Watch the Horses
As we’ve previously established, I love me some hirelings. They’re great for soothing those in-game headaches like “who watches the horses?” and “who’s going to take the third watch?” But as much as I like ’em as a player, I think that hirelings are even better as a GM. Having some kind of NPC to pal around with the party is a fantastic way to drop exposition. I’m talking stuff like, “I dunno, Sir. I didn’t get a good look in the dark. But me old gran used to say it’s the dead what walk on moonless nights.” For my money that’s a lot more interesting and evocative than, “You find footprints. They’re definitely zombie footprints.”
Even more than that, a hireling is a fine vehicle for new storylines and plot hooks. Sure they’re not as grand and interesting as the PCs’, but finding out that your random peon hides unexpected depths can be a treat. For example:
- Aristocrat: A survivor of the Heart Grove Massacre, Aristocrat is actually Wizard’s younger sister. She was a mere 20 years old when last she saw her older brother, and has come of age since they parted. Suspecting Wizard of colluding with her wicked uncle, she conceals her identity from her elder sibling. In the guise of the humble Expert, the learned Aristocrat now watches and waits, spying upon Wizard for signs of treachery.
- Commoner: All his life, Commoner has been a little different from his rusticated fellows. With an epicurean’s palate and a nose for quality, Commoner has made it his life’s work to master the culinary arts. Of course, that’s a tall order when you’ve got peasant’s wages to buy ingredients and equipment. When the doughty cook spied a certain mithral frying pan, he forsook his old life and cast his lot with the heroes. Now the company larder is stocked with all manner of exotic monster parts, and Commoner has access to cookware worth more than the family farm. If his forthcoming Cookbook/Bestiary sells, he may even afford that restaurant he’s always dreamed of.
- Warrior: By far the youngest member of the company, Warrior recently celebrated his first birthday. He sprang into existence when Fighter drew a Knight from the Deck of Too Many Things, and has faithfully served his master ever since. Being a creature of chance and chaos, things seem to go awry whenever Warrior is near. Thief has yet to realize it, but Warrior’s aura of unluck has cost her more than a few hit points during the last campaign arc. Will he ever rid himself of this curse?
Nothing too exciting, but there’s plenty you can do with that sort of thing. And here’s the best part: Because none of that stuff is especially relevant to the main plot, you can take it or leave it session by session. Those hooks can wait off-screen while the PCs do the heavy lifting of the story. And if you ever want to bring in a side quest, you’ve got the hirelings waiting in the wings.
Question of the day then. What’s the best hireling/servant/hanger-on you’ve ever had in a campaign? Did they ever turn out to be a quest-giver in disguise?
ADD SOME NSFW TO YOUR FANTASY! If you’ve ever been curious about that Handbook of Erotic Fantasy banner down at the bottom of the page, then you should check out the “Quest Giver” reward level over on The Handbook of Heroes Patreon. Twice a month you’ll get to see what the Handbook cast get up to when the lights go out. Adults only, 18+ years of age, etc. etc.
Being a one-year old, I kinda wish Warrior was happily munching from his feed bag while the others gave him the side-eye.
lol. I bet his sword is baby-proofed.
this is my first comment but i been reading for sometime now and I realy like the comic keep up the good work. Anyways back to my comment, we getting a lot of background for all the characters but the one person don’t know much of is the GM all the info we have on him is the world that party in and there quest of the day.
Thanks for the kind words, Kingbling! Laurel and I are having a blast with this thing, and we don’t plan to stop any time soon. 😀
As far as I can recall, the GM has appeared exactly once in the comic. It was way back in “Pit Trap.”
https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/the-handbook-of-heroes-12
If you want to know what he’s like though, I think that this one about sums it up:
https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/mooching
yeah those were really funny. It also show that the GM is petty but then so is fighter and that the GM is sick of fighter powergameing way and will mess with his character any chance he gets. But that brings up one of the great mystery in the comic why don’t the GM and the other players kick fighter out of the group, even after they told him to stop but didn’t
Is it because his is the GM’s boyfriend/husband/family menber?
Could it be that there no one around that want to play?
Maybe there all close friends from childhood and that fighter is actually a good person out character and it’s just that rpg bring out the worst of him or he a great roleplayer and he play the CN jerk too well.
i’m I just over thinking this funny web comic? The world will never know.
Hmmm, I can’t recall much in the way of NPC followers having much character in games I’ve played.
In a game I ran I did have an NPC character that basically became a GMPC entirely due to the player’s choice (also they were an evil, cunning, child, spellcaster who would do stuff behind their back like solve the “we want to loot the corpses of this huge battle but have no wagon or even a cart” problem by going off, killing another NPC that did have a wagon, and hiding their body in the bushes).
Warrior’s origin story is almost exactly the same as a secondary character I played once. Drew from the Deck and got a 1st level Fighter. Also drew an epic level bastard sword due to the GM misreading the entry for that item, which I then gave to said Fighter. (I feel like I’ve probably brought this up before but, I’m too lazy to check and it was on topic so whatever.)
I feel like that entry in the deck of many things comes from a time when hirelings were more a part of the hobby than they are now. When my most recent group drew that card, we wound up parking the resultant knight in our keep and told him to guard it. I’m not sure he ever even got a name, poor guy.
In my current game, I created a cleric in order to keep the party alive, particularly the bard, who has nearly died several times and is currently infected with both Ghoul Fever and Filth Fever. The cleric is an absolutely insane man who’s actual deity is unknown and who collects other people’s toenails, breaks down doors with sheep, and uses his brother’s femur as a weapon.
On that off chance that this is a self-insert DMPC, I encourage you to seek psychiatric help. 😛
In a long Pathfinder campaign we had, (that started in D&D 4), our Changeling Wilder Pirate Captain had the Leadership feat and made a list of her whole crew with names, race and position on the boat. The cohort was the first mate and the Wilder’s childhood friend and always worried about the Captain getting into trouble.
When some of the crew died because our flying ship crashed we used Resurrection to bring back to life these lvl 2-4 pirates. 😛
You must have had the most loyal crew of sky pirates in the multiverse. 10K x (# of pirates) gold for low level mooks? That’s one hell of a medical plan!
No hirelings in my current game, but in my first one, the android gunslinger hired an orphan teenager to be his squire. The kid would follow along and reload the guns before handing them over to gunslinger as needed. Occasionally he would shoot one of whatever he was holding. Gunslinger would pay him a bit of gold and training. Sadly the game broke up so we never saw how the squire grew.
As is tradition: https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/33581497934_057a341db8_b.jpg
More or less.
I love the little sparkly detail hanging off of Commoner’s belt, now that I’ve read below! Kudos!
Cheers! Sometimes the right brain knows what the left brain is doing. 🙂
I did enjoy in one of the campaigns I ran – one set in early medieval britain – where the party spent several sessions accompanied by the norse god Loki masquerading as a travelling merchant.
He was just with them to screw around with the myth-arc plot, but he helped them out of a few tight spots by-the-by, and I like to think the party developed a rappor with Finn the trader. One of the party even managed to impress him with – of her own accord – murdering a hapless third party for some blood magic, just when he needed it!
Very traditional for a Norse god! Reminds me of this one: https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/selfless-charity
Those NPC classes look like they’re wearing primitive COVID masks. How foreshadowing of you!