Coming Soon -- 20 Warriors for Hire

I'm wrapping up production on a new fantasy OSR supplement called 20 Warriors for Hire. 

It does exactly what it says on the tin. Within these pages you will find twenty down on their luck warriors who are looking for work. They will be more than happy to join the group as hirelings, henchmen, mercenaries, or meat shields.

These warriors are presented without levels, names, or overly specific backgrounds and physical details. It's up to you to give them a name and - if you choose - a more detailed background and physical description. These warriors were designed this way so that you so that you can describe their names, detailed appearances and specific backgrounds to fit your game world, They are presented without levels so that you can match them up to whatever level hirelings the PCs might need.,

20 Warriors for Hire also includes a simple morale system for hirelings, with a few optional rules that can be used to add a bit`more depth and variation to morale and loyalty dynamics within the adventuring group.

.If you're players are not in need of hirelings, you can always use this rag-tag bunch of sell-swords to create bandits, outlaws, enemies, or even replacement characters when things take a turn for the worse and someone needs replacement  character A.S.A.P..

Here is the list of Warriors for hire, minus a few entries. that still require a bit more work.

• 1. Battered Veteran
• 2. Boastful Knight
• 3. Conscripted Farmer
• 4. Grizzled Miner
• 5. Foreign explorer
• 6. Gruff Crossbowman
• 7. Disfigured Hunter
• 8. Failed Sentry
• 9. Unemployed Mercenary
• 10. Desperate Farmer
• 11. Disgraced Nobleman
• 12. Refugee Militiaman
• 13. Destitute Innkeeper
• 14. Dissatisfied Farrier
• 15.
• 16. Blacksmith's Apprentice
• 17. Livestock Farmer
• 18.
• 19. Hound Keeper
• 20. Former Sailor

You can read some of their profiles below.

Battered Veteran

This former soldier's old wounds forced him to retire. He has grown tired of sitting around taverns swapping war stories, and his meager savings have run out. Despite his bad leg and declining health, he can still swing a sword and haul loot. He has poor manners and loves to tell crude jokes, but he is extremely loyal and can offer useful advice gleaned from years of battlefield experience.

• Motivation: Camaraderie, adventure, wealth.
• Morale:+2
• STR 14, INT 12, WIS 13, DEX 7, CON 9, CHA 10
• Gear: Spear, short sword, knife, shield, studded leather armor, backpack, tinderbox, blanket, 3 days iron rations, water skin.

Boastful Knight

This fast talking former knight has sold off most of his possessions save for a few treasures that he just can't bear to part with. He is a competent warrior, but he greatly exaggerates his own ability. He is loyal as long as he is paid well and isn't asked to do anything suicidal. If things get bad, he might desert the group.

• Motivation: Restoration of his honor, wealth, glorious battle that ends with victory..
• Morale: 0 (-3 if Faced with imminent death)
• STR 15, INT 9, WIS 10, DEX 13, CON 15, CHA 14
• Gear: Long sword, dagger, shield, chain mail, helmet, backpack, silver mirror, tinder box, shaving kit and razor, jeweled snuff box, 2 bottles of wine.

Conscripted Farmer

This big ox of a man was a farmer until he was conscripted into military service. The war is over and he doesn't know how to do anything but grow wheat, lift heavy things, and bash heads. He is a slow learner and often lacks common sense, but he is happy to help with any task, no matter how menial or life threatening. He is very loyal, but he has a fear of magic that might cause him to panic at the worst possible moment.

• Motivation: Desire to feel useful, friendship, wealth.
• Morale: +1 (-3 when faced with magic/supernatural)
• STR 17, INT 8, WIS 6, DEX 11, CON 16, CHA 5
• Gear: Spear, knife, club, leather armor, large sack, blanket, 4 days rations, water skin.

Grizzled Miner

This short, stocky man used to work as a miner. He had to leave his last job after he was accused of murdering three of his fellow workers in a drunken brawl. He is a hard worker, and his knowledge of mines and caves will come in handy until he tries to kill the rest of the group and loot their corpses.

• Motivation: Wealth, Survival at any Cost, Murdering his Employers.
• Morale: -2
• STR 15, INT 12, WIS 12, DEX 9, CON 13, CHA 8
• Gear: Mining pick, small hammer, knife, club, studded leather armor, backpack, lantern, tinderbox, 12 candles, 2 flasks of oil, 50 feet of rope, 12 iron spikes.

Comments? Thoughts? Do the "vague" NPCs add or detract from the usefulness in your game? 

Shield Walls

I've been working on some OSR compatible rules for using shield walls in an upcoming rules hack I am planning.

I see the issue as having a few factors:

1. The actual combat bonuses, defenses, advantages, etc. of being a member of a shield wall.
2. The actual dangers and potential discipline/morale experienced by members of the shield wall.
3. The conditions under which a shield wall can be broken.

So, poking round some OGL sources, I found some rules that might be appropriate. Here they are, presented stripped of their 3unnecesary .5/Pathfinder details and boiled down to their OSR essence.

For the record, emulating huge shield walls is not the goal of this system.These rules are designed for smaller groups and to simulate phalanx styled fighting as well. I may add another section regarding phalanx fighting, or just add a little bit to what I have here and call it a day.

Shield Wall

Many tricks and techniques have been developed to ensure mutual safety in combat, but few have proven as effective as the shield wall. By drawing up close to one another and facing the enemy whilst locking shields tightly together, a small group of warriors may hold off opponents who greatly outnumber them with relative ease. 

Forming the Shield Wall

At least three characters are required to form a shield wall and all must have a large shield. When three or more team members are standing in a straight line and wielding shields, they form a solid line of defence. t takes a standard action for all participating to form a shield wall and a leader must be nominated from amongst their number to co-ordinate the actions of all. This leader must make a Charisma check by rolling less than or equal to his CHA on 1d20. Failure will result in the shield wall being formed incorrectly and without sufficient coherency – no bonuses will be gained.

Benefits of the Shield Wall

Characters behind a shield wall may fight normally across the line, provided they have weapons with reach or range. A shield wall may be dissolved at any time by the characters forming it. Characters within a successfully formed shield wall will gain a +11 morale bonus to all attack rolls and a+2 morale bonus to all Will saves and their Armour Class so long as the shield wall is maintained. Each character will also take up half the space he normally does, thus allowing greater numbers to fight along a narrow frontage.Each shielded member in the line has cover against r.melee attacks (+2 bonus to AC) ranged attacks (+4 bonus to AC). This applies even if one or more members in the line are threatened by an opponent, so long as at least one in the line can see the ranged attack coming and yell “shield wall!” 

Breaking a Shield Wall

A shield wall is automatically dissolved if less than three characters are present within it.

In addition, any member of a Shield Wall receives a +4 synergy bonus to Strength checks when resisting a Bull Rush attack, or to Strength checks (but not Dexterity checks) when blocking an Overrun attempt. - d20 OSR Source, needs converting to OGL use.There may need to be another way for cobatanats to break through a shield wall, although perhaps dropping the number of shield wall participants to less than three may be sufficient.

Toughts? Opinions? Should more cobatants be required to make a shield wall? Should the number be linked to rge actual square footage of the area? Are the bonuses to high?  Should smaller shields be alllowed to work in a shield wall?

Thanks for reading!

Six Warriors for Hire

Do you need a quick NPC fighter for your old-school game? These down on their luck warriors are looking for work! They will be more than happy to join the group as hirelings, henchmen, mercenaries, or meat shields. All they need are names, levels, and hit points to match your game.

1. This former soldier's old wounds forced him to retire. He has grown tired of sitting around taverns swapping war stories, and his meager savings have run out. Despite his bad leg and declining health, he can still swing a sword and haul loot. He has poor manners and loves to  tell crude jokes, but he is extremely loyal and can offer useful advice gleaned from years of battlefield experience.

• STR 14, INT 12, WIS 13, DEX 7, CON 9, CHA 10
• Gear: Spear, short sword, knife, shield, studded leather armor, backpack, tinderbox, blanket, 3 days iron rations, water skin.

2. This fast talking former knight has sold off most of his possessions save for a few treasures that he just can't bear to part with. He is a competent warrior, but he greatly exaggerates his own ability. He is loyal as long as he is paid well and isn't asked to do anything suicidal. If things get bad, he might desert the group.

• STR 15, INT 9, WIS 10, DEX 13, CON 15, CHA 14
• Gear: Long sword, dagger, shield, chain mail, helmet, backpack, silver mirror, tinder box, shaving kit and razor, jeweled snuff box, 2 bottles of wine.

3. This big ox of a man was a farmer until he was conscripted into military service. The war is over and he doesn't know how to do anything but grow wheat, lift heavy things, and bash heads. He is a slow learner and often lacks common sense, but he is happy to help with any task, no matter how menial or life threatening. He is very loyal, but he has a fear of magic that might cause him to panic at the worst possible moment.

• STR 17, INT 8, WIS 6, DEX 11, CON 16, CHA 5
• Gear: Spear, knife, club, leather armor, large sack, blanket, 4 days rations, water skin.

4. This short, stocky man used to work as a miner. He had to leave his last job after he was accused of murdering three of his fellow workers in a drunken brawl. He is a hard worker, and his knowledge of mines and caves will come in handy until he tries to kill the rest of the group and loot their corpses.

• STR 15, INT 12, WIS 12, DEX 9, CON 13, CHA 8
• Gear: Mining pick, small hammer, knife, club, studded leather armor, backpack, lantern, tinderbox, 12 candles, 2 flasks of oil, 50 feet of rope, 12 iron spikes.

5. This tall hunter comes from a foreign land. He is traveling the world in search of excitement and enlightenment, and is eager to join the group. His grasp of the local language is sufficient to have simple conversations and follow orders, but he sometimes has difficulty finding the right words or explaining complex ideas. He is friendly and loyal, but he has little experience with exploring caves and dungeons, causing his morale to decline the longer he remains underground.

• STR 13, INT 10, WIS 9, DEX 13, CON 14, CHA 11
• Gear: Short sword, 3 knives, short bow, quiver of 20 arrows, chain mail, shield, backpack, blanket, 30 feet of rope, tinderbox, water skin, 6 days dried meat, 

6. This former crossbowman has a nose that has been broken many times. The last mercenary company he belonged to disbanded due to internal power struggles, so he is hoping to find better luck with a smaller group of adventurers.  He is a serious man who goes about his work quietly, and he will fight bravely and loyally unless he is mistreated or the group constantly argues among themselves.

• STR 14, INT 12, WIS 9, DEX 15, CON 13, CHA 9
• Gear: Short sword, dagger, light crossbow, quiver of 20 bolts, leather armor, backpack, 6 torches, tinderbox.