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Wizards have developed a Grasp-at-a Distance spell. It has numerous uses in everyday life of course but the Emperor (may he live forever) wants it to be deployed as a weapon of war.

Spell operation

1. A wizard (but no-one else) can grasp objects at a distance. Both hands (and other body-parts) can be used, as in normal life. Whatever body-part is used, full skin contact is required, so no gloves, etc.


2. Suppose my ale is across the room - I can reach out my hand and make a grasping motion. If I am accurate enough, it feels to me precisely as though I am holding the glass in my hand.


3. If I maintain the grasp and lift the glass, an observer will see it floating in exact synchrony with my hand - apparently in mid air.

Limitations

(a) If I pull the grasped object towards me, it will only move as my arm moves. In other words I can't pull it all the way. I have to bring it in arm-length stages. The simplest way is to alternate hands. It looks rather as though I am hauling on a rope. Eventually the object will be near enough to actually grasp it normally.

(b) I can't 'grasp' a red-hot or sharp object without injuring myself. The effect is exactly as though I was really touching it.

(c) I only have my normal strength so I can't 'grasp' and lift a weight that I wouldn't normally be able to lift. Most wizards are not at all muscly and non-wizards (e.g. warriors) cannot use the spell.

(d) I can break a fragile item precisely the way I could if I was holding it normally - the object will interact with items close to itself. My hand will interact with items close to me and objects near the object. .

(e) In most cases the wizard must be able to see the object being grasped in order to correctly and accurately locate it - this is the most difficult skill to master because your distant 'hand' is invisible. In theory someone who can play piano blindfold could play it at a considerable distance by first locating the piano and then finding the correct keys by touch even if they were too far away to be discerned individually.

(f) If the wizard grasps at a distance and someone else grasps the object normally, they won't feel each other's hands but will experience the forces. Thus a weedy wizard couldn't wrestle a sword away from a strong warrior who was holding the weapon firmly but the opposite would be the case.

Question

Non-fatal tests have been performed with the Emperor's own soldiers who weren't pre-warned. They soon learned to keep a tight hold on their weapons or strap them into their scabbards when not in use. They also learned to keep an eye on any obvious hand-movements by the wizards.

So - How can weedy wizards use their Grasp-at-a-Distance spell as an effective long-term weapon against powerful warriors?

Note

There are hundreds of warriors on each side in this battle but only ten wizards on the Emperor's side. They all know the spell. The other side has no wizards but a slight advantage in foot-soldier numbers.

Edits in response to comments

(1) No change in leverage. Just make sure you are standing on a firm surface and the area around you is clear. (2) No penalty for distance. In theory you could grope around blindly behind objects such as castle walls. However mind you don't accidentally grab something dangerous. (3) Eye contact is only needed to locate the object and that is the main problem. Trying to grasp a small object at a mile away could be tricky. That's why I mentioned the piano. It's easier to grasp the piano first and then slide your hand until you find the keys.

Traps

Being able to move things from a distance would give the art of trap-making and -springing much more flexibility, because you wouldn't have to figure out how to set it off without endangering yourself in the process. Simply stand at a distance and "PULL THE LEVER, KRONK!"

Step 1: Set up a trap with a trigger. Step 2: Wait until the enemy is over/under it. Step 3: Pull the rope/lever/whatever from afar. Step 4: Voila! The enemy is in a pit, or under your falling rack of spikes, or beneath the pile of boulders you just dumped on them.

Traps are a classic tool of the wimp against the muscleman. They don't require you to overpower your enemy, just be more clever than they are.

I initially posted this as a comment, because it's a fairly simple reply to what may be a more complex question, but there you go...

I wanted draw some traps for fun... So I did. Hope you enjoy.

BEHOLD THE GREAT WIZARD MOE!

http://mentalfloss.com/article/550053/facts-about-the-three-stooges

The Moe Howard skill set is perfectly suited for this spell. Among the Moe Moves that Grasp-At-A-Distance would make so much more effective:

1: Eyeball grasp. Most effective in this bunch but variety is the spice of life.

2: Double nostril grasp.

3: Ear pull.

4: Titty twister. Best vs the bare chested warrior types.

5: Moe's got your tongue!

6: Hair pull. Useful against hair showing on any part of an adversaries body.

7: Package grabbage. Self explanatory.

8: Last but not least: WEDGIE FEVER!

Stooge magic will keep the king happy and keep your adversaries on their toes - especially #8.

Daggers

What you’ve essentially done is given melee weapons a huge boost in their reach. If you don’t know, reach is one of the most important factors in melee combat, if my spear can reach you before your sword can reach me, i’m almost always going to win (obviously it depends on what armour you’re wearing and how skilled you are, i’m just talking generally here).

With this in mind, daggers will likely be the weapon of choice for these wizards. The reason being is that a dagger is just as effective as a sword or a spear for killing someone. The only problem is that, because you’re opponent will always be able to outreach you, daggers are not often used in Medieval-style combat. However, the major exception to this is against armoured opponents.

If an opponent is wearing full steel plate, they are extremely hard to kill, you either need blunt force (such as that from a a war hammer or poleaxe) or you need to stab in between the openings. The one place you can guarantee will always be exposed is the eye slits, you can’t have armour in front of your eyes or you wont be able to see. Knights often carried daggers to stab them through these eye slits, killing their opponent. Knives or daggers were used rather than swords as, being smaller, they are much easier to aim with and are typically narrower, making it easier for them to slide in.

Your wizards would likely use daggers in the same way, slipping them into the eye slits of fully armoured opponents to kill them. You could also use this against people who are not wearing full plate, in this case you can go for the face (especially if wearing an open face helmet), the neck or the back of the knees where the tendons and arteries are. A stab to any of those places could easily be lethal.

Hammers

You may instead use hammers, use your magic to swing it and deal a lot of blunt force damage. It would also be easier to hit someone in the head than to try and slide a dagger into their eye slits, especially from afar. You could also use it to disarm or knock people off their feet. A simpler version would be to just drop a rock on them.

Grappling

You may also use the magic to pull opponents to the ground, using magic simply pull their leg as they walk or pull their shoulders back and down. If a solider falls on the battlefield, he is likely dead, especially if wearing full steel plate. The enemy will quickly be able to kill him whilst he is vulnerable and can’t adequately fight back. This could be used in the battlefield to great effect, the wizards pull, the soldiers stab.

If you can bring item to you (via "rope-pulling") I suspect you can push items away from you via rope-pushing motion. For example, you can then sneak near enemy's camp, lit an oil-lantern, and move it near flammable items, such as straw heaps. Then you would release the lamp, likely causing fire.

More precise but less efficient way to deal damage is to move large boulder over watch's head, and then release the grasp, hence knocking sentry unconscious.

Communications

The classic answer to the question of "what modern invention would turn the tide added to a medieval / ancient army?" is "radio". This spell can work as short range, all weather undetectable battlefield communications. Whether the transmitting wizard is manipulating a quill on parchment, chalk on a blackboard or a "morse key", they can pass short but detailed messages instantaneously and accurately without revealing their position to the enemy forces. This increase in command and control capability will give the Emperor's forces an overwhelming advantage in combat.

Communications jamming

On the flipside, the Emperor's enemies will be communicating using flags, bugles and/or runners whenever they are outside of shouting range. The wizards can interfere with all of these - by grasping the top end of a flag the wizard can wave it around when it should not, trying to blow a bugle becomes interesting when someone keeps smacking the end of it or pinching the bugler's nose unexpectedly and runners are easy to impede in all sorts of ways whether they are on foot or horseback. (Tripping, undoing fastenings, spooking horses - endless fun possibilities.)

While the wizards could be used for other activities (sabotage in rear areas etc), the command and control functions above can be conducted while keeping the wizards well-guarded and outside of missile range (ie protected from enemy action). Given that the Emperor only has ten wizards, keeping them from harm while maximising their effectiveness against the enemy is crucial.