OSR Fantasy Hirelings

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OSR Fantasy Hirelings

Postby Adapt » Thu Oct 08, 2015 2:59 am

Hello, all! I've been working on putting together a book containing lists of various potential hirelings. I posted a few over at my blog, but I'll post them here for the sake of convenience.

Six Warriors for Hire

Do you need a quick NPC fighter for your old-school game? These down on their luck warriors are looking for work! They will be more than happy to join the group as hirelings, henchmen, mercenaries, or meat shields. All they need are names, levels, and hit points to match your game.

1. This former soldier's old wounds forced him to retire. He has grown tired of sitting around taverns swapping war stories, and his meager savings have run out. Despite his bad leg and declining health, he can still swing a sword and haul loot. He has poor manners and loves to tell crude jokes, but he is extremely loyal and can offer useful advice gleaned from years of battlefield experience.
--- STR 14, INT 12, WIS 13, DEX 7, CON 9, CHA 10
--- Gear: Spear, short sword, knife, shield, studded leather armor, backpack, tinderbox, blanket, 3 days iron rations, water skin.

2. This fast talking former knight has sold off most of his possessions save for a few treasures that he just can't bear to part with. He is a competent warrior, but he greatly exaggerates his own ability. He is loyal as long as he is paid well and isn't asked to do anything suicidal. If things get bad, he might desert the group.
--- STR 15, INT 9, WIS 10, DEX 13, CON 15, CHA 14
--- Gear: Long sword, dagger, shield, chain mail, helmet, backpack, silver mirror, tinder box, shaving kit and razor, jeweled snuff box, 2 bottles of wine.

3. This big ox of a man was a farmer until he was conscripted into military service. The war is over and he doesn't know how to do anything but grow wheat, lift heavy things, and bash heads. He is a slow learner and often lacks common sense, but he is happy to help with any task, no matter how menial or life threatening. He is very loyal, but he has a fear of magic that might cause him to panic at the worst possible moment.
--- STR 17, INT 8, WIS 6, DEX 11, CON 16, CHA 5
--- Gear: Spear, knife, club, leather armor, large sack, blanket, 4 days rations, water skin.

4. This short, stocky man used to work as a miner. He had to leave his last job after he was accused of murdering three of his fellow workers in a drunken brawl. He is a hard worker, and his knowledge of mines and caves will come in handy until he tries to kill the rest of the group and loot their corpses.
--- STR 15, INT 12, WIS 12, DEX 9, CON 13, CHA 8
--- Gear: Mining pick, small hammer, knife, club, studded leather armor, backpack, lantern, tinderbox, 12 candles, 2 flasks of oil, 50 feet of rope, 12 iron spikes.

5. This tall hunter comes from a foreign land. He is traveling the world in search of excitement and enlightenment, and is eager to join the group. His grasp of the local language is sufficient to have simple conversations and follow orders, but he sometimes has difficulty finding the right words or explaining complex ideas. He is friendly and loyal, but he has little experience with exploring caves and dungeons, causing his morale to decline the longer he remains underground.
--- STR 13, INT 10, WIS 9, DEX 13, CON 14, CHA 11
--- Gear: Short sword, 3 knives, short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, chain mail, shield, backpack, blanket, 30 feet of rope, tinderbox, water skin, 6 days dried meat,

6. This former crossbowman has a nose that has been broken many times. The last mercenary company he belonged to disbanded due to internal power struggles, so he is hoping to find better luck with a smaller group of adventurers. He is a serious man who goes about his work quietly, and he will fight bravely and loyally unless he is mistreated or the group constantly argues among themselves.
--- STR 14, INT 12, WIS 9, DEX 15, CON 13, CHA 9
--- Gear: Short sword, dagger, light crossbow, quiver of 20 bolts, leather armor, backpack, 6 torches, tinderbox.

My Questions to You
My final plan is to do a writew up for at least ten different hirelings from each class. I've deliberately not assigned them their Levels, HP, AC, and a few other in game details. This way, you can ssign those based on the levels of hirelings the PCs can hope to attract, as well as account for HD and AC differences among the various OSR games.

Is this enough information? I've tried to keep their backgrounds and appearances somewhat vague, to make it even easier for the GM to tailor them to the specific game setting or locale.

I toyed with the idea of tossing in some morale bonuses and penalties. Does this seem like a good idea or just a waste of time?

The personalty descriptions are similarly vague. I think that these could be fleshed out a bit, perhaps to include some roleplayng notes for the GM, provide some personality quirks, etc. What do you think?

Also: I could use some advice regarding the other classes. I haven't posted up any non-Fighter hirelings yet,but I have some in the works. Any advice on how to handle things like thieving abilities and spells? Should I just continue with the same "Let the GM assign those details according to the game he is playing" mentality?

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any advice and input.
Running: Arizona Territory 1873 (FATE Old West pbp), The Northwest Barony (Labyrinth Lord pbp)
Playing: Night's Dark Terror (Labyrinth Lord pbp)

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