Mercs, cohorts, and hirelings—do you let your players use them?
- Thread starter kitsune9
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frankthedm
First Post
kitsune9
Adventurer
Okay, thanks for the link Frank!
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Appendix N: In Honor of the Henchmen
I wrote a little in honor of how it was more common back in the day, even in fiction.
Lately no one has been interested in that aspect. I suspect that the sheer volume of information that a player needs for a single character alone might keep the henchemen down. Not really sure how I'd run such a bit these days either in terms of xp, building encounters, etc... Don't think it would be too problematic though.
I wrote a little in honor of how it was more common back in the day, even in fiction.
Lately no one has been interested in that aspect. I suspect that the sheer volume of information that a player needs for a single character alone might keep the henchemen down. Not really sure how I'd run such a bit these days either in terms of xp, building encounters, etc... Don't think it would be too problematic though.
roguerouge
First Post
Leadership is an awesome feat. In my one PC game that I DM, I let the player take two cohorts at -3 levels below her level. The PC also has Paizo goblin henchmen... and they've only mutinied twice!
In a 2e game that went epic 3e, I had rolled up something like 100 NPC followers, just to figure out which ones I wanted to take under my wing. And when my PC was in an anti-magic zone fighting his nemesis, who was there with the tanglefoot bags? That's right, Leader's Little Helpers!
In videogames and in DnD, it's all about the minions.
In a 2e game that went epic 3e, I had rolled up something like 100 NPC followers, just to figure out which ones I wanted to take under my wing. And when my PC was in an anti-magic zone fighting his nemesis, who was there with the tanglefoot bags? That's right, Leader's Little Helpers!
In videogames and in DnD, it's all about the minions.
CapnZapp
Legend
It would depend on the campaign.
My current campaign is a traditional wilderness sandbox where the heroes are a band of adventurers roaming free, and there mercenaries and hirelings would only get in the way (as in "require me as the DM to add in more monsters to keep things challenging, which would only result in the combats becoming slower").
My current campaign is a traditional wilderness sandbox where the heroes are a band of adventurers roaming free, and there mercenaries and hirelings would only get in the way (as in "require me as the DM to add in more monsters to keep things challenging, which would only result in the combats becoming slower").
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
We used Leadership a lot in our 3E days.
In my online 4E campaign, the players asked for some support from the local village when clearing out the bullywug infestation in the Swamps (and the accomponying Far Realms rift), and I (or rather the Halfling Guard Captain) gave them 4 members of the guard and the ship captain they rescued earlier. Mechanically, the 4 guard members where Minions (Two Halfling Skirmisher Minions with Slings and 2 Humans Soldier Minions with Halberds to improve their survivability) and the Pirate was a Skirmisher (Leader). The Warlord player got the stats and had to lead them into battle. They managed to avoid any actual losses, but it was close.
In my online 4E campaign, the players asked for some support from the local village when clearing out the bullywug infestation in the Swamps (and the accomponying Far Realms rift), and I (or rather the Halfling Guard Captain) gave them 4 members of the guard and the ship captain they rescued earlier. Mechanically, the 4 guard members where Minions (Two Halfling Skirmisher Minions with Slings and 2 Humans Soldier Minions with Halberds to improve their survivability) and the Pirate was a Skirmisher (Leader). The Warlord player got the stats and had to lead them into battle. They managed to avoid any actual losses, but it was close.
roguerouge
First Post
This is actually something that's starting to bother me in 4e... Minions go down in one hit, automatically. There's been a couple of times as a 1st level character where I've had the money to buy the services of a torch-bearer or simply a henchman, but in prior editions, they at least MIGHT survive one hit...
Minion rules work great for mook monsters, but I don't really like it being applied to mook NPCs.
Minion rules work great for mook monsters, but I don't really like it being applied to mook NPCs.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
My take on it:
Just like any other NPC, Minions have one Healing Surge per tier. When reduced to 0 hit points or less but still have a healing surge, per default they are not dead, but require attention. After the encounter, they can spend the healing surge and operate normally.
Now, if they are hit without a healing surge, they are dead.
I don't care about this for regular Minions, of course, just for those in the hands of the PCs. It gives them a chance to use the Minions at all, and if they are cruel or desperate enough to push on when they are injured.
My campaign is similar, except it's a wartime fantasy setting (in Greyhawk). Generally, the PC's don't adventure with more than 1 or so NPC's at a time, but there's often NPC's doing other useful things for them.
The latest set up: PC's are infiltrating a town on a commando mission. There are "sympathizers" in place in the town, if the PC's want to risk the NPC's lives by making contact. There's also an army coming (it's captain-general having coordinated planning with the PC's) to besiege the place, but the in-game effect of that is mostly to create time pressure (get it done before they arrive) and atmosphere.
The other party in my campaign did it's last adventure (Sunless Citadel) with 4 NPC kobold warriors joining the party for part of it, having worked out a deal with the kobolds . . .
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