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<blockquote data-quote="nittanytbone" data-source="post: 2621781" data-attributes="member: 35709">Much of it depends on how rare/common magic is in your world.&nbsp; Remember, the PCs are like the Starship Enterprise, they always run into the weirdest/most powerful stuff out there;&nbsp; typical NPCs (like city guards, noble's footmen, etc) deal with unruly beggars, petty thieves, or other NPC class types for the most part.In a relatively low-magic world, standard &quot;historical&quot; men at arms will work just fine for 99% of encounters.&nbsp; The worst magical opponent they will probably ever face is an adept who maybe has second level spells, so that shouldn't affect their tactics a whole lot.Additionally, few nations/nobles would want to bring out the wizards.&nbsp; First, having a retainer wizard of high level is expensive, and most of the time probably less useful than having a cleric retainer.&nbsp; Also, as soon as you get a wizard, then the other fellow gets a wizard, and soon its MAD (mutually assured destruction) as the big damage spells start flying and the only people who win are the wizards themselves.Races with a more magical background (the elves spring immediately to mind) might have more specialized infantry trained to deal with magical attacks.&nbsp; Because wizardry is common and available in that culture, they might train with light infantry skirmisher type tactics.&nbsp; I can even imagine custom zero level cantrips for training purposes that are basically &quot;paintball&quot; versions of common battlefield damage spells like magic missile, burning hands, and fireball.&nbsp; That way a fighter 1/wizard 1 elvish seargeant could conduct effective training for his troops.So, the &quot;cheapest&quot; solution is probably to hire an elvish seargeant major or find a fighter/sorcerer who is willing to share his expertise and conduct some light infantry training.&nbsp; Of course, assuming a light infantry style of combat could be detrimental in some more conventional situations;&nbsp; light infantry has worse AC and will be equipped with lighter weapons than your polearm phalanxs.&nbsp; They're likely vulnerable to cavalry and heavy foot troops.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="nittanytbone, post: 2621781, member: 35709"] Much of it depends on how rare/common magic is in your world. Remember, the PCs are like the Starship Enterprise, they always run into the weirdest/most powerful stuff out there; typical NPCs (like city guards, noble's footmen, etc) deal with unruly beggars, petty thieves, or other NPC class types for the most part. In a relatively low-magic world, standard "historical" men at arms will work just fine for 99% of encounters. The worst magical opponent they will probably ever face is an adept who maybe has second level spells, so that shouldn't affect their tactics a whole lot. Additionally, few nations/nobles would want to bring out the wizards. First, having a retainer wizard of high level is expensive, and most of the time probably less useful than having a cleric retainer. Also, as soon as you get a wizard, then the other fellow gets a wizard, and soon its MAD (mutually assured destruction) as the big damage spells start flying and the only people who win are the wizards themselves. Races with a more magical background (the elves spring immediately to mind) might have more specialized infantry trained to deal with magical attacks. Because wizardry is common and available in that culture, they might train with light infantry skirmisher type tactics. I can even imagine custom zero level cantrips for training purposes that are basically "paintball" versions of common battlefield damage spells like magic missile, burning hands, and fireball. That way a fighter 1/wizard 1 elvish seargeant could conduct effective training for his troops. So, the "cheapest" solution is probably to hire an elvish seargeant major or find a fighter/sorcerer who is willing to share his expertise and conduct some light infantry training. Of course, assuming a light infantry style of combat could be detrimental in some more conventional situations; light infantry has worse AC and will be equipped with lighter weapons than your polearm phalanxs. They're likely vulnerable to cavalry and heavy foot troops. [/QUOTE]

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