How to use minions?

[Wolfgang Hype]

I'm planning on making a Thrallherd in an upcoming Pathfinder game. DM is unlikely to allow too much 3.5 stuff though something simple might be manageable. We're starting at lvl 5 (so I'll have to take the PrC first level).

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on what to do with the lvl 1 minions I'll be getting. It's fairly obvious they won't be useful in a fight and they'll only have a 4 or so in any skills... so I'm not entirely sure what to do with them. I'm more going Thrallherd for the Thralls.

[Coidzor]

Well, with the addition of a bard, especially with dragonfire inspiration or warchanter's song of the legion ability, a volley attack can be pretty darn devastating and much more accurate than would be expected from such minions.

And if you manage to get a breeding pair of kobolds in there, you can start your own kobold mining community whose leaders you control.

[Fouredged Sword]

Fodder. They come back every day, so use them for whatever you need. trap finders, scouts, trail rations.

Experts with UMD are useful with some wands. I have seen a funny use for wands of magic missile.

Wilders are useful. Get them expanded knowledge (touch of healing) as a first level feat and some power stones to store PP between days and they can heal a supriseing level of damage per day for a level one character. (wild surge doubles thier PP reserve effectivness out of combat)

[mootoall]

Adepts for crafting you cheap magic items? Or perhaps you could use them to start your own Tippyverse, with magically resetting traps of Cure Minor Wounds. For real funsies, try and convince your DM to let your followers be level 1 kobold wizards or egoists. Why be Pun-Pun, when you can *own* Pun-Pun?

[Necroticplague]

I'm afb, but a thrallherd's minions come back every day if I remember right. So just use them for things you think might be dangerous, but aren't sure of like:

Trapped hallways, have them walk down the hall and set off the traps.

Rations, just be sure they aren't the same race as you.

Meat shields: because every hit they take, is one your not taking.

Trade tokens, trade them for useful items (or sell them into slavery for money)

[bokodasu]

The main problem I've found with mine is my DM's love of Fireball. But there are plenty of out of combat things they're good for:

Random knowledge skills
Aid Another
Lookouts/scouts/spies
Kraken feed (er, oops)
Translators
Trapfinders
Distractions (this covers a lot of ground, from "stand here for a second while I run thataway" to "you two start a barfight while my friend here sneaks out the back" to "pester the local noble with this paperwork so I can read his private diary")
Fences
Traffic flow regulators ("go build a blockade!")
Cheap labor - crafting nonmagical items or building your vacation home
Statuary (oops again, but how was I to know that part of the woods was infested with basilisks?)

Remember that all the lousy +skill feats are actually really good for NPCs who will never see combat or make it past level 1 - you can have your own forger, appraiser, local knowledge-knower, etc.

[Radar]

"Sacrificing minions: is there any probloem it CAN'T solve?":xykon:

Most of important uses were already covered, by I'd like to stress out the advantages of thinking long-term. You have the rare opportunity to construct a non-corruptable and fanaticaly loyal spy network. Your minions can take jobs as city guards, servants in a castle etc. It gives you quite a source of information and sneaky ways of getting in and out of places.

One more thing, if anyone in the party can use it: Cirle Magic or the like. Even if your minions are random (DM might decree something like that), some of them will be arcane casters.