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<blockquote data-quote="Bendris Noulg" data-source="post: 1482168" data-attributes="member: 6398">I think the book is a tad off on a few points. For instance, the rates you cite would (in my mind) be related mostly to a short-term, high-risk assignment (as &quot;roaming&quot; mercenaries seems more the books focus despite having the soldier-styled Legionaire Class). I pretty much always go with a ratio of Ability + Term + Risk...<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">You don't hire a high level Fighter to guard a door unless you know something big's going to come through it, but you don't send the King's daughter and her dowery on a long journey to her husband-to-be with a few Warrior-1 grunts to guard her.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Long term assignments (i.e., guaranteed income over an extended period of time) is always going to pay less on a daily basis than a 1-3 day mission because you never know when the next mission will present itself (i.e., 20-60 gold isn't much if it's the only job you get in a month).</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Risk of assignment is always a factor; Maintaining watches and patrols at a far-lying outpost is far more comfortable than spear-heading a siege.</li>
</ul>Also keep in mind the hiring-party's benefits for hiring mercenaries...<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">They don't have to manage upkeep.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">They don't have to worry about family compensation.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">(Reputable) Mercenaries are usually free of personal military/political goals that can threaten an employer's/ruler's own objectives.</li>
</ul>So, no, I don't think the prices are that far &quot;off&quot;, they just need to viewed subjectively within the presentation of the book in-total, which does seem to have an emphasis on skirmishes and immediate-need assignments rather than long-term military duties.&nbsp;Granted, a year from now I'll likely be plugging Black Company instead...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Bendris Noulg, post: 1482168, member: 6398"] I think the book is a [i]tad[/i] off on a few points. For instance, the rates you cite would (in my mind) be related mostly to a short-term, high-risk assignment (as "roaming" mercenaries seems more the books focus despite having the soldier-styled Legionaire Class). I pretty much always go with a ratio of Ability + Term + Risk... [list] [*]You don't hire a high level Fighter to guard a door unless you [i]know[/i] something big's going to come through it, but you don't send the King's daughter and her dowery on a long journey to her husband-to-be with a few Warrior-1 grunts to guard her. [*]Long term assignments (i.e., guaranteed income over an extended period of time) is always going to pay less on a daily basis than a 1-3 day mission because you never know [i]when[/i] the next mission will present itself (i.e., 20-60 gold isn't much if it's the only job you get in a month). [*]Risk of assignment is always a factor; Maintaining watches and patrols at a far-lying outpost is far more comfortable than spear-heading a siege. [/list]Also keep in mind the hiring-party's benefits for hiring mercenaries... [list] [*]They don't have to manage upkeep. [*]They don't have to worry about family compensation. [*](Reputable) Mercenaries are usually free of personal military/political goals that can threaten an employer's/ruler's own objectives. [/list]So, no, I don't think the prices are that far "off", they just need to viewed subjectively within the presentation of the book in-total, which does seem to have an emphasis on skirmishes and immediate-need assignments rather than long-term military duties. Granted, a year from now I'll likely be plugging [i]Black Company[/i] instead... [/QUOTE]

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