Marcher Mage

As a member of an Escanni adventuring band, your life is devoted to the service of your company and the work of ending the Greentide threat to the civilized realms of Cannor. You might be a true believer, inspired by the example of Corin and her companions, moved by the plight of the downtrodden, and devoted to the cause of restoring order in Escann. Or you could be a cynic in the ranks, perhaps because you reluctantly followed in the footsteps of a mentor or teacher, succumbed to the persuasion of a charismatic recruiter’s lofty promises, were drawn in by the prospect of a life of action, or enticed by the potential to study taboo arcana away from the watchful eyes of the Magisterium.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Intimidation

Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set

Equipment: A uniform of your company (traveler’s clothes in quality), an insignia of your rank, a gaming set of your choice, and a pouch containing the remainder of your last wages (10 gp)

Spell List

For you, the spells on the Marcher Mage Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class. (If you are a multiclass character with multiple spell lists, these spells are added to all of them.)

Spell Level	Spells
Cantrip	shillelagh, spare the dying
1st	guiding bolt, heroism
2nd	pass without trace, spike growth
3rd	crusader's mantle, wind wall
4th	hallucinatory terrain, wall of fire
5th	flame strike

Spending years on campaign has led to your magic being well-adapted to fulfilling the role of battlefield support. Where traditional mages might devote their studies to expanding their individual capabilities, you have gained unique insights into using the arcane to bolster allies and control the flow of combat.

Suggested Characteristics

The marcher bands which set out to fight against Korgus Dookanson's Greentide hordes following the collapse of feudal hierarchy in Escann are a diverse lot.  Some bands, like the Corintar or Sons of Dameria, are zealous armies, full of righteous energy tempered with military discipline.  Others, like the Order of the Iron Scepter and Raven Banner, are power-hungry opportunists, seeking to carve out a realm for themselves or expand the influence of a sponsor nation.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I approach every task with the same high degree of military precision.
2	I am always the first into the fray.
3	I bear any injury or indignity with stoic discipline.
4	My righteous wrath is easily inflamed by the slightest iniquity.
5	My honor is more important to me than my life.
6	Dangerous work is best accomplished by an orderly group working with common purpose.
7	I treat my weapons, uniform, and insignia with reverence, for they have become integral to my identity
8	I pace when standing and fidget incessantly when forced to sit.

d6	Ideal
1	Loyalty. My adventuring band is all that really matters. (Any)
2	Justice. Achieving justice requires establishing fair, equitable, and compassionate relationships within a community. (Good)
3	Protection. It isn’t right for innocents to suffer because of the failings of the powerful. (Good)
4	Solidarity. It is most crucial to act with a single will, marching side by side in perfect accord. (Lawful)
5	Order. Society functions only if people do their duty and respect the chain of command. (Lawful)
6	Conviction. Anything worth doing is worth doing with your whole heart. (Lawful)

d6	Bond
1	I would lay down my life for my comrades.
2	I owe my life to my arcane mentor who took me in when I was a refugee following the company for protection.
3	My fellow soldiers are my family.
4	I wield the same weapon my grandparent did, for the honor of our family.
5	I was very cutthroat as a student of the Magisterium, and I’m striving to atone for my past misdeeds.
6	I do what I can to help out the spouse of a comrade who died in battle.

d6	Flaw
1	I act bravely when I’m in a group, but I’m a coward when I’m alone.
2	I see everything in clear-cut black and white.
3	I’m just a little fascinated by the ways of the orcs and goblins.
4	I trust the chain of command more than anything — more even than my closest friends.
5	I’m slow to trust members of other bands.
6	I’ve been known to turn a blind eye to injustice if it's perpetrated by the company.

Contacts

The ordered structure of the marcher company offers abundant opportunities to make friends — and rivals — in higher places. You might have close friends in other bands that have fought alongside yours, a group of native Escanni camp followers who you rely on for information, or bitter rivals among the groups which now have competing interests in the aftermath of the Battle of Castonath.

Roll twice on the Marcher Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Native Escanni Contacts table.

d8	Contact
1	A former comrade in arms was promoted into the company leader's bodyguard.
2	One of my parents is a ranking company officer.
3	A close friend serves as a quartermaster for a unit protecting the refugee train.
4	I had a tangled affair with a former member of my unit.
5	I have maintained a relationship with one of my instructors at a Magisterium academy.
6	I competed with a fellow student for the attention of a mentor at a Magisterium academy.
7	The person who recruited me into the company changed the course of my life.
8	A companion of Corin knows my name.

d10	Non-contact
1	One of my siblings fights for a different marcher band.
2	Roll an additional company contact; you can decide if the contact is an ally or a rival.
3	I showed mercy to an injured, now-grateful refugee.
4	I suspect someone I know is a spy for a rival marcher company, but I can’t prove it.
5	I donate a portion of my rations to a poor family in the refugee train.
6	I once befriended a Magister, and we’re still cordial though the relationship ended messily.
7	I owe a gambling debt to a soldier in another company.
8	A mage in another company seems to enjoy harassing me.
9	I tried to recruit a friend who ended up staying behind in Anbennar.
10	I keep running into a particular mage of another company, and I enjoy the arguments that inevitably result.