Mercenary wizard. Why? (PF/Eberron)

[Bearlock]

This is an RP question. Why would/what could turn a wizard into a mercenary?

Anyway, trying to devise a background for a male human/half elf wizard that is one of the leaders in a mercenary company. I might be metagaming(?) a bit, but the group is already set on working as a mercenary company, and we need a caster. And since aside from a possible bard I would be the only one, so was figuring wizard for the breadth of spells, and also so at least one PC has a decent Int score.

Points I'd like touched on:
- served in the military
- cognizant of battle magics and tactics without being a focused evoker
- set in with a mercenary company
- Intelligence and planning/reasoning capacity earn him a spot in said company

I apologize if I'm perhaps not being clear, its late and I'm truly having a hard time wrapping my head around this for some reason. The other PC's are mostly all warrior types with good backstories as to why they are/became mercenaries, since I'm coming in late trying to match up. Any ideas would be appreciated, thank you

[Twilightwyrm]

The term "War Wizard" has a place in the popular imagination for a reason. Yes, I know that the various books state that warmages and sorcerers are more common on the battlefield due to their greater number of spells per day to cast, but there is no reason that a particular kingdom would not train wizards for war. Their penchant for study and intelligence would tend to make them good tacticians in addition to wielders of magic, and their versatility would make them effective at adapting their spells prepared to the situation at hand. Thus, you would likely see Wizards as Tacticians, Troubleshooting Operatives, or indeed, or common second-in-commands to unit commanders.
So the character in question trained in tactics, logistics, and combat with the nation's military, but for some reason got out. It would not be unexpected for such an individual to not have a particular interest in settling into the life of a scholar or academic that many other wizards might, so he set up his own mercenary company.

[Ellowryn]

It is not just war wizard is popular, its just that magic wins. High level magic can literally change the very fabric of reality, even low level stuff bends and twists it. Technically a wizard is "selling" his magic any time he makes items. Also, magic and the acquisition of it is very very expensive. Your character could very well have started adventuring to not only to gain magic as he goes, but also to sell his current ability to others looking for such power, and then such actions led successfully to the creation of an entire company who sells there services to others.
An idea of what you actually want to do with your wizard, blaster or buffer or such, would also help to streamline ideas.

[The Insanity]

Adventurers are already mercenaries.

[Sith_Happens]

Thus, you would likely see Wizards as Tacticians, Troubleshooting Operatives, or indeed, or common second-in-commands to unit commanders.

Don't forget special forces, unless that's what you mean by "troubleshooting operatives." A Wizard's (or Cleric's or Druid's) versatility makes them perfect as the kind of solider you send on a specific mission with one of a large variety of possible objectives.

Alternatively:

http://i3.tinypic.com/6u49ro2.png
"What kind of question is that? The boss likes to blow stuff up."

[rmnimoc]

This is an RP question. Why would/what could turn a wizard into a mercenary?

Wizards, as a general rule, like to be smart.
They want to be the guy who knows everything.
They want to be the best.
And arguably the main motivation of humans doing epic things through history: They want to be the guy who is remembered forever (or lives forever).

What makes you a legend? Who are the historical figures who live on long past their deaths? Forever rembembered, never to be forgotten?
Caeser.
George Washington.
King Tut.
Musashi.
Edison.
Einstein.
Aristotle.
Masamune.

If your wizard wants to be like any of them, he needs gold and experience.
He wants to rule the world? He needs an army. He needs gold and experience.
He wants to be the hero? He needs allies and arms. He needs gold and experience.
He wants to be known as the most skilled wizard? Spell Research isn't cheap. He needs gold and experience.
He wants to understand the world in a whole new way? Gold and experience.
He wants to create artifacts that will outlast him, outlast his race? Gold and experience.

He wants to be a god? Gold and experience.

Being a mercenary is an amazing way to get both, and Wizards are smart. They can formulate brilliant plans, simply because they ARE brilliant.

You could have served in the army as a chance to see the world, protect the things you care about, or simply to learn from the profession that DEMANDS intelligence, demands viewing the world in ever-evolving ways and becoming greater than you once were. The discipline of the military tends to fit wizards well, they are no strangers to having to work hard for their power, having to follow strict rules.

You could have seen the tactics of the enemy, seen how the fire routed men, how the lightning danced among them, how the cold stopped them in their tracks. Even someone who knows nothing of arcana could see that those spells made soldier's blood run cold, destroyed supply lines, broke formations...and you certainly know far more than nothing.

A soldier without a kingdom turns to mercenary work easily, as does he once the powers that be no longer need him. Maybe he just didn't like the way his superiors ran things, he is a smart person, and smart people who work for less intelligent people tend to see those people as holding them back, going with strategies they didn't agree with, making mistakes the more intelligent can't comprehend making.

And what group wouldn't want a brilliant wizard? Your mind is the ultimate weapon, as great as your grasp of the magical arts. You can plan a thousand steps ahead, and make reality itself conform to your plans. After all, who can deny the superior intellectual and planning capabilities of someone able to run UNDERSTAND reality on a such a level that they can bend it to their will. Wizards ARE the planner, the ARE the tacticians, and their reasoning skills are unparalleled.


Hope that makes things easier for you.

[Katana1515]

Thought I would address each point in turn


served in the military

Any kind of organised Military in a PF/3.5 setting NEEDS caster support to succeed. The only effective defence a nation of non-monsters has to magic users are its own magic users. Wizards are perfect for this role because of their flexibility. Unlike say a sorcerer who has focused his spell selection on evocations/battle magic who is only useful once battle is joined the wizard is useful during both peacetime and the periods between battles (which is about 99.99% of all military campaigns). when he isn’t throwing fireballs at the enemy his spells can make him the Ultimate scout/spymaster/Tactical support operative (buffmeister). If he is into necromancy/planar binding or some other form of minionmancy he might be more like a one man military unit than a lone operative.

As to what the wizard gets out of it? Security/Funding/Influence. every wizard wants a couple of big meatshields between himself and the enemy and by being invaluable to an army/military company he gets that. moreover an army that maintains its own wizard Cadre is likely to have expensive research facilities that a low to mid level wizard would struggle to have access to, as well as give him a secure place to practice his craft. What alignment is your wizard? if he is intending to muck around with the dead/make pacts with evil spirits an army might give him the resources and facilities he needs and shield him from any dastardly 'hero's' who might storm a typical lone wizards tower. Finally if your character is interested in temporal power as well as magical power the army can provide that for you. Maybe you took service in order to gain powerful friends in order to foster a coup, bring down the current regime and bring in the Magocracy that we all know should be the rightful order of things!


cognizant of battle magics and tactics without being a focused evoker

Don’t have time at the moment to dig through the Art of War and find a the correct quote at the moment but Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Napoleon and just about every celebrated general in history would tell you that 99% of war is logistics/supply chains/ and otherwise decided long before battle is joined. if you want to build a real Master of War wizard I would recommend a treantmonk style God Wizard over an evoker every day of the week. In a pitched battle black tentacles/stinking cloud beats fireball/cone of cold every time. You are the ultimate tactician; you sling your spells not for quick explosive gratification but for maximum efficiency and effect. Moreover the day before the battle you scryed out the oppositions water/food/medicine stores and poisoned/stole/soiled them, ensuring victory even before the first blow is struck in anger. One key note is that Military Knowledge generally falls under knowledge history, so Max that skill.


set in with a mercenary company

I think by this you mean "how would i fit in amongst a mercenary company?"You could RP this a couple of ways mostly by personal taste, you could be the distant and eccentric ally valued for his power and sagacity, otherworldly and difficult to approach but invaluable at getting the group through a live or death situation. Or you could be more a much more human character and have closer relationships with some party members/company members emphasising that you are just a footslogger like them (you forget to prep overland fly today :) ) you just use different weapons. there are plenty of ways to do it. Perhaps you could tell us a little more about the Merc group?


Intelligence and planning/reasoning capacity earn him a spot in said company

I think i may have more or less addressed this above. but if the other party members are building detailed backstories it may be worth talking to your DM about crafting some past deeds that earned you your spot. Maybe the merc group has specific tests/trials for Casters who want to join? maybe you have just come back from an extended tour of duty in the inhospitable monster ridden zone your companions are heading towards and its your job to act as a local expert and guide as well as Caster support.

Hope this helps

[Twilightwyrm]

Don't forget special forces, unless that's what you mean by "troubleshooting operatives." A Wizard's (or Cleric's or Druid's) versatility makes them perfect as the kind of solider you send on a specific mission with one of a large variety of possible objectives.


Special Operations would fall under "Troubleshooting Operatives". I figured "Special Forces" might not necessarily be an organized thing, and anyways, you are likely to run into so many other problems with a D&D army, that I don't think 'Special Forces" (in the traditional sense) covers it all. These operatives could be devoted to a single task, or when stretched, have jobs ranging from solving communication issues, to improving logistics, to sabotage, to blowing up enemy positions from day to day. "Special Forces" tends to cover specific training and tactics, where a wizards versatility allows them to do the work of an SAS team, a counter-intelligence operatives, anti-air batteries or communications personnel from day to day, depending on where the issue is. So you are basically right.

[ArendK]

Military Mages are easy; remember that even Raistlin was a mercenary mage who served with companies.

He was hardly a master of the 'kaboom' and showed more preference to subtle machinations.

If it's Eberron, the Five Nations book has some interesting fluff regarding the militaries, especially Karrnaths. Just sprinkle your language with variations and remember rank structure. As a mage especially, someone who sees things and makes things happen; think about your role. Are you taking a spot as an officer, making the decisions and having no idea what the frag is going on? Or are you the unappreciated enlisted man, who is doing the work that the officer above him has no idea the consequences of. Especially if the one opposite you (enlisted or officer) doesn't have the mojo behind him and doesn't understand what magic can and can't do.

[Slipperychicken]

Wizards are really useful in war, so it makes sense they should be well-compensated for it.

And as others have said, magic laughs at the logistical problems which plague armed conflict.

[Yorrin]

My reply is going to be a lot less in-depth than many of the above posters, but wouldn't it be a better question to ask why a mercenary would want to become a Wizard? Seems a lot easier to justify to me. Make mercenary your primary identity, and as a high Int person you saw the benefits of Wizardry as a mercenary. Wizarding becomes a means to an end rather than the end itself.

[mostlyharmful]

Have you considered Beguiler? Primary Arcane caster without the book learning fluff that doesn't really fit in with most people's idea of mercenary band types, mobile, low brow, etc...

They've got a really wide range of spells if you look up their list and in a team it's the BF and Buffs/Debuffs that are really useful, grab a spellstave/wand/etc... if you really want kaboom and go to town?

[Honest Tiefling]

Even wizards want to kill. Perhaps you are honing your abilities to get revenge, perhaps to prove that magic is indeed, mighty. Perhaps because your character is connected in some way to one of the others, and isn't going to let them charge into danger alone.

Also, that study, those expensive books and parchment and learning? That cannot be cheap. Perhaps you do this in exchange for the lessons or books to progress as a wizard, or even lessons in the past. Perhaps a noble or rich person was intrigued and paid for such in exchange for service in their military.

And not are wizards smart enough for tactics, they are suited to identify the crazy stuff the other side is doing. An army is well and good, but if the other side is summoning eldritch abominations, you probably want to know what the crap those are. Your PC may have been brought in to deal with this sort of threat, where the chances of magic being used by the enemy were high.

Of course, in such a situation, blasting it may not have been viable. It could have been a golem army, or immune to certain types of damage. In which case, buffing/debuffing or battlefield control would have been more valuable. Or perhaps he served with a commander that wanted to get everyone home, and used the wizard to aid in tactics, magic and protection, not blasting.

[Bearlock]

Thanks to everyone for the responses, I'm at work right now but as soon as i get the chance I will be back on to reply in depth.

[Bearlock]

Almost everyone has mentioned how magic would pair well with Special Forces aka adventuring groups, which is very true. In the Eberron setting this goes without saying, the entire country has just ended a 100 year long civil war between five nations, each has its own accomplishments with magic. Just about every person with any arcane aptitude would have been bent to use it best to serve their cause or country.

About the other PC's in the party, its a seven person group starting at level 6. Five of which are mercenaries (including myself) and the other two are agents of the Silver Flame that are tagging along.

The SF PC's consist of a fighter/inquisitor (my original idea before given over) and an archer cleric. The rest of the mercs are as follows:

Shifter Ranger (Guide) - former Brelish scout captain, main leader and founder
Elf Cleric (Host, Dol Dorn and Arrah as patrons) - a Cyran war priest
Human Bard or Cavalier (undecided) - minor nobility, escaping from family obligations, either way the "face"
Half Orc Fighter - raised in mercenary group his father joined after mother's death
And me Half Elf/Human Wizard - the only real smart one and possibly only arcane caster

I think the goal/feel the group was going for overall is one kind of like The Expendables. A small elite group, not really tied down anywhere, members from all over. Not trying to dominate the world, just earn a living. Basically the entire world just stopped fighting for the first time in 100 years, what else are these specialists going to do. Most of the other PC's motivations run from supporting a family, to redemption, to not even knowing what else to do. My PC, being a wizard in this setting would have far more options than most of the others. Every nation is still trying to rebuild their forces or come up with new weapons in case war breaks out again. An intelligent combat experienced wizard? Just like today in RL, there is always somebody waiting to snap up someone highly trained.

So why would he stay with this group? Maybe just the bond between soldiers? Thinking they'd die without him? My initial plan was to have him be on the run from whatever agency/nation he used to work for, but the DM told me that it would probably not play into the campaign very much the way he has things now. And before anyone starts with how "a good DM would make adjustments" I'm totally cool with it, DM is my friend and I'm not trying to force anything down his throat, especially coming into the game late.

As far as the build goes, very much considering a generalist for ensuring I have access to any spells that I may need, will pretty much be the one guy to try and fix things. Per the DM, there will not be an abundance of downtime for crafting, so crafting feats are out. Feats mostly geared toward survival and improving magic as much as possible.

Background: Human or Half Elf, undecided. Found as a child and raised in an orphanage, remained there as a ward until (insert gov't/nation/arcane school) came through testing children for magical aptitude that could be trained and applied to the war effort. Natural intelligence led to position at the top of his class, helped by a general affinity with all schools of magic. Went on to serve and survive deployments until wars end, learning firsthand lessons on tactics and battle skills.

Relationship with magic: Sees it the same way a soldier looks at his sword and shield, something to be maintained and made stronger when possible. He always knew he had a knack for magic, but until he was pulled from the orphanage he never had the chance to expand on it. At first to him doing magic was awesome, as he progressed in his training and learned more about magic he realized that it was best to view it as a tool. He loves it, because it raised him from might have been a pretty harsh life, but he's seen enough of its misuse as well to temper any over enthusiasm. His natural gift for it encourages him to try varied techniques to solving a problem, which has in turn helped to overcome various obstacles. He has an academic/practical interest in any new magic that he comes across, but don't expect him to swoon or lose his mind over it.

Personality: A nice enough guy when you get to know him, but initially a little arrogant. Training, both as a soldier and as a wizard have lent him excellent self control. A good person (NG) at the core, has a naturally strong moral compass, but not very sympathetic. This guy was an orphan, who was trained to be a soldier. Just from experience this guy is all about practicality. No room in his mind for theatrics. Always trying to be five steps ahead of a problem.

Appearance: Average height (5'10"), lean build (158 lbs). Dark blue eyes, shoulder length black hair tied back. Soldiering has kept him from looking like a pasty guy with a book that should shot full of arrows on sight. Carries a shortspear, light crossbow and two knives, while he can use them they are more camouflage to keep from being a target. Only affection is a black shadowcat hide cloak that is a little bit too big for him. Overall looks more like a scout than a wizard.

[Bearlock]

In hindsight, writing all that out put things into perspective a whole lot better. Thank you to everyone again for the quick responses