Hirelings & Followers

Hiring Skilled Labor

Need a specific service or skill? When you run into a specific type of challenge, it might be worth it to look for someone with specific expertise.

Most villages only have basic craftspeople with a +2 modifier. The most skilled person in a town usually has a +6 to +8 modifier. Cities can have anywhere from a +12 to a +15. NPCs with modifiers higher than +15 are normally not available, and usually demand compensation beyond simple payment. They represent people of such skill that they are considered legendary.

Unskilled Labor: 2 sp per day

Skilled Labor (+2 on a skill): 2 gp per day

Expert Labor or Consultancy (+5 on a skill): 5 gp per day

Exceptional Labor or Consultancy (+10 on a skill): 32 gp per day

Superb Labor or Consultancy (+15 on a skill): 150 gp per day

Mercenaries & Sellswords

Skill Levels

A guard or normal person equivalent costs 2 gp per day

A slightly more skilled but otherwise regular individual costs 10 gp per day

A mercenary that can keep up with a 5th level party costs 20 gp per day

A mercenary that can keep up with a 7th or 8th level party costs 50 gp per day

A mercenary that can keep up with a 10th level party costs 100 gp per day

Payment

Payment is usually required upfront, for a minimal amount of days (for instance, two weeks)

Particular dangerous expeditions might require a larger pay, up to twice the regular amount

For particular promising expeditions or bounties, mercenaries might request a part of the loot, in addition, or as a replacement for their regular pay

Negotiation

Make a Charisma Check against the negotiator.

For a 5 or lower, the price is doubled. The hireling is insulted by your offer.

For a 14 or lower, the regular price is kept.

For a 15-20, the price is reduced by 10%.

For a 20+, the price is reduced by 20%.

Hirelings have the following stats:

HP. Hirelings have HP equal to their Level*d8+Level. You can choose to roll when you recruit them, or take the average.

Level	Minimal HP	Average HP	Max HP
1	2	6	9
2	4	11	18
3	6	17	27
4	8	22	36
5	10	28	45
6	12	33	54
7	14	39	63
8	16	44	72
9	18	50	81
10	20	55	90

Death. When Hirelings drop to 0 HP, they get to make 1 Constitution Save their next turn, DC 10. If they fail, they die. If they succeed, they are unconscious but stable. If a Hireling survives being dropped to 0 HP, roll 1d6: 1: Head injury. 2: Torso injury. 3: Left arm. 4: Right arm. 5: Left leg. 6: Right leg.

AC. A Hireling has Light Armor (13), Medium Armor (15), or Heavy Armor (18).

Primary Ability. The Hireling gains +4 on a primary Ability Check, +2 on others.

Primary Skill. The Hireling gains +5 on a primary Skill Check, +2 on others.

To Hit. A Hireling has a To Hit bonus of +Level. If you hit with an attack, the Hireling is inspired by your attack and automatically hits your or another target. If you miss, roll to hit.

Damage. Hirelings deal weapon damage+level damage per attack. Hirelings deal average damage:

If you hit with an attack and the hireling attacks the same target, the hireling automatically deals their max damage (example: 1d8+2=10 damage)
If you miss with an attack or the hireling attacks a different target, the hireling rolls to hit.
- If they hit, deal max damage.
- If they miss, deal minimal damage (example: 1d8+2=3 damage)

Saving Throws. A Hireling has +3 on all saving throws, with an extra +3 for their Primary Ability.

Save DC. Adventuring followers’ spells and actions that require a saving throw start with DC 13 at 3rd level, improve to DC 14 at 5th level, and finally improve to DC 15 at 7th level.