Hireling, henchmen, extras and redshirts.

[frankthedm]

In previous editions, it seemed common enough that the players brought hirelings, pack animals, torch bearers and other types of extras with them. Some might not go into “the dungeon”, but having NPCs with had some uses. Hackmaster, in a bit of gallows humor even expects the players to have these red shirts with so that when a deadly monster shows up, the players can see they are in over their heads by how fast the NPCs get cleaved trough.

But how often in 3E does this happen? Is the party just the PCs or do they hire a torchbearer [Commoner 1] with more GP than he makes in a year? Maybe a mercenary or two. A spear carrier here and there. I doubt [m]any parties would take this to the Zapp Brannigan level of sending wave after wave of NPCs at the monsters until they reached their stomach limit. But if they did, do tell.

 

[TarionzCousin]

In D&D, my players hired a couple mooks to watch their horses and camp while the PC's went into the dungeon.

In Hackmaster, our group lost two NPC Torchbearers before the first PC died.

 

[Nifft]

They are not consistent in this regard. Sometimes there are twice as many NPCs as PCs, often times there are none. (I'm counting Cohorts as NPCs for this measure.)

They never use the NPCs as redshirts, but perhaps they should do that. Hmm. I'll give them the option.

Cheers, -- N

 

[was]

there are usually one or two npcs running around as monster bait

 

[xrpsuzi]

Maybe our group are a bunch of softies or Joe is a vicious dm, but we always get attached the NPCs that could become hirelings/red shirts.

Hate to see them killed. Never got over loosing the Shiner gnomes (named after the beer and the caps were cheap minis).

-Suzi

 

[mmadsen]

In previous editions, it seemed common enough that the players brought hirelings, pack animals, torch bearers and other types of extras with them. Some might not go into “the dungeon”, but having NPCs with had some uses. Hackmaster, in a bit of gallows humor even expects the players to have these red shirts with so that when a deadly monster shows up, the players can see they are in over their heads by how fast the NPCs get cleaved trough.

We're definitely "old school" when it comes to NPCs, and the spear-carriers definitely let the players see when they're in over their heads, but they won't accept being used as disposable tools.

 

[ivocaliban]

I currently have only one player (a Swashbuckler/Dread Pirate), so NPCs abound. Every captain needs a crew, after all.

 

[Kelek72]

Zapp Brannigan refrence...cool.

 

[Kelleris]

My home group never used anything like this, with the occasional exception of an animal companion or what-not. And animal companions only ever showed if they were integral to the character, so we worked almost as hard to save them as we did to save endangered PCs.

I recently moved, though, and of the 6 players in this new group 4 of them have cohorts. I can't say I'm especially fond of the bloated-feeling party we have...

 

[xrpsuzi]

Zapp Brannigan refrence...cool.

Brannigan's Love is like Brannigan's Law....

OK, sorry, couldn't resist. Nothing to see here.

-Suzi