HomeGuard Adventurer Support Services!

[jcbdragon]

Here's something I came up with to add a bit of 'color' to my campaign world. Not only does it give me ways to legitimately part the characters from their gold, but it also gives me more ways to give the PCs information, adventure hooks, etc.

What do you do, to make your campaign world less generic?


Sign seen at the local tavern:

Are you tired of "retirement" sitting around the tavern telling the same old stories night after night?

Is the innkeeper starting to mutter about the size of your bar bill?

Do you miss travelling and getting to see the world?

Do you want to be a part of some great adventures, but don't want to be the one who has to face down the monsters AGAIN?

Do you want to impart your hard-won experience and wisdom to a new generation of adventurers?

Then join The Home Guard!

Home Guard Adventurer Support Services hires people with appropriate skills to accompany adventurers until they reach their base camp. Home Guards act as pack handlers and teamsters, help set up camp, stand watch (up to two 4-hour shifts/day), keep an eye on camp, tend the animals, cook the meals, and so on while the adventurers go into the dungeon, explore the ruins, or whatever else they're out there for.

Different skill sets command different rates, but some of the most commonly requested ones are cooking, healing, herbalism, and survival.


HomeGuard Adventurer Support Services -- we keep the home fires burning!

​

Services / Skills
Cost

Basic Services:
Pack handler / Teamster
1 gp + 1 gp/lvl

Set up / break down camp
Starting / maintaining campfire
Stand watches (two 4-hour shifts/day)

Cooking
+2 gp/day for chef


Optional Services:
Animal Handler (guard dogs, etc)
+5 sp / day / animal

Armorer
+2 gp / day

Appraiser
+1% of items appraised

Cartographer
+1 gp / day

Chef (Cooking proficiency)
+2 gp / day

Clerk / Scribe
+1 gp / day

First Aid (Healing proficiency)
+3 gp / day

Herbalist
+3 gp / day

Navigator
+1 gp / day

Survival skills
+1 gp / day

Tailor
+1 gp / day



Barred:
Scouting

Entering hazardous zones (dungeons, ruins, areas of heavy/frequent combat, etc.)

Entering combat, except minimum needed to protect self

“Thief” activities (lock picking, trap disarming, etc)

Handling hazardous materials (poison, cursed items, powerful/dangerous magic, etc)

​

Employer Provides
Reasonable food
Shelter appropriate to climate and terrain
Transportation (horse, wagon, berth on ship, etc)
Fair market value for HomeGuard’s resources consumed (Armor repair materials, herbs, inks, paper, etc)
Incidental costs (tolls, fees, etc)

HomeGuard Provides
Personal weapons
Personal armor or other protection
Basic tools needed for their skills
Materials for their skills
May provide personal transportation

 

[trancejeremy]

That's clever. In the old days, we just had 0-level hirelings, not retired adventurers.

I had a retired high-level wizard set up an "Adventurer's Guild" (shamelessly ripped off from CRPG games), which filled the role of taking the PCs money and giving out info and finding quests.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I've got a fistful of high level PC's I'd love to have join up.

I can imagine some of them, watching those young, inexperienced fledgling adventurers going into their dungeon for the first time, while my PC knows he could clear the entire place out himself. Instead he tends the horses, preps dinner and whittles a wooden figurine.

 

[jcbdragon]

I had a retired high-level wizard set up an "Adventurer's Guild" (shamelessly ripped off from CRPG games), which filled the role of taking the PCs money and giving out info and finding quests.

Yes, I've been known to put various guilds out there, too -- Adventurer's Guild, Mage's Guild, Thief's Guild, Bard's Guild, etc. They can serve a lot of purposes, if you put them to good use.

 

[jcbdragon]

I've got a fistful of high level PC's I'd love to have join up.

I can imagine some of them, watching those young, inexperienced fledgling adventurers going into their dungeon for the first time, while my PC knows he could clear the entire place out himself. Instead he tends the horses, preps dinner and whittles a wooden figurine.

I know! And trying not to laugh himself silly listening to their n00b mistakes later!

Of course, HomeGuard has to carefully screen its employees. It wouldn't do to have one of them walk off with all of the PC's gear, money, horses, etc.

*LOVE* the sigline, btw. One of my favorite books!

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

I know! And trying not to laugh himself silly listening to their n00b mistakes later!

Of course, HomeGuard has to carefully screen its employees. It wouldn't do to have one of them walk off with all of the PC's gear, money, horses, etc.

Well if you need some suggestions, I've got plenty on file. I have one specifically that I'd love to incorporate something like this into his retirement.

My PC's tend to be NG in alignment and anyone who reached a high enough level to retire, have had enough wealth and resources beyond what these low level adventurers might acquire in their lifetime, that the basic trinkets the new guys might pick up wouldn't carry much appeal.