Fantasy world militaries are as varied as modern day militaries with individuals suited for various tasks on the battlefield or rear support.
Mounted Heavy Knights – Knights in full plate armor riding atop war horses that are similarly armored. Each Heavy Knight is equipped with one 2.5 meter lance and is trained in the simple yet devastatingly effective technique of a full speed cavalry charge. Used to break enemy formations on the field, the mounted heavy knights are akin to a boulder rolling down a hill – simple to avoid, but certain death to those who are caught in its path.
Sappers – Criminals, slaves, and expert technicians working in concert beneath the surface of the battlefield to undermine enemy fortifications. Often the criminals and slaves are sent to the forward parts of the mine that have yet to be stabilized and are the most likely to cave in. For this reason, the sappers often have some of the highest casualty rates.
Mixed Monster Corps – Monster and beast tamers that employ their familiars in combat. Unlike civilian tamers who build a bond of mutual trust with their familiars, the tamers of the Mixed Monster Corps contract familiars with the thought of combat power and expendability. The tamed monsters – ogres, direwolves, trolls, stone turtles, etc – can and are often used as rear guard during perilous retreats or as fodder for siege warfare. The cost of maintaining these war beasts during peacetime is exorbitant due to their dietary preferences, but during wartime the cost to maintain them plummets as battlefield carrion is used to sustain them.
Support Magic Corps – Including white magic healers, earth magic specialists for field fortifications, wind magic specialists for long range scrying and communications. The Support Magic Corps takes on many of the critical jobs that are required for a field army to operate efficiently while on campaign. You can often identify them from the color of their robes, the pallor of their faces, and the distinct lack of imposing physical prowess.
Bombardment Magic Corps – Including fire magic specialists capable of casting some wide area equivalent of Firestorm. Earth magic specialists capable of casting some wide area equivalent of Earth Render. Water magic specialists capable of casting some wide area equivalent of Divine Rain. The Bombardment Magic Corps are the bane of any army they face. They excel in causing mass casualties while never leaving the safety of their encampment. Be it fire, earth, water, wind, ice, or lightning – their arcane skills bring only death and destruction. Highly competitive with a weak sense of morals, the individuals of the Bombardment Magic Corps require only two things: (1) access to greater magical knowledge and (2) ample opportunity to unleash their spells of mass death. Care should be taken to never let them sit idle as they would just as soon turn on their own comrades if not given the chance to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
