Retainers and Hireling of the Twilight Age- Orm's 111th Company

First, before we delve further, note that this post will be a living one. It has taken me a long time to pull together. Much longer than I would have liked. So, expect elements to be filled in, illustrations to become more developed or refined, and mechanical elements to be tweaked or smoothed out. Information will switch from being lines of text to illustrated pages. This, of course, is not even counting characters that get removed as they parish or become maimed or suffer other fates. All that said, here is...

The Exalted 111th Company of Hirelings & Retainers

The need for an organized body of mercenaries, lackeys, and roustabouts in the services of adventurers in Orm had been nonexistent. Sure, there were rumors in past epochs of such ventures but only Merdinus would know (if anyone does). Adventure, though, had come to Orm. A strange underworld with grand treasures and even greater untold dangers saw expeditions hiring locals to accompany them into the unknown. So far, 25 souls have been claimed by this Underworld with 12 of them being those hired into service.

For the safety and fair pay of those willing to sell their services to these recently arrived adventurers, the most veteran of hirelings-- the illusionist known as Banx-- has organized the field and gained a charter with the Rani herself to offer such services. Below, those seeking the Company's services will find their rates and terms of service. Those that find them disagreeable can look to the Midnight Marauders for mercenaries or the Lamplighter Guild for torchbears. Services hired outside of these organizations risk a blackmark with them all, fines, and potential imprisonment.

The Rules

Here are the standard rules for retainers (what B/X calls NPCs that adventure in dungeons with player characters). We are deviating from them a quite a bit. In a future post, we will dig into retainers that possess a long term contract with a player character (like Company founder Banx has currently with Hate Pit). For now, we are delving into folks a player would hire a session at a time. Here are the basics:

1. No reaction roll is need to hire a retainers from the Company and no gold is needed to be spent in order to recruit potential candidates.
2. The below table contains rates for employment:
   

   Gold spent	Dice rolled on the retainer table.
   5gp	A d10 roll on the retainer table.
   10gp	A d20 roll on the retainer table.
   25gp	A d30 roll on the retainer table.
   50gp	A d20+10 roll on the retainer table (guaranteeing only classed characters)
   100gp	Your selection of a specific retainer from the table.
   PCs in poor standing with the Company pay one tier higher for services.
   Player’s looking to increase loyalty gain a +1 for every tier up they move. This bonus is only gained if base rates and treasure shares are met.

3. Treasure shares of 1/2 are standard. The below table shows how changes in treasure shares modify loyalty scores:
   

   Treasure Share	Loyalty Score Modifier
   None	-2
   1/4	-1
   1/2	Standard
   1	+1
   Gift of Magic Item	+2

4. Why are we even talking about loyalty so much when the PC will not have a long term relationship with the retainer? It will be tracked in two ways.
1. During the session, retainers put into particularly perilous situations will make loyalty checks rolling 2d6 (modified by reaction bonus, etc.). On a failed roll, they will flee.
1. Upon hire, members of the Company are trusted by the guild to be able to appraise reason risks of danger during their employment. Those that flee due to failed loyalty checks when asked to do something especially perilous (like being abandoned in a dangerous part of a dungeon, asked to fight against overwhelming odds, etc.) do not allow for refunds nor do they allow for negotiations on future rates. 
2. At the end of a session, the retainer will roll a loyalty check (based on similar modifiers as above) to check the PC's standing with the Company. Failed checks at the end of sessions have cumulative results as follows:
• 1 failed check puts the PC in bad standing. They must pay one tier higher to hire the services of a Company member.
• 3 failed checks sees the PC banned from hiring the services of members of the Company.
5. How do I modifiy loyalty checks outside of pay, treasure shares, or charisma modifiers?
   

   Action Taken	Loyalty Roll Modifier	Effect to Standing.
   Known to have killed a Company member.	-	Banned* or 1 strike is gained if it is determined to have been for reasonable means.
   Rumored to have killed a Company member.	-2	-
   Cruel treatment of a Company member.	-1	1 strike
   Went back on word to the Company or Company member.	-1	-
   Risked life for a Company Member	+1	-
   Ransomed or rescued a Company Member.	+1	Removes a strike
   Saved the life of a Company Member.	+1	Removes a strike
   Returned a Company Member to life.	+2	Removes two strikes or grants special standing.

6. Wergild of 100gp or a full share of treasure (which ever is higher) is paid to retainers maimed to the extent they can not longer adventure or to their families if they parish. Failure to pay automatically bans a PC from using the Company's services in the future.
7. Company members gain XP from adventures (track by the DM). Should they advance beyond Level 1, their standard treasure share advances to 1 full share.

111th Company Member Table