More on Henchmen

Henchmen? Yes of course henchmen. What do you take me for? Some rube who fights fair? That’s hero stuff and I’m more of a winner than a hero. Let me tell you about collecting henchmen in Cyfandil.

The best times to look for henchmen are at Festivals, because everybody is off work and mostly feeling pretty good. Henchmen in numbers equal to 10% of the number of families (2% of total population) will be available to woo during festivals. Actually, more than this will be present, but taking a larger chunk of the workforce away is at the least poor manners and at the worst, high treason for building your own army to kill the king. 

Henchmen are paid up front, and then retained for the quarter (one season) or cross-quarter (a half-season or six weeks.) This oathbound contract serves as a basis for servitude, something like a feudal oath made miniature. Your part of the bargain is not to throw them in front of the bulette, and to present their remains plus 25GP to their family in the unlikely event of their passing on the job. 

This sort of oathbound henchman will require his pay for each delve or each week served. Retaining one without requiring service during a particular week costs you as much as if you took them into the dungeon with you. 

Some henchmen will work per diem, but anyone with a good reputation will want a six-week or twelve-week contract. 

Good pay and other rewards will ensure higher morale; poor pay will result in low morale or even refusal to continue employment by that PC. 

Base pay unit, either per week of idleness or per dungeon trip:

Link-boys, lackeys and valets: 5 GP

Porters: 10 GP

Shieldmaidens or squires: 20 GP

Men at arms types: 50 GP

Henchmen with class levels: 100 GP per level

Link-boys are lantern and torch bearers. They can be as young as 7. 

Lackeys are unskilled servants. It’s unlikely you would bring one into the dungeon. 

Valets carry personal belongings, deliver messages and run errands. 

Each of these is retained for 5GP per week or per dungeon trip, whichever is more favorable to the henchman. 

Porters and Stevedores bear heavy non-combat gear such as treasure and adventuring supplies. They are retained for 10GP per trip. There are often per diem porters available since it’s pretty good money on a day off. 

Shieldmaidens and squires are the special helpers that tend to an adventurer’s armor, weapons, horses, spell components, books, etc. These types are competent companions who need little babysitting. They will follow you into the dungeon and perform feats of bravery - but again, won’t fight for you. 

Men-At-Arms are the kind of men who form the town guard or mercenary companies. They might have been in the war (even though they didn’t make it to level 1.) They are like fighting-men but not quite as good. 

Getting a leveled character to hench for you is very difficult. Elves won’t work for dwarf characters and vice-versa, and neither of them will work for a hobbit. Clerics are already henched to God, so unless you’re a cleric, it’s unlikely you can snag one. Obviously fighting men are available to hire, and every so often you get a wizard down on his luck who will cast spells for you when things get hinky. 

With good treatment, any of these types can convert to Retainers, so keep your eyes peeled for a long-term commitment. 

I’m making up index card character sheets for henchmen. I think I will color-code them based on their monetary cost.