Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silveras" data-source="post: 2347822" data-attributes="member: 6271">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.</blockquote>