Whats the difference between Leadership and Hiring a Mercenary?

[TheCrowing1432]

Or are they the same thing?

[Yuki Akuma]

When you hire a mercenary they expect you to pay them. It also doesn't cost a feat. And they're only loyal as long as they get their money.

[Talya]

When you hire a mercenary they expect you to pay them. It also doesn't cost a feat. And they're only loyal as long as they get their money.

On the other hand, when they die, you don't have to pay them, or resurrect them. You just hire another mercenary. (and make him take point.)

[Emperor Tippy]

Think of leadership as people who have sworn personal fealty to you while mercenaries are loyal to the gold you are paying them (and how well bought they remain is debatable).

[avr]

It's also often easier to get exactly the character you want if Leadership is used. There might not be a mercenary druid (for example) available.

On the other hand mercenaries are available in more campaigns than the Leadership feat IME.

[Slipperychicken]

With mercenaries, you actually have to roleplay and treat them well if you want them to be loyal. It's potentially very rewarding if you do it right, since there's no cap on how many mercenaries you can lead (or how high-level they become).

Of course, there's no guarantee of their loyalty. To reduce turnover, try to use some level of discretion in your hiring practices.

[Talya]

With mercenaries, you actually have to roleplay and treat them well if you want them to be loyal. It's potentially very rewarding if you do it right, since there's no cap on how many mercenaries you can lead (or how high-level they become).

Of course, there's no guarantee of their loyalty. To reduce turnover, try to use some level of discretion in your hiring practices.

Pfft. Loyalty.

Hire them and keep them charmed. Get them to take point. (Dave!? Oh no! Well, now we know. Next time we hire a trap-finder. Hey, somebody grab Dave's stuff. I've been eyeing that dagger since we hired him.)

[Acanous]

Leadership minions CAN also turn on you (See the Legendary Leader PRC) but you basically have to mistreat them or have active enemy agency to cause it.
Mercs are loyal to you if the pay is good, the work isn't too hard or risky, and the treatment is fair.
If any of those things slide, you're going to get turnover. If more than one at a time, you may get Betrayal. Enemy agency is much more likely to be effective.

That said, I did run a PC as a Merc leader, and it was very rewarding.
(Though I suffered considerably on my WBL chart for it :<)
Mercs can be trained, you can swap their feats around. Mundanes are much more likely to keep in line than mages, though.

[LordBiscuit]

The main difference is in avaliblity and long term loyalty.

By taking leadership, you enact the ability to always have a loyal cohort whenever you want him. While he is feat expensive, he is unlikely to cost you gold unless it is to your benifit. It is a unwriten rule that the cohort will be loyal to you, or at least you will find another when he leaves your services with absolute certainity. Choice is the final factor in that while you don't chose their stats that they will forfill the role you desire. The only con with leadership is that it costs a feat and requires DM approval to actually take the feat in the first place.

Mercs are limited by whats avalible (so no choice in roles, entirely DM disgression) and cost considerable coin. Excluding the entire charm route (which to be honest, can be used on a lot of NPC's anyways) they are also tend to be more demanding in gold. Hence you can get hold of some cheap muscle but it won't be a feats worth of muscle.

They are also likely to be much less likely to put their neck on the line, though not inherently disloyal as no one wants to hire mercs that are overly fickle, just the most you can expect is support until the battle goes horribly wrong. Though of course that perception is dependant on how the DM uses them.


Hiring mercs is the kind of thing you do if you don't have leadership, or you want more muscle then leadership can afford/unwilling to give up a feat for leadership. Hiring mercs isn't all cons though, it's just highly situational hence you have an additional factor of having to account for the possiblity of them being cannon fodder/disloyal.

[Pex]

Cynical answer:

DMs don't like players ordering NPCs around and doing stuff. Leadership is that cost the player pays for the DM to get over it.

:smallyuk:

[Talya]

Cynical answer:

DMs don't like players ordering NPCs around and doing stuff. Leadership is that cost the player pays for the DM to get over it.


Spellcasting discount on said cost:

Enchantment [Mind-Affecting]

[Pex]

Spellcasting discount on said cost:

Enchantment [Mind-Affecting]

A DM would still resent it, throwing in lots of mind-affecting immune creatures or "Aww, NPC made his save."