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Balor01
2010-10-03, 02:42 PM
Say you are lvl 2-3 merchant and the strongest thing you meet is lvl 8 thief/opponent. (higher lvl customers buy in shops of higher tier) Now, you really do not have time or patience to become a lvl 8 fighter, but you want a bodyguard.
Someone loyal and powerfull. Who do you hire?

So far I have:
- an ogre. (greatsword, some decent armor. Should avert most robbers)
- dog half-dragon. With a decent breath output, most thiefs should refrain from stealing.

What kind of bodyguard would you hire? (something a rich lvl 3 merchant would aquire. Not an old black dragon BTW.)

The-Mage-King
2010-10-03, 02:46 PM
Warforged Warblade 8.

I has maintenance abilities, and he doesn't sleep.

Greenish
2010-10-03, 03:12 PM
Warforged Strongarm Ranger 2/Warblade X, with Guerrilla Scout and Quick Reconnoiter. You'll want someone with Spot and Listen (and Scent). Also has handle animal for a few riding dogs.

Hackulator
2010-10-03, 03:26 PM
Is this really a "bodyguard", ie someone to protect you from injury, or is it a loss prevention specialist who keeps you from getting robbed?

If its the first, a Knight, cause they are the best bodyguard class.

If its the second, a rogue with craft:trapmaking.

Shpadoinkle
2010-10-03, 06:35 PM
Crusader has some nice abilities for bodyguarding in the Devoted Spirit discipline (one that comes to mind immediately is a counter that sacrifices your shield bonus for.. either one attack or one round, I forget, but you get to give your shield bonus, AND another 4 points of AC, to one adjacent character.) And of course there are those abilities they have that restore HP- not a lot, granted, but they can definitely take the edge off if someone got really pounded on.

awa
2010-10-03, 11:37 PM
i would not want an ogre he might decide to smash me with a club and loot me himself they are evil and not known for their trustworthiness.

Also i think it would have to be an incredibly wealthy merchant to keep a skilled level 8 character on permanent payroll

i think your best bet would be large guard dogs (riding dogs i guess would be the stats you want)
scent and decent spot and listen mean their good guards there pretty tough if you can get a +10 handle animal modifier you can make them war beasts and best yet their cheap only 150 gold each and even better they have puppies.

Plus being dogs their upkeep is far less than a body guard and there numbers will increase every couple years.

HunterOfJello
2010-10-03, 11:51 PM
Definitely a Crusader who has taken a dip into Cleric. A dwarf or warforged would be appropriate. (Or something awesome like a Half-Ogre!)


Crusaders can heal while attacking an enemy in battle and are amazing at protecting others. Iron Guard's Glare gives any enemy next to the Crusader -4 to attack against the merchant and using Shield Block with a tower shield gives +8 AC (!!!) to an ally against an attack.

With a single level in cleric, healing would be a piece of cake with the purchase of a few Faith Healing or Lesser Vigor wands. Omen of Peril will come in handy for deals that could possibly be dangerous. Resurgence could be very useful, along with several other spells.



So,
Half-Ogre Crusader 4/Cleric 1 with Stone Power = Ultimate Bodyguard

FelixG
2010-10-04, 04:29 AM
Warforged Warblade 8.

I has maintenance abilities, and he doesn't sleep.

This. I have played one and they are great. Give them a reach weapon of some sort and they can control the area around entrances and around you!

Greenish
2010-10-04, 05:16 AM
i would not want an ogre he might decide to smash me with a club and loot me himself they are evil and not known for their trustworthiness.Don't be such a speciesist!

Wings of Peace
2010-10-04, 05:56 AM
Warforged: Duskblade 7/Mindbender 1

Think about it, your body guard never needs to drink, eat, or sleep and at all times functions as a telepathic radar thanks to Mind Sight.

Person_Man
2010-10-04, 09:05 AM
I would invest the money I was going to spend on a Ring of Invisibility and a Cloak of the Mountebank. Why fight, when you can run away and use Divination after the fact to have professionals hunt down whoever is trying to hurt or rob you?

I would also contract with two different temples in two different major cities (in case one of them gets destroyed) to cast True Resurrection on me if I was killed, and give them each monthly tithes (which would stop if I was dead - ie if you don't get your payment this month it's time to Resurrect me).

Bodyguards are unreliable, and can be beaten, bribed, Diplomancied, etc. Magic is the way to go, with multiple contingencies in place to ensure my survival.

Shenanigans
2010-10-04, 02:10 PM
My favorite solution, as a DM, would be to have all shopkeepers become Nethack-like Shopkeepers, monsters to powerful for all but the most epic of adventurers to defeat.

A little much? Maybe.
Hilarious if I don't tell my players I'm doing it? Definitely.

Shpadoinkle
2010-10-04, 11:22 PM
My favorite solution, as a DM, would be to have all shopkeepers become Nethack-like Shopkeepers, monsters to powerful for all but the most epic of adventurers to defeat.

A little much? Maybe.
Hilarious if I don't tell my players I'm doing it? Definitely.

Or... you could just let them have it and count it against thier WBL. I mean, hey, they were the ones who decided they'd rather have three hundred nonmagical, non-masterwork longswords than a set of magical gear.

Sometimes the most evil thing a DM can do is to give the players what they want.

Vilyathas
2010-10-04, 11:54 PM
This looks like a niche that some enterprising merchant with magic can exploit.

Enter the merchant-wizard with Craft:Construct.

He crafts golems of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, with one for every price range. Want a cheap golem to guard your convenience store? A watchdog construct crafted from wood. Want a bouncer for a tavern catering to high-level adventurers? A metal/mithril/adamantine golem with six arms, eyes at the back of its head, and spell resistance.

Heck, he could be popular enough to found his own guild of artificers, a la House Cannith.

Hallavast
2010-10-05, 12:32 AM
For about 10gp/day and perhaps an initial investment of several hundered gold, you could maintain the loyalty of a lvl 6-9 level warrior trained in handling dogs and hawks. The dogs can track. The hawks can be trained as alarm systems with handle animal (a class skill for warriors). Intimidate, spot, listen (cross classed), and handle animal are good skills for such an individual. These would likely be enhanced by magical items and/or feats if the individual wants to be good at his job.

The 10gp/day would include the 2gp/day wage, and all reasonable accommodations for the warrior and his pets. Assuming a lvl 3 merchant with about 3,000gp worth of capital, this may or may not be sustainable depending on local markets. Warriors are going to be a lot more common than bodyguards with PC class levels, and will thus demand a more reasonable wage.

If your lvl 3 character routinely has problems from sources such as a lvl 8 rogue, then the profit margins are probably particularly lucrative, or the merchant should consider relocating to a more stable but less hostile environment. Alternatively, the merchant may be better off financially by paying off the thief with protection money. Particularly if this 8th level thief is part of a thieves guild.

Looking at this option, the costs of security in this environment are represented above at the bare minimum. In realistic (if mundane) terms, a 9th level warrior npc is probably a seasoned veteran of dozens of fights, battles, and skirmishes. In most games, such a character would be the equivalent of a troop commander in an army, the captain of the guard or master at arms of a large town or fortress, an elite bodyguard/mercenary hired by upper nobility, or an infamous bandit capable of successfully plying his trade on a major trade route or outside a sizeable town. Such a resource would normally be outside the reach of a low level merchant, unless this merchant could command extrordinary means.

jpreem
2010-10-05, 11:29 AM
I also think, that a quite probable way to deal with dis-organized crime is to turn to organized crime.
merchants in the city pay their "taxes" to the local thieves guild - everyone stupid enough to rob them will get stabbed.

AugustNights
2010-10-05, 04:39 PM
A member of the 'Merchant's Guild.'
The 'Merchant's Guild' is a completely legal organization that protects merchants from thieves, raiders and pirates with a simple insurance policy.

There once was an assassin's guild in town. But because assassins are illegal, evil, and mostly bad for the economy it ended. It just decided to stop.
Luckily the building was 'bought' by the 'new and completely legal' organization that offers fantastically low 'Adventurer Insurance' to any merchant willing to pay a 'reasonable low' fee. After paying this fee, fell free to post the 'Merchant's Guild Insignia We will hunt you down and kill you if you steal form our clientel' in your shop window today!