idrahil
Level 6 Magician
The Lighter The Rules, The Better The Game!
Posts: 398
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Post by idrahil on May 15, 2014 9:12:31 GMT -6
Ok, Maybe not once and for all as I'm sure questions will continue to come up. But...
After reading a thread about torch-bearers on Dragonsfoot and looking over the newest DD Reference Rules, I've got some questions:
Hirelings such as torch-bearers, porters, cooks and the like and not limited by charisma, true or false?
The above mentioned hirelings probably wouldn't go into a dungeon for 2sp a day, true or false?
Hiring a mercenary...is this what one does when looking for some muscle in the dungeon? For 33 Gold a Magic-user could have a guard dog and an armored footman go with him into a dungeon?
Retainers: These are what then, Classed NPCs like Clerics, Magic-Users, etc? They require shares of treasure?
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Post by Stormcrow on May 15, 2014 16:58:02 GMT -6
You can have as many hirelings and mercenaries as you can pay for. They're all non-adventurers and won't take unusual risks outside their purview. Henchmen/retainers are adventurers like yourself, only they're your sidekicks, and they WILL take adventuring risks. Charisma limits how many of these you can keep at once. They work for whatever terms you can agree on.
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Post by waysoftheearth on May 15, 2014 18:15:17 GMT -6
Hirelings such as torch-bearers, porters, cooks and the like and not limited by charisma, true or false? True. With enough gold there is no limit to how many hirelings a character can employ.(DD3 Vol1 p20) The above mentioned hirelings probably wouldn't go into a dungeon for 2sp a day, true or false? True. Hirelings are ordinary men ... who will perform mundane duties...(DD Vol1 p20) They'll do whatever are considered to be mundane duties. These might include torch bearing in a dungeon below a castle if it is frequented regularly by the castle folk going about their daily work, but generally wouldn't include torch bearing in a dungeon known to be full of monsters. Hiring a mercenary...is this what one does when looking for some muscle in the dungeon? Mercenaries are ordinary hirelings whose mundane duties include military tasks; guarding a camp, patrolling a region, escorting persons/goods from town to town, intimidating villagers/enforcing taxation, and possibly even fighting pitched battles against other normal-types (although planning to precipitate the latter might necessitate higher pay--mercenaries don't want to die, they want to live and get paid). It is plausible that a referee could allow mercenaries to be brought against normal-types in towns, castles, and possibly even the upper works of ruins, but more typically they would have "standing orders" and not be expected to use their initiative minute by minute. Dealings with genuine fantastic/heroic monsters shouldn't be considered "mundane" in any event. For 33 Gold a Magic-user could have a guard dog and an armored footman go with him into a dungeon? Retainers: These are what then, Classed NPCs like Clerics, Magic-Users, etc? They require shares of treasure? Retainers are any "special help". The player can have a limited number of these based on his charisma score. They could be NPCs with PC levels, or other "monsters" of the same alignment (or of any alignment if magically charmed or subdued in combat). These will (subject to loyalty) go everywhere with the PC, including into dungeons to face fantastic monsters, and render whatever assistance they can. These need to be paid in kind for their risk; the rules suggest a fee of 100gp (per PC level) is appropriate, but whatever fee can be negotiated is acceptable. A half share in any treasure gained seems to be commonly accepted. If a retainer (or even a hireling) should die, lawfuls would be obligated to pass on their earnings to the family or guild, of course! In the case of the magic-user above; yes, he could hire an armored footman (if one were available to hire) for 8gp per month, and in this capacity the footman would function as a hireling. This means he would perform regular soldiering duties in and around normal-types, but not fantastic monsters. If the magic-user had sufficient charisma and were neutral (because mercenaries are neutrally aligned), he could also offer to take the footman on as a retainer. Or charm him. In this capacity the footman would (subject to his loyalty) accompany the magic-user anywhere in the dungeon--for whatever arranged payment. The rules are not explicit about the kind of "payment" animals should require, if any, but otherwise I'd treat them exactly like other hirelings or retainers in terms of what they will or won't do. A "hireling" status dog would be good for guarding a camp and so on, but not for dealing with anything non-mundane. A "retainer" status dog would count toward the magic-user's retainer limit, but would accompany the magic-user wherever he went, no matter what he faced.
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