Hirelings, from Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium.
A Hireling is a character that supports the party in exchange for gold. They can be found in any major settlement, and can be of any level. The base cost of a hireling per day is approximately 1/25th of the cost of a magic item of a similar level, with variations to clean the number. [MME:136]
Common hirelings[]
The base stats of a common hireling are as follows:
- Level: Any. Levels 1-10 can be found anywhere, 11-20 are experts in their field, and 21-30 tend to be rare.
- Minion: 1 hp.
- AC: Level +14, Other defenses +12
- Speed 6
- Melee attack: Melee 1, level +5 vs. AC. Hit: One-half of hireling's level + 3 damage
- Ranged attack: Ranged 10, level +5 vs. AC. Hit: One-half of hireling's level + 3 damage
The following hirelings are available, most of which were introduced in Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium.
| Occupation | Cost/day | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Beast Handler | Standard | Allied beasts in 5 squares get +1 power bonus to fortitude and will. |
| Guide | Standard or Double | +2 power bonus to Dungeoneering and Nature. +3 at level 15, +4 at level 25. The cost doubles if it is dangerous territory. |
| Linkboy | Standard | Squares in the area are illuminated by the bright light of a torch for 5 squares. |
| Mercenary | Triple | Has +2 power bonus to AC and Reflex. Adjacent allies get +1 power bonus to AC and Reflex. Attacks do hireling's level + 3 damage. |
| Pilot | Double | When used as a pilot, +1 bonus to vehicle's speed. |
| Porter | Standard | Carries 75 pounds. Heavy load is 150 pounds and maximum drag is 375. Level 1-5: Speed 5, travel 6 hours. Level 6-10: Speed 6, travel 8 hours. Level 11-30: Speed 7, travel 10 hours. |
| Sage | Triple | Can be assigned the Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature, or Religion skill. Allies get a +2 power bonus to the chosen skill (+3 at level 15, +4 at level 25). Once per day, an ally can get a +5 item bonus on the next check for the assigned skill for sage knowledge. |
| Scribe | Double | Can make a rough copy of a page of text or illustrations during a short rest, or a perfect copy during an extended rest. |
| Seasoned Crew Member | Standard | If a vehicle's crew is entirely made up of seasoned crew member hirelings, the vehicle gains a +1 bonus to all defenses. |
| Spy | Triple | +2 power bonus to streetwise. (+3 at level 15, +4 at level 25) |
| Valet | Standard | +2 power bonus to diplomacy. (+3 at level 15, +4 at level 25) |
| Hunter | Standard | +2 power bonus to knowledge checks about aquatic creatures (Aura 5)[Dr412] |
| Medic | Double | +2 power bonus to Heal checks.[Dr412] |
| Cleric | Quadruple (4 * Standard) | +2 power bonus to Heal checks. May attend to an ally during a short rest to regain 5 extra hit points for each healing surge spent. May perform the Raise Dead ritual. [Dr412] |
| Druid | Triple | +2 power bonus to skill checks related to natural creatures. May perform Portend Weather ritual once per day without ritual components.[Dr412] |
| Mage | Triple | +2 power bonus to arcana checks. Once per day, an ally gains a +5 item bonus to the next skill check made for a ritual that uses the Arcana skill. Once per day, the ships' speed increases by 2 for the next 8 hours.[Dr412] |
The odd-one-out is the interpreter, who costs 1 sp per day. This is due to the campaign setting. [DSCS:123]
Henchmen[]
A henchmen is a higher grade of hirelings. They may usually appear to fill a role, but may also be employed for money.
They are created in the same way as regular NPCs. If hired, they would cost the same as one-fifth of magic item of their level.
Hireling traits[]
Like companion characters, hirelings have traits to help them stand out as more than trap springers and door openers. You don't need extensive details; you need only enough information to give them a little life.
Race: A hireling's race does not affect his or her statistics, but it can reveal a lot about personality and appearance. Hirelings favor employers who are friendly to their people.
Physical Description: Come up with one or two distinguishing characteristics to make the hireling stand out. Height, weight, and coloring are good places to start, as are interesting elements such as a limp, a squint, boils, or a ruddy complexion.
Personality: Don't worry too much about motivations, secrets, or behaviors when it comes to hirelings. Instead, assign a word to the hireling to summarize his or her personality, Examples include serious, driven, craven, unhinged, reckless, or loyal.
Loyalty[]
A hireling isn't likely to stick around if mistreated. Other hirelings can grow wise to a callous master that carelessly sends hired servants to their doom.
DMs have no need to track attitudes or list offenses. Just have them keep in mind the adventurers' personalities and how well they or they all treat the hireling. If you can't imagine someone putting up with that treatment, have the hireling make an exit at the closest opportunity. As word gets out about the adventurer(s,) you might increase the skill check DCs required to hire these followers.
Trivia[]
- Hirelings were first published in an Unearthed Arcana article. [Dr397]
- Unearthed Arcana in Dragon 412 provided additional hirelings.