MIlitary Impact of Magic On Kethos
Kethos - The Military Impact of Magic
Demographics, Magic, and the Military
I suspect from the outset that there won’t actually be many mages available to a typical Kethos military force and that a typical battle on Kethos will resemble a Renaissance-era battlefield in large part.
Assume that a moderately large nation might have a population of roughly 5,000,000 people. Such a state will generally have about 1% of its population under arms professionally. More than that risks negative economic repercussions, so we will use this as our baseline. This gives our example nation a standing army of about 50,000 soldiers, potentially fewer if you include cavalry (approximately a 5:1 ratio of infantry to cavalry). If there are about 2,000 cavalry, the nation might then have about 40,000 foot soldiers of various types. This accounts for the mundane army and does not include mages.
Now, let us consider the mages, the real "X factor" in the equation. On Kethos, arcane talent appears in no more than 0.1% of the population, regardless of the specific type. This translates to about 5,000 people with some magical ability in our example nation—a significant number. However, the pool suitable for military service would be considerably smaller due to various factors. Candidates would need to be between the ages of 16 and 50 and of either gender, as magical ability does not discriminate in the setting, and neither will we for argument's sake. This would reduce the pool to approximately 60% of the total, or about 3,000.
Assuming that states do not conscript wizards, relying instead on incentives and volunteers, we estimate that no more than 10% of this pool would actually join military service. Though military service pays well, it is risky, and talented magic users have many other career options. This leaves about 300 recruit mages—a significant but still limited number.
Using standard assumptions about arcane powers, military arcanists will primarily occupy supporting roles as healers, diviners, communication specialists, weather mages, and so forth. Many of these mages would remain in rear areas. Most would be assigned to line formations like battalions and regiments. Although not in the thick of battle, they would stay close to the fighting to be immediately useful. Military enchanters, on the other hand, would rarely travel to the field, preferring to remain far behind the lines crafting magical items. For our purposes, we assume 25% of military arcanists would choose the safer but still valuable role of enchanting, while 75% would opt for more direct involvement. The latter role is more prestigious and better paid.
At the next level of power are the feared "war mages," capable of direct magical attacks. Probably only 10% of arcanists reach this level of power. Such individuals are specialists in destruction, akin to legendary knights, and usually place themselves where they can have the greatest impact on a war.
To summarize, a nation of 5,000,000 people might field an army that looks like this:
40,000 foot soldiers
2,000 cavalry
200 general-purpose arcanists
70 magic-item crafters and staff mages
30 war mages
Under such an arrangement, support mages and enchanters would remain in rear areas, attached to overall command. The remaining mages would be dispersed among line units, forming part of a well-developed arcane infrastructure. When deployed for war, a typical battalion-sized unit of 1,000 infantry might include a wizardly section of about five support mages. Because this requires proximity to the fighting, these mages would engage in combat only in dire situations. Most would focus on healing, providing cover, concealment, or environmental effects for their assigned formations. One mage would likely remain near unit leaders for communication and defense.
War mages, being rare and valuable, would not be dispersed among line formations. Instead, they might be grouped into small units of five to ten mages and deployed for maximum effect. Such units would be considered "elite forces" and could significantly impact enemy morale. It is easy to imagine such a unit on horseback, accompanied by heavily armed bodyguards equipped with enchanted weapons.
Formation Fighting and Magic
Despite the presence of mages on the battlefield, the organized pike formations common to Renaissance-era combat could remain quite effective, so long as they were prepared for arcane opponents. Unsupported formations are often easy prey to enemy mages; mind control spells can be used to break morale or unit cohesion, weather and elemental spells can be used to reduce mobility or visibility, and there are numerous examples of direct attack spells. These spells require substantial skill and many have a relatively limited range, so they cannot be used very frequently - in fact, they are much like the slow-loading artillery of the Renaissance.
Such attacks would not be enough to defeat a disciplined foe without follow-up by conventional forces. If a unit has its own mages present, most such magical attacks have their own well established countermeasures. On the other hand, these attacks have a greater impact on less disciplined, poorly equipped irregular forces. In a magic-using setting, infantry forces will generally be better trained and equipped, and often more heavily armored than such troops might otherwise be. The battlefield is simply too dangerous for raggedly equipped peasant levies.
In addition to magic, the presence of nonhumans changes the role of formation combat. Large creatures like dinosaurs, elephants, and so forth can be held back by a pike line if morale holds, but they are best dealt with by supporting mages. The mindless undead are unphased by pikes, and will not hesitate to march straight into a formation, tying up pike poles and walking between them. Large, dangerous nonhumans such as ogres, trolls, or bugbears are often capable of forcing their way into close quarters with a pike block through simple brute strength.
As a result, a Kethos infantry formation will include a substantial percentage of heavy infantry equipped with thick armor and powerful weapons to deal with such unconventional opponents. In many cases, some infantry will be equipped with large shields, which can be useful in protecting a unit against direct magical attacks. These heavily armored shieldmen will usually be found at the front rank, followed by two or more ranks of pikemen. Behind them will be more infantrymen, usually with shield and single-handed weapons, or polearms. Once the press of pikes breaks down into a general melee, these fighters will move forward between the pikes to attack the enemy formation directly. Behind the infantry lines, archers or gunners will fire directly or indirectly in support of the line. Support mages will usually be in position with the missile troops.
Cavalry poses its own set of challenges and strengths where magic is concerned. Animals, most commonly horses, but also including larger mounts like elephants or dinosaurs, can often be controlled by magic, frightened with fire, or attacked directly. Arcane powers can be used to great effect to disrupt a cavalry charge. Cavalry comes in two general types - missile cavalry such as horse archers, and shock cavalry such as knights or elephants. Missile cavalry is often numerous and diffuse in formation, fast moving, and has ample ability to attack at great ranges. This makes it hazardous to attack by magic - even a successful attack alerts the cavalry to the presence of a mage, inviting a shower of arrows. Shock cavalry relies on closing to melee range at great speed in a tight formation. This makes it more vulnerable to magic attack or disruption than missile cavalry, but shock cavalry is often well equipped with expensive magical countermeasures. A combatant as expensive as a knight on a warhorse is worth spending a bit more to protect him from wizards.
Firearms and Magic
On Kethos, firearms never became the decisive battlefield weapon as they did on Earth. Several factors keep guns in a marginal role, both related to the existence of magic. The so-called “Salamander Curse” is a major reason for the scarcity of guns on Kethos- while an individual gunner’s stock of gunpowder is unlikely to attract the attention of fire elementals, the casks and kegs needed to supply a formation of gunners or a piece of field artillery makes it only a matter of time - combine this with the use of fire magic in war, and it is a recipe for disaster. Artillery pieces can be enchanted to ward off fire elementals, and usually are. This makes them exorbitantly expensive, and thus unobtainable for all but the wealthiest of militaries.
The wide scale use of battlefield magic is the other limiting factor for firearms on Kethos. Massed ranks of gunners are extremely vulnerable to relatively common fire spells - a single spark in the wrong place can kill or maim a rifleman, and a well-timed summoned rain shower can ruin a prepared volley. As always, there are ways around such magical threats, but it is rarely worth the trouble to assemble such a formation. High profile targets, such as knights, wizards, and officers frequently possess anti-projectile enchantments, either through magic items or their own spells. This makes them nearly immune to volley fired arrows or bullets unless taken by surprise or unready. Certain weapon enchantments exist that allow projectiles to pierce magical shields, but these are prohibitively expensive for mass deployment. High profile targets are often heavily armored as well, making a killing blow far from certain.
On Kethos, guns are usually found only in the hands of specialist troops, either skirmishers or snipers. They usually operate independently from the main formations, alone or in small groups, and attack targets of opportunity with the biggest muskets they can use accurately. Targets may include war beasts such as dinosaurs or dragons, large humanoids such as giants, or simply knights and commanders. Firearms do provide unsurpassed protection against flying combatants; though uncommon, a flying enemy can attack a ground formation with near-impunity. Having a few large-bore muskets in the hands of sharpshooters will keep most flying attackers at bay.
On Earth, the presence of missile weapons in the hands of commoners, be they bows, crossbows, or guns, spelled the end of the dominant role of armored cavalry on the battlefield. On Kethos, this never occurred, thanks to the presence of magic. Enchantments cost a great deal of money, and most nobles have a great deal of money. Since magic can keep them alive on the battlefield, this is where it usually goes. Most of it goes into defensive enchantments, but the end result is the same - a heavily armored nobleman on a barded horse, with a lifetime of training and a fortune in enchantments, is a terrifying and effective combatant on the battlefield. In fact, the only effective counter to such a warrior is a battle wizard or another similarly equipped warrior.
