FOLLOWERS & HIRELINGS – Part 1

Rules Design Concept 

Followers & Hirelings is a rules expansion on the hirelings rules found in the 1977 AD&D game. 

Followers & Hirelings is designed to be used in an OSR, Low Magic Fantasy rules setting such as Pulp Sword & Sorcery RPGs, using A Weast Marches / Expeditionary Style, of play. to resolve issues with games relying too heavily on Magic Items such as the bag of holding for encumbrance purposes and Spells such as Create Food & Water. Also, a tool to mitigate a character(s) death, killing the pace of the game no more disruptions or full stops of the action because a player died leaving the table, or the player is clanging dice rolling-up a new character asking the DM questions during play. Players now can just grab a member from their PC's Cohort pool of NPCs as the new leader of the cohort and roll initiative. An important strategy in the game is to recruit useful NPCs to the player's Cohort to choose from in the case of a dead PC. Another option is the player to ask permission from the group to use an NPC member of the Entourage, the group's pool of NPCs. They may play that NPC character temporarily or permanently. Only rolling-up a character between sessions if you wish to do so with DM's permission.

I hope, Followers & Hirelings will help smooth out common bumps in your Long Term Campaign sessions thanks for reading.

Terms to Know:

Entourage: All the PCs & NPCs

together.

Cohort: Includes all NPCs loyal to one PC.

Follower / NPC: Individual, low-level laborer, curious of adventuring, gains no experience points free to come and go.

Higherling / NPC: Individual, general laborer contracted, gains experience points. Loyal to the PC & coin purse. 

Mercenary / NPC: Individual, skilled laborer, contracted armed fight worthy, gains experience points and a ¼ share of the loot.

Pundits / NPC: Individual, short contracted, educators / trainers / sages, NPCs who don’t typically adventure, but help PCs with leveling learning new abilities / spells etc.

Morale Check: The better of Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma Ability. 

Loyalty Score: option 

Followers & Hirelings - Part 1 

These ne’er-do-wells are loyal to the character’s coinage not the party, they work together for the individual PC as a “Cohort” yet have separate motivations from the PC. When on a quest, expect to be paid & fed. This is their way of avoiding a life of hard labor being a slave, peasant, or ending up in a stockade. 

Followers: Typically, of poor economic lifestyles. Followers Expect to be fed & sheltered for helping. Followers make great torch bearers, water bearers, arms & armor caddies. They carry your stuff but dare not fight. They will drop the gear running home if cornered, they have no level and 1d4 hit points. 

Homesick: Followers have an approximate range of a 25-mile radius from home. From then, followers have a chance to become Homesick roll a morale check. The PC treatment of the follower can positively or negatively effect the follower. Followers must make morale checks every morning beyond the 25-mile radius from home whilst in the wilderness. Followers may abandon the party to get home or resent the character for forcing them to stay or renegotiate the follower’s contract and become a Hireling.

Hirelings: Expect to be fed, sheltered, and be paid an agreed upon base pay, with a bonus share of the loot when successfully completing an adventure, typically 5-20% of PCs loot.

Game Expectations: 

Players are expected to run and upkeep their Cohort of followers, hirelings, animals and create personalities for them during adventures. (Players: Remember the Cohort is a pool of replacement player characters, so roleplay them accordingly and try not to kill them.)

The Cohort : 

Keep in mind that the Cohort is a pool of helping NPCs for the character to share the load and the Cohort to earn the freedom from serfdom, also functions as a pool of ready-made replacement characters. So if a player's main character dies, the player may to choose to play a new character from the Cohort permanently or temporarily, to not interrupt the game and the player can quickly move on from the character death. Then, in between sessions, the player may roll-up a new character 3 levels of experience points, behind the highest-level character. 

None of the Cohort or Entourage are to be in the spotlight of the story, expected to go that extra mile as full PCs do. They’re not going to be the ones scouting ahead in the deadly dark monster infested cave systems or try to open the lock to a trapped chest. Their loyalty is primarily to one PC and their coins, to shoulder some extra weight give a hand, when possible, but not be the party’s meatshields. They have some staying power, but if mistreated, they will walk away, spread rumors of poor pay, mistreatment, and the adventurers’ incompetence. So, the player has a big heavy backpack with a few weeks of Rations, coins, a bulky sleeping bag, coil of 100′ of rope with a grappling hook etc... Good luck fighting or being stealthy with that on your PC. Give that load to the cohort and tell them to come to the front when you need equipment or armaments. Who is typically holding the lantern, well an encumbered armored Cohort, that’s who.

Pundits: Educated NPCs who don’t typically adventure. They educate characters to unlock class abilities & levels. While researching & teaching characters, Pundits expect to be paid very well, deserve to be well-respected, and characters should expect witty expensive or esoteric haggling from Pundits. Pundits are significantly more costly. For example, costs per month: Alchemist 1,000 gp, Animal Trainer 500 gp, Armorer 100 gp, Blacksmith 750 gp, Cartographer 300 gp, Engineer 750 gp, Magic-user 3,000+ gp, Priest 3,000 gp Sage 2,000 gp,

Followers: 0 level low skilled workers cost 5sp to 10gp per month jobs range from guides, pack & torchbearers, camp attendants/cooks to guards & lookouts. Followers usually do not have a class and level, they will have a very specific task they’re engaged to undertake for a fixed salary guard this camp while we’re gone, escort us from point A to point B. Exploring and looting a monster-filled dungeon is beyond the scope followers are morally capable of doing. The closest you would get is having the followers guard the packhorses outside a dungeon entrance and help safely transport any treasure back to safety. If cohorts get killed frequently in your service, it will be exceedingly difficult to attract more in this part of town, word travels fast round here.

Mercenaries: 3 levels lower than the PC they are trained workers, and they cost 20-350gp/ per month per level. For example, costs per month: footman 20gp, heavy footman 30gp, archer 50gp, light cavalry 100gp, Dwarven mounted crossbowman 150gp, Elvin longbowman 200gp, heavy cavalryman 300gp, elven mounted bowmen 350gp If the PCs want the mercenaries to accompany them into a dungeon or into some other type of battle, they earn a bonus of the character’s loot, typically 5-20%. However, to maintain your Mercenaries’ morale, arms & armor must be kept in good working repair you would also need to hire an armorer for 100gp/ per month per level who will tend to all your and mercenaries’ gear upkeep. Spy 500 gp (per mission, not per month), Sailor 15 gp / Rower 10 gp, Navigator 150 gp, Captain 250 gp

Consequences of Mistreatment 

Followers & Mercenaries earn a death benefit payable to their families or loved ones 1000 gp for mercenaries and 200 gp for tagalongs. Further, the Loyalty system below applies, when appropriate, the NPC rolls 3d6 against their loyalty score, and DM may add positive or negative modifiers to the roll according to the situation no more than a +/-5 or just adjudicate the situation. If the result exceeds their loyalty score, they flee or otherwise stop helping. If the NPC loyalty score reaches 20, then the NPC doesn’t have to roll. But in all cases, if the NPC feels abused, dreadful things may happen.

Hirelings & Loyalty: Loyalty is an optional rule you can use to determine how far an NPC party member will go to protect or assist the other members of the party (even those they don’t particularly like). NPC party members who are abused or ignored are likely to abandon or betray party members. Whereas an NPC who owes a life debt to characters or shares their goals might fight to the death for them and their cause.

Loyalty should be role-played or represented by this rule. Loyalty Score NPC’s loyalty is measured on a numerical scale from 0 to 20. The NPC’s maximum loyalty score is equal to the highest Charisma score among all adventurers in the party, and its starting loyalty score is half that number. As the game progresses the DM rises or lowers the NPC’s Loyalty based on the actions of an individual PC or the Party. If the highest Charisma score changes, perhaps a character dies or leaves the group-adjust the NPC’s loyalty score accordingly.

Thanks for reading Zimzimdars OSR Campsite. 

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Voguan The First Drider

The First Drider

Deep in the Caves of Chaos lies a Shunned and Forgotten Elven King who risked his soul to fight against their oppressors. Voguan he who sacrificed, gave Elves the ability to live for more than 200 years. To conquer and dominate their oppressors! Killing all beings who oppose the Elves. At the end of battles that was to end all battles, Voguan was tricked by the Goddess Loth. It was time for her to harvest this fiendish soul, Voguan’s ego so vaulted, so twisted so black, void of empathy, only focusing on domination. Loth was to take her prize and with it buy power & influence controlling so many layers of Avernus!. But an Angel Azriel saw this unbalance between good and evil on Oerth she could not let this pact come to fruition. Acting on the fears that Loth would gain so much power over Avernus, that she could single handedly stop the BLOOD WARS uniting Devils & Demons to defeat the Angels and flood the primordial planes! Azriel full of ordained law intervenes when she sees Voguan king of Wallachian Elves out of character do a lovingly heroic action (forgiving) she whisks his soul from Oerth redeeming him. But Voguan’s body lays dying on the battlefield (Loth wasn’t able to capture Voguan’s soul fast enough busy fighting, a sneak attack by Demogorgon sent by Tharizdun (trapped chained under Avernus Believes Loth played a role in creating the webbed chains that imprison him). Lolth does eventually get to Voguan’s body cursing it and placing it deep within the Caves of Chaos cursing him to rule the cavernous maze to never see the sun again with a weakness to Ebonite to rule the darkness as the first bloodthirsty Drider a centaur like spider monstrosity for eternity.

(Voguan was betrayed by Fenmarel Mestarine stabbed with an Ebonite blade. Fenmarel was forgiven by Voguan for siding with Loth all those centuries ago she is now also demigoddess trapped in Menzobarranzan)

The Hool Marsh Wars

Lizard King Sakatha's Malevolent Return

Player & Character Ethos of the world of Greyhawk

Synopsis: The Meta Background & Machinations of this Campaign

The World is called Oerth. (A Grim Dark Fantasy Low Magic Setting)

The Evil Kingdom is called The Horned Society, Bandit Kingdoms, Land of Iuz, the Tyrant is °Iuz, disguised as *Ruzadar who has enormous political power & influence all over Oerth (think of him as *Palpatine / Emperor as one)

The Rebels are called “Javari” Lead by Rexll Zimzimdar (Javari is a new modern belief, and a way of life) The Evil Empires is stretching out their armies thin to the breaking point, in frenetic search of all Javari at all costs, giving the rebel alliance forces a slight advantage in some places throughout Oerth.

Presently there is a frictional cold war going on but the extremist rebel leaders Arkanuti (f) & Petrof (m) (think of Arvizu and Pedrera star wars) are growing impatient with politics, some of the rebellion leaders need heroes to set the wheels in motion to ignite a massive military rebellious chain reaction!

The World of Greyhawk

Before Iuz, In the Lands of Greyhawk years ago, a Cosmic Shower of Eldritch Crystals the color of Amaranthine (a new color indescribable but can only be seen by spellcasters, some monsters or if infected by the cosmic eldritch magic, Amaranthine is similar to magic that spellcasters already use just in a physical form but can be combined to enhance regular magic) destroyed the Republic of Blackmoor in a cataclysmic event which changed the political and geological landscape of Greyhawk as a world forever, know as the "Shattering". Within the power vacuum gave rise to Iggwilv (Tasha and the company of seven) her son The Tyrant Iuz and half-sister Drelnza. (Iuz was once a normal good wizard, the cosmic eldritch magic changed him. Iuz became so zealously obsessed at peace he succumbed instead to tyranny. It took decades but Iuz eventually died of over exposure to Amaranthine it turned him into a Lich, but still thrives for peace through force. No one has seen him in his true lich form. Iuz using polymorph to hide and seem to “die”)The Lands torn by years of conflict and war have now found an unsteady stagnation and decline, a cold war is brewing, among many Kingdoms.

The Powerful Empire of Iuz still hopes to build a peaceful government through a totalitarian order for the future of Oerth.

Presently, 180 of years later the Totalitarian Empire of Iuz "law and order by force” has ruled most of the world of Oerth from its seat of power in the kingdom of Greyhawk. Greyhawk was once the capital of Blackmoor “The Free Republic” a free society but now has a brutal genocidal history because of Iuz’s zealots. The Dwarves, Elves and other demi-humans still have their own kingdoms broken, schematized more the size of Fiefdoms, presently arranged to pay tribute & trade bitterly with the Iuz Empire, there is no question who holds the ultimate power in these lands, whilst loyalists waver. Yet while the Crown of the Iuz Empire has a far reach, there are still some pockets not yet firmly in its control. You reside in such a place the Downs of Thornwood a part of a secret yet strong rebellious alliance within the fiefdom of Zimzimdar a human king of Veluna. The Evil Iuz influence permeates among the weak-minded hiding spying colluding everywhere even in places secretive that anticipate Iuz’s intrusions. Always beware of Iuz’s henchmen promising of treasures, titles and power, you will never hear the direct bribe from Iuz, but you’ll know the corrupt intentions of such offers. Ordinary folk be they commoner or king quaver knowing to meddle with Iuz’s supernatural power, is to invite disaster into their lives. You know heroic action is the answer to superstition and fear. Adventurers are among the few who are bold enough to seek out wickedness and confront the evils of the age. Though each with their own ambitious goals, some may be contrary only for revenge others for altruism or recognition and power, it’s also because anyone with a lick of self-preservation or freedom would subject themselves to do the same. It’s not enough to just standup to local problems, going beyond the boundaries of one’s locale must be done with trepidation and is seldom warranted. Their own backyards are dangerous enough. How much riskier is the wilderness beyond? Even people who are rational or enlightened, or those such as merchants, sellswords, diplomats and troubadours whose livelihood requires travel, weigh such risks. Roads are usually no more than cart paths with Highway bandits abound, so too are the desperate and the disease-ridden. For now, take every precaution against running afoul of every local tyrant and their lackeys picking the right battles not only keep you alive but fresh with coin. Monsters, haunts and mystical glamour can devour, entrap and confound even the wariest of travelers. Against these there is no defense for even though a legendary talisman might offer protection against one, but not all, predators, while monster hunting in Greyhawk make sure to read up on the lore, acquire the proper equipment to deal with powerful monsters. Many of the ruins and abandoned strongholds of the world are not “secret places” adults played there when they were children, so locals are well aware there is a crumbling fortress a league away but now Iuz’s influence is mostly in those places. They can tell you that such-and-such a place is a meeting grounds for a questionable secretive council, and which of their neighbors are adherents but don’t have the spirit or spine to confront them. Who’s out there? The villains, crime lords and kingpins are part of this backdrop. In common parlance, bad men hold the levers of power and must be brought to heel. As grizzled town watch Malone tells the Treasury officer Eliot Ness “The Untouchables”: “Mr. Ness, everybody knows where the contraband is. The problem isn’t finding it, the problem is who wants to cross Iuz.” That’s why the world needs rebellious glory-seeking adventurers. They, alone, dare to deal with such evil-doers. Just as the abandoned strongholds & dungeons of the locale, the brigands, black-hearted wizards and evil warriors in the vicinity can be pointed out. Everyone knows where they collude from, it’s a matter of daring to go there and confront them.

Viscounty of Nume Eor, Keoland

Today 606 CY governed by Viscount John Brunis, Fifth Count of Nume Eor This region, located southwest of the Dreadwood between the river Javan and the Hool Marshes, has changed hands frequently over the last three centuries, being at times part of the Kingdom of Keoland and at times part of the Yeomanry League. It served primarily as hinterlands to both nations, until a treaty in 461 CY established the Yeoman border officially at the eastern banks of the Javan. Responsibility for the territory has fallen to the Keoish ever since, who largely ignored the region for the last century and have only recently eyed it with renewed interest. Once a far-flung dependency of the kingdom known as the County of Nume Eor, it was generally disregarded, as was the province of Salinmoor in the east. This was due to the isolation of these lands south of the Dreadwood following losses further south by House Rhola in the last century to the nascent Sea Princes. A new line of Neheli kings in Niole Dra chose a more isolationist course, and this introversion left these provinces virtually independent. The county eventually fell to the raiders of Aulicus (black dragon), in the Hool Marshes, with coordinated incursions by Sakatha’s brutal Lizardmen from the swamp finally capitulating the leaders of the small populace into a heavy hand treaty favoring Aulicus, Sakatha and the Lizardmen. The province stood unfortified and lawless for years afterward, being trampled by brigands and Yeoman alike. The during the Greyhawk Wars, Sakatha was dealt a fatal blow by then Prince Zotti. Aulicus slipped through the Hool Marshes not before laying waste to many waves of arms men, finally able turn the attention of the Throne of the Lion back to the southern border of Keoland and the pirate infested Saltmarshes. In Patchwall of 587 CY, King Zotti reclaimed these lands formally by force of arms and granted the province to a cousin Zimzimdar in the House of Zizhal. Zimzimdar appointed the new Viscount, John Brunis, the fifth Viscount of Nume Eor, having the Royal Lion Keoish backing needed to reestablish the realm as a full member of the Court and Kingdom of Keoland. This includes a contingent of men-at-arms finally strong enough to repel most of the denizens of the Hool marshes. Regular trade has been reestablished with the Yeomanry from the newly sired town of Kimberton (pop. 980) on the Javan River, and relations have greatly improved. However, incursions across the river from the Little Hills and into the Dreadwood remain common, as the bulk of the new settlement is going on in the southwest and the local Yeoman in the north are reluctant to give up the practice. After two hundred years a rising Lizardmen rebellion from the Hool Marshes has all but ruined the town of Wycombe forcing Viscount John Brunis to announce that a small bounty will be paid for every Lizardman skull redeemed in Wycombe. So the grisly proclamation has attracted a number of bounty hunters, Freeswords and Adventuring Guilds to the region.

In 606 CY, a band of heroes from the Barony of Goldenridge answered the call from the Count as the increase in banditry began to threaten all trade passing through the region, particularly along the trails leading east towards Salinmoor. It was soon discovered that the banditry was being directed from the old forts along the southern border, within the fringes of the Hool Marshes, wherein an old evil was rising from the past. Sakatha, the dreaded Lizard King who had sworn vengeance upon the House of Nume Eor and the lands abroad for their past transgressions, was building an army of bandits and Lizardmen with intentions to reclaim the lands north of the swamp conquering Keoland starting with Viscount John Brunis and all of his kinsmen. 

The Campaign Begins Here! 

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