Hireling and soldiers
From RPGwiki
Contents |
[edit] All the kings soldiers and all the kings men
Any ruler will need a few advisers and underlings. The DM's guide gives a few details on how much typical hirlings cost. I'm saying that some one who earns 1 sp a day (A typical laborer.) recieves 30 gp a full year, including none working days. Its a nice easy figure to work with. For people who earn more than that, just multiply up. A clerk who is paid 4 sp day earns 120 gp a year.
The DMs guide also gives details for paying mercenaries, but I intend to expand upon those a bit here.
[edit] Troop Types
I'm splitting armed forces into several groups, depending on their quality and origins. Everything I'm writing in this section is a guide line, and should be treated as such.
[edit] Levy
In an emergency, a ruler can press a whole host of untrained men into service, quickly raising a large, if rather lack-luster, army. Aside from unscrupulous rules, levies are often seen when walled cities are under seige. The local polulance has little choice but to fight.
Although very cheep in the short term, getting a levy is often drawn from the economic backbone of a country. If they die, your kingdoms wealth dies with them. Some rulers are too short sighted to see this, however.
Levies come in two types, good levies and desperat levies.
[edit] Good Levies
A Good Levy is composed of people of the right age and state of health to be fighting, even if they are not actually warriors.
- Stats: Usually racial average. The majority will be commers.
- Skills/feats:Related to civilian life.
- Morale:9
[edit] Desperate levies
Most of these people should either still be playing at soldiers, reminising about the good old days, or cursing the first war that crippled them. They shouldn't shouldn't be on the battlefield.
- stats:Usually 2 below racial average. Commoners.
- Skills/feats:Related to civilian life.
- Morale:8
[edit] Irregular
Irregular soldiers aren't part of a standing army at all, but are rather just a group of people who happen to be able to fight! Irregulars are one of the most varied types of soldier around. Clanish societies tend to breed tough fighting men who can compete with true soldiers n a straight head to head conflict, even if they aren't very disciplined. The levy of physically powerful, warlike races such as lizard men are best thought of as irregulars.
- Stats:Usually racial average or pluses on some stats matched by negatives on others. Usually warriors.
- Feats/skills:Related to civilian life, which in this case could be very violent!
- Morale:10 - 11.
[edit] Milita
Militia are part time soldiers. They are usually raised on a local basis, so the members of a particular group will have known each other for years. Although nothing like as skilled as professional soldiers, they are much cheeper to raise and if deployed correctly they can prove effective. Milita are usually quite static. They remain in the aea where they are raised in order to provide local defence.
- Stats: Usually racial average. Usually warriors, but poor examples might commoners. Almost never above first level.
- Feats/skills:Related to civilian life, and likely to be similar to those of the levy.
- Morale:10
[edit] Regular
These troops are kept around as a permanent body of armed men, although they are not highly skilled. Much of their time is likely to be taken up with rutine patroling and guard duties rather than training. Typical of caravan and border guards.
- Stats: Usually +4 distributed amongst physical stats. Typical human regular might have str 13, dex 10, con 13.
- Feats/Skills: Determined by military role.
- Morale:11.
[edit] Superior
These are professional soldiers who consider war to be their career. They are more expensive to keep on retainer than other less skilled warriors, but in the midst of battle quality shows.
- Stats: Usually +6 distributed amongst physical stats. A typical superior human soldier might have str 13 dex 12 con 13 or maybe str 15 dex 10 con 13.
- Feats/skills:Determined by military role.
- Morale:12.
[edit] Elite
Elite soldiers are talanted and well trained, the most talented type of warrior that is likelt to be seen on the battlefield in any numbers. They are also damned expensive, and so likely to be given the best equipment.
- Stats:Usually +10 distributed amongst physical stats. A Typical elite human soldier might have str 15, dex 13, con 15.
- Feats/Skills:Determined by military role.
- Morale:13
[edit] Wages for Soldiers
Levi's and irregular troops have no standard wages. Use whatever value seems appropriate, depending on the circumstances, using the system below as a guide line.
For the other types, there is a standardised wage system. Three factors determine a soldiers pay packet - class, level, and troop type. All soldiers recieve a base wage of 20 gp a year, plus a certain amount per level of each class.
Then, once you have this total, add a fixed amount depending on the troop quality.
By way of an example, consider a level 3 elite warrior. The base cost is 20 gp, plus 30 gp (For three warrior levels.) giving 50 gp. Add another 20 for being elite, gives a total of 70 gp per year.
The low cost of milita unit represent the fact they are not full time warriors. They will reciece wages from a regular job as well.
| Base wage 20 gp per year, +... | |
| Class | + per level |
| Commoner | +5 gp |
| Warrior, Expert | + 10 gp |
| Monster HD/effective level | +15 gp |
| Fighter, Cleric, Ranger, Barbarian, Adapt | +20 gp |
| Wizard, Sorcorer, Bard | +30 gp |
| **** | |
| Quality | Add |
| Milita | -10 |
| Regular | 0 |
| Superior | +10 |
| Elite | +20 |
| **** | |
| Equipment | Add |
| Mounts | 20% of value of mount |
| Projectile weapons | The cost of 50 shots |
| Thrown Weapons | The cost of 5 shots |
