R.E.D. Field Team
The R.E.D. sends out teams on all sorts of missions, from collecting samples of writing to eliminating hostile fauna from a future dig site. These teams need to have specific sets of skills to achieve their goals and frequently work best as they learn how the others within a team work in different situations. It is common for teams to recruited from local groups or even mercenaries since they already have the skills needed and require less time to become aquainted with each other.
Composition
Manpower
Most teams consist of 4-7 members, each with basic survival skills and combat knowledge but an overall specific role to fill within the team. There are two primary roles that all teams fill before adding additional members based on relevant skill-sets and mission goals.
Primary Roles:
Field Leader;
A skilled navigator and tracker with a thorough understanding of the terrain the team is expected to encounter. They also often serve as a bodyguard to the Curio when the need arises.
Curio;
Someone with the skills to identify and secure the mission target. This role can be filled by anyone with the specific knowledge anticipated by the director when putting together a team. It might be the understanding of ancient linguistics, familiarity with similar ruins, or an affinity for solving puzzles based on training and experience.
Specialist Roles:
Auspex;
Arcane traps do not rust and many re-arm themselves, making ancient ruins a dangerous environment. Finding and neutralizing these threats before their team sets them off is their primary role. These specialists focus specifically on Abjuration and Divination arcana to protect their team from hazards and to help prevent unescessary setbacks.
Heavy;
A close-combat fighter vital for protecting the team when there isn't space for slinging arrows or arcane bolts. Often disparaged as the 'dumb' one or pack mule, many teams have been saved because they had a Heavy among them.
Infiltrator;
Stealth specialists and equipment technicians, this team member is the precision needle that guides the group along the subtle grooves of a record - they get the party into (and often out of) tight spots.
Mechanic;
Most parties have someone familiar with the ins and outs of deceit, stealth, and misdirection. Should this role go unfilled the R.E.D. squad may request a specialist to fill in until a suitable recruit is assigned.
Equipment
A Dannamore-sanctioned team will always be outfitted with every conceivably useful piece of equipment. This usually consists of enough food for the expected journey and any specific gear they know they'll need, such as insulated clothes, climbing gear, or excavation tools.
Structure
While the squad is on mission the Field Leader is the one issuing orders. Despite any other experience, R.E.D. Command requires every individual applicant be field-worn and stress-tested before being given the opportunity to lead their own squad. Like many military traditions, a Dannamore certified Medic is the only teammate who can officially and directly countermand the orders of another teammate. If any member of their squad is physically or mentally comprimised the Medic can (and should) relieve them of their position.
Beyond the assigned Field Leader role many teams have their own social ecosystem based on interpersonal relationships rather than their role in the team.
Tactics
In one form or another all R.E.D. teams have specific 'plays' that work in any given situation based solely on who is participating on the field. Even the laziest mercenary knows what his allies are capable of and how to contribute in any possible circumstance. By practicing their timing for an extra hard-hitting one-two combo, synchronizing their electrical spells to overcome a beasts' resistence, or an unlimited number of ways, the individuals that make a team learn to align their abilities and work together towards a unified mission.
Training
Certain roles within a R.E.D. team require a specific level of proficiency with related skills. For example, a soldier with a natural knack for mechanical devices wouldn't make a good Medic but could make a strong case to fill the Mechanic or Heavy if they're looking for opportunities.
The university also offers many courses to support someone who wants to join the R.E.D. Although the R.E.D. has only existed for a few years the Etites who interact closely with the university have spread knowledge of the new division further than expected. Being the first 'adventurers guild' officially santioned by the Mansa has brought the thrill of exploration and danger back into the hearts of ambitious or greedy Allegrans across the continent.
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