[MECHANICS] Dungeon! - Henchmen & Hirelings

Henchmen & Hirelings

Unlike Player Characters, Henchmen and Hirelings have certain restrictions. For one, they require daily pay. The Pay Stat in their Stat Block lists their rate of daily pay.

Also, Henchmen and Hirelings must roll Morale. Unlike Monsters, Henchmen and Hirelings roll Morale in more specific situations. Whenever a Henchman, Hireling, or Player Character is killed, every nearby Henchmen and Hireling must roll Morale. Additionally, they will roll Morale each day they go without pay. For each consecutive day without pay, they gain a cumulative -1 to their Morale Save. These cumulative -1's are reset once they are paid in full for their unpaid days of work. Finally, Henchmen and Hirelings may roll Morale at the GM's discretion each time a Player Character attempts to mistreat them. For example, a Guard who is forced by his employer to walk into a Trap will most certainly roll Morale before deciding if they will actually obey. Whenever a Henchman or Hireling fails a Morale Save, they instantly quit employment and, if in danger, do everything they can to flee and defend themselves.

Many Henchmen and Hirelings also have Ranks. Ranks are effectively Levels for Henchmen and Hirelings. Rank often impacts the Stats of Henchmen and Hirelings, including their Pay. Any Henchmen or Hireling that has a Rank starts at a minimum of Rank 1 and can reach a maximum of Rank 5. To reach their next Rank, a Henchman or Hireling must be paid a Bonus. This Bonus should be a single large sum equal to 10 times their current Pay. At the GM's discretion, however, Henchmen and Hirelings may already be higher than Rank 1 when first employed by the Player Characters.

Henchmen

Henchmen are combat-oriented. They can be hired as muscle for clearing out a dungeon, but some types of Henchmen have preferred jobs listed as Special mechanics. Also, Henchman can wield any Weapon and can wear Armor based on what type of Henchman they are. All Henchman may use Shields. Henchman will start out with the standard equipment listed in their Stat Block unless the GM alters their Stat Block. For example, this means a Guard you hire would start out with Heavy Armor and a Spear, but no Shield. The GM may alter this and/or you may give better equipment to that Guard, improving their Stats.

Basic Henchmen

• Guard - CR = Rank - - - Encumbrance: 20 - - - Pay: 5 Silver per Rank per Day
• HP: 6 per Rank
• AC: 13 (w/ Heavy Armor; can wear any Armor)
• AB: +1 per Rank
• Damage: 1d8 (w/ Spear), 1 Free Action Attack each Turn if Rank 5
• Special: Guards will fight alongside their employers, but they prefer stationary work protecting settlements and strongholds. At the end of each week, any Guard not assigned to stationary work must roll Morale.
• Save: 15
• Skills: Listen (2-in-6)
• Mercenary - CR = Rank + 2 - - - Encumbrance: 20 - - - Pay: 1 Gold per Rank per Day
• HP: 8 per Rank
• AC: 14 (w/ Medium Armor + Shield; can wear any Armor)
• AB: +2 per Rank
• Damage: 1d8 (w/ Battle Axe), 1 Free Action Attack each Turn if Rank 3 or higher
• Special: Mercenaries will fight alongside their employers. They have no specific work preferences, but they are not as loyal as Knights. Mercenaries value Gold and self-preservation over all else.
• Save: 14
• Skills: Agility (2-in-6), Strength (2-in-6)

• Knight - CR = Rank + 2 - - - Encumbrance: 20 - - - Pay: 2 Gold per Rank per Day
• HP: 10 per Rank
• AC: 15 (w/ Heavy Armor + Shield; can wear any Armor)
• AB: +2 per Rank
• Damage: 1d8 (w/ Longsword), 1 Free Action Attack each Turn if Rank 3 or higher
• Special: Knights seek battle and to fight alongside their employers. They are willing to fight to the death, and they have Advantage on Morale rolls. At the end of each week, any Knight that has not seen combat in the past week must roll Morale.
• Save: 13
• Skills: Charisma (2-in-6), Strength (3-in-6)

Specialized Henchmen

• Magic-User - CR = Rank - - - Encumbrance: 10 - - - Pay: 3 Gold per Rank per Day
• HP: 4 per Rank
• AC: 11 (w/ Light Armor; can only wear Light Armor)
• AB: +1 per Rank
• Damage: 1d6 (w/ Dagger), 1 Free Action Attack each Turn if Rank 5
• Spells: 1 Spell Point per Rank. Knows 1 Spell per Rank from the d10 list below:
1. Bookspeak
2. Counter Spell
3. Detect
4. Fireball
5. Invisibility
6. Light
7. Lorespeak
8. Magic Missile
9. Sleep
10. Ward
• Special: Magic-Users seek knowledge and to explore alongside their employers. They are willing to fight to the death for this knowledge, and they have Advantage on Morale rolls. At the end of each week, any Magic-User that has not found any sort of arcane knowledge or Item in the past week must roll Morale.
• Save: 12
• Skills: Knowledge (3-in-6), Languages (2-in-6)
• Priest - CR = Rank - - - Encumbrance: 15 - - - Pay: 2 Gold per Rank per Day
• HP: 6 per Rank
• AC: 12 (w/ Medium Armor; can wear Light or Medium Armor)
• AB: +1 per Rank
• Damage: 1d8 (w/ Mace), 1 Free Action Attack each Turn if Rank 5
• Spells: 1 Spell Point per Rank. Knows 1 Spell per Rank from the d8 list below:
1. Bane
2. Bless
3. Fear
4. Heal
5. Heroism
6. Holy Weapon
7. Light
8. Revive
• Special: Priests seek holy relics and to explore alongside their employers. They are willing to fight to the death for these holy relics, and they have Advantage on Morale rolls. At the end of each week, any Priest that has not found any sort of holy relic or information in the past week must roll Morale.
• Save: 13
• Skills: Languages (2-in-6), Medicine (3-in-6)
• Specialist - CR = Rank - - - Encumbrance: 10 - - - Pay: 1 Gold per Rank per Day
• HP: 4 per Rank
• AC: 11 (w/ Light Armor; can only wear Light Armor)
• AB: +2 per Rank
• Damage: 1d6 (w/ Dagger), 1 Free Action Attack each Turn if Rank 5
• Special: Specialists simply seek treasure and wealth. However, they do value self-preservation. At the end of each week, any Specialist that has not found any sort of treasure in the past week must roll Morale.
• Save: 12
• Skills: Agility (3-in-6), Listen (3-in-6), Search (3-in-6), Stealth (3-in-6), Thievery (3-in-6); Specialists also gain +1 Skill Pip to assign for each Rank they gain above 1.

Hirelings

Hirelings are not combat-oriented. In fact, they will do everything in their power to avoid combat, fleeing completely if they must. They can be hired for specific tasks and as skilled laborers. Hirelings tend to have specific preferences, listed as Special mechanics. Finally, most Hirelings lack HP, AC, AB, and Saves. This is because these values are not relevant. If a Hireling who lacks one of these Stats takes 1 or more Damage, they die instantly.

• Accountant - - - Pay: 1 Gold per Day
• Special: Accountants will not accompany their employers on adventures, instead investing funds for their employer in the local economy. For every day an Accountant is paid to work, they generate 1d4 - 1 Gold.
• Skills: Knowledge (2-in-6)
• Craftsman - - - Pay: 5 Silver per Day
• Special: Craftsman will not accompany their employers on adventures, instead specializing in 1 specific craft (such as Alchemy, Blacksmithing, etc.). For every day a Craftsman is paid to work, they generate 1 Item related to their craft. The GM may require the Craftsman to be supplied with additional Coin or ingredients to craft certain Items.
• Skills: Strength (2-in-6)

• Crewman - - - Pay: 3 Silver per Day
• Special: Crewman specialize in driving wagons, manning ships, and other Vehicle related jobs. Also, they will care for Beasts of Burden and Mounts. Finally, when attempting to repair a Vehicle, they automatically succeed on the Skill Check.
• Skills: Survival (2-in-6)
• Doctor - - - Pay: 1 Gold per Day
• Special: Doctors are trained in medicine but lack magical ability. While they won't engage in combat, Doctors are willing to travel alongside their employers, offering their services. Below are the services a Doctor may provide.
• Over 10 minutes... A Doctor may apply a Bandage with no risk of failure.
• Over 1 hour... A Doctor may increase the Short Rest Healing of up to 5 nearby targets by 1d4.
• Over 8 hours... A Doctor may increase the Long Rest Healing of up to 5 nearby targets by 5.
• Over a full day... A Doctor may cure 1 nearby target of a single Sickness of Disease.
• Over a full day... A Doctor may create and install a prosthetic onto a single target. The prosthetic will allow the target to function as normal, but permanently reduces the target's Maximum HP by 5.
• Skills: Medicine (3-in-6)
• Laborer - - - Pay: 1 Silver per Day
• Special: Laborers will not accompany their employers on adventures, instead performing grunt-work at certain locations. If you want something built, moved, or excavated, Laborers are your best bet.
• Skills: Strength (2-in-6)

• Manager - - - Pay: 7 Silver per Day
• Special: Managers can be put in charge of up to 10 other Henchmen or Hirelings. Each Henchman or Hireling managed by them has their Pay reduced by a value of 1 Silver. Henchmen and Hirelings may not be managed by more than one Manager at a time.
• Skills: Charisma (2-in-6)
• Torchbearer - - - Encumbrance: 10 - - - Pay: 3 Silver per Day
• HP: 5
• AC: 15
• AB: +0
• Damage: N/A, Hirelings will never Attack
• Special: Torchbearers craft 4 Torches after a Long Rest, or they may instead find 1 Flask of Oil. Also, Torchbearers will avoid fleeing from combat unless ordered otherwise. However, the most a Torchbearer will do in combat is provide the actual fighters with light.
• Save: 15
• Skills: Agility (2-in-6)