From the Guidebook on Greencloak Regulations and Procedures, as released by the Kingdom of Relikar
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In order to better respond to the wide array of threats in which the Greencloaks find themselves facing an increasingly complex and developed empire, the office of the Archking has deemed it necessary to create a guide for tactics which ought to be utilized when facing various foes.
As to better serve these purposes and to aid in effective communication when in or out of active combat, it is necessary to create a guide outlining the categories of foes which might be faced. For the sake of standardization, these categorizations shall also be adopted when classifying Cloaked personnel, yet procedures in this handbook shall be focused primarily upon combating rather than working with mages and Blessed.
Due to the excessive variety found within our foes, this work is by its very nature not capable of capturing every nuance of the types of powers which monsters, Rebels and False Chosen may present, and so is instead intended to better capture the nature of tactics required to deal with them. Thus, a Rebel who possesses the strength of a hundred men, and a monster who is able to transform any who they touch to stone are each classified in the same way, as the required tactic- avoid contact- is roughly analogous in each situation.
Furthermore, it is important to recall that while your foes may possess a given suite of magics and preferred tactics, they remain individually dangerous and cunning and are able to deviate substantially from their standard operating procedures. A Brute may deviate from their standard sword attacks to throw a massive boulder, a Kinetic may possess a poisoned dagger hidden within their clothing, or a Cloud may possess the unknown feature of being composed of toxic gas. Remain vigilant regardless of their known categorization.
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The first category pertains to the primary weapon the target utilizes in combat.
A Warrior’s primary weapon is either themselves or weapons they directly wield.
A Mage’s primary weapon is their surroundings.
A Rogue’s primary weapon is information, either obtaining or restricting an abnormal amount of it.
Lastly, a Captain’s primary weapon is other people.
Due to the incredible variety each of these categories refer to, it is thus necessary to utilize further subcategories for each form.
Warriors may be Brutes, Runners, Snipers, or Grotesques.
Mages may be Kinetics, Trappers, Archs, or Swamps.
Rogues may be Infiltrators, Creepers, Seers, or Clouds.
Captains may be Nobles, Medics, or Druids.
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A Brute is a Warrior whose principle danger comes solely if they manage to obtain physical contact with their target. Brutes may be exceptionally strong, or possess a mighty ability that is limited to touch only, but the priority when facing one is to prevent direct contact.
A Runner is a Warrior who possesses exceptional mobility, such as enhanced speed or some form of readily-usable flight. This category is reserved for those who specifically derive much of their danger from this ability, and demonstrate fairly limited alternative offensive options beyond quick reposition with their weapon. For more generic information on the mobility of a target, see the Mobility classifications section.
A Sniper is a Warrior who possesses some kind of direct ranged attack. This could be a method to throw boulders at regular intervals or a particular propensity for fireballs.
A Grotesque is a Warrior whose presence itself is hazardous. Whether their visage induces madness in all that behold it, or emanate a cloak of flames centered upon them, or possess the capability to transform into an enormous cloud of poisonous gas, all Grotesques require exceptional caution when engaged with.
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A Kinetic is a Mage whose principle weapon is in some way the area around them. This may be limited to a single element, such as water or earth, or more general. It can also refer to mental control of lesser creatures or plants, any additional life which cannot be easily broken into individual targets.
A Trapper is a Mage who has in some way set their chosen battlefield with a variety of pre-set hazards and necessitate exceptional caution when simply attempting to engage.
An Arch is a Mage that possesses substantial broad-scale magical abilities or an ability which varies depending on circumstance. Their prowess is wide and varied, and they often possess superb control over magic itself, countering or taking control of existing spells and effects for their own use.
A Swamp is a Mage in possession of a area-of-effect debilitating ability whose effects may or may not be obvious yet whose primary impact is upon the combat capability of those facing them. Slow-acting poisons are not considered significant enough on their own to warrant a Swamp rating, the ability must actively impede combat capability when facing the Mage.
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An Infiltrator is a Rogue whose specialty in some way involves the infiltration of a group in a way that no members of the group are aware of the Rogue’s presence. The most common way this may occur is through shapeshifting, however there have been instances wherein a Rogue possessed the ability to insert their presence into the memories of those who viewed them, making it seem as though they were an existing part of a group.
A Creeper is a Rogue capable of becoming invisible or generally unseen. While Invisibility and illusions may be the classical Creeper abilities, casting enormous clouds of darkness or dust to obscure sight or other primary senses is also classified as a Creeper tactic. While when engaged the two forms of Creepers require largely similar tactics, Creepers whose tactics are non-obvious when in use (such as invisibility or insignificance) require additional countermeasures deployed, as outlined later within this text.
A Seer is a Rogue who possesses abnormal levels of information and some way of gathering more in unconventional ways. Mind-readers and precognostics are the most iconic forms of Seers, yet Seer is perhaps the most common of all categories which can be obtained via purely mundane training methods. Traitors from among the Cloaked will often be considered Seers, purely due to the amount of knowledge which they possess in regards to the procedures and tactics employed by our organizations.
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A Cloud is a Rogue who may transform themselves either fully or in part into a diffuse substance (such as a cloud, swarm of insects, or living shadow) and can thus pass with far less notice into restricted spaces and more easily avoid many forms of mundane weaponry.
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A Noble is a Captain with some form of ability to conscript nominally unwilling participants into service. This often carries with it the possibility of members of a Cloak team being pulled under the sway of the Noble. Individuals under sway of a Noble may be more reckless and undertake more suicidal actions, as they very rarely possess any level of individual worth (even any level of individual autonomy) while under the Noble’s sway. Effect is often broken upon death, but is not assured.
A Medic is a Captain whose presence supports and empowers other individuals. This is the broadest form of Captain, and many Captains include this effect to some degree, yet for a Captain to have specifically the ‘Medic’ designation this must be the primary way in which their presence impacts the individuals they utilize as weapons. As the name suggests, this commonly includes healing capabilities relevant within a single combat setting.
A Druid is a Captain whose weapon is non-person creatures that are yet large enough to be considered individual combatants, rather than an indiscriminate mass. There are few to no worries of a Druid being a Noble, but even should the Druid not possess any direct Medic capabilities, the animals they direct are frequently more dangerous than their natural counterparts, due to either fearlessness or increased intelligence directing their actions.
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The next classifications deal with danger and degree of preparedness required when facing a target, and are known as Lethality, Armor, and Mobility.
Lethality is measured as Bandage, Potion, Clinic, and Zero.
Armor is measured as Robe, Shield, Metal, and Scale.
Mobility is measured as Crawl, Walk, Jog, and Dash.
A Bandage target is one whose abilities either are not terribly fast-acting or hard-hitting, such that normal recovery (usually ‘a good night of sleep’) is sufficient to recover from an attack or other exposure to the ability. This includes most targets who prefer unarmed combat without a Brute ability. A Bandage Noble may take substantial time, on the order of weeks to months, to conscript a target.
A Potion target is one whose preferred tactics usually require a potion to recover from. This includes targets who utilize basic weaponry without their abilities drastically magnifying their effects, as well as some Brutes who prefer unarmed combat. A Potion Noble usually requires hours or days to conscript a target.
A Clinic target is one whose methods of combat are highly dangerous and quickly lethal, requiring fast action from a healer to survive upon contact. Grievous wounds, fast-acting poisons, and overwhelming amounts of magic are all expected at this level, and the chance of taking casualties are high. A Clinic Noble can feasibly conscript a target within a single engagement.
A Zero target is immensely lethal, with chance of survival (or equivalent, for nonlethal abilities) being functionally nonexistent should so much as a single attack connect. Overwhelming strength, virulent toxins, decay and soul magics, and petrification are all common weapons of Zero targets. A Zero Noble can conscript a target within seconds.
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A Robe target is no more resistant to attack than an unarmored dwarf. Unarmed combat has the potential to be usable upon this target, and a solitary powerful attack is liable to be lethal.
A Shield target is one who is no more resistant to attack than a fully warded and armored battlemage. Many standard attacks will be minimally effective, and multiple otherwise-lethal attacks may be required in concert to properly eliminate the target.
A Metal target is one who is no more durable than an adult dragon. High-grade penetrative attacks and weaponry ought to be employed, and no single attack should be assumed to be lethal. Metal targets also include those who possess substantial regeneration that is believed to be insufficient when returning from full bodily destruction.
A Scale target is as or more durable than an adult dragon. Excessive force is required to stand even a minor chance of overcoming their defenses, often requiring Zero-level attacks to wound. This also applies to targets with extreme self-healing capabilities and may require repeat complete bodily destruction before they are liable to truly die.
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A Crawl target’s normal maximum speed is no faster than the standard endurance run of an unenhanced human. It is reasonable to expect unaided movement could keep up or surpass these targets in speed.
A Walk target’s maximum speed is equal to or less than what the standard Greencloak is expected to have at their disposal, and can be fought safely either at parity or with an advantage.
A Jog target is capable of movement faster than a standard Greencloak has at their disposal, yet not so fast as to be impossible to see or otherwise strike. Fights against such targets will be very difficult, and escape (if desired by the target) is nigh-assured without special preparations.
A Dash target possesses extreme movement capabilities, faster than can be reasonably be expected to follow with standard methodologies. Defensive strategies should be employed if they are on the attack, and pursuit when they are on the retreat is assumed futile.
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The remaining categories have to do with threat management or similar tactical decisions, often determined based on analysis of the grander situation and any peculiarities of a given target, each possessing four ranks.
A Capture score is measured as Pillow, Chain, Knife, and Dust.
A Growth score is measured as Ashes, Embers, Sparks, or Flames.
A Pillow target must be prioritized to be kept alive while restrained, with their ideal state being completely incapacitated and/or unconscious. This may be due to extenuating circumstances, such as a valued target fallen under sway of a Noble, or due to some quirk of a power, such as an Infiltrator who upon death possesses a new victim, restarting the hunt for them. In a war setting, many opposing targets of value would be given a rating of Pillow due to their high value to the war effort.
A Chain target is the default capture rating. They are to be captured if possible, yet their death should not be specifically avoided if doing so would place substantial risk upon any Cloaked. They similarly possess no oddities which should make their restraint unusually difficult.
A Knife target should be killed. For whatever reason, their capture is either impractical or directly dangerous, and thus the focus when facing them should be on direct and maximum lethality.
A Dust target requires additional effort to stay dead, and their death is a priority. When faced in combat, complete and total annihilation including that of the soul should be attempted. Standard lethality is insufficient for a Dust target, yet they are dangerous enough that attempting to be captured is unadvised.
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An Ash target is one whose power will naturally wane over time and thus delaying confrontation is a valid tactic for engaging Greencloak teams. In many cases, they will self-solve their own threat.
A Spark target is assumed the default, a target whose power possesses no particular inherent growth ability, yet distinctly has the possibility to grow in mastery and skill, increasing their threat over time. Sparks ought to be assigned a standard priority, to be dealt with as soon as is feasible and once no higher priorities are in place.
An Ember target is one whose abilities will naturally grow substantially over time. Many new False Blessed fall into this category, with the early days of their new abilities being spent establishing their limits and growing them. However, this also includes some Druids whose menagerie will continue to expand the longer they are allowed to grow and flourish unchecked.
A Flame target is the highest priority, possessed of power that will dramatically grow if given any time. Nobles whose mere presence is enough to instantiate rebellion, Brutes whose might comes from an ability to craft fantastic arms and armor for any situation, or Medics whose empowerment is permanent and untethered from their proximity, enabling them to raise an army of Brutes or more the longer they are left unchecked. They must be prioritized at all cost, including pulling multiple Cloaked teams together to end the threat before it threatens to overwhelm existing response mechanisms.