Followers for Upper Level Player Characters-
| Character Classes | - | - | - | DMG |
Your players know that upon
reaching certain levels and doing certain things (such as building a stronghold)
they
will be entitled to attract a body of followers.
These followers might be
fanatically loyal servants of the same deity (or deities) in the case of
clerics,
stalwart
admirers of fighters, or whatever.
Your players will eventually
turn to you for information on who or what they gain
-- and,
when the time actually comes and they have reached the level and done the
right things,
you will
be able to quickly inform each and every one concerned of what fate has
decreed by way of followers:
<helper links to the Rogue's Gallery>
Question: If a follower
gains a higher level than his master, does the follower continue to serve?
Can a follower who has reached
the proper level gain followers of his own?
If so, are they under the
control of the master or the master’s follower?
Answer: The relationship
between followers and their master is, on a
smaller scale, similar to
the relationship between clerics and
their deities: So much depends
on how the roles are played, and
on the particulars of each
campaign, that it's impossible to
dictate in a set of rules
how one side of the relationship will
interact with the other.
With
regard to followers and when (if ever) they stop being
followers, a few general
statements may be risked:
If a follower ever gains
an experience level equal to or higher
than the master’s — and
the DM has been fair about awarding
experience when it is deserved
— then the master probably
brought about the “role
reversal” by not actively adventuring or
in some way causing a delay
in his or her level advancement.
Human
(and humanoid) nature is such that a follower who gets
close or equal to his master
in powers and abilities will think
about striking out on his
own, and sooner or later he’ll try to do
something about fulfilling
that desire.
If a
follower remains subservient to his master while both the
master and follower keep
rising in levels, it’s possible to devel-
op a hierarchy of followers
beneath other followers, all of them
ultimately beholding to
the master who originally became elig-
ible to have followers.
In any
sort of master-follower relationship, it isn’t possible for
the boss to “control” his
followers the way you control an
undead
(or vice versa). A follower’s allegiance to his master
may be strong, but it can’t
be expected to remain unshakeable
for an indefinite length
of time unless those who aid their
master’s cause are given
credit (power and/or other rewards)
when credit is due. And
followers are just like you and me: the
more they get, the more
they want. . . .
Maybe
the master will opt for a pre-emptive strike, hoping to
subjugate or vanquish a
follower who looms as a threat to the
master’s power and authority.
Q: When can a character
build a
stronghold and attract followers?
A: Characters who
are allowed to construct
strongholds in order to
attract followers
may do so when they reach
?name? level.
?Name? level is the level
at which a class
no longer gains additional
hit dice or constitution
bonuses (see Unearthed Arcana,
page
12). DRAGON issue #117, pages 16-17
("Feuds
and Feudalism"), has some suggestions
for midlevel strongholds
as well. Any
PC with the money may build
a stronghold
? but attracting followers
other than the
usual henchmen and hirelings
could be
difficult if the PC is of
low level.
(144.6)
[Remember, these men-at-arms are in addition to the 20-200 fanatical followers. Use pilgrim stats for the followers?]
Roll for each category (all
are 0 level men-at-arms)
| 2-8 | heavy cavalry, plate mail & shield, lance, broad sword, and mace |
| 3-12 | medium cavalry, chain mail & shield, lance, flail and short sword |
| 5-30 | light cavalry, studded leather & shield, light crossbow and pick |
| 5-20 | heavy infantry, splint mail, battle axe and long sword |
| 5-30 | heavy infantry, chain mail, pole arm* and hand axe |
| 5-30 | heavy infantry, ring mail, heavy crossbow and short sword |
| 10-60 | light infantry, padded armor & shield, spear and club |
* Select type or types randomly or assign whichever you desire
Roll once for leader type, once for troops/followers (all are 0 level men-at-arms).
Leader
| 01-40 | 5th level, plate mail & shield; +2 magic battle axe |
| 41-75 | 6th level, plate mail & +1 shield; +1 magic spear and +1 dagger |
| 76-95 | 6th level, +1 plate mail & shield; arms as above: lieutenant 3rd level, splint mail & shield; crossbow of distance |
| 96-00 | 7th level, +1 plate mail
& +1 shield; +2 magic sword (no special abilities); rides a heavy warhorse
with horseshoes of
speed |
Troops/Followers
| 01-50 | company of 20 light cavalry,
ring mail & shield; 3 javelins, long sword, hand axe;
and company of 100 heavy infantry, scale mail; pole arm* and club |
| 51-75 | company of 80
heavy infantry --
20 with splint mail, 60 with leather armor; 20 with morning star and hand axe, 60 with pike and short sword |
| 76-90 | company of 60 crossbowmen,
chain mail;
40 with heavy crossbow and short sword, 20 with light crossbow and military fork company of 60 cavalry -- <what kind?> 10 with banded mail and shield, 20 with scale mail and shield, 30 with studded leather and shield; 10 with lance, bastard sword, and mace, 20 with lance, long sword and mace, 30 with lance and flail |
* Select type or types randomly or assign whichever you desire.
<
I’ve never been sure of
what the point of this would be?
Wargaming?
Fielding an army (who would
probably die very quickly) in the face of some high-level monster?
- Reading
the DMG (Checking my work)
UA
ENCAMP > SETTLE (ON)
explore
the requisite # of squares (each overland square = 1 mi x 1 mi. Think early
Ultima)
go
to a city
SHOP > HIRE
engineers,
etc.
(remember,
when you hire, you ADD hirelings to your party. there is no limit
to party size)
SHOP > BUILD
this
takes you to the overland map (that part of the overland map you have settled)
choose
a square, click
you're
at an edit screen.
choose
your buildings (think of this like 'add to cart').
(note:
an option to deduct funds from a VAULT is there).
keep
an eye open. when you satisfy the pre-requisites, an ADD FOLLOWERS
option appears.
place
these followers just like you would, if you were placing monsters on a
dungeon level map.
when
all of the building is done, your followers will be ready & waiting.
(note:
you access BUILD from the city (really, like siege weapons, it's
just another EQUIPMENT shop!).
works
'begins' as soon as you PAY && and escort your engineers
to the construction square.
a
certain amount of Construction Time
has to pass.
things
are built sequentially, in the order you paid for them. you are advised
to be on site.
wandering
monsters, weather, etc.
you
can DROP the engineers, etc., just like any other hireling, etc.
they
do their work, as usual.
don't
be surprised if they are dead when you return.
you
won't know if they are attacked, unless you have at least 1 PC on-site
with them.
as
soon as construction is finished, the followers automatically appear, in
the locations you chose for them.
now,
you can add them to your party, whenever you feel like it.
remember,
if you have a party of 6 PCs and 94 followers, then the XP for a successful
combat is divided by 100!
remember,
if either side on a combat starts with 100+ figures, BATTLESYSTEM rules
are used.
remember,
if you gain income from tithes, this increases your XP total.
>
<
game school (Tabletop)
the engineers, etc. are
just another expense, if they are hired from the BUILD menu.
as soon as you click
PAY,
construction
begins.
until it is completed,
the construction square is empty.
the second construction
is completed, voila!
the construction square
contains a DUNGEON map, fully stocked with monsters. hmm.
in other words, the construction
square contains your buildings, fully stocked with your followers.
ready & waiting.
>
garhkal wrote:
Got another one...... Forgot
i posted this in the first ed forums (or was it general??).
Why is it, a fighters followers,
have to be paid for? Is that not the same as the fighter just hiring men
at arms? Do the followers have a higher morale, combat capability???
There is a considerable
difference between hirelings--mercenary soldier types--and those that serve
as henchmen.
Loyalty and morale are the
main considerations, assuming that the followers are well-treated.
Of course henchmen do increase
in capacity to perform while hirelings do not, leave as soon as they are
not paid.
Cheers,
Gary
Elfdart wrote:
I think he's referring to
the followers a high level fighter attracts when he builds a stronghold.
My answer would be that the fighter doesn't have to go out and recruit them. They come to him. Apparently, they show up with their gear, so the fighter doesn't have to pay for it.
If that's so, you are correct.
Of course the group of such
followers does not come with magical equippage.
That must be gained and
bestowed through the offices of the leigh lord.
Cheers,
Gary
Glaaki wrote:
Elfdart wrote:
I think he's referring to
the followers a high level fighter attracts when he builds a stronghold.
My answer would be that the
fighter doesn't have to go out and recruit them. They come to him. Apparently,
they show up with their gear, so the fighter doesn't have to pay for it.
Right. It is the fighter in question's reputation that attracts these followers/men at arms. Now IMHO these need not necessarily be henchmen, though an officer of these men at arms may well be. I would agree that they do come reasonably equiped though any further upkeep is the provence of thier Lord.
Spencer
Ah but they are henchmen,
vassals to their leige lord.
They come to serve, place
their hands between his, and swear fealty and service.
Cheers,
Gary
Glaaki wrote:
I agree, Col. I was a little unclear. A fighter may only attract a certain number of "Henchmen" IIRC. In my mind these were NPCs with which the Lord had a certain bond and relationship. The X number of archers/med.-hvy. foot/horsemen, etc. that form up around that Lord would not count against his Max. number of henchmen as that number of rank and file soldiers could number in the hundreds.
But then that's just my $.02. 
Hope you are having fun at LGGC! How did the cook out go?
Spencer
You are correct.
Normal persons, and specially attained henchmen do not count against the number attracted to the successful PC lord.
Cheers,
Gary
1. Roll once on TABLE A.
2. Make all your rolls (&
rerolls) on TABLE B.
3. Then
make all your rolls on SUB-TABLE I.
4. Then
make all your rolls on SUB-TABLE II.
5. Then
make any remaining rolls (max : one each) on SUBTABLES III-VI.
<Table A, Intro:
Roll 2d12 to find the number of <rolls on 'Ranger Followers, Table B'>
followers (or creatures
attracted to service).
When the number
is generated, adiust the following percentile dice rolls as follows.>
RANGER FOLLOWERS+: TABLE A >
| 2d12 Result | Modify d%<*> As Follows |
| 2 | add +25% to each roll |
| 3 | add +15% to each roll |
| 4 | add +10% to each roll |
| 5-6 | add +5% to the first roll<**> |
| 7-9 | no adjustment |
| 10-12 | deduct -5% from each roll |
| 13-16 | deduct -10% from each roll |
| 17-20 | deduct -20% from each roll |
| 21-24 | deduct -30% from each roll |
When the number of rolls
the ranger player character is entitled to is discovered,
and the
adjustment necessary noted,
determine
the followers/creatures using the tables below.
Table B, Intro: All
scores over 70 on <Ranger Followers, Table II> are special,
and the
ranger is able to attract one<1 or one> follower/creature group
only from each category <Subtable>, as noted.
Add all creatures
of any sort to find total followers, demi-humans included.
<that's the general idea. the math is the same, but the presentation is shifted towards understandability, and, hence, playability>
| Dice Score* | Result |
| 01-50 | see HUMANS, TABLE I |
| 51-70 | see DEMI-HUMANS, TABLE II |
| 71-80** | see ANIMALS, TABLE III |
| 81-90** | see MOUNTS, TABLE IV |
| 96-00** | see SPECIAL CREATURES, TABLE VI |
| Dice Score* | Character Class** | Level Range |
| 01-15 | cleric | 1-4 |
| 16-40 | druid | 2-5 |
| 41-85 | fighter | 1-6 |
| 86-95 | ranger | 1-3 |
| 96-00 | magic-user | 1-3 |
| Dice Score* | Character Race & Class** | Level Range | Number |
| 01-15 | DWARF fighter | 1-4 | 2 |
| 16-20 | DWARF fighter/thief | 1 | 1 |
| 21-40 | ELF fighter | 2-5 | 2 |
| 41-45 | ELF fighter/magic-user | 1 | 1 |
| 46-50 | ELF fighter/magic-user/thief | 1 | 1 |
| 51-60 | GNOME fighter | 1-3 | 3 |
| 61-65 | GNOME fighter/illusionist | 1 | 1 |
| 66-75 | HALF-ELF cleric/ranger | 1 | 1 |
| 76-80 | HALF-ELF cleric/fighter/magic-user | 1 | 1 |
| 81-85 | HALF-ELF fighter/thief | 1 | 1 |
| 86-95 | HALFLING fighter | 1-3 | 3 |
| 96-00 | HALFLING fighter/thief | 1 | 1 |
<after the WSG is done, do full linking to the MM:
as always, make sure that all relevant info for a creature is in the
same place!>
ANIMALS, SUB-TABLE III (One Roll Only On This Table)
| Dice Score | Animal | Number |
| 01-20 | bear, black | 1 |
| 21-55 | bear, brown | 1 |
| 56-65 | blink dog | 2 |
| 66-80 | lynx, giant | 2 |
| 81-00 | owl, giant | 2 |
MOUNTS, TABLE IV (One Roll Only On This Table)
| Dice Score | Mount | Number |
| 01-35 | centaur | 1-3 |
| 36-75 | hippogriff | 1 |
| 76-00 | pegasus | 1 |
CREATURES, SUB-TABLE V (One Roll Only On This Table)
| Dice Score | Creature | Number |
| 01-50 | brownie | 1-2 |
| 51-75 | pixie | 1-4 |
| 76-80 | pseudo-dragon | 1 |
| 81-90 | satyr | 1 |
| 91-00 | sprite | 2-4 |
SPECIAL CREATURES, SUB-TABLE VI (One Roll Only On This Table)
| Dice Score | Special Creatures | Number |
| 01-05 | copper dragon* | 1 |
| 06-10 | giant, storm | 1 |
| 11-30 | treant | 2-5 |
| 31-75 | werebear | 1-2 |
| 76-00 | weretiger | 1-2 |
* Roll d4 + 1 to determine the age category of the dragon. It will, of course, possess no treasure.
Roll 4d6 to determine the
number of lesser thieves which the character will attract.
Determine race and level
of each thereafter, modifying the d% roll for level as follows:
| 4d6 Result | Level Modifier Percent |
| 4 | add +20% to each roll |
| 5-6 | add +15% to each roll |
| 7-9 | add +5% to each roll |
| 10-15 | no adjustment |
| 16-20 | subtract -5% from each roll |
| 21-24 | subtract -10% from each roll |
RACE OF THIEF
Dice Score
Race
01-10
dwarven*
11-20
elven*
21-25
gnomish*
26-30
half-elven*
31-35
halfling*
36-55
half-orcish*
56-00
human
LEVEL
OF THIEF
Dice Score
Level
01-20
1*
21-45
2
46-65
3
66-80
4
81-90
5
91-95
6
96-00
7
* 1st level non-human (or
part human) thieves have a 25% chance of being multi-classed.
Use the table below if multi-class
is indicated.
MULTI-CLASS THIEF FOLLOWER TABLE
| Race | Other Profession (Roll d6 As Indicated) |
| dwarf | fighter |
| elf | fighter (1-3), magic-user (4-5), fighter/magic-user (6) |
| gnome | fighter (1-5), illusionist (6) |
| half-elf | same as elf above |
| halfling | fighter |
| half-orc | cleric (1-3), fighter (4-6) |
-
Upon attaining Guildmaster/Guildmistress
status,
roll
7d4 to determine the number of lower level assassins in the local guild.
You may adjust this result
according to the population of the area if you deem it necessary.
After determining this number,
find
the race and level (below)
and then
find which will stay (75% will desert the guild, as noted in the PLAYERS
HANDBOOK).
<"It might be me, but
there is also no clear statement of how many new assassins the Guildmaster
will attract either, though a number less than 28 is implied" - Reading
the DMG, page 18>
<Naturally, should a
NPC Grandfather/Grandmother of Assassins be displaced by a player character,
After
75% of the followers have left,
but the
new Guildmaster will eventually attract a following of up to up to 7d4
(28 + 4-16) assassins.>
<See the New
Follower Arrival Timetable to see when the new followers arrive.>
All new assassins coming
to fill the ranks will be 1st level,
but race
must be determined on the RACE OF ASSASSIN TABLE.
RACE
OF ASSASSIN TABLE
Dice Score
Race
01-05
dwarven*
06-10
elven*
11-15
gnomish*
16-25
half-elven*
26-50
half-orcish*
51-00
human
LEVEL OF ASSASSIN TABLE
Dice Score
Level
01-15
1*
16-30
2
31-45
3
46-65
4
66-75
5
76-85
6
86-95
7
96-00
8
* 1st and 2nd level non-human
(or part human) assassins have a 25% chance of being multi-classed.
Use the table below if multi-class
is indicated.
MULTI-CLASS THIEF FOLLOWER TABLE
| Race | Other Profession (Roll d6 As Indicated) |
| dwarf | no other class permitted |
| elf | no other class permitted |
| gnome | fighter (1-4), illusionist (5-6) |
| half-elf | no other class permitted |
| half-orc | fighter (1-2), cleric (3-6) |
Grandfather/Grandmother of Assassins: The leader of all assassins (a nomial title at times . . . .) will always have 28 followers of 2nd through 8th level as follows:
1 8th level, 2 7th level, 3 6th level, 4 5th level, 5 4th level, 6 3rd level, and 7 2nd level ( = 28).
In addition, there will be
from 4-16 1st level followers.
Dice for race using the
table
above.
It is recommended that you
develop henchmen for the Grandfather/Grandmother after discovering the
abilities of his or her followers.
Mercenary fighters and men-at-arms
should suit the circumstances,
but in general they should
be very well armed and equipped and include cavalry, infantry, and missile-armed
troops as well. Naturally, should a NPC Grandfather/Grandmother of Assassins
be displaced by a player character,
followers
will be 75% likely to leave, as usual,
but the
new leader will eventually attract a following of up to 44 (28 + 4-16)
assassins,
the newcomers
being found as if they were attracted to a new Guildmaster of Assassins,
i.e. 1st level newcomers.
<See the New
Follower Arrival Timetable to see when the new followers arrive.>
<note: H3 gives full details for the 'Old Man of the Mountain'>
<New Guildmasters &
the New Grandfather: New Follower Arrival Timetable>
<This rule applies to
both new Guildmasters, & to the new Grandfather.>
Unless the followers are
a body, they will not come at the same time.
After the conditions for
obtaining such a following have been met,
generate
a random number from 1 to 30
(d10
using d6 to determine 10’s, 1-2 = no addition, 3-4 = add 10, 5-6 = add
20 to the score of the d10).
The result
is the day after completion of the requirements on which the first follower(s)
will appear
-- in
some cases, all of those coming.
Thereafter, additional followers
due the character will arrive at intervals of 1-8 days until all have arrived.
If there
is no one available to receive them they will wait from 1-4 days and then
depart forever.
In the latter case the character has lost that follower forever.
It is permissible to allow
some henchman or servant to care for followers if the character designates
such duty.
<Problem>
<"Now,
I’ve heard of some absurdities in gaming (Traveler characters who can die
during character generation for example) but rolling up 7d4 characters
to only then drop 3/4ths of them seems mighty foolish."
- Reading the DMG, page
18>
<Concept>
1. Assassin's Guilds are
found in "most towns or cities" : PH.29. + town = population of 1,500+
2. A Guild controls a radius
of from 10 to 100 miles around the city : PH.29.
3. This is the Guild's territory.
4. Remember, assassins are
like hirelings. in other words, just another 'equipment' option. in
other words, like constructions, assassins are another 'EQUIPMENT
shop!'
<Example>
<go
to a city>
<SHOP
> ASSASSINATE>
<choose your assassin: you will have 7d4+1 options>
<type in name of character>
<pay fee>
<if that character is within the territory (a constant),
check
the assassination table>
<the character is dead, removed from the game.>
<note: this will shift the alignment of the one who initiates the contract,
but don't let your players on to this!>
<A. hit happens right away> OR
<B. figure travel time to target, then add 1-24 hours. this spawns rumours
in the case of a noble/popular/important target> OR
<C. see Time Require to Accomplish Mission
for ideas on the length of time required>
:
When the paladin reaches
4th or higher level,
he or she will eventually
call for a warhorse (as detailed in the
PH).
It will magically appear,
but not in actual physical form.
The paladin will magically
“see” his or her faithful destrier in whatever locale it is currently in,
and it is thereafter up
to the paladin to journey to the place and gain the steed.
As a
rule of thumb, this journey will not be beyond 7 days ride, and gaining
the mount will not be an impossible task.
The creature might be wild
and necessitate capturing,
or it might be guarded by
an evil fighter of the same level as the paladin,
and the
latter will then have to overcome the former in mortal combat in order
to win the warhorse.
In short, the gaining of
the destrier is a task of some small difficulty which will take a number
of days,
possibly 2 or more weeks,
and will certainly test
the mettle of the paladin.
Once captured or won,
the warhorse knows its role
and relationship to the paladin,
and it will faithfully serve
thereafter for 10 years.
Thereafter, the paladin
must seek another mount, as the former one will be too old to be useful.
The intelligence of a paladin’s
warhorse is 5-7 points.
The number of hit points
per hit die of the steed will never be fewer than 50% of the level of the
paladin,
i.e., a 4th level paladin
means the warhorse he or she gains will have at least 2 hit points per
hit die, excluding the additional bonus of +5,
while a 16th level paladin’s
special steed will have maximum hit points (8) per die, of 5 X 8 = 40 +5
(additional hit points) = 45 total hit points for 5 + 5 hit dice.
If the character loses paladinhood
for any reason,
there will be an immutable
enmity between character and mount,
and the former will not
be able to ride the latter,
while the steed will escape
at first opportunity.
<begin.alt
| Dice Score* | Character Class** | Level Range |
| 01-04 | C1 (1st level cleric) | 1-4 |
| 05-08 | C2 | |
| 09-12 | C3 | |
| 13-15 | C4 | |
| 16-22 | D2 (2nd level druid) | 2-5 |
| 23-28 | D3 | |
| 29-36 | D4 | |
| 36-40 | D5 | |
| 41-48 | F1 (1st level fighter) | 1-6 |
| 49-56 | F2 | |
| 57-64 | F3 | |
| 65-72 | F4 | |
| 73-80 | F5 | |
| 81-85 | F6 | |
| 86-89 | R1 (1st level ranger) | |
| 91-93 | R2 | |
| 94-95 | R3 | |
| 96-97 | MU1 (1st level magic-user) | 1-3 |
| 98-99 | MU2 | |
| 00 | MU3 |
<
<just
an idea. the level range column is just there to for comparison (it's scaffolding!).
note that it doesn't say d4, d4+1, etc.>
<linear
curve, bell curve, game curve>
<someone
asked why not write d4, d4+1><actually other ranges were in the
question>
<judicious
use of ranges can give a certain flexibility, hopefully towards
playability.
<the
alternate table is BtB, no?>
<succubus>
>
<
ok,
nice idea.
the
result is that a ranger's human & demi-human followers are slightly
less powerful.
who
knows, maybe the revised table is off by 1.5%.
try
a bell curve: that should close some, or most, of the gap.
>
end.alt>
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray
Mouser
Also, regarding hirelings,
if a PC hires a group of 0 level mercenaries or acquires followers due
to reaching "name" level do you give them any information regarding the
hirelings' stats (although in the case of 0 levels this would besically
be limited to Hit Points) or are those the sole purview of the DM?
Thanks in advance.
Gray Mouser
Followers that are ranked
with levels should be treated as henchmen.
Hirelings ade, as you suggest
above, only rated by HPs and what they can do--mostly bear arms.
The plyer need not know
their HPs, or may have such information, at the DM's discretion.
Cheers,
Gary
*template***template*
