The monitor is not only the lowest level of officer, but he is also a magic specialist. His job is to keep his men in line, standardize their spellcasting, and to support them with his magic in battle.
The Lunar Monitors are nominally assigned one per file (if there is a shortage of monitors, not every file gets one -- if there is an excess, the extra are generally assigned to the best maniple). A typical Monitor has a POW of 18 (that's not so extreme, really -- a typical monitor is 30-40 years old, with a starting POW of 14 -- like 10% of the population. Even by the harsh RQ previous experience, they'll all have POW 18). This means that the monitor has 3 MPs available per other man in the file. Just about right for a nice Lunarized standard file length (of 7, including the Monitor).
Ideally, at least one (and hopefully more) monitors in each Maniple have a magic crystal or other source of MPs. It is also very common for a monitor to have one or more points of Rune Magic (typically one-use).
Thus, for example, when a Lunar regiment makes a charge, every single file has its monitor cast Mindblast (for instance) just before the regiment strikes home. Thus, every file faces an enemy who is temporarily discommoded (except for those who resist the spell or have Countermagic high enough). Also, the monitor is responsible for stuff such as casting Fireblade on the front hoplite's spear, or Protection 3 on each of the first four hoplites. Stuff like that. Of course, the hoplites themselves do spell-casting, but the monitor does the lion's share, thus preserving the hoplites' MPs as a first line of defense against enemy magic.
The monitors provide not only offensive oomph, but defensive toughness and endurance to the Lunar unit. They are, in effect, the Lunar substitute for other nation's practice of having priests and acolytes scattered through their regiments. Typically, a Lunar regiment has few priests or sorcerers within its ranks. All such would be organized into one of the College of Magic units.
This doesn't apply to garrison units, of course -- these need to have magic specialists handy, and so priests, acolytes, etc., are assigned to the legion in addition to the many monitors available.
Sandy P.
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