The Orca military is arranged in a hierarchy of twelve units.
From the Auxiliary Line up through the elite Targas, Dragons, and Guardians, each unit has two requirements for entrance: combat skill and field experience.
The Orca rewards characters of demonstrated skill by promotion into more advanced units, but advancement requires more than technical proficiency with a weapon.
It is not enough for a member to train incessantly;
the Orca respects action more than potential, and dedication must be shown repeatedly in situations requiring devotion to duty, courage in the face of danger, and loyalty to friends and the ideals of the Orca.
Guardian
Gold Targa Gold Dragon
│ │
Silver Targa Silver Dragon
│ │
Blue Targa Blue Dragon
│ │
└────────────┬────────────┘
│
Spinward Line
│
Vanguard Line
│
Primary Line
│
Mobile Line
│
Auxiliary Line
The divisions among the Orca units are primarily used to determine rank, authority, and equipment.
Except in times of great strife and for long term assignments, there is much mingling among the various units.
Who a character works and fights with is more a question of who he has come to know, rather than who is of his rank.
The names of the units are not indicative of what type of mission a character can go on.
There are no rules forbidding an Orca member from any mission which the mission-leader accepts him for.
Since characters are often possessed of unusual independence and ambition, it is to be expected that they will often operate in circumstances that might be more than the average warrior would undertake.
The Line units are ranked by skill and field experience.
The seasoned troops occupy the Vanguard and Spinward Line.
These two units comprise the bulk of the Orca military and are the backbone of any operation.
Combat Teams are usually composed of members drawn from these line units, with command and support figures drawn from the Targa or Dragon units.
The Primary and Mobile Line units are commonly used for low risk missions such as guarding instaIIations and escort duty.
Members of the Auxiliary Line are relegated to the least dangerous, most mundane tasks and are, to an extent, expected to volunteer for more challenging tasks.
The Targa is a mythical beast from Orca folklore, a huge three-headed creature that breathes fire and is indomitable.
In that tradition the members of the three Targa units are the Orca's elite Combat troops.
They are specialists in hand-to-hand warfare, heavily armored and using superb equipment.
They serve as the heavy assault and shock troops.
Targas lead on the battlefield, and leave strategy to the Dragons.
The sight of a Targa on a battlefield is guaranteed to daunt even the bravest human foe.
Targas lead missions involving direct assault, defense of an outclassed installation, or any other situation involving substantial amounts of hand-to-hand combat.
Taking their name from another mythical creature, the Dragons have a very different method.
Like their namesakes, they are wise and powerful, more than capable in hand-to-hand combat but preferring to use their wits to defeat the enemy.
They handle commando missions and strategic planning, and are skilled in espionage, infiltration, and finesse operations.
Dragons are at their best when behind the lines.
Dragons handle long range planning and leave battlefield tactics to the Targas.
It is the Dragon who sets up an operation, maneuvers the forces to gain the greatest advantage before the battle, then leaves it to the Targa to crush the enemy.
At the pinnacle of the Orca are the Guardians.
There are thirty that are known;
given the nature of the Guardians it is difficult to gauge their numbers or identities.
They direct the long range plans of the Orca, and they coordinate the actions of the various Dragons and Targas.
Guardians are rarely seen, and represent the finest the Orca has to offer.
Promotion to the status of Guardian is strictly by invitation only.
The criteria used are subtle in the extreme, and brilliant schemes and exceptional weapons skill are certainly no guarantee of admittance.
The Orca is an active military machine run by men who respect prowess and courage;
as such they expect bravery, initiative, and skill throughout the ranks.
Only those who demonstrate these properties on Missions receive promotion, rank, status, and training.
The harder the Mission, the more Mission Points awarded.
These Mission Points may be likened to medals and service ribbons given for performing mission and quests in Rhand.
They record the character's past performance, devotion to duty, and field experience.
All Orca units have two requirements for entrance: a minimum Combat Rating, and Mission Points.
These are given on the Orca Unit Description Table 1.1 found at the back of this chapter.
A character's Combat Rating is the largest of his Combat, Martial Arts, Archery, or Magic Skill Levels.
These Skill Levels are determined during character generation, but through training and actual field experience they will increase throughout a character's 25 year career.
In addition to Combat Rating and Mission Points table 1.1 also gives each unit's Rank and Status.
The more experienced and skilled the members of a unit, the greater their Rank and Status.
Rank and Status are important to a character: they affect many aspects of his life in the Orca.
The highest Ranking character commands the Combat Team while on a mission.
The higher his Status the better the character's equipment and standard of living.
As the character gains Status, better quality arms and armor are made available and he is given the opportunity to train in a broader range of skills.
The character uses Status points to requisition equipment.
There will be times when a character could get better weapons or armor by plundering the dead or captured but this practice is abhorred by society at large and the Orca in particular.
The Orca maintains only the equipment a man is entitled to, so after a few fights plundered equipment becomes useless (armor will be rent and torn, weapons dulled and notched).
Orca Military Organization [R-FRP4-8.1.1.1]