I am still away from books.
House Tremere question - if they have a dedicated research group in how to fight another Schism War, are there listed tactics and strategies?
I am enjoying "The Saga of Tanya the Evil", and am wondering about the ArsM equivalent.
"Recon in Force" - have a flying mage scout (potentially) hostile territory, presumably while invisible, with decoys to make defenders expose themselves by attacking the decoys?
HoHTL has some ideas, but few really detailed tactical practices as such. Still, some nice ideas to think about.
Link to HoHTL chapter (still needs a lot of editing):
https://www.redcap.org/page/Houses_of_Hermes:_True_Lineages_Chapter_Four:_House_Tremere
Some excerpts from HoH:TL:
Each Tremere magus is trained in a role that serves the House.
Major spell research is sponsored with the aid of Magi from House Bonisagus. The House contracts Verditus magi to construct many of its magic items,
ARCHITECTS
Initially the House’s combat engineers, these Terram specialists now have a primarily economic role. The House’s architects supervise House Tremere’s fortifications, tunnels and mines. They also, surreptitiously, maintain roads and bridges in Transylvania,
ARTIFICERS
Artificers manufacture the ritual objects of the House, both magical and mundane. ... Artificers create the magic items that the House does not want discussed with outsiders.
ASSESSOR
Assessors have a variety of urban roles: diplomat, merchant or spy. The cadre of Assessors maintains a series of identities that a member can wear using suitable illusions. All have the Gentle Gift.
DISPUTANTS
Disputants specialize in Certamen.
MASTER OF AUXILIARIES
A handful of Tremere magi train to lead mundane soldiers, whom the House calls auxiliaries. Magi in this role master small, incapacitating spells which they multicast. When masses of mundanes are intermingled, single strike spells make little difference and killing your own troops is with area-effect spells is gauche, if sometimes necessary. Over the course of a battle, small multicasts allow aimed fire at masses of troops. Spells that create and then control animals are fashionable in this role, as the animals persist after they strike, and are intelligent enough to seek fresh targets
AUARCHOS
House Tremere maintains a fleet of ships, which is particularly active in the Adriatic and Black Seas. The fleet is a method of transporting materiel in times of crisis, so most of its ships are cargo vessels. The fleet engages in commerce during peace. The fleet’s warships guard the
cargo vessels, and dissuade piracy. They aren’t dependable platforms for magical combat.
Tremere naval officers have spells that control or create weather, allow communication at a distance, and suppress fire. A handful of Tremere magi have engaged insmall fleet actions or arranged shore bombardments, and doctrine on the use of ships may emerge if the House’s influence in the Eastern Mediterranean improves.
PHYSICIANS
Members of this branch of the House are skilled healers and crafters of longevity potions. They specialize in medical spells that do not require vis but are still superior to mundane medicine; examples include anesthesia, bone setting and arrow extraction.
SCOUTS
These magi, descended from the Schism scouts, are trained to move through potentially hostile territory, collect information, and return home
The Doctrine, the Tremere method of war and philosophy for living, separates Tremere magi from “warriors”, magi who develop personal prowess to seek individual glory. It allows Tremere magi to fight as soldiers: in coordinated groups, using tested equipment and methods.
SIGNALERS
These magi are descended from a small corps of tricksters who, during the Schism, fed false information to House Diedne’s human supporters, created bogus targets, hid Tremere scouts, and confused enemy signals.
The Tremere Doctrine emphasizes that a group in which each soldier carries his own gear travels faster than those which use draft animals, is able to redeploy into small sections, and recovers better from ambush.
A key duty of Tremere magi is to answer the call to arms. In times of crisis, House Tremere rapidly converts into an army. It has a chain of command, prearranged mustering points, and a developed supply network. Its members fight in a way coordinated by an established doctrine, and are, generally, willing to follow orders that seem likely to prove fatal.
During the violent portions of the House’s history, it was usual for Tremere magi to serve in small, mobile squads. Each member had a set of skills that complemented those of the other members of the group. These military units, called vexillations, still exist within the House, The
leader of an important vexillation is often given a pennant enchanted with useful effects. Most vexillation pennants were designed for military use, and assist communication and travel.
In Wizard’s War members of House Tremere gain two advantages from their preference for the art of Rego. Their warding spells are excellent, which allows them to create secure spaces to recuperate, store supplies, and muster forces. Many can use Leap of Homecoming and, in moments of desperation, the far riskier Seven League Stride. This allows members of the House to retreat or deploy with extraordinary speed, while maintaining the cohesion of their combat units. Each of these advantages permits the Tremere magi to remain soldiers, fighting together under doctrine, instead of a force of scattered warriors
During the Schism, Primus Cercistum made many claims about his ability to call up ghost armies. He claimed to be able to call up the casualties of Hannibal’s three victories against the Romans in Italy (150,000 dead) and the victims of the storm that destroyed the Roman invasion fleet off Cape Pachynus in 255 BC (100,000 soldiers and over 250 ghostly ships). These claims were never tested, but were not novel, because Guorna the Fetid claimed to be able to rouse the spirits of those who died when Belisarius’s troops sacked Naples. The House continues to encourage young magi to find such useful sites.
Animals: Magic Items that can be Trained
There are several types of magical wolf that serve the House in its packs but this type, descended from Tremere’s familiar, are the most common.
The House has found uses for a variety of small raptors. Shadow owls are useful for collecting arcane connections. Fire kites are used as saboteurs. The most popular large raptor in House Tremere is the griffin vulture, found along the Adriatic coast. These creatures, which follow griffins and feed on their scraps, can see tremendous distances and are magically sensi
tive. Their cooperative hunting pattern, searching for dead lambs by scouring the countryside in a comb
Tremere magi are fascinated by the way that [spectral] spiders skirt the barrier between the material and ethereal states. They use controlled swarms of spiders to imprison ghosts
Not gonna lie, the Saga of Tanya the Evil, coupled with the post-Ragnarok scenario, the world of Gimle (Dies Irae, Twilight of the Gods) has made me ponder a similar idea. How would the militaries of various fledling kingdoms look like if they were to actively embrace their magical practitioners as part of their society; advisors, millitary assets, or anything of the sorts.
The Tremere segment above provides some ideas for Hermetic Magi's contributions. Lords of Men also offers some options for what Magi could offer for Siege Warfare and how you can calculate the magical aid when determining the outcome of battles.
This all being from Hermetic perspective though, there are great many things Hermetics could potentially offer, as one of the most versetile traditions. Ensuring there will always be healthy crops so you can feed the army before the war even begins, similarly sabotage enemy lines, use animals as scouts or military assets - sike monsters on the enemy, the possibilities are many!
If we look at certain Hedge Traditions though, then it becomes easier to speak of specialized roles in the military and tactics.
Folk Witches - Aerial Reconnisence and Shock Troops. You can easily and safely keep an eye out on enemy movements, sneak behind enemy walls to open the gates, colab with alchemists to drop jugs of Greek Fire on the enemy bellow. Castle Walls really aren't worth much if you can just fly over them...
Nightwalkers - Guerilla Warfare through and through. Their presence alone ensures you cannot wake up, they can phase through solid fortifications and materialize elsehwere, and while at it they can steal items to bring with them into the spiritual. They are also invisible while spiritual, naturally, and Might based wards - the most common type, does not work on them. So, sabotage and assassination gallore! Really, they're not a group you want to piss off.
Gruagachan - Very versetile, but not to the extent Magi are; they can provide misdirection akin to illusionists, bless the specific skills of your existing troops, making them toughter without extra training, for a time. They can glimse into the future so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. They can also easily turn untrained peasants into intelligent beasts of war (Bear Troop, anyone?)
Learned Magicians - Similarly versetile to Gruagachan, with an added bonus that they can adapt to a situation in a matter of hours. If you need something specific for a given situation...they can cook it up fairly quickly.
(there's more ofc, but we can address those on demand)
Furthermore, what speaks in the favor of a lot of Hedge Wizards is the sheer factor of numbers. They don't need the Gift, so if given the backing of a kingdom to initiate new members en-masse, you can legit assemble an Aviation of Night Witches as one of your kingdoms' key military assets...