Henchfolk

Henchfolk, also hench, are unwaveringly loyal personal attendants dedicated to player characters. Their morale is unshakable, ensuring that they remain steadfast in their service regardless of circumstances. Because of this absolute loyalty, the Dungeon Master is not required to manage henchfolk as non-player characters; instead, they are entrusted to the player to control directly, as subordinate player characters. Henchfolk will always act in ways that are most beneficial and serviceable to the player character they serve, making their actions predictable in their unwavering dedication. This distinguishes them from followers and hirelings, who may have their own motives, limitations or morale concerns that require oversight. Henchfolk are required to make morale checks only in situations where the primary player characters are also subject to these checks.

The number of henchfolk a player can have is restricted by both their experience level and their charisma. The ability stat page shows the maximum number of these subordinates that can be had, regardless of the player's experience.

Acquiring Henchfolk

All player characters, regardless of character class, are entitled to their first henchfolk upon reaching 5th level. Thereafter, unless charisma states otherwise, the primary character receives an additional henchfolk every two levels above 5th ((at 7th, 9th, 11th, et al) until the maximum allowable number.

Within the structure of the game setting, this requires the character to reach a village or larger centre with at least 250 persons. Upon arrival, the character's "aura" of confidence and general demeanour will draw the attention of a 1st-level character, who will be compelled to approach and offer their service as a henchfolk. This individual is effectively struck dumb with awe, overcome by admiration or ambition, and is thereafter willing to follow without hesitation, so long as it grants them the opportunity to adventure or remain in the presence of the player character. In setting terms, the player character accepts their service and the new henchfolk becomes a formal part of their "entourage."

The player may, if they wish, ignore such requests, as the ability stats for the individual are not rolled until the player accepts. Once accepted, the player must abide by the results as rolled, following the practice described below. A henchfolk who is refused cannot be replaced, though one who has died in service may be. However, if the death appears to have been arranged by the player, that henchfolk is again not replaced. As well, the player is prevented from gaining another henchfolk until they reach that level where the next would become available.

The player must recognise that a henchfolk is a rare and significant gift, not a resource to be optimised or discarded at will; any attempt to game the system by selectively rejecting potential henchfolk in pursuit of superior ability stats undermines the spirit of the game and the integrity of the character's "aura."

Rolling Henchfolk

These are generated much in the same way as primary characters, with one important distinction: because the primary character already has excellent ability stats, there is no minimum average for the henchfolk's attributes. Players start by rolling 4d6, six times in succession as always, but once this first list is generated, the player must make a decision: keep these stats as they are or risk rolling them again. If rolled again, the second set must be kept, regardless of the outcome. Once the decision has been made to generate six numbers again, the first set is irretrievably lost, leaving the player with no option but to accept the second set of rolls.

All henchfolk, regardless of the level of the primary character, begin at 1st level.

This makes it possible for henchfolk to have impressive statistics, but it also increases the likelihood that their abilities will be average or even below average for adventuring. If a truly poor set of attributes is rolled, the player always has the option of assigning the henchfolk to less demanding tasks, such as watching the horses, holding a torch during combat or remaining at home to oversee the player character's affairs. Regardless of their role, the henchfolk will not object, as their profound awe for the player character ensures that they remain content with any duty that allows them to play a part in their liege's life.

Henchfolk are people, so they have pregenerated backgrounds, sage abilities, class benefits and private lives just like any other character. These elements can be rolled or chosen by the players as part of the henchfolk's generation, ensuring that they are fully realised individuals rather than mere extensions of the primary character. The dungeon master does not determine these aspects in any way, as the henchfolk belong to the player, who has full authority over their creation and development.

Cascading Henchfolk

If a henchfolk of the player reaches 5th level, they are entitled to a "secondary" henchfolk (hench secundus) of their own, just as any other levelled character, including non-players. This henchfolk is rolled according to the same methods explained above and will develop an intense sense of loyalty toward their direct liege. However, it is important to note that this loyalty does not extend to the primary player character. The secundus serves their own master with unwavering dedication, but their sense of duty and devotion does not automatically transfer up the chain of command.

Yet, because the player again rolls up this new henchfolk and runs them as part of the game, their loyalty to the overall group can, in most cases, be assumed. The hench secundus remains dedicated to their direct liege, but since they are ultimately controlled by the player, they will generally act in a manner that aligns with the primary character's interests. However, if the primary character wishes to travel or adventure with the secundus, then the hench primus must also be present. The secundus follows only their immediate master, not the primary character and will not act independently outside their direct chain of loyalty.

For example, Aldric, a 7th-level fighter, has a devoted henchfolk, Gregor, a 5th-level cleric. Upon reaching 5th level, Gregor gains his own hench secundus, Livia, a 1st-level thief. Livia is utterly loyal to Gregor, not to Aldric. If Aldric wishes to travel with Livia, Gregor must also be present, as Livia will not abandon her direct master. While all three are controlled by the player, the player should be reminded of this condition by the DM, should the player choose to overlook it.

In this example, Aldric, being 7th level, gains another hench primus, a 1st-level ranger named Edric. Edric can run in a party with Aldric, Gregor and Livia, but only so long as Aldric is present. The player cannot choose to run only Livia and Edric, as the hierarchy explained here does not permit this; these two are strangers and have others to whom they owe their allegiance. Their loyalty is tied directly to their respective lieges — Edric to Aldric, and Livia to Gregor — meaning they will not act as an independent unit without their masters present to guide them.

The Player's Entourage

Point in fact, all subordinate henchfolk, when running with the primary character, count against that character's charisma limitation where henchfolk are concerned. In the example given, if Aldric had a charisma of 14 and was thus limited to six henchfolk, half of these would already be accounted for. However, this limitation only applies to the final designation the player decides for Aldric. The player could choose not to count Livia as one of Aldric's henchfolk, leaving her solely as Gregor's hench secundus. If so, Livia would continue to serve Gregor but would never, under any circumstances, run in a party directly with Aldric.

Those that are counted are considered the player's "entourage." Those not counted become non-player characters, run by the dungeon master, but still conforming to the rule of absolute loyalty. The only difference is that this loyalty is then seen through the DM's interpretation rather than the player's direct control. While these henchfolk remain unwavering in their devotion, their actions, decisions and responses will be handled by the DM, ensuring that they continue to serve their designated liege but without the player dictating their every move.

The dungeon master can be flexible with this. If the player were to choose to run Gregor instead of Aldric, or if Aldric were retired from the campaign, then control of Livia could be restored to the player. In this case, the consideration would shift to "Gregor's Entourage," rather than Aldric's, allowing the player to fully manage Gregor's henchfolk while Aldric is no longer an active factor in the hierarchy.

Ranking Character Death

If a ranking character dies, such as Gregor in this example, the structure of loyalty remains intact, but it shifts accordingly. Since Livia's absolute loyalty was to Gregor, not Aldric, she is now without a liege. As a result, she is lost to Aldric's "entourage" and becomes a non-player character, now controlled by the dungeon master. While she still knows Aldric and may retain some respect or admiration for him, she is no longer bound by the same unwavering devotion that defined her service to Gregor. Assuming Gregor died a legitimate death, Aldric then rolls a new henchfolk to replace him. Aldric is then entitled to reassign his entourage, whereupon the DM restores any affected "non-player" henchfolk back to the player's control.

There will be a temptation on the part of many dungeon masters to compromise this rule, to assume that Livia can take Gregor's place. This will only have the effect of mitigating the death of henchfolk to the point where it has no meaning. If a hench secundus were simply reassigned upon the death of their liege, the structured loyalty system would be undermined, reducing the weight of loss and making henchfolk interchangeable rather than individuals with distinct bonds. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that death has consequences, while the hierarchy is established an inviolable fact, not a convenience for the player to disregard.

Experience Gained by Henchfolk

When calculating experience following combat, the bonus x.p. that is awarded to the whole party is divided by 50% for henchfolk. This is intended to reflect that the leading characters are making decisions while subordinate characters are following orders.

For example, if Aldric and Gregor were to enter combat and suffer damage, the 20 x.p. bonus per point of damage that they have received together would be divided by 1.5, not 2 (as would be the case if both were of the same rank of character). This means that if together the two characters took 3 damage, 40 points of the bonus would be awarded to Aldric and 20 to Gregor.

Note that this applies only to bonus x.p. The usual amount of experience received for causing and taking damage is unchanged for henchfolk.

For Livia, two ranks removed from the original character, the share of the experience bonus reduced to 50% of Gregor's, or 25% overall. Livia's henchfolk, should she have one, would have a share that counted at 12.5% — and so on.

Although Edric does not have the level that Gregor has, he counts the same, because they are both direct henchfolk of Aldric.

If Gregor and Livia were to go off on their own, then Gregor's experience would be upgraded to a full character, while Livia would be counted as 50%.

Sidequests

At the start of any adventure, once a player has several henchfolk, it can be decided which group the player would like to run. The player may choose to lead their primary character along with their entourage, or they may instead elect to follow a different path by running a henchfolk as the lead while leaving the primary character behind. In doing so, the henchfolk effectively takes on the role of a temporary main character, with their own entourage accompanying them as necessary.

If a sidequest is undertaken without the primary character present, the structure of loyalty remains intact. A hench primus may lead their own expedition, taking their hench secundus along, but lower-ranking henchfolk cannot act without their direct liege. This means that if a player wishes to run Gregor on a sidequest, he may bring Livia, but he may not bring Edric, as Edric's loyalty remains tied directly to Aldric.

Players may thus design multiple ongoing "adventures," with different members of their parties pursuing different goals. A group of low-level henchfolk may be sent to Norway while the primary characters investigate activities in Malta. As these groups operate independently, they may later reunite, at which point the composition of each party can be reassigned. This structure allows for the development of multiple active storylines within the campaign, letting players manage different objectives simultaneously.

As a party grows in size, additional groups can be formed as needed, enabling the division of forces for separate missions. Sidequests may take place in different locations, unfolding parallel to the main adventure. When two parties reunite, players may reassign members or form new parties, maintaining flexibility in how their resources and personnel are distributed. This approach provides continuity between different adventures while ensuring that each group remains connected to the larger narrative.

See also,
Animal Friends
Player Characters
The Adventure