poaching techniques. Leave lots of hidden traps for them to step on so they come at your slower and weakened.

However, you did say there were huge numbers of them. That is probably the real problem here. But that is what castles are for. A castle allows its occupants to defend against a numerically vastly superior force, so again this just lends itself to what we see in our real history. However, if you rule that their touch can bring down walls too, then that might be problematic. However, some forts use earthwork fortifications, and disintegrating earth is not going to do much.

Summary

In a fantasy story, you can make their abilities sound awful, but in reality, against an army it isn't really all that bad and normal tactics which have been used in history can be used for the most part.

Since that is not so exciting, as the author you should find the exciting and dramatic middle ground and just rule that it works out however you want. The people don't really need anything special to overcome these enemies, as I stated, but you can just make the enemies seem powerful and go whatever direction you feel like.

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edited 41 mins ago

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

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  Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

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6 Answers
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6 Answers
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up vote
5
down vote

Use their attraction towards magic to drown them into poop

It's too exhausting to renew all these expensive defense mechanisms. There is one resource the kingdom will never run out of: poop.

Let your drowning tank refills itself, as monsters are irresistibly lured toward the huge pile of magical artifacts you placed at the bottom of it.

It is actually a win-win situation: unpleasant odors are evacuated as poop is now constantly vanishing due to contact with the monsters.

Latter in your story, it will be discovered that the god sending the monsters is a benevolent one, who found this creative way to stimulate the development of sewage systems among humans.

Possible downside The kingdom is being steadily depleted in organic material, especially nitrogen, so you will need a solution for farming.

share|improve this answer

edited 33 mins ago

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  This answer deserves a bounty.
  – Renan
  25 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
  – ArcWraith
  18 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Am I not a brilliant God?!"
  – ArcWraith
  17 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
5
down vote

Use their attraction towards magic to drown them into poop

It's too exhausting to renew all these expensive defense mechanisms. There is one resource the kingdom will never run out of: poop.

Let your drowning tank refills itself, as monsters are irresistibly lured toward the huge pile of magical artifacts you placed at the bottom of it.

It is actually a win-win situation: unpleasant odors are evacuated as poop is now constantly vanishing due to contact with the monsters.

Latter in your story, it will be discovered that the god sending the monsters is a benevolent one, who found this creative way to stimulate the development of sewage systems among humans.

Possible downside The kingdom is being steadily depleted in organic material, especially nitrogen, so you will need a solution for farming.

share|improve this answer

edited 33 mins ago

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  This answer deserves a bounty.
  – Renan
  25 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
  – ArcWraith
  18 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Am I not a brilliant God?!"
  – ArcWraith
  17 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
5
down vote

up vote
5
down vote

Use their attraction towards magic to drown them into poop

It's too exhausting to renew all these expensive defense mechanisms. There is one resource the kingdom will never run out of: poop.

Let your drowning tank refills itself, as monsters are irresistibly lured toward the huge pile of magical artifacts you placed at the bottom of it.

It is actually a win-win situation: unpleasant odors are evacuated as poop is now constantly vanishing due to contact with the monsters.

Latter in your story, it will be discovered that the god sending the monsters is a benevolent one, who found this creative way to stimulate the development of sewage systems among humans.

Possible downside The kingdom is being steadily depleted in organic material, especially nitrogen, so you will need a solution for farming.

share|improve this answer

edited 33 mins ago

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

Use their attraction towards magic to drown them into poop

It's too exhausting to renew all these expensive defense mechanisms. There is one resource the kingdom will never run out of: poop.

Let your drowning tank refills itself, as monsters are irresistibly lured toward the huge pile of magical artifacts you placed at the bottom of it.

It is actually a win-win situation: unpleasant odors are evacuated as poop is now constantly vanishing due to contact with the monsters.

Latter in your story, it will be discovered that the god sending the monsters is a benevolent one, who found this creative way to stimulate the development of sewage systems among humans.

Possible downside The kingdom is being steadily depleted in organic material, especially nitrogen, so you will need a solution for farming.

share|improve this answer

edited 33 mins ago

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 33 mins ago

edited 33 mins ago

edited 33 mins ago

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

answered 39 mins ago

Alexis

571113

571113

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  This answer deserves a bounty.
  – Renan
  25 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
  – ArcWraith
  18 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Am I not a brilliant God?!"
  – ArcWraith
  17 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  This answer deserves a bounty.
  – Renan
  25 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
  – ArcWraith
  18 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  "Am I not a brilliant God?!"
  – ArcWraith
  17 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

1

1

This answer deserves a bounty.
– Renan
25 mins ago

This answer deserves a bounty.
– Renan
25 mins ago

1

1

"So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
– ArcWraith
18 mins ago

"So you're telling me that you created endless hordes of monsters that can wipe out all life on the planet......to get rid of poop?"
– ArcWraith
18 mins ago

1

1

"Am I not a brilliant God?!"
– ArcWraith
17 mins ago

"Am I not a brilliant God?!"
– ArcWraith
17 mins ago

add a comment | 

up vote
3
down vote

Questions like this are hard because the answer is always the same: "Find what works well, and do it as much as possible." Sadly, this puts us in opposition with you. Our job is to break your system. Whatever rules you put in place, my job is to find ways to bend and break them.

Accordingly, the first thing I'd do is start using weapons that are still living. Why let my weapon crumble when its lifeforce can "wither" instead. All it needs to do is stay functional until the enemy is gone. Likewise, I'd probably build forts out of living trees to form a useful barrier.

Other than that, the answer would be the same as it is in every case. Find what is effective against the creatures, and do it repeatedly. You haven't stated in the question what works against them, so I can't say what that is. But your people will need to find it, and do it.

Also: take the fight to them. You can't just "survive" forever. If you never gain any ground, you'll only ever lose ground. My recommendation, not knowing anything useful about the creatures: raise violent pets. Start raising animals that might fight back against the creatures if unleashed. If you can train them to do something which hurts the creatures, train them accordingly. If you're up against an endless horde, and you're only surviving, you're losing.

Oh yeah, one more trick for anyone who has played Starcraft: Float to the island.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  ... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 2 more comments

up vote
3
down vote

Questions like this are hard because the answer is always the same: "Find what works well, and do it as much as possible." Sadly, this puts us in opposition with you. Our job is to break your system. Whatever rules you put in place, my job is to find ways to bend and break them.

Accordingly, the first thing I'd do is start using weapons that are still living. Why let my weapon crumble when its lifeforce can "wither" instead. All it needs to do is stay functional until the enemy is gone. Likewise, I'd probably build forts out of living trees to form a useful barrier.

Other than that, the answer would be the same as it is in every case. Find what is effective against the creatures, and do it repeatedly. You haven't stated in the question what works against them, so I can't say what that is. But your people will need to find it, and do it.

Also: take the fight to them. You can't just "survive" forever. If you never gain any ground, you'll only ever lose ground. My recommendation, not knowing anything useful about the creatures: raise violent pets. Start raising animals that might fight back against the creatures if unleashed. If you can train them to do something which hurts the creatures, train them accordingly. If you're up against an endless horde, and you're only surviving, you're losing.

Oh yeah, one more trick for anyone who has played Starcraft: Float to the island.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  ... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 2 more comments

up vote
3
down vote

up vote
3
down vote

Questions like this are hard because the answer is always the same: "Find what works well, and do it as much as possible." Sadly, this puts us in opposition with you. Our job is to break your system. Whatever rules you put in place, my job is to find ways to bend and break them.

Accordingly, the first thing I'd do is start using weapons that are still living. Why let my weapon crumble when its lifeforce can "wither" instead. All it needs to do is stay functional until the enemy is gone. Likewise, I'd probably build forts out of living trees to form a useful barrier.

Other than that, the answer would be the same as it is in every case. Find what is effective against the creatures, and do it repeatedly. You haven't stated in the question what works against them, so I can't say what that is. But your people will need to find it, and do it.

Also: take the fight to them. You can't just "survive" forever. If you never gain any ground, you'll only ever lose ground. My recommendation, not knowing anything useful about the creatures: raise violent pets. Start raising animals that might fight back against the creatures if unleashed. If you can train them to do something which hurts the creatures, train them accordingly. If you're up against an endless horde, and you're only surviving, you're losing.

Oh yeah, one more trick for anyone who has played Starcraft: Float to the island.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

Questions like this are hard because the answer is always the same: "Find what works well, and do it as much as possible." Sadly, this puts us in opposition with you. Our job is to break your system. Whatever rules you put in place, my job is to find ways to bend and break them.

Accordingly, the first thing I'd do is start using weapons that are still living. Why let my weapon crumble when its lifeforce can "wither" instead. All it needs to do is stay functional until the enemy is gone. Likewise, I'd probably build forts out of living trees to form a useful barrier.

Other than that, the answer would be the same as it is in every case. Find what is effective against the creatures, and do it repeatedly. You haven't stated in the question what works against them, so I can't say what that is. But your people will need to find it, and do it.

Also: take the fight to them. You can't just "survive" forever. If you never gain any ground, you'll only ever lose ground. My recommendation, not knowing anything useful about the creatures: raise violent pets. Start raising animals that might fight back against the creatures if unleashed. If you can train them to do something which hurts the creatures, train them accordingly. If you're up against an endless horde, and you're only surviving, you're losing.

Oh yeah, one more trick for anyone who has played Starcraft: Float to the island.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

answered 1 hour ago

Cort Ammon

103k15180367

103k15180367

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  ... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 2 more comments

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
  – Aaron
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  ... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
  – Cort Ammon
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
– Aaron
1 hour ago

I just played through part of that video quick to see what you were referring to. Moving the liftable buildings is a possible terran strategy, the other player was zerg, so I don't get why they didn't just ferry their army over in lords. By the time you're losing bad enough to liftoff, generally moving won't win unless opponent is slow and/or not very skilled since they already have you on the run. Still, thanks for the laugh. I recently started going back through the game again from beginning of original. Its story is better and so much more intricate than other sci-fi faves like Star Wars.
– Aaron
1 hour ago

Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
– ArcWraith
1 hour ago

Organic weaponry is not viable. Withering is not an extra defense on top of the crumbling. Its the same thing happening in a different way. Wooden trees are less durable than stone walls so would be weaker(I'll edit that into my question) and the only places with the time to grow their defenses would be the very interior of the frontier. Plus attack animals would be such incredible animal cruelty. Their death rate would be colossal since a single bite would be enough to kill them(even if they survive they wouldn't be able to eat with the jaw damage)
– ArcWraith
1 hour ago

@Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

@Aaron Yes, the game is balanced to make sure that Terran doesn't have an advantage against a skilled opponent on any reasonable map by floating their base away. Of course we know nothing about how skilled the opponents are in this world. Lifting off was a known effective tactic in the silver leagues where players didn't know how to combat it.
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

@ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

@ArcWraith So what you're saying is the entire section on organics in your question isn't important, other than from the animal cruelty perspective? Their bodies fare no better than any other object?
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

2

2

... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

... how well does the ground fare? Maybe I don't have to take these creatures out. Maybe they'll all just fall towards the center of the earth and solve my problem for me!
– Cort Ammon
1 hour ago

 | 
show 2 more comments

up vote
1
down vote

Build walls and weapons out of materials that cannot wither or crumble to ash. A fortress in the frozen North could be built out of ice. Pikes could be gold coated. Burning oil doesn't wither nor does boiling tar.

In the end you need to destroy the portal letting them in. I'd build a fortress to hold them off and start a massive magical ritual for the purpose of attracting them as they seem to be creatures drive by instinct alone this way an attack force could attempt to close the portal from behind.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

Build walls and weapons out of materials that cannot wither or crumble to ash. A fortress in the frozen North could be built out of ice. Pikes could be gold coated. Burning oil doesn't wither nor does boiling tar.

In the end you need to destroy the portal letting them in. I'd build a fortress to hold them off and start a massive magical ritual for the purpose of attracting them as they seem to be creatures drive by instinct alone this way an attack force could attempt to close the portal from behind.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

up vote
1
down vote

Build walls and weapons out of materials that cannot wither or crumble to ash. A fortress in the frozen North could be built out of ice. Pikes could be gold coated. Burning oil doesn't wither nor does boiling tar.

In the end you need to destroy the portal letting them in. I'd build a fortress to hold them off and start a massive magical ritual for the purpose of attracting them as they seem to be creatures drive by instinct alone this way an attack force could attempt to close the portal from behind.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

Build walls and weapons out of materials that cannot wither or crumble to ash. A fortress in the frozen North could be built out of ice. Pikes could be gold coated. Burning oil doesn't wither nor does boiling tar.

In the end you need to destroy the portal letting them in. I'd build a fortress to hold them off and start a massive magical ritual for the purpose of attracting them as they seem to be creatures drive by instinct alone this way an attack force could attempt to close the portal from behind.

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

answered 1 hour ago

Thorne

13.5k42039

13.5k42039

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

The monsters are anti-material, so weapons would be extremely ineffective as each one would be single use. There is no way any economy could create weapons at this rate.

Simply patching your walls could work for some time, depending on how fast your walls disintegrate. This however would result in an ever growing group of monsters tearing down your walls and will prove unsustainable in the long run.

The only way to limit your resource usage is to make sure you are not attacked by these monsters. Hiding obviously is not feasible since they track down your magic. So that only leaves one option: prevent them from reaching you! You can do this with a water cannon as used by the police force in riot control. You could even add in abrasive components as done in watter jet cutting to not only push the monsters away, but also actively hurt and possible deter them.

You could build such a water canon by utilizing a dam that collects water. If you build a single structure like the Hoover Dam and build an efficient pipe network with limited losses you should be able to cover quite a large area depending on the density of the monsters.

The water would be coming out at just under 2.2 MPa (using the Bernoulli equation). Which is about the same as that of the riot police*.

p = rho * g * h

The most modern water cannons use 20 l/s*. The Colorado river supplies 500 m^3/s* so this should be enough to continously supply

500.000/20 = 25.000

cannons, which I recon should be enough to hold off at least 5.000 monsters at any given moment if you take into account a 60% loss (at the high end) and aim two canons at each monster.

*All numbers are from wikipedia

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
  – Willk
  28 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

The monsters are anti-material, so weapons would be extremely ineffective as each one would be single use. There is no way any economy could create weapons at this rate.

Simply patching your walls could work for some time, depending on how fast your walls disintegrate. This however would result in an ever growing group of monsters tearing down your walls and will prove unsustainable in the long run.

The only way to limit your resource usage is to make sure you are not attacked by these monsters. Hiding obviously is not feasible since they track down your magic. So that only leaves one option: prevent them from reaching you! You can do this with a water cannon as used by the police force in riot control. You could even add in abrasive components as done in watter jet cutting to not only push the monsters away, but also actively hurt and possible deter them.

You could build such a water canon by utilizing a dam that collects water. If you build a single structure like the Hoover Dam and build an efficient pipe network with limited losses you should be able to cover quite a large area depending on the density of the monsters.

The water would be coming out at just under 2.2 MPa (using the Bernoulli equation). Which is about the same as that of the riot police*.

p = rho * g * h

The most modern water cannons use 20 l/s*. The Colorado river supplies 500 m^3/s* so this should be enough to continously supply

500.000/20 = 25.000

cannons, which I recon should be enough to hold off at least 5.000 monsters at any given moment if you take into account a 60% loss (at the high end) and aim two canons at each monster.

*All numbers are from wikipedia

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
  – Willk
  28 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

up vote
1
down vote

The monsters are anti-material, so weapons would be extremely ineffective as each one would be single use. There is no way any economy could create weapons at this rate.

Simply patching your walls could work for some time, depending on how fast your walls disintegrate. This however would result in an ever growing group of monsters tearing down your walls and will prove unsustainable in the long run.

The only way to limit your resource usage is to make sure you are not attacked by these monsters. Hiding obviously is not feasible since they track down your magic. So that only leaves one option: prevent them from reaching you! You can do this with a water cannon as used by the police force in riot control. You could even add in abrasive components as done in watter jet cutting to not only push the monsters away, but also actively hurt and possible deter them.

You could build such a water canon by utilizing a dam that collects water. If you build a single structure like the Hoover Dam and build an efficient pipe network with limited losses you should be able to cover quite a large area depending on the density of the monsters.

The water would be coming out at just under 2.2 MPa (using the Bernoulli equation). Which is about the same as that of the riot police*.

p = rho * g * h

The most modern water cannons use 20 l/s*. The Colorado river supplies 500 m^3/s* so this should be enough to continously supply

500.000/20 = 25.000

cannons, which I recon should be enough to hold off at least 5.000 monsters at any given moment if you take into account a 60% loss (at the high end) and aim two canons at each monster.

*All numbers are from wikipedia

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

The monsters are anti-material, so weapons would be extremely ineffective as each one would be single use. There is no way any economy could create weapons at this rate.

Simply patching your walls could work for some time, depending on how fast your walls disintegrate. This however would result in an ever growing group of monsters tearing down your walls and will prove unsustainable in the long run.

The only way to limit your resource usage is to make sure you are not attacked by these monsters. Hiding obviously is not feasible since they track down your magic. So that only leaves one option: prevent them from reaching you! You can do this with a water cannon as used by the police force in riot control. You could even add in abrasive components as done in watter jet cutting to not only push the monsters away, but also actively hurt and possible deter them.

You could build such a water canon by utilizing a dam that collects water. If you build a single structure like the Hoover Dam and build an efficient pipe network with limited losses you should be able to cover quite a large area depending on the density of the monsters.

The water would be coming out at just under 2.2 MPa (using the Bernoulli equation). Which is about the same as that of the riot police*.

p = rho * g * h

The most modern water cannons use 20 l/s*. The Colorado river supplies 500 m^3/s* so this should be enough to continously supply

500.000/20 = 25.000

cannons, which I recon should be enough to hold off at least 5.000 monsters at any given moment if you take into account a 60% loss (at the high end) and aim two canons at each monster.

*All numbers are from wikipedia

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

edited 1 hour ago

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

answered 1 hour ago

Nathan

1114

1114

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

New contributor

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

Nathan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
  – Willk
  28 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
  – Nathan
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
  – Willk
  28 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
– ArcWraith
1 hour ago

While a viable and creative idea. I don't see how they would be able to supply enough water cannons and water to protect the entire frontier against hordes of monsters
– ArcWraith
1 hour ago

@ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
– Nathan
1 hour ago

@ArcWraith That's a fair point. I'll adjust my answer.
– Nathan
1 hour ago

@ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
– Nathan
1 hour ago

@ArcWraith I think it should be feasible, as long as you have a big enough dam and a big enough river.
– Nathan
1 hour ago

I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
– Willk
28 mins ago

I was thinking water also. Moats are a done thing.
– Willk
28 mins ago

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Deep trenches and moats would be useful for slowing down the monsters without presenting them with matter that would be vulnerable to their disintegration ability. It would also help group them so they would be more vulnerable to artillery and massed fire.

Depending on the exact nature of your magic system - a magical barrier such as a runic force shield may be much more resistant to attack than any wall made of a mundane material. Reinforcing your structures with magic to resist disintegration may also work.

As for offence - melee is obviously inadvisable, as is allowing them to get to close to your defences really. Massed artillery fire seems to be the way to hold them at bay, bolstered by magic as much as possible. Depending on your technology level, weapons such as white phosphorous will allow you to level the playing field.

Flamethrowers could also allow small units to effectively combat the monsters, though fuel usage may be a problem.

Rune circles could be used a magical "honeypots" to lure creatures into a certain area before shelling the ever-loving beejeezus out of it from a safe distance. If magic can affect the monstyers, laying down area affect spells to weaken them as they run toward you defences may also be useful

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Deep trenches and moats would be useful for slowing down the monsters without presenting them with matter that would be vulnerable to their disintegration ability. It would also help group them so they would be more vulnerable to artillery and massed fire.

Depending on the exact nature of your magic system - a magical barrier such as a runic force shield may be much more resistant to attack than any wall made of a mundane material. Reinforcing your structures with magic to resist disintegration may also work.

As for offence - melee is obviously inadvisable, as is allowing them to get to close to your defences really. Massed artillery fire seems to be the way to hold them at bay, bolstered by magic as much as possible. Depending on your technology level, weapons such as white phosphorous will allow you to level the playing field.

Flamethrowers could also allow small units to effectively combat the monsters, though fuel usage may be a problem.

Rune circles could be used a magical "honeypots" to lure creatures into a certain area before shelling the ever-loving beejeezus out of it from a safe distance. If magic can affect the monstyers, laying down area affect spells to weaken them as they run toward you defences may also be useful

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

up vote
0
down vote

Deep trenches and moats would be useful for slowing down the monsters without presenting them with matter that would be vulnerable to their disintegration ability. It would also help group them so they would be more vulnerable to artillery and massed fire.

Depending on the exact nature of your magic system - a magical barrier such as a runic force shield may be much more resistant to attack than any wall made of a mundane material. Reinforcing your structures with magic to resist disintegration may also work.

As for offence - melee is obviously inadvisable, as is allowing them to get to close to your defences really. Massed artillery fire seems to be the way to hold them at bay, bolstered by magic as much as possible. Depending on your technology level, weapons such as white phosphorous will allow you to level the playing field.

Flamethrowers could also allow small units to effectively combat the monsters, though fuel usage may be a problem.

Rune circles could be used a magical "honeypots" to lure creatures into a certain area before shelling the ever-loving beejeezus out of it from a safe distance. If magic can affect the monstyers, laying down area affect spells to weaken them as they run toward you defences may also be useful

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

Deep trenches and moats would be useful for slowing down the monsters without presenting them with matter that would be vulnerable to their disintegration ability. It would also help group them so they would be more vulnerable to artillery and massed fire.

Depending on the exact nature of your magic system - a magical barrier such as a runic force shield may be much more resistant to attack than any wall made of a mundane material. Reinforcing your structures with magic to resist disintegration may also work.

As for offence - melee is obviously inadvisable, as is allowing them to get to close to your defences really. Massed artillery fire seems to be the way to hold them at bay, bolstered by magic as much as possible. Depending on your technology level, weapons such as white phosphorous will allow you to level the playing field.

Flamethrowers could also allow small units to effectively combat the monsters, though fuel usage may be a problem.

Rune circles could be used a magical "honeypots" to lure creatures into a certain area before shelling the ever-loving beejeezus out of it from a safe distance. If magic can affect the monstyers, laying down area affect spells to weaken them as they run toward you defences may also be useful

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

answered 1 hour ago

Chromane

2,787323

2,787323

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Use their power against them

Section removed as OP updated they are immune to their own anti-material. See edit history for how that could have been done otherwise.

A more mundane approach

Ranged weapons, whether by length or by projectile, are what started to win wars later on anyway, and many melee weapons are lethal from just 1 or 2 hits. So really, although these enemies sound awful when described, they really aren't individually a lot worse than fighting other humans after all.

After re-reading the question again, I notice you suggest that arrows and guns just slow them down and it takes a lot of shots to kill them. In that case, arrows are less feasible in large scale attacks, but pole arms defending walls still work well. And when on the offensive, pole-arms behind trenches.

Also start using modern poaching techniques. Leave lots of hidden traps for them to step on so they come at your slower and weakened.

However, you did say there were huge numbers of them. That is probably the real problem here. But that is what castles are for. A castle allows its occupants to defend against a numerically vastly superior force, so again this just lends itself to what we see in our real history. However, if you rule that their touch can bring down walls too, then that might be problematic. However, some forts use earthwork fortifications, and disintegrating earth is not going to do much.

Summary

In a fantasy story, you can make their abilities sound awful, but in reality, against an army it isn't really all that bad and normal tactics which have been used in history can be used for the most part.

Since that is not so exciting, as the author you should find the exciting and dramatic middle ground and just rule that it works out however you want. The people don't really need anything special to overcome these enemies, as I stated, but you can just make the enemies seem powerful and go whatever direction you feel like.

share|improve this answer

edited 41 mins ago

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

Use their power against them

Section removed as OP updated they are immune to their own anti-material. See edit history for how that could have been done otherwise.

A more mundane approach

Ranged weapons, whether by length or by projectile, are what started to win wars later on anyway, and many melee weapons are lethal from just 1 or 2 hits. So really, although these enemies sound awful when described, they really aren't individually a lot worse than fighting other humans after all.

After re-reading the question again, I notice you suggest that arrows and guns just slow them down and it takes a lot of shots to kill them. In that case, arrows are less feasible in large scale attacks, but pole arms defending walls still work well. And when on the offensive, pole-arms behind trenches.

Also start using modern poaching techniques. Leave lots of hidden traps for them to step on so they come at your slower and weakened.

However, you did say there were huge numbers of them. That is probably the real problem here. But that is what castles are for. A castle allows its occupants to defend against a numerically vastly superior force, so again this just lends itself to what we see in our real history. However, if you rule that their touch can bring down walls too, then that might be problematic. However, some forts use earthwork fortifications, and disintegrating earth is not going to do much.

Summary

In a fantasy story, you can make their abilities sound awful, but in reality, against an army it isn't really all that bad and normal tactics which have been used in history can be used for the most part.

Since that is not so exciting, as the author you should find the exciting and dramatic middle ground and just rule that it works out however you want. The people don't really need anything special to overcome these enemies, as I stated, but you can just make the enemies seem powerful and go whatever direction you feel like.

share|improve this answer

edited 41 mins ago

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

up vote
0
down vote

Use their power against them

Section removed as OP updated they are immune to their own anti-material. See edit history for how that could have been done otherwise.

A more mundane approach

Ranged weapons, whether by length or by projectile, are what started to win wars later on anyway, and many melee weapons are lethal from just 1 or 2 hits. So really, although these enemies sound awful when described, they really aren't individually a lot worse than fighting other humans after all.

After re-reading the question again, I notice you suggest that arrows and guns just slow them down and it takes a lot of shots to kill them. In that case, arrows are less feasible in large scale attacks, but pole arms defending walls still work well. And when on the offensive, pole-arms behind trenches.

Also start using modern poaching techniques. Leave lots of hidden traps for them to step on so they come at your slower and weakened.

However, you did say there were huge numbers of them. That is probably the real problem here. But that is what castles are for. A castle allows its occupants to defend against a numerically vastly superior force, so again this just lends itself to what we see in our real history. However, if you rule that their touch can bring down walls too, then that might be problematic. However, some forts use earthwork fortifications, and disintegrating earth is not going to do much.

Summary

In a fantasy story, you can make their abilities sound awful, but in reality, against an army it isn't really all that bad and normal tactics which have been used in history can be used for the most part.

Since that is not so exciting, as the author you should find the exciting and dramatic middle ground and just rule that it works out however you want. The people don't really need anything special to overcome these enemies, as I stated, but you can just make the enemies seem powerful and go whatever direction you feel like.

share|improve this answer

edited 41 mins ago

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

Use their power against them

Section removed as OP updated they are immune to their own anti-material. See edit history for how that could have been done otherwise.

A more mundane approach

Ranged weapons, whether by length or by projectile, are what started to win wars later on anyway, and many melee weapons are lethal from just 1 or 2 hits. So really, although these enemies sound awful when described, they really aren't individually a lot worse than fighting other humans after all.

After re-reading the question again, I notice you suggest that arrows and guns just slow them down and it takes a lot of shots to kill them. In that case, arrows are less feasible in large scale attacks, but pole arms defending walls still work well. And when on the offensive, pole-arms behind trenches.

Also start using modern poaching techniques. Leave lots of hidden traps for them to step on so they come at your slower and weakened.

However, you did say there were huge numbers of them. That is probably the real problem here. But that is what castles are for. A castle allows its occupants to defend against a numerically vastly superior force, so again this just lends itself to what we see in our real history. However, if you rule that their touch can bring down walls too, then that might be problematic. However, some forts use earthwork fortifications, and disintegrating earth is not going to do much.

Summary

In a fantasy story, you can make their abilities sound awful, but in reality, against an army it isn't really all that bad and normal tactics which have been used in history can be used for the most part.

Since that is not so exciting, as the author you should find the exciting and dramatic middle ground and just rule that it works out however you want. The people don't really need anything special to overcome these enemies, as I stated, but you can just make the enemies seem powerful and go whatever direction you feel like.

share|improve this answer

edited 41 mins ago

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 41 mins ago

edited 41 mins ago

edited 41 mins ago

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

answered 1 hour ago

Aaron

2,311518

2,311518

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
  – ArcWraith
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
– ArcWraith
1 hour ago

Ok some specifics on how their anti-material ability works(I'll edit this into the question as well). They are immune to it so you can't use them against each other. Its a full body effect including internals not just hands. They cannot be starved(its states in the question they need nothing to survive). And while an amusing mental image, capturing them and putting them on poles is so not viable, since they will simply disintegrate the ropes. They also disappear on death.
– ArcWraith
1 hour ago

add a comment | 

 

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