Henchmen & Hirelings

[LostSoul]

HENCHMEN & HIRELINGS

HENCHMEN

Henchmen are trusted allies that will watch your back in a deadly fight. They follow your orders and will rarely betray you.

Creating Henchmen: Henchmen are generated using the Companion Character rules found on pages 30-32 in the DMG2. The DM should be sure to include the agendas, behavioural traits, and secrets for henchmen.

Playing Henchmen: A player may opt to run one of his henchmen for a number of sessions while his regular PC is busy doing something else.

If a player's main PC dies, the player can elect to replace his main PC with one of his henchmen in place of creating a brand-new PC at level 1. The player should create the henchmen using the standard character creation rules.

Maximum Number of Henchmen: Each PC can only have a certain number of henchmen at any given time. The maximum number of henchmen a PC can have is equal to 2 plus his or her Charisma modifier. Henchmen can have their own henchmen.

Henchmen Experience: Each encounter, a henchman gains XP equal to an elite monster of his level. This XP is removed from the total XP gained by the PCs. If the henchman (or henchmen) present reduce the XP gained to 0 or below, divide the XP equally among the henchmen and award none to the PCs.

Henchmen use the same XP chart as PCs to determine when they gain levels.

Henchmen Conflict: Henchmen are NPCs - that means they are characters in their own right. As characters, there will be times when they come into conflict with the PC. If this happens, treat the henchman like any other NPC, resolving the conflict in the usual manner. The DM should use the terms of employment, the henchman's agenda, behavioural trait, and secret to determine what constitutes a conflict and how the henchman will react.

Note that henchmen are adventurers and will not normally shrink from the demands of their lifestyle.

Recruiting a Henchman: In order to recruit a henchman, a PC has two options. The first is to make an abstract Diplomacy (Recruit) action (see the Settlements chapter for more details). This process takes a month, during which time the PC is trolling taverns and inns, posting wanted ads, hiring town criers, etc. The DM should apply modifiers to the PC's roll based on the description of the action and any other relevant details - the PC's history and reputation, the area in which the PC is searching, etc.

The other option is to play through the individual actions of the PC. First, the PC must take some sort of action to find a suitable NPC. The DC is set by the desired level of the henchman. The DM is free to add in any modifiers; a standard modifier is a bonus to the PC's roll of the level of the settlement that the PC is searching in.

Roll		Result
Failure		NPC found, but has enmity toward the PC
Easy		NPC of 4 levels lower than desired
Moderate	NPC of 2 levels lower than desired
Hard		NPC found

Negotiating Terms: Once the NPC has been found, terms must be set. The DM makes a reaction roll to determine the NPC's disposition. (If the reaction roll indicates "Hostile", the DM should feel free to be creative in his interpretation of that result.) The NPC's disposition sets the number of successes required in a Skill Challenge that determines the terms of employment. The DM should use the NPC's agenda, behavioural trait, and secret to determine what the NPC is looking for; some NPCs may demand a large share of gold, a weekly salary, the chance to experiment in a lab; others may be content with an agreement to exact revenge on the villain who killed the NPC's wife.

Playing through the skill challenge will determine what the NPC wants and what the PC has agreed to give in return for loyal services. This will help inform the DM and player as to what constitutes a conflict between PC and henchman. Failure in the skill challenge generally means the NPC is not interested in working for the PC, though DMs are free to get creative.

HIRELINGS

Hirelings are paid employees of the PC who have no great loyalty. They work for a wage, plain and simple, and are generally unwilling to take any undue risk without the promise of riches in return.

Creating Hirelings: Hirelings are created as NPCs using the standard method in the DMG. It is usually easier to simply use the NPC's entry in the Monster Manual if at all possible.

Some hirelings have special skills - sages, ritual casters, engineers, etc. - that may not be found in a standard statblock. The DM can, in this case, add in the required skill or ability to a standard monster's statblock.

Recruiting Hirelings: In order to recruit a hireling, the PC must first find characters willing to work. As with henchmen above, the player has two options. The first is to use the Diplomacy (Recruit) action (see the Settlements chapter for more details). This process takes a month.

The other is to play through the actions of the PC.

With either option, the DC to find the hirelings is the same. The DC is based on the desired level of the hireling (or hirelings, if a group is wanted). Use the following table and apply any modifiers that feel right (such as the standard bonus to the roll equal to the settlement's level).

Roll		Result
Failure		NPC found, but has enmity toward the PC
Easy		NPC of 4 levels lower than desired
Moderate	NPC of 2 levels lower than desired
Hard		NPC found

Generally speaking, groups of 10 hirelings can be recruited at any one time, though this is subject to change based on the in-game situation.

Negotiating Terms: Negotating with a hireling usually requires nothing more than a promise of payment. Hirelings are generally not worth the trouble to go into more detail. Most hirelings will ask for a weekly payment of 1/10th a random monetary treasure parcel of their level, though in certain special situations this may not hold true. If the hireling is expected to undergo any kind of danger, they will also ask for a "danger payment" equal to this amount for each such excursion.

The PC can negotiate to lower this amount. This requires a check, the DC set by the Will defense of the hireling.

Roll		Result
Failure		NPC agrees to 20% less than the normal amount but will be lazy 
		and not carry through on agreed-upon duties
Easy		No change
Moderate	10% less
Hard		20% less

This check can be made for groups of hirelings.

Hireling Conflict: Hirelings are NPCs, but they tend to fade into the background in most cases. In general, hirelings will come into conflict with PCs in two cases: If they do not recieve their agreed-upon payment or if they are asked to take undue risks. If this happens, resolve the conflict in the usual manner.

 

[LostSoul]

Let's do an example.

Carrion, a tiefling Warlock, is looking for a stout warrior to protect him in battle. He finds himself in the streets of Fallcrest, a level 5 settlement. He's level 1 and he's looking for someone level 1 as well.

Carrion has the skill "Blasphemous Whispers", which is defined as such: He can speak with his patron when in the arms of a wanton. He decides that it'll be easiest to find someone if he heads to the Lucky Gnome Taphouse and pays for comfort.

The DM decides that this is a Cha roll, so Carrion adds his Cha modifier (+2) to the trained skill modifier (+5) and adds another +5 for Fallcrest's level. The DM would have added another bonus if Carrion had detailed a scoundrel-type, since those abound in Fallcrest, but Carrion didn't.

Carrion rolls an 18. This is a Moderate result; consulting the table this means he finds an NPC of 2 levels lower. Since he was looking for a level 1 NPC, this means...?? I should probably come up with something for that scenario. I'll just say that it's capped at level 1 for now. Anyway!

The DM rolls for the Agenda, Behavioural Traits, and Secrets of the NPC. Agenda: Needs money. Behavioural Trait: Honourable, follows rigid code. Secret: Noble in hiding. The DM decides that what we have here is a human knight whose family once held land in the Nentir Vale. He still carries a title to the land, but this would put him at odds with a powerful NPC in the Vale. That's all we need to know for now; the DM can figure out who and where at a later date.

The DM describes Carrion's interaction with his patron while in the throes of passion. Carrion sees this man working with some of Amros Kamroth's "enforcers", collecting rent, looking slightly upset with his co-worker's brutish methods. He makes note of the fancy sword and good-but-tarnished plate he wears.

Carrion heads out to the tavern where Amros' men hang out. He strikes a conversation with this man, named Hume Dets. The DM makes a reaction roll; 5 - Hostile. Carrion needs 8 successes in a negotiation with Hume.

Carrion begins: "I am looking for a good strong arm to serve me. You look like you could use a better job."
Hume: "With a tiefling?"
Carrion rolls a standard Cha check since he has no skills that apply to that action, against Hume's Will defense of 14. Carrion succeeds. He can tell that Hume does want a different job, but of course he's not convinced he should be working with Carrion.

Carrion: "Our people may have been tainted, but not all of us are. I do not dabble in the infernal arts like my ancestors." (Carrion realizes that this is going to get him into trouble later on, but he goes with it.)
Hume: "hmm..."
Carrion rolls his Cha again, adding in "Tongue of the Devil". This time the DC is set by Hume's passive Per. Carrion succeeds again.

Hume: "I am looking to get out of this line of work. It's not good on the soul. What it is that you wish to do?"
Carrion: "I need a good strong arm to help me explore the ruins of Watcher's Hill and look for signs of my ancestors."
Hume: "Watcher's Hill... they say it's haunted."
Carrion rolls a Cha check. The DM offers a +2 bonus because Hume is also looking to reclaim what his ancestors lost. He succeeds again.

Hume: "Still, it's better work than collecting rent for a greedy tyrant. What are you going to pay?"
Carrion: "A share of any loot found."
Carrion rolls and succeeds.

Hume: "I am not a rich man. I need whatever money I can get. A share of the loot will do, but I need a cash payment up-front - in case nothing is found. 100 gold pieces is what I require."
Carrion: "I am not rich either; the best I can do is 50."
Carrions rolls and fails.

Hume: "Then we have little to talk about."
Carrion: "May I ask why you need the money? Maybe we can work something out."
Carrion rolls and fails.

Hume: "My business is my own. I'm sorry, but I can't negotiate on this."
Carrion: "Very well... I will raise the money you need, somehow."
The DM rules this an automatic success.

Hume: "I would be willing to help you. But I will not work for a grave-robber, a scoundrel, a devil-worshipper, or cultist. This is a wild and untamed land. How can I be sure you are none of these things?"
Carrion: "The world is in a dark age, and it's good to be cautious. All we have is our word and our good names. You can trust me when I say I am none of these things."
Carrion lies with his Tongue of the Devil; he succeeds again.

Hume: "Very well. I can help you, but I'm already employed with Amros Kamroth. I'm not a rich man, and I won't renege on a contract. I'll inform Amros that this will be my last month of service and then I will be free to hunt for your lost ancestors."
Carrion: "That suits me fine."
The DM rules this an automatic success.


Now we have the details of our contract worked out; what will set off a conflict between henchman and PC; and an interesting NPC ready to rock and roll.

 

[LostSoul]

One thing I'd like to mention...

In my view of the 4E rules - which is "level uber alles" - I found it hard to reconcile the "Easy, Moderate, Hard" categories of DCs. What I want to do is set a level-based DC - usually Moderate - if I have nothing else to work with (skills or defenses). Level determines the difficulty, not an abstract category like "Easy".

When to use those categories, then?

Those categories can define the level of success. I really should standardize it; sometimes Hard = success (such as in the rules above), and sometimes Moderate = success, with Hard being success+.

If I was to standardize it, it would be...

Roll < Easy = Failure
Roll < Moderate = Failure with some compromise; you get a sliver of what you wanted
Roll < Hard = Basic success; you get what you wanted
Roll => Hard = Overwhelming success; you get what you wanted and some other related advantage

The idea probably deserves more analysis.

 

[Roger]

HENCHMEN & HIRELINGSIf the henchman (or henchmen) present reduce the XP gained to 0 or below, divide the XP equally among the henchmen and award none to the PCs.

I could totally see my party doing this.

"We're not getting any XP! But who cares! We've got an army!"


Cheers,
Roger