The ArCorps

## **The Evolution of the Arcane Corps**

The Arcane Corps had humble beginnings hidden far out of sight of the high-profile Stonehearth Merchant Company. It was a collection of those who could apply the principles of science to the field of magic: a subject that by its very name was byzantine, arbitrary and subjective – or as most would describe it: *arcane*.

Well before it rose to the organization of a "corps," the group was still an extremely secretive effort. They found success as their process of theory, experimentation and analysis answered questions and uncovered the physics and mathematics of magic. And then something strange happened: *the arcane started to make sense*.

Their research streamlined ancient problems that were simply assumed to be endemic to the nature of the weave. They found taps into raw magic could power processes that previously required human souls to channel. Souls were inefficient conductors at best, but now they saw reasons for the clinical detachment of so many historical, magical groups: from the High Magic elves to the Netherese.

Very quickly, they dug into the raw magic beneath the weave. They were able to produce scrolls, potions and enchantments at a power and rate that was unprecedented in recorded history. They powered the rise of Baldur's Gate to the pinnacle of the Sword Coast – then beyond.

They remained as far behind the scenes as they could, for as long as they could, but the power of what they produced attracted attention from places that boggled the imagination. They'd been around for nearly a hundred years before the name itself leaked out: *the Stonehearth Arcane Corps*. Insiders knew them as *ArCorps*.

## **The Heart and Soul of *Mind***

The core of the Corps is staffed by wizards, usually wizard-engineers. After that comes wizard-clerks, wizard-technicians, and wizard-[anything]. The key is being able to learn and empower new spells on a regular basis, and that's the purview of the wizards, though it's not *entirely* exclusive.

There are specialists of every stripe in the ArCorps ranks, however *"What sorcery is this?"* is not typically a phrase heard in the ArCorps (everybody knows it's "wizardry" instead). The exception usually proves the rule, but there are also sorcerers, bards, clerics and even the odd warlock in the ranks.

The ArCorps covers everybody that is a graduate of the Stonehearth magical training program and who continue to be employed by House Stonehearth. Little is said about the "Stonehearth Magic College," the most sought-after arcane education by some margin, beyond that they never want to leave.

The real secret is that there is no "Stonehearth Magic College," or any single academy, school, university or so on. The closest to that is run by the Houses of the Mageweave Barony, some 20 miles east of North Point.

Rather, the way Stonehearth trains and educates is a modular series of sessions that are delivered as needed to *every part of the House*, from the political center to the Merchant Company to the Arms. The educational crux of ArCorps is a network, flowing through the House like magical lifeblood.

The ArCorps' *Books of Learning* would be enough to teach the methods by themselves, but the books are used only to prime the lesson and augment what the instructors do.

## **Magic Builds Character**

Players who choose a character whose path goes through the ArCorps must work with their DM/GM to figure out what's best for their campaign:

* *A character who is **in** the ArCorps*...
* *A character who is **from** the ArCorps*...

Like characters who have served in the Arms, the nature of the campaign will dictate (or at least influence) the choice here. A person who is in the ArCorps receives a salary with generous bonuses, has benefits, and will remain comparatively close to home.

A person who is *from* the ArCorps is now a fully-freelance adventurer and may go to wherever their will takes them. While they still might work *with* Stonehearth in some capacity, they are independent contractors. In game terms, this means the character will multiclass into a civilian casting class, and won't have the benefit of the deep training and educational resources within the House.

## Special Duties

Note: it's fully possible that Stonehearth would train a position-specific caster as a matter of course, then shift priorities and reassign them to "special duties" ...which just happen to tie in to the campaign goals. In these situations, the mission is often both covert and clandestine; where the damage done shouldn't be traced back to Stonehearth, but if it's done right, the target won't even know something was ever done.

If this sounds like a good compromise, work with the DM/GM to figure out a campaign-compatible, large-scale special mission or assignment that this ArCorps specialist would be pursuing.

### **Playing as a Stonehearth caster**

Players can roll a character of any level and find a place where they’re going to fit into the Stonehearth ArCorps. Talk with the DM/GM about level expectations for the campaign and that will guide the character building process.

A Stonehearth *anything* is likely to be overpowered by the traditional sense of balancing to Challenge-Rated game scenarios. Balancing that out, the situations that bubble up around Primal Magic tend be more hazardous, volatile, reactive, and otherwise hostile. Stonehearth and the Marquisate it serves has a big, giant target painted on it. Also, playing as an OP character, especially early on, gives the player more room to feel out how this character works.

### **Magic on Two Axis**

The ArCorps is separated into two primary groups: *Prime* and *Arms*. The separation comes from the very early days of Stonehearth based on the philosophy that there is the business of Arms – *and the business of anything else*. And for business' sake, the SMC lives by the business of *everything else*.

Both sides know enough spells from the other sides' specialty that they can muddle through adjunct and auxiliary necessities, from logistics spells for the Arms and the occasional fireball for Prime. When it's a high priority mission for an arm, a rep from the *other* arm may be attached as an advisor.

Any character that's *in* the ArCorps is likely to be living comfortably, while anyone *from* the ArCorps is likely to start out wealthy. This means the player *might* need to find alternate motivation for adventuring.

The introduction and indoctrination are universal among both groups. After three months of living and breathing theory and applied mechanics, initiates separate into their respective groups.

#### **The Arcane Corps Arms**

The ***ArCorps Arms***, like the rest of the Arms it supports, is efficient and lethal. It is designed around a single function: *the mission*. Whether that is lethal or non-lethal force, the Arms do not discriminate in researching and mastering the absolutely fastest way to end a conflict. This is a terrible business model, but a deadly efficient military model.

* **Check out the ArCorps Arms**

#### **The Arcane Corps Prime**

The ***ArCorps Prime*** do *everything else*. From the instruction to the politics to SMC research, development and production. The Prime arm is larger by a wide margin, and generally perceived to be more friendly (and likewise received more openly by entities both within and around the House). Prime also hosts the ArCorps Support, the backbone of the roving instructor cadres that teach all methods *outside* the Arms.

* **Check out the ArCorps Prime**