|
D&D Miniatures |
 |
|
Many D&D campaigns have a need for combats that are larger than just the player characters squaring off against a few foes. PCs may be allied with the town guard or perhaps they enlist the aid of a local mercenary guild in cleaning out a nearby dungeon. Your D&D Miniatures and this article provide a quick method to design a unit of town guards or mercenaries to help or hinder your players. You can use these tables by either rolling randomly or by drawing D&D Miniature cards from your collection. The D&D Miniatures have set alignments, but a DM can reassign them to fit the campaign. For example, if you are building an encounter with an evil mercenary unit, you could change the normally Lawful Good alignment of the Man-at-Arms to Neutral Evil. Guard and Mercenary Units
To determine the number of units available, you need to know the city's population. The number of City Guard units is equal to the population divided by 1,000 and rounded down. The number of available mercenary units is half of that. 1 Leader (CR 4-5) The leader usually is the most experienced member of the unit.
1d3 Sergeants (each CR 2-3) Sergeants help the Leader with day-to-day operations of the unit. They are more experienced fighters than the common recruits.
1d6+4 Recruits (each CR 1 or less) The majority of the unit is made up of recruits. They could represent militia members, inexperienced town guards, or new members trying to prove themselves.
Alternative Members All units generated off the first three tables focus entirely on physical combat. To add variety, roll once on the following table. These unusual figures give a unit a unique twist. The resulting figure replaces a Leader, Sergeant, or Recruit chosen randomly.
Animal Trainer One of the figures in the unit (chosen randomly), in addition to his normal abilities and duties, is also an animal trainer. He has reared one or more creatures from birth and trained them to fight. He charges 7 gp/day as part of a mercenary unit, or 9 gp/day if he is the leader. The animal trainer has the Exotic Creature Trainer feat from the Arms and Equipment Guide (p.73) in place of one other feat and the Handle Animal skill in place of one other skill. Other appropriate skills include Intimidate, Knowledge (nature), Ride, and Use Rope. If the trainer falls in battle, then the creatures guard his body ferociously against anyone who would approach it.
Arcane Spellcaster An arcane spellcaster lends his services to the unit. The spellcaster avoids direct combat but is a great support unit, especially those with protection spells.
Exotic Members A member of the unit is from a race not normally seen in civilized society. Several of these are from races that are typically considered evil. That isn't a problem for evil towns or mercenary groups, but it might be if the intended unit alignment is good. In that case, either select a different exotic member or change the figure's alignment to one that is more suitable. This may result in good roleplaying potential. The exotic group member replaces a randomly chosen figure. Exotic Member: Drow
Exotic Member: Goblinoid
Exotic Member: Orc
Exotic Member: Other
Imposing Champion A creature from an imposing race replaces one of the unit's sergeants, chosen randomly. The creature is completely loyal to the Leader. It may act as an enforcer to maintain order. Because of the imposing champion, this unit may wind up with an EL higher than 10.
Spiritual Member A cleric, druid, monk, or paladin belongs to this unit. A religious member will heavily influence a mercenary unit's outlook and will only join if they share a common goal.
Mercenary Prices The prices listed are for long-term appointments. If the mercenaries are hired for only a few days, they may ask double or triple the listed price. A mercenary unit expects a share of treasure and loot in addition to its pay. A standard rate is 20% of the treasure from the trip, but this really depends on the relative experience levels of the mercenaries and PCs. A successful Diplomacy roll may affect the final price. If the mercenaries are of a chaotic or evil alignment and they feel sufficiently strong (or the PCs are badly injured), they might decide to take everything! The prices assigned are based on the figure's challenge rating:
Unit Name Generator Unless its members were hired ad hoc by the PCs, every mercenary unit should have a name. If you can't, don't have time, or simply don't want to make up your own name on the spot, you can quickly generate one with the following table. Roll 1d6. On 1-2, use only columns A and C. On 3-4, use only columns B and C. On 5-6, use all three columns. Roll 1d12 on each column and string the resulting words together to create the unit's name. For those entries with more than one option, choose your favorite. The resulting names can also be rearranged. The Copper Blade Alliance, for example, could instead be The Alliance of the Copper Blade.
Variations A randomly-constructed unit can also be used as
|
For simplicity, these instructions are designed to create small groups of figures called a unit. The most common members of a unit are Warriors, Fighters, Barbarians, and some Rangers. A standard unit is made up of 1 Leader, 1d3 Sergeants, and 1d6+4 Recruits (7-14 figures). This results in a unit with an Encounter Level between 7 and 10.
About the Author
Peter Lee lives in Madison, WI and works as a computer programmer. He has been using miniatures in his D&D games for 12 years and has enough unpainted pewter to last for the rest of his life.
©1995-2008 Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.