mercenaries HELP PLZ?

[quiet1mi]

hey i was planning to run a short mercenary campaign with six of my friends,(see complete warrior if you don't have a clue) and i was wandering if anyone had any good advice for me.(ps: they are level 6)

such advice would be how much they should be paid, hiring hirelings.

another problem i seem to be having is setting up combat encounters (they are either too hard because i add NPC levels to humanoids and apply incredible tactics for smart monsters (such as goblins)or too easy as the party gangs up on stupid monsters.

[The_Werebear]

Well..

One thing to remember is that they are going to have a boss paying them. This means two things: 1)The boss isn't going to allow screwing around on the job, and 2) They are going to be getting cash from the boss.

Consequences for delaying, or messing around are important to include. Your job is also easier as a DM, because you can cut down on random loot and say their employer gives them valuable items they want, or failing that scrip they can use to purchase from their stores.

Another thing to consider is what reputation they form. Are they known as professionals who always get the job done, or as psychopaths who leave a 50 foot wide swatch of destruction wherever they go. Different people will hire for different reasons, and the party might find that word gets around about them. It really is quite amusing to have an NPC tell them to bugger off because he has heard all about them, and needs someone with discretion. Or morals. Or no morals, whatever.

[Hazkali]

hey i was planning to run a short mercenary campaign with six of my friends,(see complete warrior if you don't have a clue) and i was wandering if anyone had any good advice for me.(ps: they are level 6)

such advice would be how much they should be paid, hiring hirelings.

another problem i seem to be having is setting up combat encounters (they are either too hard because i add NPC levels to humanoids and apply incredible tactics for smart monsters (such as goblins)or too easy as the party gangs up on stupid monsters.

Hmmm...level 6 is a good one for this sort of campaign; they can take on a fair number of challenges of different types.

• Mix things up; make each adventure something different than some talking followed by another 10 rounds of hack-n-slash combat.
• If they're all melee types, then think about giving them healing potions on the cheap (perhaps they get a set number from their commander after each mission).
• As The_Werebear said, reputation is everything. Consider designing a sliding scale that gives small but meaningful bonuses to the frequency/quality of contracts.
• Be careful about bossing them around. Whilst a rigid command structure is good for keeping them "on the rails", don't beat them round the head with it- they won't thank you.
• Lastly, give them the option to advance in ranks, perhaps even becoming leader of the mercenary group (although watch out if the players want to abuse this, or one player starts to boss the others about). There's nothing like having the option to work up in ranks to motivate people.

(p.s. you might get more responses for things like that if you don't end your message title with "HELP PLZ"... leet/chat speak doesn't have many friends here)

[Toliudar]

In terms of how much to pay - depends on the length of the job. I tend to aim to level the players every 4-6 sessions, because we do short sessions and tend to not accomplish a great deal (except socializing) in any one session. That means that, if I figured I was handing them a 2-session job, I'd include about half of the WBL guidelines from the DMG for the level they were working towards, minus their current WBL. Then, I'd figure that the loot they pick up will be balanced by the fact that it ALWAYS takes my group longer than I think to accomplish just about anything.

I also come out in favour of clear parameters for the job, leaving the mercenaries themselves total latitude about how to accomplish it. Decreases the railroading sense immensely.

[Fuzzy_Juan]

stupid duble post...

[Fuzzy_Juan]

Bounties are a good way to do things sometimes...as is payment in quality items (read magic stuff).

Also, the nature of the service is important...if they are more along the lines of something shady, a cut of the profits might be normal. Also, the pay should be commensurate with the risk...if they are just helping mop up low level trash, then the pay should be 'standard' for the job...but if they are taking on threats that 'normal' soldiers just can't handle, then substantial rewards might be in order.

A good idea is to check the 'normal treasure' for a creature of that type/level and average the 'loot' in GP value to have as reward. As good a benchmark as I can tell. This might be reduced if the PC's are also allowed to keep whatever they find on enemies they kill or while on the job...if they have free reign to loot, then slightly smaller rewards might be warrented (like, minimum gold value of a monster's treasure for a job well done).

Sometimes though...just figuring out what 'normal' encounters a party might face in their tasks, what 'normal' treasure they can expect...and offer them about equal or more...otherwise, why would they bother taking your orders when they could get the same and have their own agenda.

OOh...last thought...a 'standard' type scenario is where one party has knowledge of a target (typically dungeon, tomb, whatever) and requires something from there, or knows of a secret treasure trove in the place. They agree to share the information with the party who is hired to go fetch it. As part of their payment, the employer provides some provisions and includes hirelings that will guard the wagon and ferry the loot out if necessary...the PC's are free to take a precentage of items, perhaps even all found depending on the nature of the deal, and must bring back the required item/whatever to their employer.

As a plot hook...anyone who is considering taking leadership might be granted a different prize for their efforts...perhaps a title and a small grant of land and an old dilapadated keep to renovate...complete with surrounding farms and small town that are now their vassles...this works great to tie in characters to an area and gives great plot hooks for adventurers to clear the land and spread the word that they are here and they are spiffy.

[quiet1mi]

thank you guys and gals for those answers! now I reckon I will work on that campaign. thank you again and y'all have a good day.