A Life that is Nasty, Brutish and Short: Mercenaries!

[Galloglaich]

So, I'm curious...

Your rules seem to focus mainly on mercenaries with regards to military forces in large-scale battles. How would adapt these rules for a D&D game, which typically revolves around what you would consider to be a "Small Mercenary Team"?

I have an idea for a mercenary group, the "Streukatzen". Which would consist of a network of, effectively, self-contained adventuring groups -- not unlike what would normally called an "Adventuring Guild" in D&D. Each team would have a half-dozen or so specialists (PCs) that could be hired out for less than what it would normally cost to hire an entire mercenary unit, and be used for jobs that don't require an entire company of soldiers... Private investigations, espionage, assassination, sabotage, theft, kidnapping, bodyguarding, scouting, etc.

What sort of rules might you suggest, SHARK, for the larger organization providing training and support to this sort of small unit?

I know you were asking Shark about this not me, and for rules not flavor,. but if you will forgive me for interjecting, I might suggest you could look at the fencing fraternities of Renaissance Europe as an example.

These were very similar to what you are talking about in many respects. One was called the Marxbrüder (Brotherhood of St. Mark aka the original "Marx Brothers") and included such notables as Albrecht Durer, or their Czech rivals the Federfechter (Feather Fighter, apparently due to their originally being a scribes guild) or "Friefechter" (Free fighters)

Keep in mind, when I say fencing I'm not talking efete lords prancing about with foils and epees, I'm talking about hard core urban commoners who were expert well rounded martial artists that fought with two-handed swords, longswords, swords and bucklers, staves, messers (similar to a machete) and ringen which is unarmed fighting analagous to jujitsu. They were good enough fighters that they had monopolies on certifying soldiers as expert fencers, thus qualifying them for double pay (so called Dopplesoldners)

Brotherhood of St. Mark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Federfechter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

G.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Just a note:

The British Empire famously hired and formed various mercenary regiments of Scottish Highlanders, as well as German Hessians, and Indian Gurkas from the mountainous lands and jungles of India.

The "British EMpire" could not hire Scottish mercenaries per se, as Scots were British when you are talking about the time of the Empire (after the Union of the Crowns)
They'd be British soldiers, hm?

Note I'm Scots, but whether folk liek it or not, we're all British, at the moment anyay, "United Kingdom of Great Britain" also, we live in the British Isles, Welsh, Scots and ENglish, we're all British.
British does not mean "England" no matter what folk think, but alas, it's come to mean that some how, sigh.

You mean England hiring Scot's mercenaries before the Union, perhaps?
The oldest existing regiments in the world are Scots, going back to the 1600s.

The French enjoyed a long tradition of hiring Scots mercenaries.

Ghurkas rock, my grandpa loved the little guys, incredibly brave folk

 

[Galloglaich]

Just a note:


The "British EMpire" could not hire Scottish mercenaries per se, as Scots were British when you are talking about the time of the Empire (after the Union of the Crowns)
They'd be British soldiers, hm?

Note I'm Scots, but whether folk liek it or not, we're all British, at the moment anyay, "United Kingdom of Great Britain" also, we live in the British Isles, Welsh, Scots and ENglish, we're all British.
British does not mean "England" no matter what folk think, but alas, it's come to mean that some how, sigh.

You mean England hiring Scot's mercenaries before the Union, perhaps?
The oldest existing regiments in the world are Scots, going back to the 1600s.

The French enjoyed a long tradition of hiring Scots mercenaries.

Ghurkas rock, my grandpa loved the little guys, incredibly brave folk

Pre-1600 most Scottish mercenaries were fighting against the English, such as the Redshanks and the Hebridian Gallowglass mercenaries described in the article linked above.

G.

 

[Pbartender]

I know you were asking Shark about this not me, and for rules not flavor,. but if you will forgive me for interjecting, I might suggest you could look at the fencing fraternities of Renaissance Europe as an example.

No worries... That's good stuff. I really hadn't considered of looking at the old fencing guilds for inspiration. It gives me something to think about.

 

[SHARK]

So, I'm curious...

Your rules seem to focus mainly on mercenaries with regards to military forces in large-scale battles. How would adapt these rules for a D&D game, which typically revolves around what you would consider to be a "Small Mercenary Team"?

I have an idea for a mercenary group, the "Streukatzen". Which would consist of a network of, effectively, self-contained adventuring groups -- not unlike what would normally called an "Adventuring Guild" in D&D. Each team would have a half-dozen or so specialists (PCs) that could be hired out for less than what it would normally cost to hire an entire mercenary unit, and be used for jobs that don't require an entire company of soldiers... Private investigations, espionage, assassination, sabotage, theft, kidnapping, bodyguarding, scouting, etc.

What sort of rules might you suggest, SHARK, for the larger organization providing training and support to this sort of small unit?

Indeed, my friend, small teams of mercenaries can easily be hired for whatever kind of work required--investigations, extra muscles, urban security, joining the adventuring party on a dungeon expedition, escorting a caravan, and so on.

The Mercenary Team (3-8 members; roll 1d6+2) is a pretty good size, and flexible for almost any kind of potential small-scale mission. Such a small mercenary team would still of course be led by an NCO, and they would answer directly to whomever their employers were.

Small Mercenary Squad Pay Rates (Each member of the mercenary team is paid this rate/week as the base pay required)
01-10% 4 GP/Character Level/Week
11-20% 5 GP/Character Level/Week
21-30% 6 GP/Character Level/Week
31-40% 7 GP/Character Level/Week
41-50% 8 GP/Character Level/Week
51-60% 9 GP/Character Level/Week
61-70% 10 GP/Character Level/Week
71-85% 15 GP/Character Level/Week
86-95% 20 GP/Character Level/Week
96-00% 25 GP/Character Level/Week

Mission Pay Adjustments/Mercenary Company Organization Fees

Small Unit Missions
General Security/Intimidation (Fixed, or moving, traveling, as needed); Add 1-3 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 25%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Escort Missions; Add 2-4 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 30%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Guard Location Missions (i.e. Guard this warehouse; guard this tavern); Add 1-3 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 25%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Caravan Escort Missions; Add 1-3 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 25%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Hunting and Killing A Target ("Bring me his head on a pike!"); Add 3-8 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 40%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Diplomatic/Court Missions; Add 1-6 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 25%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Rescue Mission (Locate, Extract, and Return a Specific Person); Add 5-10 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 40%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Retrieve A Specific Item; Add 3-8 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 25%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Dungeon Missions; Add 5-10 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 50%/week of total team weekly pay rate.

Deep Dungeon/Foreign Expedition; Add 7-12 GP/Week. Mercenary Company Fee is 50%/week of total team weekly pay rate.


The small Mercenary Team would typically be hired for 4 GP/Character Level/Week. Especially dangerous or insane missions they would double their rates or even triple, quadruple, or quintuple them. (x2, x3, x4, or x5 base rates of GP/week). The NCO in charge would command a Bonus of say, 25% of his own weekly pay as an additional bonus for his rank and additional experience. Thus, for example, a typical level 5 Fighter Mercenary would make 20 GP/week as a normal salary for most kinds of general work. His Sergeant, a level 6 Fighter, would be making 24 GP+25%=30GP/week as a salary.

I have generally been purposely vague on providing a whole lot of hard "economic" features, because it seems so often that people institute their own economic models. Some are wildly inflationary and advanced, while others insist that a few silver pieces a day makes for an outstanding wage.
Thus, there may be some necessity for a DM to make various adjustments to their wages and so on. Generally, however, the strong guideline is made with the following considerations always in mind when determining the mercenaries expected rates of pay, salaries, and compensation;

(1) Mercenaries are *self-employed* essentially;

(2) Mercenaries are *in demand*;

(3) Mercenaries provide professional skills, knowledge and expertise;

(4) Mercenaries typically do not operate with necessarily the same qualms, sanctions, cultural taboos, or other such concerns that most people from a particular region or culture may embrace. This has generally provided mercenaries with a somewhat *Ruthless* reputation. However, while many mercenaries are often concerned with the law, as well as honour, and may have other personal requirements and restrictions about various missions--generally speaking, mercenaries are a bit more hard-core, ruthless, and less rstrained than others. This reputation for efficiency, ruthlessness, and focused dedication to simply accomplishing the mission and getting a job done--is itself a sort of "benefit" and strong selling point for mercenaries.

(5) Mercenaries, while not rich, nonetheless insist on much higher wages than the typical labourer or even a bodyguard might make; even comparable or higher than well-trained professionals, because mercenaries are well-trained professionals that break people's legs, fight and kill people, and risk their lives in very dangerous battles and missions. If the mercenaries wanted to risk their lives while earning nickels, then they could have just re-enlisted into the ranks of whatever royal army or noble's army in their native land.

Thus, some quick and smooth guidelines for hiring small mercenary teams for all kinds of missions, especially missions appropriate to the needs and goals of a group of adventurers. As far as particular training and support--the employers could ask that whatever mercenaries made available for the mission by the larger organization of the Mercenary Company possess specific skills, for example; all mercenaries on this escort mission of a nobleman to a foreign land for trade negotioations must have good skills in Bluff, Diplomacy, Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive. Otherwise known as "Skilled in Diplomatic/Courtly Environments" The DM would then make sure each of the mercenaries on the team possessed some good skill ranks in the required skills. With gear, the Mercenary Company no doubt has plenty of resources on hand--or it can easily and quickly get them--to provide a good range of specialized gear and equipment for a variety of environments and challenges. Naturally, such extra provisions of equipment and gear would require a considerable increase in the weekly salary for the mercenaries on hired for the mission.

I provided the above table as a quick scale of various qualities and pay demands made within a market for mercenaries, that the DM can easily select from based on what is appropriate for the local economy. Obviously, even in a particular region where most mercenary companies charge say, between 4-8 GP/character level/week, there might be some that charge 25 GP/character level/week. Why might they do this? They might do this because they only want to work for the wealthiest of employers; they may have exceptionally talented leadership or training; or they may have specialized equipment and gear that is easier for them to obtain and equip than others, and thus this allows them to typically be capable of more than other mercenary units. (For example, a mercenary company that provides even its small teams with several potions of invisibility, strength, healing, etc, for each member)

Do these guidelines help, my friend?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Pre-1600 most Scottish mercenaries were fighting against the English, such as the Redshanks and the Hebridian Gallowglass mercenaries described in the article linked above.

G.

that's what I noted Scots mercenaries were favoured by the French, as I said, and whom did the French fight a lot? Our Southern cousins.
But the British Empire did not hire "Scottish" mercenaries...privateers though, are another matter perhaps. The "Empire" did not exist until the Union of Parliaments.

Sorry, folk need to be precise about such things. Our history is very interesting, as individual nations and as a union of them.
Union of Crowns 1606, Union of Parliaments 1707.

Bit of a pain I know, but we're an odd bunch on this little island

 

[SHARK]

that's what I noted Scots mercenaries were favoured by the French, as I said, and whom did the French fight a lot? Our Southern cousins.
But the British Empire did not hire "Scottish" mercenaries...privateers though, are another matter perhaps. The "Empire" did not exist until the Union of Parliaments.

Sorry, folk need to be precise about such things. Our history is very interesting, as individual nations and as a union of them.
Union of Crowns 1606, Union of Parliaments 1707.

Bit of a pain I know, but we're an odd bunch on this little island

Greetings!

My apologies, then, my friend. I mistakenly conflated the oftentimes mercenary attitudes and customs of many Scottish warriors seeking service within the ranks of the English/British Empire from roughly the period of 1300-1800. From what I have studied, it was a fairly common practice for many Scottish warriors to sign on with the English--and later British--as a way of gaining not merely a skill or profession--but as a source of income from which they would send coin back to the impoverished families living in the countryside. The political dimensions varied of course between generations and eras--as many Scottish warriors so serving clearly and often had no special love for the Enlgish--or British Empire, but rather, saw their service in strictly utilitarian terms of being able to provide a better life for their families back home. Furthermore, it is my understanding that this trend became such a popular avenue of improving their lives, that because so many Scottish warriors sought such service under the English Crown that the British Empire formed the Scottish Highlander Regiments, from which they subsequently became historically famous as ferocious shock troops of the empire.

Again, though, my apologies for my misunderstanding. As a historian, I freely admit--my knowledge is much less precise after...about 1500 AD.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Galloglaich]

Greetings!

My apologies, then, my friend. I mistakenly conflated the oftentimes mercenary attitudes and customs of many Scottish warriors seeking service within the ranks of the English/British Empire from roughly the period of 1300-1800. From what I have studied, it was a fairly common practice for many Scottish warriors to sign on with the English--and later British--as a way of gaining not merely a skill or profession--but as a source of income from which they would send coin back to the impoverished families living in the countryside. The political dimensions varied of course between generations and eras--as many Scottish warriors so serving clearly and often had no special love for the Enlgish--or British Empire, but rather, saw their service in strictly utilitarian terms of being able to provide a better life for their families back home. Furthermore, it is my understanding that this trend became such a popular avenue of improving their lives, that because so many Scottish warriors sought such service under the English Crown that the British Empire formed the Scottish Highlander Regiments, from which they subsequently became historically famous as ferocious shock troops of the empire.

Again, though, my apologies for my misunderstanding. As a historian, I freely admit--my knowledge is much less precise after...about 1500 AD.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Actually there were always factions who sided with the English, particularly some of the Lowland Clans, and others who sided with the independence factions, the Scottish crown, the Jacobins etc. But individuals and Clans would switch sides some times depending on how the wind was blowing. Robert the Bruce himself switched sides more than once before becomming a full blown enemy of the British crown.

G.

 

[SHARK]

Actually there were always factions who sided with the English, particularly some of the Lowland Clans, and others who sided with the independence factions, the Scottish crown, the Jacobins etc. But individuals and Clans would switch sides some times depending on how the wind was blowing. Robert the Bruce himself switched sides more than once before becomming a full blown enemy of the British crown.

G.

*LAUGHS* Indeed, I suppose that when a particular noble changes sides--often because they were explicitly bribed and paid with gold, lands, and additional noble titles and authority--that sort of not only defines *mercenary*--but also takes the term and profession of mercenary to new heights, as it were.

Quite true, though Galloglaich, sad but true.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Pbartender]

Do these guidelines help, my friend?

Oh yes, they do help some, but...

I'm afraid, I may not have been specific. I'm aiming to have the PCs as a part of the mercenary "Guild", and NPCs be the ones doing the hiring. Now, that's not all that different form the standard D&D paradigm in which the PCs get offered a reward in exchange for some service, like killing a dragon or rescuing the princess. Normally, though, they are acting as freelance adventurers, outside the organizational authority.

What I'm talking about is giving professional adventurers (PCs) the support, resources and training of a structured organization. What might that support look like, and what would the organization ask for in return?