Skills-based minions

I was thinking of creating a series of skills-based minions for my campaign. I will make them available here as well. I am hoping to get feedback (too complex? Overpowered? Etc.) and, if they turn out right, other GMs could use them too.

You're encouraged to give them levels suiting those of your PCs as well as any villains they might be serving. (For instance, the advisor to the local evil baron, who is a 5th-level noble, might be a 3rd-level advisor. If they're the power behind the throne, they might have more levels than the head villain!)

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The skill DCs for 4e are often quite high, hitting DC 20-21 for moderate skill checks for 1st-level. PCs have a hard enough time making these checks, and NPCs have it a bit worse (if only because they can't/shouldn't crank their stats as high at 1st-level).

In addition, I suspect most experts don't need to make skill checks all that often. I'm not picturing Stephen Hawking needing to make more than one Knowledge (physics) check per day, but those would be very hard ones. (Any of his skill checks would be months-long skill challenges with very high DCs, requiring using libraries, labs and other equipment that would give bonuses.)

The Eureka! ability gives a +5 bonus to a skill check once per encounter. With an average roll, the expert will easily make a moderate skill check and has a decent chance of making a hard skill check. (Slightly higher level experts can routinely make hard skill checks.)

Expert Minion: Level 1 ? minion; XP 25
HP 1
AC 15; Fort 12, Ref 15, Will 13
Initiative +1; Perception +1
Traits
Savant: The expert minion designates one of the following skills it possesses as its area of expertise: Arcana, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Nature, Perception, Religion, Streetwise, Thievery or an esoteric Intelligence-based skill (Cryptography, Law, etc.)
Standard Actions
Tool (weapon) * At-Will. Atk: +6 vs AC. Hit: 4 damage.
Minor Actions
Eureka! * Encounter. Effect: The expert minion gains a +5 power bonus to the next savant skill check it makes before the end of its next turn.
Skills: Choose up to 4 skills, and may include esoteric Intelligence-based skills. Dexterity, Wisdom and Charisma-based skills have a +6 bonus, while Intelligence-based skills have a +8 bonus.
Alignment: Any. Languages: Choose one to four.
Str 10 Dex 12 Wis 13
Con 9 Int 16 Wis 12
Equipment: Varies considerably, but always includes tools of the trade. Expert minions with Arcana or Religion can use rituals of their level or lower.

How would you use such an NPC? Either as an ally or a villain works.

A neutral-aligned black marketeer could be trained in Arcana and Diplomacy, with the former being their savant skill. Once per encounter (which could be any sales job spaced more than five minutes apart!) they could make an Arcana +13 check, handy for identifying magic items. With the proper ritual (and perhaps a few more levels) the marketeer could protect their shop with alarms and other defenses. If said black marketeer has Streetwise, they could use their "connections" to assist friendly PCs as well.

A good-aligned doctor (taking the Heal skill) could be "doing the rounds" for a group of villages, tending to wounds and helping the sick. A plague has recently struck the area, and he asks the PCs to collect ingredients from the nearby dangerous mountains. He can't do this himself, as he'd probably fall and kill himself and couldn't fend off the local gnolls, and also wants to stay behind and help the sick. The longer the PCs take, the more villagers die.

A dangerous solitary assassin tracks the PCs to an inn they're going to be sleeping in while they stay in Village X. He realizes they are sleeping in separate rooms, but they're ticked off enough people to be cautious, so they always lock up. Not feeling confident in his own ability to pick locks, he hires an expert locksmith (who has savant Thievery and can hit a +11 Thievery check) to get him inside. Once inside the room, he waits for the PCs to inevitably return, hoping to slay one and escape rather than facing the whole group. Even if the minion doesn't take part in the combat (and why would a locksmith do so?) it's reasonable to include their XP value in the encounter.

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To answer the inevitable: there's at least one leader minion out there. I think it's in the MM3.

One reason to include an advisor is because, when an adventuring party is negotiating with a noble, frequently the noble will be accompanied by an advisor focusing on the topic at hand.

Alternatively, an advisor could be a councillor or consigliere to an evil king or crime boss. Slaying them would weaken the head villain, so the PCs have an incentive to do just that. While weak (not being a combatant)

Advisor Minion: Level 1 Controller (Leader) Minion; XP 25
HP 1
AC 15; Fort 12, Ref 15, Will 13
Initiative +0; Perception +1
Standard Actions
Club (weapon) * At-Will. Atk: +6 vs AC. Hit: 4 damage.
Triggered Actions
Sage Advice * Encounter. Trigger: An ally within 5 squares that the advisor can see or hear makes a skill check using a skill the minion possesses. Effect (Free Action): The minion grants the ally the ability to reroll the skill check with a +3 power bonus.
Skills: Diplomacy +6, Insight +6 and two Intelligence-based skills (+8 bonus).
Str 10 Dex 10 Wis 13
Con 9 Int 16 Cha 12
 
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I think these are great for having non-adventurer skilled labor out there. I am going to be using them as hired help, courtiers, and other people who are not psychotic walking slaughterhouses of awesomeness adventurers and heroes, but still would be talented in at least one trade.

I have somewhere a system for hiring help, that my flatmate drew up. I'll see if I can find it and adapt it to this concept a bit better (I think that in his they were basically bonuses to your check, but that could just be the Aid Another action). Once I have it adapted, I'll post it.

This especially works well in Eberron, where you have minor mages everywhere casting small spells that help the "tech" of the world function.
 

I was disappointed when the human lackey (a 7th-level minion) turned out to be a combatant (in terms of flavor; eg higher physical than mental stats, etc). I was expecting a highly competent butler instead. Of course, this one is only 1st-level, but as always, feel free to level up.

With a minor increase to Intelligence, this minion could make a good personal assistant. (You don't think the mob boss writes his own reports, do you?)

Servant; level 1 Controller (Leader) Minion; XP 25
HP 1
AC 15; For t13, Ref 13, Will 15
Initiative +1; Perception +3
Traits
Superior Assistance: A servant gains a +3 bonus instead of +2 while flanking, and it grants a +3 bonus instead of +2 while aiding another.
Standard Actions
Knife or other implement* (weapon) * At-Will. Atk: +6 vs AC. Hit: 4 damage.
Skills: Diplomacy +7, Insight +8
Str 10 Dex 12 Wis 16
Con 12 Int 10 Cha 14

*I'm picturing the servant from Warhammer 1e or 2, who is carrying a platter of food, including a big knife sticking out of the chicken.

A charismatic leader has a commanding presence. He could be a businessman or political appointee, using his leadership qualities to prod his employees into working harder, either through empathy or shouting and bullying. On the other hand, a villainous charismatic leader could be a demagogue, rousing the populace or a series of goons. (The attack bonuses he hands out makes those minions more dangerous, especially since they're also gaining their mob rule benefit.) Even a thieves' guild could use such a character, who could help pick out the best spots for hiding and giving bonuses to Stealth checks (simply add Stealth to his list of skills).

Charismatic Leader; Level 1 Controller (Leader) Minion; XP 25
HP 1
AC 15; Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 15
Initiative +1, Perception +1
Standard Actions
Improvised implement (weapon) *At-Will. Atk: +6 vs AC. Hit: 4 damage.
Coordinate Attacks * At-Will. Range: Close burst 5 (allies in burst). Effect: All targets gain a +1 power bonus to attack rolls until the end of the leader's next turn.
Coordinate Efforts * Encounter. Range: Close blast 2 (allies in blast). Effects: All targets gain a +2 power bonus to skill checks the charismatic leader possesses and a +1 power bonus to all other skill checks until the end of the encounter.
Skills: Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Insight +6.
Str 12 Dex 10 Wis 13
Con 12 Int 13 Cha 16
EQ: Tends to have higher-quality equipment than the typical commoner.
 
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This also creates some interesting RP situations.

For example, let's say the King has an Advisor minion that boosts his Insight. When the heroes attempt to convince the King to lend his aid, the Advisor prevents them from successfully Bluffing. And his other inner council can boost his History, Perception, etc.

But if they can find a way to get the King alone, they might be able to sway him without his Court.
 

Scoundrel; level 1 Controller Minion; XP 25
HP 1
AC 15; Fort 12, Ref 13, Will 15
Initiative +1; Perception +1
Standard Actions
Club (standard) * At-Will. Atk: +6 vs AC. Hit: 4 damage.
Minor Actions
Fast Talk * Encounter. Effect: The scoundrel gains a +5 power bonus to the next Bluff or Diplomacy check it makes before the end of its next turn.
Skills: Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Insight +6.
Str 10 Dex 12 Wis 13
Con 10 Int 13 Cha 16
EQ: Anything.

This also creates some interesting RP situations.

For example, let's say the King has an Advisor minion that boosts his Insight. When the heroes attempt to convince the King to lend his aid, the Advisor prevents them from successfully Bluffing. And his other inner council can boost his History, Perception, etc.

But if they can find a way to get the King alone, they might be able to sway him without his Court.

That's pretty cool. Not only does it motivate RP and social tactics, but it could even explain why the various advisors fight with each other over access to the king. (Everyone hates the Chief Minister due to low Charisma and his high Insight, brains, and utter loyalty to the king, so they can't get funding for their various special projects when he's around... but for the most part that's precisely why the king keeps him around.)
 
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