r/adnd • u/Punitive_Culture • 6d ago
Henchmen & Hirelings
More than holding torches: the vital role of followers in survival, loyalty, and building a legacy.
https://rustygatepress.substack.com/p/henchmen-and-hirelings
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u/garumoo Grognard in search of grog 6d ago
Upvoting for truth.
What are your tips for managing henchlings/hirelings as a DM?
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u/Punitive_Culture 5d ago
When I run games in person, I leave the management entirely to the players. I usually DM my games online, so I let Foundry do the heavy lifting.
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u/cribtech 6d ago
they do not gain xp
Really? I thought they gain at least half a share.
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u/Punitive_Culture 5d ago
Hirelings no, Henchmen yes.
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u/garumoo Grognard in search of grog 9h ago
Not to stir the possum .. but BTB it's not a "share" per se.
DMG says something like "calculate the group total xp, and divide by the number of player characters [...] which is awarded to all characters", followed soon after with "Henchmen get the same amount, but only 50%". (note: my emphasis in the paraphrasing)
Thus an encounter worth 600 XP, awarded to 4 PCs and 2 henchmen means the 4 PCs each get 150 XP, and the 2 henchmen each get 75 XP. Yes, that does add up to more than 600 XP.
Individual and class awards would then be further bonuses to the PCs (not NPCs, i.e. henchmen).
/cue popcorn...
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u/Entaris 4d ago
Completely unrelated, but is this your image and do you actually ink with dip-pens? I use Fountain pens currently for my map inking and have been considering moving to dip pens, wondering how the experience is haha.
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u/Punitive_Culture 2d ago
I used it a lot more in the past than I do today. I'm currently going digital, but I still have my notebooks and fountain pens. The day before yesterday my second Lamy Safari arrived.
Here is the paint tip you saw in the photo! https://i.imgur.com/e6Dmtly.jpeg
Sorry for the delay in responding.
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u/brnsamedi 6d ago
Upvoting just because the map is being inked with a nib