Horrific encounters - need hirelings

[Quasqueton]

Reading the thread discussing roper tactics, and the horror such creatures can play, got me thinking.

In earlier editions of the game, hiring mercenaries, hirelings, packbearers, etc. was encouraged, and some say, even mandatory for survival. Now-a-days though, most adventuring groups are 3-6 PCs, alone. Deadly and horrific encounters mean that a PC is killed or mangled. Not real fun when your 8th-level PC gets gakked "just" to horrify and frighten the other PCs.

I really like the idea of shocking the PCs/Players with some horrible fate. A trap that blasts a character to dust. A monster that picks up and bites the head off a character. I even still have such traps and creatures in my campaigns, where they make sense or "belong". But although I'd love the PCs/Players to experience one of these things, I also dislike loosing a PC. And usually, in low to middle levels, raising a dead PC is not an option. And even in the high levels, some deaths can't be raised. (A bodak can be a horrific challenge, but it can also totally *end* a PC or four. Not fun for a campaign.)

How can a DM encourage the use of hirelings? Should a DM even bother?

Quasqueton

 

[ElvishBard]

Players have a hard time getting hirlings, because those cost money, take time in combat, share exp, require you to throw more things at them with takes more time, and the treasure gets shared, and thus are seen as bad things. What you could do to show off the power of your traps is have a minor bad guy henchman activate it, hoping to take them with him, or have an animal trip it and they see it get blown to dust.

 

[Storminator]

You can usually get some tagalong NPCs, and by mid to high levels many PCs have cohorts. Gak one of them.

I think another reason folks don't bring hirelings is that they are rarely trustworthy. Something about PCs trusting anyone seems to bring out the rat bastard in DMs. Make sure some of your NPCs can be trusted, and maybe PCs will bring them along more.

PS

 

[The_Gneech]

Put them in red shirts and make them War1 ... I like it!

-The Gneech

 

[gizmo33]

How can a DM encourage the use of hirelings? Should a DM even bother?

So what's the job title for someone who's suppose to die in order to scare the PCs? Perhaps they're called a "red shirt"? Do they have unions? (edit: oops - I was too slow on the joke)

IME players don't take NPC deaths as seriously - and if it happens more than once it has diminishing returns in terms of fear (as it did on Star Trek). My advice is to make PC death a possibility in your own campaign, and be generous to the new PCs in the game that replace dead ones. Because no matter how generous you are, people still don't like getting their character killed. Given some thought and a session or two, the new PC can have almost as much background/personality as the old one.

 

[Rel]

How can a DM encourage the use of hirelings? Should a DM even bother?

I certainly don't bother. If they want to bring along an NPC then I certainly don't stop them but I don't encourage it either.

If I want to get across how deadly dangerous an area is, it is usually accomplished the first time a PC gets killed or nearly so by the inhabitants/environment. I don't go out of my way to do this but sometimes an area is just plain dangerous. They seem to get the point quickly enough.

 

[Silveras]

Should a DM bother ? It depends on the campaign.

If you want disposable creatures whose death will bring home the horror of the situation, hirelings are probably not the route to go, anyway. NPC peers who join the party for a couple of adventures and are THEN killed are what you need. The PCs, and their players, have no time or attention invested in the hirelings; the hirelings are a body count meant to absorb losses, or self-propelled shields. Their deaths confirm the PCs' superiority more than anything else. However, the death of a Cohort or NPC comrade, that usually has more of an effect; especially if the NPC had become the party's mainstay for some role (blaster spellcaster, etc.).


As for rules on the subject ...

The Arms & Equipment Guide (a much overlooked resource) provides some rules on hiring mercenaries. In summary, the level of the mercenary determines the cost, and the level is based on what level NPC would have enough wealth to cover the mercenary's equipment. For example, a mounted cavalry soldier with good armor and weapons would need to be 10th level for the gear to be "appropriate value", so that's the Warrior level s/he is.

The new DMGII provides a section on hirelings as well, discussing "how good they should be" (ie., total bonus on their primary skill, and how it is reached) by level, with costs.