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

[PaulofCthulhu]

Am I the only one who read the title as nasty, British, and short?

No, you're not the only one.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Oh heck yeah, backstabbing, revenge on old rivals, politics, and money were all big factors, lol!!

Any side in about any war (at least historically) always has folk from the "wrong" side, in reality
It's almost never as nice and clear cut as Hollwyood would want us to think, not at all.
While the real history of WIlliam Wallace was different from much of the film, his refusal to switch sides for personal gain was unusual and what got him betrayed by his own side...real chivalry and honour were not that common, which was why folk remarked on it when it occured

Wallace wasn't aversed to what we'd call "war crimes" today, but form what I recall he did , or is alleged, to have prevented the more ruthless elements from being a lot worse).

Richard the Lionheart was a very noble and honourable fighter, terrible king but a very chivalric man indeed...but even he had a stain on his conscience (Seige of Acre).

Sorry for wasitng time on a very good item on a minor niggle, it's just one of those annoying ones, hehe


In my own home brew setting I've long had various well known mercenary races:
Ogres - favoured as heavy shock troopers in heavy armour, used as line breakers etc.
Trolls - long before "war trolls" came about in 3rd ed, I had a Lawful neutral type of troll with that name, who worked as mercenaries and hated ordinary trolls.
Minotaurs - good aligned folk in my games, kind of like oh, Viking-bucaneers, mixed with martial arts, famous for their bravery, passionate fun-loving natures, adore brawling, unarmed combat and axes, and wearing their wealth as jewellery.
Hobgoblins - most definately not "mooks", they'd work for almost anyone, except those with no honour. Not dumb "hack n slashers", they preffer ambush, and good tactics. Small tribal units of 50 to 150 work for many creatures, and are as often lawful neutral as lawful evil.

Hm, I'd love to see a 4th ed book about such

nasty, British, and short?

Sounds like a refference to those of us who live in the North of this island, so it does....
The Cameronian regiment was known as "The Poison Dwarves", lol.

 

[SHARK]

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?

Membership Benefits of A Mercenary Company

Greetings!

Ah, the benefits for someone in particular of being a member of one of these mercenary companies?!!!--I see now.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS OF A MERCENARY COMPANY

The Mercenary Template

(1) Vigorous, Disciplined Training
Mercenaries are trained vigorously and continuously in the harsh discipline of military life. While mercenary bands and companies typically do not have
many of the same standards of conformity, appearance, heirarchical bureaucracies and rigid protocols of typical royal, professional armies--they are every bit as methodical, disciplined, and innovative in regards to training, military skills, and all aspects of military discipline. In many ways, the unforgiving realities of the military and political world--as well as the unflinching demands of the battlefield--dictate and maintain this reality, and continuously enforce such absolute standards. Mercenary bands ad companies that fail to maintain and enforce these essentials of military training, organization, and operations, simply do not survive through military campaigns, as such undisciplined, ill-equipped, and foolish mercenaries and their like-minded mercenary leaders, regardless of any particular political standing, social status, or personal wealth, are typically killed in short order during battles where they are quickly and easily defeated by more professional and disciplined forces. Of the pitiful survivors, there is little market demand for failed, undisciplined, and entirely unsuccessful mercenary bands, companies, or regiments.

Mercenaries gain a bonus of +2 to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom.

(2) Professional Training In Multiple Weapons
Mercenaries are exposed to not only the knowledge and training of a wide variety of different weapons, but also have routine and regular access to
professional, highly-skilled instructors that are experts in particular weaponry. This benefits mercenaries in that they typically gain knowledge and training
in a somewhat wider variety of weapons than even many typical professional royal soldiers do.

Mercenaries gain (2) selections of Exotic Weapon Proficiencies, (or other weapons not typically available in their culture or region) as well as Weapon Focus in each of the selected weapons.

(3) Professional Training In A Variety of Martial Arts and Close Combat Skills
In a similar manner to mercenaries' exposure and continuous training with a wide variety of weapons, mercenaries are exposed to many different martial
arts and close combat skills, styles and techniques. Mercenaries are typically surrounded by strangers and foerigners from distant lands and starnge
cultures, and such fellow brother mercenaries typically have excellent skills in their own native styles of martial combat. Mercenaries are typically
provided with extensive training in a wide variety of martial arts and close combat skills and techniques.

Mercenaries gain Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple, Endurance, and Die Hard as free bonus feats.

(4) Exposure To Many Foreign Languages
Mercenaries typically are recruited in various units and groups, often containing members from a distinct, homogenous region, and often a unit may have a particular famous national, cultural, or ethnic reputation. However, many such units, as well as many mercenary units in general, recruit with an entirely open recruiting policy; In addition, most mercenary companies also recruit new members from whatever region or theater of operations they are
conducting operations in, or otherwise participating in wars or missions in; Mercenary companies are always in need and on the search for new recruits
and members to the company's ranks, and are thus prone to recruiting any likely candidate that shows some promise as being a mercenary, regardless of
where they are, or the recruit's personal, ethnic, racial or cultural heritage or background. From such egalitarian and open recruiting policies, most
mercenaries routinely serve alongside fellow mercenaries that speak and are fluent in several foreign languages.

Mercenaries gain (2) selections of foreign languages as free, bonus languages.

(5) Specialized Knowledge in One Climate/Region
Mercenaries typically fight extensive campaigns and wars in a variety of climates and terrains. Usually, everyone in an entire mercenary unit will share the same climate and terrain specialties, though individual members of course may be familair and skilled in more than one type of climate and terrain. In
addition, a mercenary company may have different units within its organization that have particular climate and terrain specialties. Over time, mercenary companies typically insure that all members, regardless of where they happen to be from orginally, or what particular unit they are currently serving in, learn and are fully trained in at least one type of major climate and terrain specialty.

Mercenaries gain (1) Climate/Terrain Selection, and a choice of (4) appropriate, corresponding climate/terrain feats as free bonus feats.

(6) Friends In Low Places!
Mercenaries are infamous for carousing about the dark, dangerous quarters of any town or city they visit, and frequently spend much of their time and
far too much of their hard-earned pay--in places like brothels, gambling houses, and rough taverns. The mercenaries' long experience and exposure to such places typically gathers several contacts, associates, and even occasionally friends, from these kinds of experiences.

Mercenaries gain and develop 3-8 Social Contacts from typically lower-to-middle eschelons of society, from a variety of professions, classes and
backgrounds.

(7) A Band of Brothers
Mercenaries develop powerful, close-knit emotional and social bonds with each other through the months and years of shared danger in numerous
campaigns of wars and danger. The mercenary can often gain access to loans and special supplies and services through fellow brother mercenaries,
either directly from them, or through close trusted contacts and old friends that they refer them to for helping a brother mercenary and friend in need.

Mercenaries can secure loans of upwards of 20,000 GP/Character level. Such loans are paid with expected interest of 5-10%, repaid in how many
years required or agreed to by the mercenary and the lender. In addition, mercenaries may gain access to specialized gear, resources, or supplies, either free, or at 25% discounts from standard prices. Furthermore, mercenaries may also have access to a variety of unusual services and sources of strange, unusual, or obscure knowledge. The DM should adjudicate such specialized resources in a meaningful and significant manner for the mercenary character, typically useable no more than 1/month.

(8) Learning Additional Professions and Trades
Mercenaries often enjoy opportunities to learn new professions and trades, from fellow mercenary brothers that are also skilled in a variety of other
professions and skills. More than a few mercenary companies develop trained specialists within their mercenary halls, base camps, and also maintain
workshops within the field. Often these various professions are trades focused on particular skills used and needed by the mercenaries, from
blacksmithing, weaponsmithing, carpentry, and leatherworking, to ropemakers, teamsters, as well as more mundane skills like cooking, brewing, and baking.

Mercenaries gain a special +4 bonus in any (6) skills, selected from Profession, Perform, or Crafting skills.

(9) Advanced Training
Mercenaries gain advanced training over time spent in numerous wars and campaigns.

Mercenaries gain (2) free bonus feats--these are typically specialized and tailored to the character's talents, interests or class.

(10) Equipment, Weapons, Armor and Gear
Mercenaries are provided with appropriate armor, weapons, equipment, and gear from the mercenary companies' workshops, brother-specialists, or
other supply contacts. Such equipment is made available as a mercenary needs a particular item or gear; certainly, the individual mercenary may already possess a superior item, or at least a particular item of gear that is favoured. Mercenaries are famous for--and even celebrated--as being equipped and skilled in particular racial or ethnic weaponry, armour, and gear.

Requirements and Obligations

Naturally, while the template is available to all races and classes, and provides a number of excellent and generous benefits--it is suggested that the DM provide that the player character acquires a particular benefit, or perhaps 1-3 benefits, per month of time "in-game" that the player character is an active member of the mercenary company. This generally requires the player character to actively serve with a mercenary company for a minimum of approximately 18 months or so to gain all of the benefits of the template over such time. Furthermore, to gain the template, the player characters must agree to the Mercenary Company's Service Contract. Generally speaking, these contracts are signed oaths of obedience, discipline, and loyalty to the Mercenary Company, with a tour of duty being 2-4 years. Unlike a professional, royal army, however, a mercenary can freely leave the service of the Mercenary Company at any time--however, subject to special conditions--like during a campaign, siege, etc--the character must pay a sum of gold equal to the mercenary's monthly pay, for the remaining "lost" months or years that the mercenary signed on to serve, with an additional +50% retainer fee, to cover separation costs and new recruitment fees.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK