Hireling

Hirelings are non-player characters (NPCs) employed by adventurers for ongoing or contractual work in exchange for payment. The prices for their services establish a minimum wage, though employers may choose to offer higher pay as an incentive. A hireling's willingness to accept work depends on personal circumstances, reputation and treatment, and they may refuse tasks they find too dangerous, unethical or degrading. The availability of specific professions varies by region and social environment, though unskilled labourers, porters and menials are generally easy to find in any town or city.

Unlike standard goods or services, hirelings must be actively sought out rather than purchased on demand. There are four primary methods for doing so: frequenting inns and taverns, hiring a town crier, posting notices in public spaces or commissioning agents to find prospects. The quality of candidates depends on the effort and cost invested in recruitment; professional agents and formal advertisements tend to attract more competent and trustworthy individuals, while cheaper methods may draw a mix of desperate, unreliable or even criminal elements.

While most hirelings are honest workers, willing to take employment for the sake of stability and income, careless hiring practices can lead to undesirable outcomes. Some NPCs may be spies, thieves or double agents, using their position to exploit their employer. Others may prove incompetent, unreliable or prone to desertion under stress. However, many will be loyal and hard-working, especially if paid fairly and treated well. A wise employer exercises caution, ensuring that those brought into service are dependable, skilled and free from hidden motives.

Duties

Hirelings work long and grueling hours, typically between 14 and 18 hours per day, with time allotted for meals and brief moments of rest. It is generally expected that a servant or labourer may be called upon by their employer even during the night if necessity demands it, though such interruptions are rare and usually accepted without complaint. Similarly, while a hireling may occasionally be required to perform tasks outside their usual station, such instances are brief and infrequent, in keeping with the unwritten rules of service.

Despite the long hours, hirelings manage to pace themselves throughout the day, idly pottering at their tasks where possible, careful not to be caught loafing or neglecting duties. Their life is not an easy one — yet paradoxically, if an employer fails to demand a full day's labour, they may find themselves dealing with skulking, mooching, idleness or even outright defiance. A worker who is not kept busy will become restless, leading to dissatisfaction or worse. The best way to ensure consistent diligence is through steady work, fair treatment and visible leadership — a master or mistress who is equally engrossed in their own tasks will find their hirelings more willing to stay occupied.

Hirelings expect to perform the work they were hired for and nothing more. While it may be tempting for an adventuring party to assume that a hired guard or soldier-at-arms is willing to follow them into danger, this is a misconception. Guards are paid to stand watch, defend property and maintain order — they do not consider themselves warriors-for-hire, nor do they seek out conflict. Most will refuse outright if asked to take part in personal risks, and many will quit their employment immediately if pressured into perilous situations.

Some hirelings, such as porters, may accompany a party to the outskirts of danger, carrying gear to a dungeon entrance before turning back. A muleskinner or soldier-at-arms might be convinced to remain behind and guard a camp or watch over horses, but they will not venture into the unknown without compelling reasons. A personal servant may be willing to cook for a party or hold a lantern while fearfully following behind, but at the first sign of true danger, they will flee without hesitation.

Hirelings are not adventurers, and it is foolish to expect them to act like ones. They serve best as support staff, handling logistics, managing animals or securing supply lines — tasks that free up the party to focus on adventuring without distraction. However, long-term employment and proper treatment may lead to a hireling becoming a follower, at which point their loyalty, courage and willingness to take risks may grow in ways that better suit the needs of an adventuring party.

Indenture

An "indenture" is a legally binding contract between an employer or bondholder, and a hireling, establishing long-term employment for a period of a year or more. Under this agreement, the hireling pledges to remain in service, while the employer commits to ensuring the hireling's well-being. Indentured hirelings are promised good shelter, ample food, protection and security not only for themselves but for their families as well. This includes provisions for injury or death, with a stipulated stipend or compensation to be paid to surviving dependents should misfortune befall the hireling. Such contracts offer stability for workers, particularly in uncertain times, and provide employers with reliable, long-term labour.

Indentures are conventional for skilled or valued hirelings, particularly when an employer seeks to secure dedicated service without risk of desertion or disloyalty. The agreement removes the hireling's right to leave before the contract expires, unless granted explicit permission by the bondholder. If a hireling attempts to flee or break the contract, the law supports the employer's right to recover the hireling, treating desertion as a punishable offense. The bondholder is permitted to exact personal retribution, much as the state punishes criminals. While death is not allowed, punishments may include severe lashings, confinement or imprisonment for up to a month, with no legal recourse available to the indentured party.

In some cases, indenture is imposed involuntarily. Prisoners and debtors may be forced into service by the state, sold into indenture to an employer who pays a fee for their labour. These forced indentureships offer little protection to the hireling, as bondholders are granted near-total control over their lives. The experience is often indistinguishable from slavery, and while the law theoretically prohibits outright execution, the deaths of indentured servants under harsh masters are frequently overlooked. For those placed under such an arrangement, indenture is not merely a form of employment — it is a sentence.

Apprenticeship

An "apprenticeship" is a specialised form of indenture, wherein a young man or woman, typically aged nine or older, is placed under the care and instruction of an artisan or skilled professional to learn a trade. The arrangement is most commonly brokered by the apprentice's parents, who seek to secure their child's future by ensuring they acquire marketable skills. In some cases, a guild oversees the process, assigning apprentices to masters based on availability, demand or political considerations within the trade.

The standard term of apprenticeship lasts five years or more, during which the apprentice receives food, shelter and training in exchange for labour. Any wages earned are split — a portion may be paid to the parents as compensation, while the remainder is held in a fund, to be made available when the apprentice completes their training and attains journeyman status. This structure ensures that apprentices are invested in their own development, though their financial independence is delayed until their contract ends.

For many, apprenticeship is a rigourous and demanding experience, often marked by long hours, harsh discipline and meager comforts. Those from humble backgrounds — such as the children of farmers, rat catchers, barrel makers or recluses — frequently entered apprenticeships as a means of advancement, since their families lacked the means to pay for formal education or guild training outright. Many player characters owe their class and skills to an apprenticeship, though the memories of this period may be fraught with hardship, resentment or bitter lessons best left in the past.

Contract

"Contracts" are negotiated agreements between an employer and a professional, typically structured as short-term engagements rather than ongoing employment. Unlike hirelings, who work for daily or monthly wages, and indentured servants, who are bound by long-term obligation, those who work by contract are independent specialists who offer their skills for a set period or specific task. They have little interest in permanent service, even when dealing with wealthy or high-level individuals.

Contracts are typically task-oriented, securing a professional's expertise to create an object, build a structure, navigate legal or political obstacles, restore health or execute grand undertakings. Some contracts may involve exploration, military endeavours or economic expansion, such as establishing a trade outpost, securing a new frontier or planning a large-scale expedition. The nature of the agreement varies depending on the risk, prestige or personal ambition of the contracted party.

Those who work exclusively by contract include advisors, surgeons, lawyers, stewards, weaponsmiths and armourers, whose specialised skills make them valuable but independent. More mercenary professions, such as knights, buccaneers and bounty hunters, also operate under contracts, as their work demands flexibility, risk and negotiation rather than long-term allegiance. Because of this, contracts often come with clear terms of payment, completion and sometimes penalties for failure, ensuring that both parties benefit while avoiding permanent obligation.

Loyalty

All hirelings begin with standard morale, viewing their employer or bondholder with neither undue loyalty nor immediate distrust. Their continued service depends on treatment, compensation and workplace conditions and in some cases, they may be required to make day-to-day checks to determine their ongoing willingness to serve. Common hirelings, paid daily or weekly, will typically cease following orders immediately if pay is withheld. However, bonded hirelings, bound by an indenture or long-term agreement, will often continue working for up to 3 to 6 months if they believe their employer's financial struggles are temporary and their situation will improve.

The more skilled and powerful a hireling is, the less tolerance they have for mistreatment. Those with rare expertise, strong connections or high social standing expect better conditions than ordinary labourers and they will not endure rudeness, cruelty or neglect without consequence. While a master may have the legal right to punish a hireling, punishments must be perceived as just by the household, work-gang or fellow labourers. If a servant, soldier or artisan is disciplined unfairly, the consequences may be more severe than simple resentment — misplaced punishment can provoke defiance, resistance or even rebellion within the ranks of the employer's workforce.

Rather than rely on rigid morale rolls, which fail to account for the complex social relationships between different classes and ranks, the DM is encouraged to respect the nuances of the social contract. A rebellion or revolt should never come as an arbitrary or sudden event imposed purely for drama — instead, players should receive multiple warnings that discontent is brewing. Hirelings should voice their grievances openly, giving players the chance to adjust their practices, negotiate better conditions or dismiss troublemakers before resentment festers. If the players ignore these warnings, then a DM may fairly escalate the situation, leading to strikes, desertion or even insurrection.

However, a workforce is not inherently mutinous. The expectation should be that hirelings want to work and be paid, and that players should want to pay them and treat them well. There is greater narrative value in allowing players to win over their NPC hirelings, fostering loyalty, admiration and self-sacrifice, than in assuming that every worker secretly harbors resentment and plots rebellion. This is the 17th century, after all (or earlier, for many settings), and the social order of the time was built on the belief that one's "betters" were truly superior. Religious teachings reinforced this philosophy, shaping the expectations of servants, labourers and soldiers, who did not assume that fair treatment or kindness were their birthright but rather accepted their place in the hierarchy.

See also,
Experience (X.P.)
Player Characters
The Adventure