Template:Hirelings
Hirelings
A "hireling" is any NPC in the adventurers' employ. The GM controls hirelings; the players can give any orders they like, but the GM decides how they are followed!
A hireling provides an excellent way to add muscle or special talents to a party without introducing more PCs. A party may have any number of hirelings, but the GM should keep the number of important "personality" hirelings down to two or three at a time. The GM can manage any number of generic swordsmen – but keeping up with an important hireling, whose personality and character sheet are as detailed as any PC's, is challenging.
Creating Hirelings
The GM sets the hireling's abilities. If there is an occupational template (see Character Templates) for the hireling's profession, the GM can save time by copying statistics from that template. (If the template is for heroic PCs as opposed to average members of a profession, apply a -1 or -2 to all attributes and skills.)
The GM keeps the hireling's record sheet; the players may not see it. Unimportant hirelings need only a card or a note; important hirelings require a full character sheet.
Finding a Hireling
The PCs can't pull a hireling out of thin air. When they need to employ someone, they must search for a suitable person – just as in real life. They might not always get what they want.
The recruiter may attempt an IQ roll once per week to find a hireling of the desired type. The GM may permit him to substitute an appropriate skill for IQ: Administration (for formal, corporate-style hiring), Current Affairs (if seeking prominent "world experts"), Propaganda (for aggressive recruiting), Streetwise (if seeking criminals), etc. The party may attempt only one roll per hireling per week. Modify this roll as follows:
City Size: The bigger the town or city, the better the odds:
| Population | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Less than 100 | -3 |
| 100-999 | -2 |
| 1,000-4,999 | -1 |
| 5,000-9,999 | 0 |
| 10,000-49,999 | +1 |
| 50,000-99,999 | +2 |
| 100,000 or more | +3 |
Advertising: +1 if the advertising budget is 50% the monthly pay of the job, +2 if 500%, +3 if 5,000%, and so on. This money covers the expense of business lunches, handbills, newspaper ads, "recruiting parties," etc.
Money Offered: +1 if the pay is 20% higher than normal for the job, +2 if 50% higher, and +3 if 100% higher or more.
Risk: -2 to find a hireling for a job that involves obvious risk of combat, unless seeking a guard, mercenary, or other "combatant" hireling. The GM decides which potential hirelings are "combatant."
Legality: -5 to find a hireling for an illegal job – and any critical failure on the roll results in legal complications. The GM may waive this -5 when the employer uses Streetwise skill for the search, but the critical failure result is the same!
On a success, the PCs find a candidate. The GM describes the potential hireling to the players, and can even take his part for an "interview." The players must then decide whether they actually want to hire that person. If they decide not to, they must start their search over again.
A failure might mean that a hireling simply is not available – especially in a small town. It is up to the GM whether to allow repeated attempts.
Of course, the GM is free to "load" the roll, if he feels the PCs absolutely should have (or should not have) a hireling of a specific type! For instance, if an adventure calls for a particular hireling, the GM can ensure that the hireling will appear. He may do this overtly (the NPC approaches the party in a bar and asks for a job) or covertly (the players say that they are looking for hirelings; the GM pretends to roll, but gives them a preplanned NPC).
Loyalty of Hirelings
A hireling might not always act in his employer's best interests. The GM should use the hireling's "loyalty rating" as a guide. Unless this is preset for a reason, generate it by making a reaction roll (see Reaction Rolls) for "loyalty" when the PCs first encounter the hireling. The GM can even use this during the initial meeting or interview, to see whether the hireling lies about himself. Note that a very loyal potential hireling might exaggerate his abilities out of desire to join the party!