Hirelings are NPCs contracted by the party to perform services. They are divided into five categories:

Servants

Servants are common people hired as laborers, porters, torchbearers, valets, or other unskilled workers. They can be hired at 1d/day plus meals and accommodations.

 

Servants convinced to go into the dungeon expect a minimum hazard pay of 3d/day.

Specialists

Specialists are sages, craftsmen, guides, professionals, and other experts retained for their particular skills. Specialists have costs that vary with their profession.

 
Monthly Wage Rarity
Alchemist 800d R5
Animal trainer, common 60d R3
Animal trainer, exotic 250d R5
Apothecary 150d R2
Armorer, common 175d R3
Armorer, master 325d R4
Bard 125d R3
Bookkeeper Special R4
Broker Special R3
Chaplain 100d R2
Chef, common 60d R3
Chef, master 300d R4
Chirurgeon 125d R3
Craftsman, common 75d R3
Craftsman, master 150d R4
Engineer 250d R4
Guide 90d R2
Jurist 200d R4
Physician 400d R4
Scholar, common 100d R4
Scholar, sage 600d R5
Spymaster 1000d R5
Steward 120d R3
Teamster 80d R2

Alchemist

Alchemists are experts in potion identification and manufacture, and are also able to produce acids, military oil, and distilled spirits.

Animal trainer

Common animal trainers are hired to oversee a household’s livestock, including dogs, horses, hawks, and other domestic creatures. An animal trainer is required to manage any household that has at least 5 animals, and one trainer is needed for every 20 animals.

 

Exotic animal trainers can tame captured wild animals and monstrous beasts, including lions, wolves, elephants, and hippogriffs.

Apothecary

Apothecaries can produce poisons and drugs from raw ingredients.

Armorer

Armorers forge weapons and armor, and can be hired for special commissions or for regular maintenance. Armies and mercenary regiments require armorers to keep their equipment in good condition.

Bard

Bards can be hired to collect rumors and stories for their employer or to spread false information to others.

Bookkeeper

Bookkeepers manage a household’s finances. Retaining a bookkeeper reduces living expenses by 25%, and charges a commission of 5% on total income.

Broker

Brokers use their merchant connections to find speciality buyers and allows the procurement of goods as though they were -1 Rarity. Brokers charge a 25% commission on all sales.

Chaplain

Chaplains can be hired for their religious knowledge or to perform field services to replenish a party’s Camaraderie. Chaplains can also petition higher religious authorities for material aid, such as Holy Water.

Chef

Chefs prepare meals for wealthy households and are required by mercenary regiments to keep the soldiers fed.

Chirurgeon

Chirurgeons or barber-surgeons can be retained to perform risky operations that can accelerate the healing of Flesh damage.

Craftsman

Craftsmen include blacksmiths, carpenters, coopers, masons, painters, potters, tailors, tanners, weavers, wainwrights, and other skilled workers that produce specialized items. Craftsmen are often required to oversee laborers on large projects and may be hired to reduce logistic risk on expeditions.

Engineer

Engineers are master craftsmen with architectural training. They are required to build complex machinery and structures, such as siege engines, bridges, and strongholds.

Guide

Guides are local experts hired to lead their employer through an unfamiliar locale. They may also be survivalists who can assist the party in living off the land.

Jurist

Jurists are experts retained to provide legal advice, draft official documents, and represent their employer in court.

Physician

Physicians can be retained to provide extended care, accelerating the healing of Flesh damage for less risk than a chirurgeon but at greater expense and not instantaneously. A physician may also be able to increase a character’s maximum Flesh.

Scholar

Scholars are be hired to perform research and investigate questions in their area of expertise. They can also be retained to teach their employer new Skills.

Spymaster

Spymasters create and run small rings of agents and informants, and can be used to infiltrate a community or organization.

Steward

Stewards manage the day-to-day affairs of a household, and keep things organized while the party is away. A household with at least 5 hired retainers must have a steward.

Teamster

Teamsters manage pack and draft animals, and often must be hired to rent carts and wagons. An expedition with at least 3 transports must hire a teamster to manage their animals.

Ship’s Crew

Crew are responsible for the operation of a sea vessel. Crews of 10 or larger require a shipmaster to organize them effectively, coordinate work, and maintain order and discipline. The owner of a ship is responsible for ensuring the crew is properly provisioned while at sea.

 
Monthly Wage Rarity
Oarsman 30d R1
Sailor 90d R3
Navigator 150d R4
Shipmaster 300d R4

Oarsman

Unskilled workers with strong backs and very little maritime knowledge. Unusually untrained in fighting.

Sailor

Competent seamen with knowledge of how to operate complex sailing vessels. Also double as marines and will fight to defend a ship if attacked.

Expert sailors who specialize in navigational instruments and charts. Required if a ship travels beyond the sight of land.

Shipmaster

The primary contact between the crew and the ship’s owner or captain. Responsible for maintaining discipline on board and required to organize crews of 10 or more.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are small military companies hired to serve as guards and soldiers, fighting only as part of a larger force. The smallest squads consist of 5 combatants, while largest companies number 100+.

 

Mercenaries are paid according to their ability. In general, mercenaries will provide their own food, supplies, and basic equipment. Upgrading this equipment, if desired, is the responsibility of the employer. Mercenaries must be paid upfront, and informed of the length of their employment. Mercenaries that run out of supplies due to unexpected delays are likely to desert.

 

Individually hired mercenaries and squads do not fill social slots. If hiring regiments, each Commander fills a social slot. If hiring companies, each Captain fills a social slot. If Commanders or Captains are higher level than their employer, they suffer a penalty to Loyalty equal to twice the Level difference.

 
Daily Wage Monthly Wage Rarity
Standard 3d 90d R3
Mounted 6d 180d R3
Elite 6d 180d R4
Commander, standard 6d 180d R3
Commander, elite 12d 360d R4
Captain, standard 12d 360d R4
Captain, elite 25d 750d R5
Squad, standard 15d 450d R3
Squad, mounted 30d 900d R3
Squad, elite 30d 900d R4
Regiment, standard — 2400d R3
Regiment, mounted — 4750d R3
Regiment, elite — 5000d R4
Company, standard — 10,000d R4
Company, mounted — 20,000d R4
Company, elite — 21,000d R5

Standard

Level 1 mercenaries, usually lightly equipped with basic armor and bows or spears.

Mounted

Level 1 mercenaries, trained in fighting from horseback. Provide their own mounts.

Elite

More heavily armorered troops with beter training and more experience. Always one level above standard mercenaries.

Commander

Officers in charge of regiments, required for every 5 squads hired. Standard Commanders are Level 2, while Elite Commanders are Level 3.

Captain

Officers in charge of companies, required for every 4 regiments hired. Standard Captais are Level 3, and Elite Captains are Level 4.

Squad

5 mercenaries form a squad, the smallest coherent unit of mercenaries that can still be hired at a daily rate.

Regiment

5 squads form a regiment, numbering 25 men. Regiments require one of their number to be a Commander, and also require a cook to keep them fed. Mounted regiments also require an animal handler. Every 2 regiments further require an armorer to maintain their equipment. Elite regiments require master cooks and master armorers. All additional costs have been included in the price above.

 

Regiments can only be hired at a monthly rate.

Company

4 regiments form a company, numbering 100 men. Companies require one of their number to be a Captain, in addition to the 3 Commanders leading the other regiments. Additionally, companies require 2 armorers, 4 cooks, and potentially 4 animal handlers (included in the price above).

 

Companies can only be hired at a monthly rate.

Followers

Followers are Level 0 Adventurers under the command of a particular PC, who becomes their Leader. They are not hired, but recruited in exchange for a half-share of the future treasure. Followers always fill 1 of their Leader’s social slots.

 

Only Followers will readily accompany PCs into a dungeon or similarly dangerous locale. Servants, Specialists and Mercenaries may be convinced to accompany them as well, but require (at minimum) double their rate in hazard pay and fill 1 social slot each. Even still, Servants and Specialists will actively avoid fighting. Followers must always be of lower Level than their Leader.

Recruiting

Although some Followers can be recruited from adventures, often it is necessary to seek them out in settlements. Unlike most honest folk who openly ply their trade, adventurers by their nature are desperate and hard to find. Doing so requires the Leader to spend time and money advertising for any such wastrels a settlement might harbor.

 

The cost per Span is dependent on the settlement’s Market Class, and is not always guaranteed to find a suitable canditate.

 
Price Candidates
Hamlet 5d 1d4-3
Village 25d 1d6-3
Town 100d 1d8-2
City 500d 1d6
Metropolis 1000d 2d6

Weregild

If a Hireling dies while under a PC’s command (i.e. in one of their social slots), the PC must pay a weregild to the deceased’s designated inheritor. For Level 0 Hirelings, the weregild is 150d; this amount doubles with each additional level. Refusing to pay the weregild causes the PC to gain 1 Stigma.

Availability

The number and type of hirelings available depends on a settlement’s Market Class.

 
Servants Specialists Mercenaries
Hamlet 1d3 — —
Village 1d6 1d3 —
Town 3d6 2d6 1 Squad
City 5d10 4d6 1d6 Squads
Metropolis 4d100 5d10 2d6 Regiments

Loyalty

Hirelings have a Loyalty score from 3-18, representing their willingness to perform dangerous tasks for their Leader. When first recruited, a Follower’s Loyalty is 3d6+SAV, modified by their Leader’s SAV. Servants, Specialists, and Mercenaries convinced to go into a dungeon instead have 2d6+SAV Loyalty.

 

When asked to do something particularly risky or dangerous, Test Loyalty. If successful, the Hireling performs the task. On failure, the Hireling still begrudgingly performs the task, but loses 1d4 Loyalty.

 

Treating a Hireling particularly well and gifting them bonus treasure or magic items may increase their Loyalty by 1d4. If their Leader does something spectacularly impressive, like putting themselves in danger in order to save a Hireling’s life, their Loyalty will increase by 5.

 

Hirelings with less than 10 Loyalty become Flighty. During combat, Flighty Hirelings must Test Loyalty (just like Morale) or flee in fear. Additionally, Flighty Hirelings who survive a dungeon delve must Test Loyalty or abandon their Leader.