Mercenaries

Mercenaries are hired warriors. They are generally hired in units as small as platoons: 32 to 48 Fighters, divided into two to four squads of soldiers; each squad is led by a corporal, while the platoon is led by a lieutenant plus a sergeant. Platoons are joined together into companies, each generally consisting of two to five platoons and led by a captain with a sergeant as his assistant (called a first sergeant). As mercenaries are almost always veteran troops, the average mercenary is a 1st level Fighter; 10% of corporals and 50% of sergeants are 2nd level. A mercenary lieutenant will generally be 2nd level, while a captain will be 2nd to 4th level and his first sergeant will be 2nd or 3rd level. Larger mercenary units will usually be beyond the reach of player characters until they have reached fairly high levels, and are left to the Game Master to detail. Mercenaries will virtually never go into a dungeon, lair, or ruin, at least until it has been fully cleared. Rather, they are used in outdoor military engagements; high level player characters may hire mercenaries to defend or help defend their castles or other holdings. Mercenaries housed in a player character's stronghold require 200 square feet each but cost 25% less per month, as this is covered by their room and board. (Elven mercenaries, however, require 500 square feet of space each in order to reduce their pay, as they demand better living conditions.) See the Stronghold section on page 199 for more details. Statistics are given below for the most common sorts of mercenaries; the statistics are for first level characters, and should be adjusted when higher level characters are indicated (as given above). In particular, multiply the given cost of each mercenary by their level. Listed costs are in gold pieces per month. Type of Mercenary Cost Equipment Morale Light Foot, Human 2 gp Leather Armor, Shield, and Longsword 8 Light Foot, Elf 8 gp Leather Armor, Shield, and Longsword 8 Light Foot, Orc 1 gp Leather Armor and Spear 7 Heavy Foot, Human 3 gp Chainmail, Shield, and Longsword 8 Heavy Foot, Dwarf 6 gp Chainmail, Shield, and Shortsword 9 Heavy Foot, Orc 2 gp Chainmail, Shield, and Shortsword 8 Archer, Human 5 gp Leather Armor, Shortbow, and Shortsword 8 Archer, Elf 15 gp Chainmail, Shortbow, and Shortsword 8 Archer, Orc 3 gp Leather Armor, Shortbow, and Shortsword 8 Crossbowman, Human 5 gp Chainmail, Crossbow, and Shortsword 8 Crossbowman, Dwarf 12 gp Platemail, Crossbow, and Shortsword 9 Longbowman, Human 9 gp Chainmail, Longbow, and Shortsword 8 Longbowman, Elf 20 gp Chainmail, Longbow, and Longsword 8 Light Horseman, Human 10 gp Leather Armor, Shield, Lance, and Longsword 8 Light Horseman, Elf 22 gp Leather Armor, Lance, Shortbow, and Longsword 8 Medium Horseman, Human 15 gp Chainmail, Shield, Lance, and Longsword 8 Medium Horseman, Elf 33 gp Chainmail, Lance, Shortbow, and Longsword 9 Heavy Horseman, Human 20 gp Platemail, Shield, Lance, and Longsword 8