COMPANIONS, GIVE US COMPANIONS!!

[Bad Omens]

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick thought.
I know everyone wants to improve the economy here.
I know everyone talks about different gold sinks.
I know people talk about, people shouldn't be able to solo the server.

How about this, GIVE US MERCENARY/HIRELING COMPANIONS!
Set the cost at very expensive, give them basic melee, casting scripts.

Thoughts?

[thebeasttt]

The problem I see is if you don't make them a gold sink you just promote more soloing across the board. If you do make them a gold sink the people that need them won't buy them and people that can buy them are too geared to need them.

Can have some heavy RP benefits though. A merchant character could buy a full time guard, a noble escorted everywhere they go, etc. Don't see them having time to code this for years in either case but a decent suggestion.

[Calantyr]

Make them only hireable if you are part of a faction, i.e lower rank troops led by an officer. Makes hirelings available but also promotes RP.

[thids]

I don't like the idea of NPC's who can't RP following PC's around.

[Theodore01]

I don't like the idea of NPC's who can't RP following PC's around.

like all the multiple summons and gondsman now

[Ivan38Rus]

Like 50% of the population you mean.

Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

[Calantyr]

I don't like the idea of NPC's who can't RP following PC's around.

Animal companions and summons already exist. They don't do much interaction, but they're something we simply accept. Hirelings/underlings could occupy the same position, and there's plenty of RP reasons to explain them not interacting.

I'd take the Leadership feat if it would let me hire a bodyguard.

[Ariella]

Paladins could use squires and or pages as npcs.

[chad878262]

I'm on the fence... On the one side it does detract from the RP of hiring a PC bodyguard/companion/whatever, which I have done on both sides at one time or another. On the other side there have been so many discussions about non-caster classes getting the short end of...everything and this would be a way for non-casters to get something beneficial that casters have. I will say I consider this something that can be put off for another day what with the current implementation and the fact that we still have crafting, additional PRC's and stores to add, I can't see something like this even being considered in the next year +.

[thids]

I don't like the idea of NPC's who can't RP following PC's around.

like all the multiple summons and gondsman now

I don't like the idea of NPC's who can't RP following PC's around.

Animal companions and summons already exist. They don't do much interaction, but they're something we simply accept. Hirelings/underlings could occupy the same position, and there's plenty of RP reasons to explain them not interacting.

I'd take the Leadership feat if it would let me hire a bodyguard.

As far as I know you are allowed to RP your summons, animal companions and familiars. I highly doubt you would be allowed to RP hired NPC's.

[Ivan38Rus]

Paladins could use squires and or pages as npcs.

Oh yeah, let's give a class that is favored by setting by default even more RP edge, that surely won't backfire no sir

[Calantyr]

The NWN1 RP server I spent years on had a good hireling system, it worked in the following way:

Magic users were OP and martials were really sucky in comparison. However according to the lore of the world magic users were the vast minority. So to even things out, martials who were part of a faction could take a hireling (for free). These were considered lower rank troops in the faction, those who needed babysitting.

They could chose between an Archer, Tank, or Sneak hireling. The hireling was four levels behind the owner (could be raised with feat investment). However their equipment could not be changed and they only got better equipment if the owner raised in rank in their faction, however they could only be promoted to a higher rank through RP.

The end result was better balance between casters and martials, and more RP. Of course BGtSCC doesn't really seem to have an active faction system, so I'm not sure what could replace that (if anything).

[NegInfinity]

Thoughts?

I don't see much of a point.

Unless "hireling" means "one platoon of tiefling crossbow snipers". Then we can run "bgtscc: total war".

On a more serious note, d&d had some convoluted cohort/follower system tied with leadership. It might be worth looking into, but I gotta say that roleplaying more than one character at once would take some effort, especially when you can't directly control other characters, and it is fairly hard even with high typing speed.

[TheLier]

Lore wise:

Thayans would go around with at least one if not more Knights most of the time. Becuse that is what they should do in the first place. Strictily lore wise.

Mechanics:

I really don't know, and when the "summon" is an actual person, who is for some reason is a mindless beast would result in strange things.

Example: Could I "hire an NPC" and while standing invsible/hips order them to attack, resulting in, nearly no chance of knowing my (IC) involvment as, the NPC can't speak?

[thids]

Give me the Dreadmaster PrC with roleplayable cohorts and I'm sold.