Hey folks, in my campaign an NPC that is friends with the party just got promoted from a standard city guard to whatever might be just above that. I'm not too familiar with what different military/police ranks and designations mean especially in fantasy/midieval times, hopefully someone out there is? Someone who might command a small group of guards, or command of a certain post in the city or maybe just increased responsibilities.
My world is a cross between typical fantasy/medieval and native american culture, specifically the navajo, hopi, anasazi and other tribes of the the southewest.
Thanks!
In general the lowest ranked decision makers in military or police hierarchies are "sergeants". Sergeants are typically promoted from the ranks of "grunts" or enlisted men. There are usually a series of ranks of sergeants going from the lowly "sergeant" through "master-sergeant" finally reaching "chief-master-sergeant".
The lowest of the aristocracy of military and police hierarchies is usually the "corporal". Corporals are generally commissioned officers, in the past that usually means they have a college degree and have received an official career tenure as an officer. The lowliest corporal outranks the highest sergeant.
Usually.
Nah, Lieutenant's an officer grade. (Of course, in police ranking Officer is lower and vaguer than anywhere else. :P) I'd say Detective or Lance-Corporal, dependent largely on what flavor you're looking for.
If you want it to sound more nature-oriented (not sure if you are looking for a Native American sounding theme):
Warden
Earth Warden
Spirit Warden
Sky Warden
Chief Warden
Earth Wardens being upgraded Wardens with some leadership responsibilities.
Spirit Warden commands teams of Earth and regular Wardens in the field.
Sky Wardens are older, experienced guards who have taken effectively support jobs.
Chief - name says it all. Head copper in the city.
WJ
If you'd like to go with something Roman:
-Centurion
-Senior Centurion
-Praetorian
-Praefectus
-Tribune
-Legatus
-Consul
-Ceasar
thesaurus' are your friends.
Policeman, gendarme, arm*, badge, black and white, captain, centurion, cop, deputy, detective, flatfoot, mounty, noncom, police, police officer , sergeant, sheriff
Watchman,caretaker, curator, custodian, detective, flagman, guard, keeper, lookout, observer, patrol, patrolman, picket, policeman, ranger, scout, security guard, security man, sentinel, sentry, signalman, spotter, spy, ward, warden, watch, watcher
Soldier, GI, Green Beret, airforce member, cadet, cavalryperson, commando, conscript, draftee, enlisted person, fighter, guard, guerrilla, gunner, infantry, infantryperson, marine, mercenary, military person, musketeer, officer, paratrooper, pilot, private, rank, recruit, scout, selectee, serviceperson, soldier, soldier-at-arms, trooper, veteran, volunteer, warmonger, warrior
The lowest of the aristocracy of military and police hierarchies is usually the "corporal". Corporals are generally commissioned officers, in the past that usually means they have a college degree and have received an official career tenure as an officer. The lowliest corporal outranks the highest sergeant.
Hrm...which military structure are you referring to? Because in the American military (for instance), corporal is a non-commissioned rank, below sergeant and above private. Corporals never outrank sergeants.
Classic American Army ranks:
Private
PFC (Private First Class)
Corporal
Sergeant
(various ranks of Sergeant)
2nd Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
General
Terronus: along with the ranks you listed, I believe I've seen the rank Decurio (something along the lines of a sergeant or file leader).
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General military rank structures, in ascending order of rank:
Non-Commissioned Officers: Corporal, Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major
Commissioned Officers: Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, General
Generally, First Sergeants are the right-hand man of a Captain, and Sergeants Major are the right-hand man of a Colonel. They aren't the top guy in charge of anything--they are a commanding officer's counterpart. A Lieutenant probably has a senior Sergeant as his right-hand man. Sergeants and Corporals may be in charge of small elements like platoons, squads, or teams.
General police rank structure, in ascending order:
Policeman, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Chief
A Police Sergeant is probably in charge of all the policemen in a particular watch shift in a small area. A Lieutenant is probably in charge of all shifts in that area or a single watch shift in a larger area. A Captain might be in charge of a whole police station or all shifts in a large area. The Chief of Police is the top policeman in the department.
@Spartakos: I think you are correct... I do recall that centurions where broken down into several ranks, although I can't recall how many or their titles. Plus Decurio just sounds cool
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In the LE world it takes typically a decade to become a "Sergeant", even "Corporal" takes a while, as most LE organizations have very few ranks to begin with. In many, Detective isnt even a rank, its an additional identifier based on the investigation duty. Our modern military ranks are somewhat more numerous than they were in ancient times or even prior to the 19th century. For instance the enlisted Union soldiers were limited to : Private, Corporal, Sergeant, and a few special positions like Quartermaster Sgt, 1st Sgt, and Sergeant Major.
In the LE world it takes typically a decade to become a "Sergeant", even "Corporal" takes a while, as most LE organizations have very few ranks to begin with. In many, Detective isnt even a rank, its an additional identifier based on the investigation duty. Our modern military ranks are somewhat more numerous than they were in ancient times or even prior to the 19th century. For instance the enlisted Union soldiers were limited to : Private, Corporal, Sergeant, and a few special positions like Quartermaster Sgt, 1st Sgt, and Sergeant Major.
LOL I read that as Lawful Evil not Law Enforcement. . .
In British Army ranks the next rank up from Private is Lance-Corporal, then Corporal, Sergeant, Staff/Colour Sergeant, Warrant Officer (Grade 2 then Grade 1). After that it's all Commisioned Officer ranks.
British Navy, it goes: Able Rating, Leading Rating, Petty Officer, Chief petty Officer, Warrant Officer (Grades 1&2)
British Royal Air Force: Aircraftman/woman, Leading Aircraftman/woman, Senior aircraftman/woman, Junior Technician (only in a few trades, rank being phased out), Corporal, Sergeant, Flight Sergeant/Chief technician, Warrant Officer.
The are the watch so I would go with something more flavorful like "Vigil Master" though that should be an over night comander.
Wikipedia knows all:
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_rank#Ancient_and_medieval_ranks]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_rank#Ancient_and_medieval_ranks[url]