When someone enters the adventurers' employment[]
1. Note down their name and what cost they’ve agreed to as well as any skills they may have. {Suggestion: give the hireling a look and 1-2 personality traits and write these down as well -LAS}
2. Start with a number based on where the hireling was found.
3. Distribute the hireling’s number between loyalty, a main skill, and zero or more secondary skills.
- Starting loyalty higher than 2 is unusual, as is starting loyalty below 0.
4. Choose a cost for the hireling and you’re done.
Costs[]
- The Thrill of Victory
- Money
- Uncovered Knowledge
- Fame and Glory
- Debauchery
- Good Accomplished
Hireling Growth[]
A hireling’s stats, especially their loyalty, may change during play as a reflection of events.
- A particular kindness or bonus from the players is worth +1 loyalty forward
- Disrespect is -1 loyalty forward
- If it’s been a while since their cost was last paid they get -1 loyalty ongoing until their cost is met.
A hireling’s loyalty may be permanently increased when they achieve some great deed with the players. A significant failure or beating may permanently lower the hireling’s loyalty.
Hireling Skills[]
Skills When you make a hireling, distribute points among one or more of these skills.
Adept[]
An adept has at least apprenticed to an arcane expert, but is not powerful in their own right. They’re the grad students of the arcane world.
- Arcane Assistance—When an adept aids in the casting of a spell of lower level than their skill, the spell’s effects have greater range, duration, or potency. The exact effects depend on the situation and the spell and are up to the GM. The GM will describe what effects the assist will add before the spell is cast. The most important feature of casting with an adept is that any negative effects of the casting are focused on the adept first.
Burglar[]
Burglars are skilled in a variety of areas, most of them illicit or dangerous. They are good with devices and traps, but not too helpful in the field of battle.
- Experimental Trap Disarming—When a burglar leads the way they can detect traps almost in time. If a trap would be sprung while a burglar is leading the way the burglar suffers the full effects but the players get +skill against the trap and add the burglar’s skill to their armor against the trap. Most traps leave a burglar in need of immediate healing. If the players Make Camp near the trap, the burglar can disarm it by the time camp is broken.
Minstrel[]
When a smiling face is needed to smooth things over or negotiate a deal a minstrel is always happy to lend their services for the proper price.
- A Hero’s Welcome—When you enter a place of food, drink, or entertainment with a minstrel you will be treated as a friend by everyone present (unless your actions prove otherwise). You also subtract the minstrel’s skill from all prices in town.
Priest[]
Priests are the lower ranking clergy of a religion, performing minor offices and regular sacraments. While not granted spells themselves, they are able to call upon their deity for minor aid. Ministry—When you make camp with a priest if you would normally heal you heal +skill HP.
- First Aid—When a priest staunches your wounds heal 2×skill HP. You take -1 forward as their healing is painful and distracting.
Protector[]
A protector stands between their employer and the blades, fangs, teeth, and spells that would harm them.
- Sentry—When a protector stands between you and an attack you increase your armor against that attack by the defender’s skill, then reduce their skill by 1 until they receive healing or have time to mend. Intervene—When a protector helps you defy danger you may opt to take +1 from their aid. If you do you cannot get a 10+ result, a 10+ instead counts as a 7–9.
Tracker[]
Trackers know the secrets of following a trail, but they don’t have the experience with strange creatures and exotic locales that make for a great hunter.
- Track—When a tracker is given time to study a trail while Making Camp, when camp is broken they can follow the trail to the next major change in terrain, travel, or weather. Guide—When a tracker leads the way you automatically succeed on any Perilous Journey of a distance (in rations) lower than the tracker’s skill.
Warrior[]
Warriors are not masters of combat, but they are handy with a weapon.
- Man-at-arms—When you deal damage while a warrior aids you add their skill to the damage done. If your attack results in consequences (like a counter attack) the man-at-arms takes the brunt of it.