Combat Sign

A form of communication developed for the elven Infiltrator teams that has spread to mercenary and adventuring groups.

History

Hand signals are not uncommon amongst military groups, with gestures and flag movements used to convey orders even when it is impossible to hear what is being said. However, most of these tend to be relatively simple, with at most a few dozen orders that can be sent. With the complexiy of the missions undertaken by the infiltrator teams this proved far to limiting. some experiments were carried out in using magical communication between minds but this was found to be limited in terms of time and those who cast the magic so this system of hand signals was developed.
The nature of the signals remained a secret for centuries until a former infiltrator turned adventurer taught them to their group. While the full range of commands was not shared it was enough the adventurers to be more effective and when the group went their separate ways the knowledge was shared with further adventuring groups.

Simple vs Full

Many adventurers and soldiers learn the simple form of combat sign that uses larger gestures that are easy to make and interpret. This generally provides a sufficient range of orders for most situations and learning it is seen as being within the capabilities of even the shorter lived species.
The full form of combat sign contains nearly five times as many orders and variations on commands. However, this form uses much more subtle movements that take considerably more practice to master. This isn't considered worthwhile for most soldiers, and adventurers are rarely willing to take the time either. Most of the Fleeting humanoids are incapable of the precision needed to make the signs correctly, and many cannot even see the difference between signs..