Non-Player Characters (NPCs)
Player characters cannot fight, survive, wheel, deal, plot, or scheme without interacting with nonplayer characters (NPCs). Indeed, the very heart of the AD&D game is the relationship between player characters and nonplayer characters. How the player characters react to and treat NPCs determines the type of game the group plays.
In the broadest sense, an NPC is any person, creature, or monster that is controlled by the DM. Most NPCs are either people (intelligent races that live in local society) or monsters (intelligent and unintelligent creatures that aren't normally found in towns and villages). The term "monster" is only a convenient label. It doesn't mean the creature is automatically dangerous or hostile. Likewise, NPCs who are people aren't uniformly helpful and cooperative. As with all things, the range of possible reactions of NPCs to PCs covers the entire spectrum.
In the course of their adventures, player characters will interact with many NPCs in many ways. Some they will fight, some they will bargain with, some they will try to avoid, and some they will seek to include in their inner circle, or employ for their particular skills.
The latter can be broken down into three groups of NPCs: hirelings, followers, and henchmen. It is their aid that helps player characters vanquish deadly monsters and accomplish mighty deeds. As their names imply, these NPCs can be persuaded in various ways to join the player characters in their adventures. The most common methods of persuasion are money and loyalty.
Hirelings
The most frequently employed NPC is the hireling. A hireling is a person who works for money. Most hirelings have fairly ordinary skills, while others are masters of a craft or art, and a few are experts of specialized adventuring skills.
There are three types of hirelings: common, experts, and soldiers. Common hirelings form the vast majority of any population, particularly in an agricultural community.
Common hirelings are farmers, millers, innkeepers, porters, and the like. While some of these professions require special knowledge, they don't, as a rule, require highly specialized training. These are the men and women whose work forms the base upon which civilized life is built.
Expert hirelings are those whose training is specialized. This group includes craftsmen, sages, spies, assassins, alchemists, animal trainers, and the like. Since not everyone is trained in these skills, few experts are available for hire, and these few earn more than the common hireling. Indeed, truly exotic experts (such as spies) are very rare and extremely expensive.
Typical hirelings include the following:
Hirelings and Costs
| Common Hirelings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Profession | Daily Cost | Monthly Cost * |
| Apothecary: A chemist, druggist, or pharmacist | 1 ep | 10 gp |
| Arrowsmith: A maker of arrowheads | 8 sp | 8 gp |
| Baker / Butcher | 3 sp | 2 gp |
| Barber: A surgeon, bloodletter, dentist, and haircutter | 4 sp | 4 gp |
| Beggar | 2 cp | 5 sp |
| Bellfounder: A caster of bells | 5 sp | 5 gp |
| Bloomer: A man who works an iron smelting forge | 5 sp | 5 gp |
| Brewer: A maker of ales, bitters, stouts, and beer | 3 sp | 2 gp |
| Carpenter | 3 sp | 2 gp** |
| Cartwright: A builder of wagons and carts | 8 sp | 8 gp** |
| Carver: A sculptor in wood | 10 sp | 10 gp |
| Chandler: A maker of candles | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Chapman: A traveling peddler who normally frequents small villages | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Cobbler / Cordwainer: A shoemaker or repairer | 5 sp | 5 gp |
| Collier: A burner of charcoal for smelting | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Cook | 3 sp | 2 gp |
| Cooper: A barrelmaker | --- | 7 gp |
| Draper / Mercer: A cloth merchant | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Dyer: One who dyes clothing | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Embroiderer: A needleworker who decorates fabric with intricate designs of thread | 8 sp | 8 gp |
| Farrier: A maker of horseshoes | 1 ep | 10 gp |
| Fisherman | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Fishmonger: A fish dealer | 15 cp | 3 ep |
| Furrier: A tailor of fur garments | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Gardener | --- | 1 gp |
| Girdler: A maker of belts and girdles | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Glover / Pursemaker: A maker of gloves/purses | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Glassblower: A maker of items made of glass | 4 sp | 4 gp |
| Glazier: One who cuts and sets glass | 3 ep | 30 gp |
| Groom: A man who tends horses | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Hatter: One who makes hats | 7 sp | 7 gp |
| Herbalist: A practitioner of herbal cures | 4 sp | 4 gp |
| Hewer: One who digs coal or other minerals | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Horner: A worker of horn | 7 sp | 7 gp |
| Hosier: A maker of hose and garters | 5 sp | 5 gp |
| Hosteler: An innkeeper | 9 sp | 9 gp |
| Ironmonger: A dealer, not maker, of ironwork | 4 sp | 4 gp |
| Joiner: A cabinet or furniture-maker | --- | 7 gp** |
| Knife-grinder: A sharpener of knives | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Laundress | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Laborer | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Leather worker | 2 sp | 30 sp** |
| Limeburner: A maker of lime for mortar | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Limner: An artistic painter | 10 sp | 10 gp |
| Linkboy: A lantern or torch-bearer | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Marbler: A cutter and carver of marble | 5 sp | 5 gp |
| Mason: A worker in building stone, brick, and plaster | 4 sp | 4 gp |
| Messenger | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Miller: One who operates a grain mill | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Miner / Quarrier | --- | 2 gp |
| Minstrel | 4 sp | 6 gp |
| Painter (Walls, buildings) | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Parchment-maker | 6 sp | 6 gp |
| Ploughman / Farmer: A worker of the field | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Porter: A hauler of goods | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Potter: A maker of metal or, alternatively, clay pots | 2 sp | 30 sp** |
| Saddler: A maker of saddles | 8 sp | 8 gp |
| Seamstress: One whose occupation is sewing | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Shearman: A man who trims the loose wool from the cloth to finish it | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Sheather: A maker of scabbards and knife sheaths | 2 sp | 2 gp |
| Shepherd | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Soapmaker | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Spurrier: A maker of spurs | 1 ep | 10 gp |
| Swineherd: A keeper of pigs | 1 sp | 1 gp |
| Tailor | 2 sp | 30 sp** |
| Tanner: A leather-maker | 3 sp | 2 gp |
| Teamster: A hauler of goods by wagon or cart | 5 sp | 5 gp |
| Tinker: A traveling craftsman who repairs tin pots and similar items | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Trapper | 4 sp | 4 gp |
| Valet / Lackey | 3 sp | 50 sp |
| Weaver: One who makes fabric | 3 sp | 2 gp |
| Expert Hirelings | ||
| Profession | Daily Cost | Monthly Cost * |
| Alchemist: Compounder of magical substances | --- | 300 gp |
| Architect | --- | 100 gp |
| Armorer | --- | 100 gp** |
| Assassin: A killer for hire | 200 gp | 800 pp |
| Astrologer: A reader of stars and fates | 25 gp | 100 pp |
| Barrister: A lawyer or one who pleads the case of another before a noble's court | --- | 20 pp |
| Blacksmith | 3 ep | 30 gp |
| Bladesmith: A smith who specializes in sword blades | --- | 40 gp |
| Bookbinder: A maker of books | --- | 15 gp |
| Bowyer: A maker of bows | --- | 10 gp |
| Brazier: A smith who works in brass, sometimes a traveling workman | 1 gp | 20 gp |
| Clerk: A scribe who generally handles business accounts | 15 sp | 15 gp |
| Clockmaker | --- | 10 gp |
| Coppersmith: A copper worker | 1 ep | 10 gp |
| Cutler: A maker of knives and silverware | --- | 10 gp** |
| Enameler: A jeweler specializing in enamel work. | 9 sp | 9 gp |
| Engraver: A jeweler specializing in decorative engraving | 9 sp | 9 gp |
| Fletcher: An arrowmaker | 9 sp | 9 gp |
| Forester: An official responsible for the lord's woodlands | --- | 100 gp |
| Gem-cutter: A jeweler specializing in gemstones | 5 gp | 100 gp |
| Gilder: A craftsman of gilt gold and silver | 5 ep | 50 gp |
| Goldbeater: A maker of gold foil | 1 ep | 10 gp |
| Goldsmith: A jeweler who works with gold | 3 gp | 12 pp |
| Harpmaker | --- | 10 gp |
| Herald: A courtier skilled in etiquette and heraldry | 10 gp | 40 ep |
| Interpreter: A translator | 3 ep | 6 pp |
| Leech: A nonclerical Physician | 75 gp | 300 pp |
| Locksmith | 4 ep | 4 gp |
| Lutemaker | --- | 12 gp |
| Minter: A maker of coins | --- | 5 gp |
| Nailsmith: A smith specializing in nails | 2 ep | 20 gp |
| Navigator: One skilled in the arts of direction-finding and navigation | 2 ep | 20 gp |
| Pewterer: One who works pewter | 1 ep | 10 gp |
| Sage: A scholar | 100 gp | ~2000 gp |
| Scribe: A secretary or one who can write | 3 ep | 15 gp |
| Shipwright: A builder of ships and boats | --- | 150 gp |
| Spy | 200 gp | 800 pp |
| Steward / Castellan | --- | 300 gp |
| Thief | 100 gp | 500 gp |
| Vintner: A maker of wines | --- | 10 gp |
| Wheelwright: One who makes and repairs wheels | 3 sp | 3 gp |
| Mercenary Soldiers | ||
| Profession | Daily Cost | Monthly Cost * |
| Archer (Longbow) | --- | 4 gp |
| Archer (Short bow) | --- | 2 gp |
| Sailor | --- | 2 gp |
| Artillerist | --- | 5 |
| Captain | --- | 100 gp/level |
| Crossbowman | --- | 2 gp |
| Footman, Heavy | --- | 2 gp |
| Footman, Light | --- | 1 gp |
| Footman, Pikeman | --- | 3 gp |
| Hobilar (Dragoon) Heavy | --- | 3 gp |
| Hobilar (Dragoon) Light | --- | 2 gp |
| Horseman, Archer | --- | 6 gp |
| Horseman, Heavy | --- | 6 gp |
| Horseman, Light | --- | 3 gp |
| Horseman, Medium | --- | 4 gp |
| Horseman, Crossbowman | --- | 4 gp |
| Lieutenant | --- | 100 gp/level |
| Sapper/Miner | --- | 4 gp |
| Sergeant | --- | 10 x Troop Cost |
| Slinger | --- | 3 gp |
| Ship Crew | --- | 2 gp |
| Ship Captain | --- | 100 gp/level |
|
*Monthly rate assumes that quarters are provided for the hireling,
and that these quarters contain a bed and like necessities. **Cost does not include all remuneration or special fees. Add 10% of the usual cost of items handled or made by these hirelings on a per job basis, i.e. an armorer makes a suit of plate mail which has a normal cost of 400gold pieces, so 10% of that sum (40g.p.) is added to the costs of maintaining the blacksmith. | ||
The list above is by no means complete. Medieval occupations were highly specialized. A man might spend all his life working as a miner of iron and be considered to have a very different occupation from a miner of tin.
Hirelings are always employed for a stated term of service or for the performance of a specific task. Thus, a mercenary contracts to serve for one season. A thief can be hired to steal a named item. A sage works to answer a single question. A blacksmith may offer himself for a term of years. A sailor works for a single voyage. Quite often these contracts can be renewed without difficulty, but the only thing that binds a hireling to the player character is regular pay and good treatment. Hirelings do not serve a PC out of any great loyalty.
Thus there are some things hirelings will not do. Most hirelings do not foolishly risk their lives. There are soldiers willing to take their chances on the field of battle, but even these courageous (or foolish) few do not willingly undertake the greater hazards of adventuring. They man castle walls, guard caravans, collect taxes, and charge the massed foe well enough, but they often refuse to accompany a PC on an adventure. Even a hireling who regularly undertakes dangerous missions (a thief or an assassin, for example) normally refuses to join player character parties. These hirelings are loners. They contract to do a job and get it done in their own way, without interference from anyone else.
Hirelings are no more loyal than human nature allows. For the most part, if paid and treated well, with opportunities to realize their ambitions, working for a charismatic leader, hirelings can be relied on to do their jobs faithfully. But poor pay, injustice, discrimination, threats, abuse, and humiliation at the hands of their masters make them somewhat less than reliable. A smart leader sees to the comfort and morale of his men before his own concerns. With less savory characters--those hired to perform dark deeds--the player character takes even greater chances, especially given the questionable morals of such characters.
Whatever their personalities, hirelings generally need to make morale checks whenever they are faced with a particularly dangerous situation or are offered a bribe or other temptation.
Finding hirelings is not difficult. Under normal circumstances, applicants respond to ads. Only when trying to employ vast numbers or hire those with unusual specialties (such as spies) does the process become complicated. Just what needs to be done in this situation depends entirely upon the DM's campaign. Your character may have to skulk through the unsavory bars of the waterfront, rely on questionable go-betweens, or pay a visit to the thieves' guild (if there is one). Just employing one of these characters can be a small adventure in itself.
Employment costs of hirelings vary from a few gold pieces a month to thousands of gold pieces for an especially dangerous task. The skill and experience of a hireling has a great effect on his salary. A learned sage researching some obscure piece of lore can charge hefty sums. Costs can also be affected by the conditions of the campaign--the setting, the recent events of the world, and the reputations of the player characters (if any). Most hirelings sign on for what they think is fair. While few will turn down more money, most will drive the best bargain they can.
Followers
More reliable than those who are motivated purely by money are those characters who, while they expect pay, were originally drawn into service by the reputation of the player character. These are followers, usually a unit of soldiers of one type or another. Followers serve only those of significant power and reputation, thus the construction of a stronghold is necessary to attract followers.
Followers have the same needs and limitations of hirelings. Most must be paid and well-treated. They also do not accompany the player characters on group adventures. They have some advantages over hirelings, however. Followers do not serve for a specific term of contract. They remain with the player character as long as their basic needs are met. They are more loyal than the average hireling and are treated as elite troops. Unlike most hirelings, followers can increase in level (although this occurs very slowly since they act only as soldiers). All followers in a unit advance to the next level at the same time. Finally, the player character need not seek out followers--they come to him, seeking out positions within his illustrious household.
Followers appear only once. Replacements do not arrive to fill the ranks of the fallen. (Massive losses of followers in combat only gives the character a bad reputation, discouraging others from flocking to his banner.) Player characters should take care of their followers, perhaps treating them as an elite bodyguard.
Some characters attract unique followers such as animals or magical beings. Although termed followers, these creatures are more properly treated as henchmen in terms of loyalty and what they will and will not do. They do not count against the character's limit on henchmen, however, since they are technically followers.
Henchmen
Henchmen are much that hirelings are not. They are adventurers who serve out of loyalty. They are willing to risk their lives for those they respect. They are also hard to find.
Henchmen are powerful allies to a player character. Unlike hirelings, they have the nerve and ability to become powerful adventurers. Although they expect their share of treasure, they do not usually join a player character for money. They are attracted to the PC because of his reputation or other qualities he possesses. As such, henchmen cannot be expected to flock to the banner of a neophyte adventurer. He may gain himself one or two companions, but others come only when he has earned a greater reputation, met more people, and proven himself a true friend and ally to these NPCs.
Henchmen can come from any source. Most often they are at first mere hirelings or followers who, through distinctive actions, come to the attention of the player character. Some may be higher level, more skilled hirelings who develop a bond to the player character through long employment. Others may be followers who have sound advice for the player character.
A henchman is always of lower level than the PC. Should he ever equal or surpass the PC's level, the henchman leaves forever; it is time for him to try his luck in the real world. In some ways, the player character is the mentor and the henchman his student. When the student has learned as much as the teacher, it is time for him to go out on his own.
Henchmen are more than just loyal followers; they are friends and allies. Naturally, they expect to be treated as such. They have little need for those who do not trust them or treat them coldly. Abusiveness or taking advantage of the friendship quickly ends the relationship. Just as players must with their own friends, player characters must be sensitive to the needs and feelings of their henchmen. Furthermore, henchmen attach themselves to a particular player character, not a group of player characters. Thus it is only under the direst of circumstances that a henchman accepts the orders of another PC. Should his friend (the player character) fall, the henchman sees to his needs. He doesn't abandon him and continue on with the other player characters unless this is clearly the only way to aid his friend.
A PC's Charisma determines the maximum number of henchmen he can have. This is a lifetime limit, not just a maximum possible at any given time. In a world where the fallen can be restored to life, it is expected that a man would make this effort for his dearest friends, both player characters and henchmen.
Charisma Modifiers
Attracting a henchman is fairly difficult. One cannot advertise for friends with any great success. They grow and develop from other relationships. A henchman can be found by placing trust in a skilled hireling. Heroic deeds (saving the life of an NPC) can create a strong and instant bond. Love certainly can form this bond. The player and the DM must trust their own judgment to determine when an NPC becomes a henchman. There is no clear line an NPC must cross to make the transition from hireling to henchman. Instead, it is a slide from one status to the other.
Once an NPC becomes a henchman, the player gains a high degree of control over the character. He should be responsible for the record keeping for that character. It is almost, but not quite, like having a new PC for the player. If the DM allows it, the player can have all information regarding the abilities of the henchman, although the DM may choose not to reveal this information. The player is allowed to make nearly all decisions for the NPC, but the DM can overrule any action as being out of character.
There are certain things henchmen do not do. They do not give away or loan out magical items. They do not allow others free access to their spell books. They do not tolerate spell use that questions their loyalty (detect lie or know alignment cast upon them). They do not accept less than their due share. In general, within these limits, henchmen do what is desired of them. The DM can at any time dictate the actions of a henchman, since the character is still an NPC.
If a PC is not attentive to the wishes and needs of his henchmen, or if he abuses and humiliates them, he can expect the worst. This is the stuff mutinies and rebellions are made of. Should an abusive player character fall at the hands of a once-loyal henchman, he has only himself to blame.
On the other hand, not all henchmen are paragons of loyalty. The player character must always be aware that henchmen are sometimes not what they seem. They can be a means to get at the player character. Throughout history, many a cruel and cunning villain has posed as a true companion, waiting for his chance to strike or spy on his friend.
Player Character Obligations
Whenever a player character takes on a hireling, follower, or henchman, he has committed himself to certain obligations and customs that surround such agreements. Some of these are obvious, having been worked out between the player character and the NPC in advance. Usually the wage and term of service are settled upon before any agreement is reached. For hirelings and followers, this is a set amount of money each day, week, or month, or a fee for a specific task. Henchmen commonly receive a portion (half a normal share) of all treasure and magic found on adventures. A player character is normally expected to contribute a little more from his own funds, however.
Other obligations of the player character are varied. Some must always be considered, while others almost never come into effect. A player character is expected to provide meals and boarding (unless the NPC has a home nearby). This is the most common obligation and applies to NPCs of all walks of life. For those engaged in more dangerous pursuits, however, additional concessions must be granted. Since horses are expensive, player characters should be ready to cover the cost of mounts lost in combat or on campaign. It is unreasonable to expect a mercenary to buy a new mount from his meager savings. Likewise, other items of war craft--weapons and armor--must be replaced by the player character. All soldiers are expected to provide their own equipment when they are first employed, but the player character must replace all losses. Certainly all player characters are expected to pay the cost of special transport--securing passage on ships and arranging wagons for baggage. Of the grimmer duties, player characters are expected to pay for a decent (though hardly lavish) interment.
One of the more unusual obligations of a player character is to ransom his men. This is especially true of men lost during a campaign. The greater number of soldiers lost in a battle are not slain but captured. Common practice of the medieval period was to officially ransom these prisoners for well-established prices. A common yeoman footman might ransom for 2 gp, a minor priest for 80 gp, a knight's squire for 200 gp, and a king's man for 500 gp. These are paid for by the lord of the prisoner. A player character (as a lord and master) is expected to do the same. Of course, the player character can pass much of this cost on to his own subjects and the relatives of the prisoner. Thus men might languish for long periods in the hands of the enemy before their ransom was raised. Furthermore, should a player character ransom a hireling, follower, or henchman, he has every reason to expect loyal service from that man in the future. After all, he has demonstrated his willingness to save that NPC from hardship and death.
In a fantasy world, a player character is also expected to bear the cost of magical spells cast to the benefit of his men. He may arrange to have his men blessed before battle or healed after it. He shouldn't grumble about the expense, because the spells also make good tactical sense. The bless spell increases the success of his army in the field. Magical cures get his army back on its feet quicker. All these things can make him very successful while also making him popular with his hired men.
Finally, the player character is expected to make an effort to raise or restore slain henchmen. This is not a normal expectation of hirelings or followers (although it can happen in extreme cases). The effort should be honest and true. A player character shouldn't fool himself into thinking no one will notice if he doesn't do his utmost. The player character who returns from an adventure minus his henchman is automatically under a cloud of suspicion, despite his most vehement protests. A player character must take great care to maintain his reputation as a good and upright employer. This might also affect the character's alignment if the DM thinks the PC is not true to his professed alignment.