Monday, July 2, 2018

Strange Mid-Level Hirelings Table

If you want a hireling of a specific class, roll 1d6 for that class in its category. If you want a Cleric, go here. If you want a totally random hireling, roll 1d20. All non-specified stats modifiers are randomly generated.

Ramsy, Smokey Joe, and Aravat
Fighters
[1] Haggrath the Giant-Handed – Level 4
Stats- +1 Str, -1 Dex, +2 Con

Average looking man with hands that belong on someone much taller and twice his age. Well known for getting exiled from his home city after a young woman was found strangled to death; he swears he didn't do it.

Haggrath can strangle anything that has to breath through a windpipe; deals 1d8+1 damage per round with his massive, clenching hands. Count his strength as +3 for grip strength.

[2] “Ramsy” the Lionheart – Level 5
Stats- -2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Wis

Large male buck ram sheep. Talks. Walks on all fours and holds his sword in his mouth. Claims his mother was thrown in a lion's pit for food, but they ended up falling in love instead, hence he has the body of a sheep but the warrior's heart of a lion.

Cannot manipulate tools and doesn't have hands, but can use his mouth similar to a hand and counts his Dexterity as +2 for climbing. Has to wear custom armor, but his fleece also grants +2 AC when fully grown out. If he fails a save vs a fiery spell or breath attack, it will burn up and have to grow back next winter. Has -1 to morale and a bad attitude until he has a squire to groom him. Could serve as a mount for a halfling.

[3] Epoch – Level 6
Stats- +3 Strength, -2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Cha

Hulking caveman; frozen solid by the breath of an ice dragon many ages ago and was recently unfrozen and regained life. Speaks in small words and grunts. Confuses clean shaven modern men and women; they look too similar.

Is one of the ancestors to man in the setting who had fought and warred with ancient dragons, dinosaurs, and great beasts with nothing but strength and cunning. Prefers to fight with spear and club, prefers hide armor. 8 ft tall and takes -1 damage from frost spells and attacks.

[4] Forthwind “Whiplash” – Level 4
Stats- +2 Dex, +1 Con, -1 Cha

Middle aged adult man with long brown hair. Always wears comically long hoods and hats at all times. Strong and likes to wield multiple weapons at the same time. Never undresses around others.

Forthwind has a mutation on the back of his head; a long growth about 3 ft in length that ends in a few stubby finger-like protrusions and a thumb. This tentacle can act as a grasping hand with -1 Strength modifier, and can hold a weapon. Is very reluctant to fight with this third arm protrusion, as it would reveal this secret to others, but it gives him an extra attack.

[5] Ida – Level 7
Stats- +1 Str, +1 Con, -1 Wis, +1 Cha

She has a metal peg in place of her left leg. Long red hair, speaks loudly, challenges others to match her. Claims she wishes to become stronger to end evil men. Respectful and jealous of nobility.

Ida gave up her left leg to a demon in exchange to become as strong as the strongest man in her village. Since her village was full of malnourished peasants, she didn't really get that strong. She's been fighting and searching to become wiser instead of stronger, to end her mistakes.

[6] Audemar – Level 5
Stats- +1 Str, +1 Dex, +2 Int, -1 Cha

Overly serious but very analytical. Prepares for everything, even has escape plans for if fellow party members turn on him. Literate, owns many books and journals from monster hunters and explorers to comb for useful facts.

Before an expedition, dungeon delve, hexcrawl, or other adventure Audemar will ask about what monster's you'd like him to prepare for. He will gain his Int modifier bonus (+2 unless enhanced by some method) to hit, damage, and AC against that type of monster for the adventure.

Rogues
[7] Gottsan Arrowcatcher – Level 5
Stats- +1 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Int

Lean, wiry youth whose features seem to hint at a half orc heritage. Worked with a travelling circus as a juggler and with sleight of hand. Well known for his most famous trick; catching arrows. Isn't very talkative, notoriously bad with money.

He can catch up to one arrow fired at him per free hand per round on a successful save. If he fails the save, the arrow does 1 damage to his hand and delivers any poison it may be coated in. He can also roll a save at -2 to try to catch an arrow shot at an ally if he's adjacent.

[8] Minervii – Level 4
Stats- +1 Dex, +1 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha

Found abandoned in a swamp as an infant. Very sharp, but of an ugly and unkept appearance. Has gray hair that looks green in the sunlight. Worked as a guide in the bog and sometimes lead her customers to their deaths in quicksand if she thought they'd take advantage or wouldn't pay.

Can boil strands of her hair in a pot to create stale, foul tasting water that is poisonous to drink or if a weapon is dipped in it. A dozen strands makes the drinker have an upset stomach, a few large clippings deal 1d6 poison damage, and shaving all of her head into a pot would deal 3d6 damage.

[9] Smokey Joe – Level 7
Stats- -1 Dex, -3 Con, -1 Wis, +1 Cha

Wrinkly old man, friendly and appears harmless. Constantly smoking a pipe; always begging, bumming, and stealing pipeweed. Despite being over 75 years old, he is surprisingly mentally sharp. Swears it's from all the smoking.

Can blow cool smoke rings and animated figures in the smoke, similar to a low level illusion spell. Can also huff an entire full pipe full of smoke out into a smokescreen that grants +3 AC vs ranged weapons and gives a chance to escape.

[10] Sniffles – Level 4
Stats- -2 Str, +1 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Int

Sad little half hobgoblin man. Has a real name, but lets people call him whatever. Life has been filled with tragedy and suffering. Every town he's lived at has been destroying or he was exiled for prejudices. Every family and friend he had has died or gone mad. Constantly harassed by flying insects and slips and falls into piles of poop wherever they may be. Cries to himself constantly.

Sniffles's horrible life has a karmic scale of balance to it. He has incredible untapped potential, and gains +15% bonus experience points. The first time he would fail a saving throw, ignore it.

[11] Ledra “Whitewater” Smithhand – Level 5
Stats- -1 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Wis

Stole several fossilized mermaids and old relics from various superstitious villagers and returned them to river spirits and Gods. Blessed by the God of rivers and brags about it.

Can call upon the will of the rivers while swimming in it to be rushed up or down stream, and can hold her breath for 6 exploration turns. Can use waters taken from a river or while standing in a river can fire arrows made of water at her foes using her bow. Her powers only work in streams, rivers, and fresh water. She has no power over stagnant bogs, ponds, or the great ocean.

[12] Faoris Orrebeg – Level 6
Stats- +1 Dex, +1 Con, -1 Int

Faoris is from an 'enlightened' groups of humans who believes in strict practices and diets to achieve internal strength and harmony. Faoris will not willingly eat meat and requires time to meditate, for at least 1 hour, each day. He also refuses to drink alcohol and instead drinks green and blue tea.

Faoris's practices do enhance the body and mind, as long as they are not broken. As long as Faoris isn't forced to eat meat, he gets +2 saving throws against poison. Faoris can also meditate for an exploration turn to grant himself minor levitation; a few inches off the ground while moving, enough to avoid pressure plates and grant +1 AC. He loses his powers for the rest of his adventure if he breaks his diet or meditation regime.

Mages
[13] Salvo – Level 5
Stats- -1 Dex, -1 Con, +1 Int

Mysterious, foreign mage with a lisp. His fingers are each decorated with tattooed rings of symbols in both red and black ink. Doesn't remember how he got the tattoos.

Can expend any spell slot to fire that many 1 damage, screaming, glowing red magic missiles from his fingertips. Doing this more then once per day makes his fingers even more numb and clumsy, -1 to Dex modifier for a day for each barrage past the first.

[14] Berinon “Deathwraps” – Level 6
Stats- -2 Strength, +1 Dex, +2 Int, -1 Wis

Once used a mummy's wrappings to bind up his own injuries while he was bleeding to death. He was cursed with a fragility of the dead but somehow survived. Still carries mummy bandages that he washes and cleans to wrap up his diseased sores and wounds.

Every time this character rolls their HD to determine hit points each level, it is always treated as a roll of 1. He only has 6 + Con modifier HP. Every time he casts a Necromancy spell, or spells aligned with the powers of death, he treats it as thought it was 1 caster level lower to prepare.

[15] Melaeor “Slimespeaker” Canter – Level 5
Stats- +1 Str, +1 Dex, -1 Con, +1 Int, -2 Cha

Skilled wizard and alchemist. Enjoys slimes, oozes, and jelly creatures and seems to have a sixth sense for dealing with them. Claims potions using part of a slime have enhanced effects to regular stream or rain water.

Experiments on themselves with slimes; is slowing turning into a slime and rotting from the inside but keeps this a secret. Some of their organs are already not necessary and takes -1 damage from all blunt weapons. Can “think” like a slime a bit and knows what the most likely behavior of a slime is by examining them for a turn. Also; their Charm and Fear spells can work on slimes.

[16] Aravat – Level 6
Stats- +1 Dex, +1 Wis

He's not a human; he's a Devi. Four armed humanoids with bright colored skin from a foreign land. Aravat is is bright blue. Despite having four arms, he believes physical violence is beneath him and studied magic and spellcraft; as his is a mystical and magically inclined people.

He has four arms, meaning he can wield up to four weapons. Prefers to use four wands at once. Begins play with four fully charged wands, each filled with a minor offensive magic.

[17] Eviss & Ulniss – Level 6
Stats- +1 Strength, +1 Int, +2 Wis

Pair of blond, curly haired twins. Both look almost identical, but Eviss is a woman and Ulniss is a man. They wear similar brown gambesons with a black stripe diagonally painted across; they dress the same way as often as they can. They are twins and do everything together.

Not one character, but two as one. Whenever one casts a spell, the other can act as the target or point of casting range instead by vomiting it out of their mouth. They have a psychic connection; and if one of them dies, the other will die within 1d4 days.

[18] Chaton – Level 7
Stats- -2 Str, +1 Dex, -1 Con, +2 Int, +1 Cha

Sleek woman with long, straight black hair. Tends to wear long, black clothing and prefers to go out in the night time. Wears an enchanted blue flower in her hair that grants +1 Cha. Generic witch-y personality, but a hopeless romantic at heart.

She is cursed and fused with the spirit of a black cat, and she shifts between her two forms along the “lunar cycle”. Approaching the full moon, she grows claws, a tail, black fur on her face, and cat like ears. On the full moon, she turns into a black cat who cannot speak but can cast spells by touching things and drawing runes with her claws. Each day after, she turns back into a human bit by bit, and then the cycle starts again.

Other
[19] Roll a 1d6 to determine a random stat. Create a generic hireling, but with an incredible +5 modifier in that stat. Despite this freakish ability, the rest of their stats are generated with 2d6

[20] It's a monster. Roll on the most relevant nearest wandering encounter table; it's interested in joining your group.

2 comments:

  1. I'm really enjoying the inherent conflict in a bunch of these hirelings, inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some of the best hirelings I've seen.

    ReplyDelete