(excerpt from the collection of unofficial guidelines, irreverent essays and supposedly humorous material known as the Not-Dead-Veteran’s Handbook, widely circulating between recruits in ThauCon basic training)
Real world, quick-and-dirty engagement rules
Doctrine manuals have plenty of guidelines giving engagement rules for every possible situation, with lovingly detailed tables discussing what to do if there are 3.5 mages, one of them has a limp, and they lack dental insurance. Should you say hello, good ser before shooting? Did you check if the sun is in their eyes? Don’t even try to memorize that bullshit, it’s just there for Lieutenants too afraid to make a judgment call by themselves.
You shouldn’t worry too much about the mages targeted by a planned raid, either. We always plan those with overwhelming force and surprise - the target usually ends up in silver chains while still in their pajamas.
In the real world, there’s only one thing you should worry about: if an unexpected mage pops up during an operation, should you run or should you fight?
Here, you get the real-world rules. Learn them, in your bones, because your team might have a split second to choose fight or retreat. If you make it to NCOs, make a fucking tattoo of these rules, and live by them - if you mean to live at all.
Despite all the blah blah in the official doctrine, the only variable that truly matters is how powerful the mage is. Just add half a level for Jugglers and half a level for Shapers. Their paths are the most dangerous for us, since silver won’t protect you from telekinesis and won’t break a shield made of physical matter. Some people hold it that Mind-mages and Lie-mages should be considered half a level weaker, but my rule is: better safe than sorry.
Of course, these rules are for peacetime. If a new war comes, all of this is worthless. But if that’s any consolation, all the Agency guidelines are good as toilet paper during a mage war, except they won’t tell you that.
LEVEL 0 - You’ll be fine
Mages below level 1 are usually untrained, or very recently found the Dark Power. Don’t take them too lightly, though - without a silver armor, Else-Fire can still kill a person, even summoned by the weakest of mages.
However, a mage below level 1 can’t hurt you if you wear your field suit, let alone if you wear combat armor. Usually, their defenses won’t stop even a single silver bullet, so they can easily be dealt with, if they don’t surrender.
Just remember that a new, untrained mage can be dangerous in a different way: they could lose control and go nova. If the mage isn’t cooperative, bind them in silver as quickly as possible.
Never use theta granades against a level 0 - if the mage is stable, you won’t need them. If they aren’t, the granade could push them into going nova.
LEVEL 1 - Check your kit
Most rogue mages who learn control reach level 1 and don’t progress further. Even a lot of rank-and-file members of the Council and of the Hidden Faction never reach level 2.
Experienced level 1 mages can play seriously dirty tricks, but in direct combat, they can’t do much against you as long as you wear combat armor. Even a single fully equipped ThauCon agent can subdue them, and a full team can deal with them safely.
Should you meet a level 1 mage while wearing a field suit, but not combat armor, be more wary, but there’s still a safe approach: a theta grenade will completely nullify the target’s power for 2 to 8 seconds.
If the theta granade is not an option, just attack without asking questions. A level 1 mage won’t be able to withstand more than 4-5 silver bullets, and has no useful defense against a blademaster’s sword.
LEVEL 2 - Bring some friends
Most mages, if they keep practicing, reach level 2 at some point, and rarely progress past that. A rogue who escapes capture usually reaches level 2 in a decade or so, and well-trained mages, whether from the Council or the Terrorist Factions, get to level 2 in their mid-to-late twenties.
It’s no surprise, then, that the standard ThauCon teams and equipment are perfectly suited to fight them safely and effectively.
A level 2 attack can’t penetrate combat armor, but can still be dangerous in many indirect ways. Always account for the mage’s path and environmental risks, but generally if you’re alone, avoid engaging a level 2 mage, even wearing combat armor.
With a whole team on your side, official doctrine works beautifully, for once. Have the rifleman weaken the mage’s shield, the drones attack from unexpected angles, and the Blademaster move in for the kill. If you have a decent Council mage onboard, their best use is to keep the rifleman safe. A well-placed theta grenade can often dispel the target’s defense, leaving the mage helpless for the short time the blademaster needs to close distance.
Direct attacks like Else-Fire will be stopped by combat armor, while indirect ones - like collapsing the floor of overheating air - require some time to set up, and force the mage to focus on a single target, leaving them open to the other two.
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If you encounter a level 2 and you’re not wearing combat armor, retreat - you might still win, but it becomes a deadly dangerous game. If retreat is not an option, fire every weapon on the mage, without closing distance. A full team should quickly overwhelm the target’s shield and eliminate it.
LEVEL 3 - Bring some heavies
Level 3 mages are the most dangerous you’re likely to ever meet in regular operations. Some unusually powerful rogues, or rank-and-file members of the Factions, reach level three, often in their middle age.
A young level 3 mage, by contrast, is almost surely undergoing heavy magical training, and is probably a special agent from the Terror Factions.
Level 3 mages are always a serious threat, even to multiple teams, because their direct attacks can wound (if rarely kill) an agent wearing combat armor. Be especially wary of Wnd-path mages: a level 3 Juggler can accelerate any object to lethal velocity, given 5-10 meters of free space.
Of course, in a well-planned operation, the target will be overwhelmed by silver bullets or weakened by ambiental suppression, and dealt with safely. But if you encounter a level 3 unexpectedly, what you really want is a heavy ThauCon team on your side. Their thicker power armor allows them to resist level 3 attacks, and helps them close distance quickly. They also carry heavier weapons, and while it’s no official policy, their team mages are very often level 3 or upper level 2 themselves.
Without a heavy team, if you encounter a level 3 mage, either use surprise to quickly drop them, or retreat and wait for reinforcements. Should you be ordered to engage, or should the mage attack, you can probably survive the fight as long as you have a full regular team in combat armor. Make liberal use of theta grenades, silver dust and other single-use weakening resources, and go on the offensive.
Should you meet a level 3 mage while separated from your team, or while not wearing armor, retreat immediately.
LEVEL 4 - Bring an army
Most agents, fortunately, will never fight a level four mage.
No regular mage becomes that powerful. Only the most talented, if they undergo special training - which only the Council and the factions can provide - ever get there, and for that, they used to be called Masters.
There’s no truly safe way to engage a level 4 mage, except in a carefully planned, large operation, where ambient suppression of at least 1 level can be provided, or the Council can be bothered to bring powerful Fold-mages. Even the strongest silver armor protects you only to a point, against a mage who can collapse the building, heat the room to a thousand degrees, or other such dirty tricks.
However, if they pop up during a major operation, these mages can be beaten, even when they weren’t specifically expected. The key is having multiple teams (ideally three full regular teams) firing silver weapons and grenades on the target, while having a veteran team ready to close distance and engage.
If that’s the situation, follow your orders and hope the mage doesn’t focus on you specifically. The aim is keeping the target under a barrage of fire while the veterans stab them.
If the target flees, you shouldn’t pursue, and if you’re commanded to do so, you should obey only slowly and ineffectively. A mage this powerful simply can’t be prevented from running, without already planned contingencies, or - less reliably - by Council mages who equals their power.
If you can’t fight with overwhelming numbers, or you lack a heavy team who can engage the target, retreat. A Master can kill a whole ordinary team before your weapons can bring them down.
If absolutely pushed to fight, the recommended strategy is the extremely dangerous death hug: use all your theta grenades to allow your Blademaster to close distance, then have them physically tackle the mage. The large amount of silver in your combat armor is your best chance to destroy the mage’s powerful shield. Needless to say, this is an extremely risky strategy and even when successful, often causes serious wounds to the Blademaster.
LEVEL 5 - Carefully retreat
Level 5 mages are the heavy hitters for the most dangerous Terror Factions. Confronting them requires large operations, and should only happen during major ThauCon offensives against the strongest Syndicates or the Hidden Schools. Their appearance in any other circumstance means something has gone horribly wrong - either you fell for a trap, probably sprung by the Faceless, who love this trick, or by supreme misfortune you walked into a Grandmaster by accident.
Level 5 mages are too strong to be brought down by ordinary weapons, and can retreat from any unfavorable battle by diving deep into the Else, so fighting them is extremely dangerous and pointless. Whatever the guidelines say, it doesn’t matter how many silver bullets would theoretically bring down their shields: that won’t happen. In all of the Agency’s history, Grandmasters have been killed *only* during major operations with ambient suppression and military equipment available, or in the chaos of open battle.
The only reasonable course of action is retreating, while keeping a stream of suppressing fire on the target - you can’t kill them, but you can keep them on a defensive footing, so they won’t pursue you, or use their offensive powers.
If you’re commanded to attack a Grandmaster, refuse on grounds of it being a suicidal order. Most officers worth their salt will relent, and even if they don’t, they usually won’t be willing to bring the issue to a court-martial.
LEVEL 6 - Run for your life
The good news is that very few agents ever meet an enemy Archmage. The bad news is, most of those who do won’t live to tell the tale.
You should never engage an arch-mage except in a dedicated, agency-wide operation, since it would mean engaging the very leaders of the Criminal Factions. For such an op, you should have specific training, world-class elites be present, the army ready with military equipment - frankly, if you’re reading this manual, you shouldn’t be involved in such an operation at all, until you get 10 years of experience, minimum. If you are legitimately involved in such an op, just follow the plan and hope it was a good one.
Should you meet a level 6 mage in any other circumstance, don’t even consider engaging. Your weapons won’t hurt them, and the heaviest silver armor won’t help against an enemy who can uproot buildings and tear open the sky.
Your only hope is to be utterly ignored, and even then, the blast radius of the mage’s attacks could easily kill you anyway. Run away as fast as you can, and keep running until you’re very, very far.
If you’re ordered to fight, have a good laugh - a court martial might kill you, but the arch-mage will kill you, and possibly do far worse things. Most judges will quickly rule such an order as suicidal, and thus illegal, anyway.
LEVEL 7 - Pray
Should you meet a level 7 magical entity, either the Exiled has come from the Moon, or you’re facing the Red Fury.
Frankly, there’s nothing any of us can do at that point.
Running is pointless. Fighting is hopeless. Die with honor.