Minimum stat line for ex-flight officer mage, in nWoD?

Question

I'm going to be making a character for a mage the awakening game, and I want them to be ex-military (fighter pilot). We start at 0xp.

The history is that after being enlisted he goes MIA during a storm, this is when he awakens to the path of Obrimos. I was thinking depending on the story setting, it would either be Viet Nam or Falklands. Either way he appears some years later. He can be very fresh to his career as a fighter pilot.

What's the minimum they'd need to join and get to a rank where they could have been a fighter pilot?

Answer 1

You can find this in "Dogs of War."

Here's what you need to make it through Basic Training (page 16):

A character must have at least 2 in every Attribute except Manipulation, which can be 1; a minimum Willpower of 5, a minimum Morality of 6 and no derangements. All of the other requirements above fall under a character’s history and Flaws.

Basic training also provides the following Skills to recruits:

• Mental Skills: Academics 1 and either Computer 1, Crafts 1, Investigation 1, Medicine 1 or Politics 1.
• Physical Skills: Brawl 1, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Weaponry 1, and a total of five points between Athletics, Stealth and Survival, with at least one point in each.
• Social Skills: Intimidation 1, Persuasion 1 and either Empathy 1 or Subterfuge 1.

There's an extended description of the kinds of Specialties and Merits you can purchase along the way, but that's your minimum. Being a fighter pilot means, of course, having the appropriate specialty in Drive, too.

Answer 2

In addition to the basic training requirements listed in Dogs of War, a pilot will require at a minimum: Drive and appropriate speciality; enough Academics for a bachelor's degree (at least. Higher ranking officers will require Expression and additional Academics to represent War College), and at least some survival and intimidation (resist intimidation) to represent SERE school. You are also very, very likely to be unable to take any physical or mental flaws. Combat Pilots are the top half of one percent and they know it.

For someone beyond a butterbar, you may also want to look at various skills and merits to represent leadership responsibilities of higher rank.

Edit: This is for a serving officer, or one who was released for sleeping with someone else's wife or a member of his flight team; or perhaps for an inappropriate or too visible tattoo. Someone who was discharged for a Section 8 (Mental) or Physical problem could well not meet the requirements anymore, particularly morality or flaws). Note that unless the pilot committed a felony equivalent, they are likely just 'not renewed for their slot' or otherwise given an honorable discharge. (Or a discharge that becomes honorable if they are not charged with a crime for six months after separation.