Arms & Equipment guide : Price for mercenaries

[kigmatzomat]

IMC I assume all NPC classes (with the exception of Aristocrats) start with 1/2 the regular NPC wealth levels.

Hmm, I give commoner, warrior, & adept NPCs equipment equal to the average treasure for an encounter of their CR. (a.k.a. class level-1). That seems to be far more appropriate than using the PC-class wealth table. And for merchants and nobles I wing it. (not all experts are merchants and vice versa).

Of course, total wealth doesn't tend to be in such nice, easily carried packages as PCs like. Merchants and nobles may be quite wealthy but that wealth may come in the form of land, mills, wagonloads worth of iron, or hundreds of cattle.

 

[Norfleet]

I find the idea of hiring somebody "with" or "without" gear to be somewhat amusing. Do you just hire somebody, and then tell him to leave his gear at home so you can pay him less to show up naked?

I'd think it would cost more or less about the same to hire him with gear, or without gear: You're hiring the person, not the gear, and while you may be expected to cover the expenses of any gear which is destroyed in action, if both the gear and mercenary survive, the gear which came with the mercenary remains his property, as opposed to any gear belonging to YOU that was loaned to the mercenary for use during the mission, which reverts to being yours.

Seeing as this is how it works in the real world.