These rule modules are not intended for every game that is played using this system. If your setting or campaign allows for it then consider these rules.
This section covers rules for NPCs that a Character can call upon to aid them in their adventures. Some will be provided by a Character’s Class, Subclass, or Spell choice, while others may be gaining in play due to a Character’s actions, and others may be brought with Party funds.
Companions are treated as being friendly to the Character who they are tied to, based on the kind of Companion they are, alongside any allies that Character may have. Unless otherwise stated the Companion will obey the commands of the Character they are tied to.
In narrative scenes it should be agreed upon who will roleplay as these Companions, often this will be the GG however there may time times where it is more suitable for another Player to take on the role.
During Active Time Encounters, unless otherwise stated a Character's Companions shares their Initiative count, taking their Turn immediately after the Character's.
The Player whose Character is tied to the Companion, such as being the Class that gains the Companion, or the Character who brought the Hireling or who the Retainer is bonded to, will control the Companion during the Encounter. A GG may take control if the Player is controlling a Companion in a way that is counter to their personality and goals, such as causing a Hireling to run into a situation that they know would get them killed, and which serves no benefit to, and doesn't fit the characterisation of the Hireling, instead purely for the benefit controlling Player’s Character.
A Class Companion is a Companion gained via Class or Subclass Features, denoted with the Class Companion Companion Tag. A Class Companion is always tied to the Character whose Class or Subclass Features gained them.
Giving an order to a Class Companion does not require an action and can be performed freely.
Most rules concerning a Class Companion will be located in the associated Class/Subclass Feature.
Though any time a Character gains a Class or Subclass Feature that grants a Class Companion or affects the Feature that granted the Companion, the Companion gains 1 Companion Upgrade Point.
A Summoned Companion is a Companion gained summoned temporarily via spells or psionic powers, denoted with the Summoned Companion Tag. These Companions tend to have limited Durations they are present for. A Summoned Companion is always tied to the Character whose spell summoned them.
If the summoning spell/power has a Duration of instantaneous the Summoned Companion remains until it is reduced to 0HP, at which point it dissipates. If the spell/power has a Duration greater than instantaneous then the Summoned Companion dissipates into magical energy once it is reduced to 0HP or once the spell ends.
Unless the spell/power specifies otherwise, you may choose when casting the spell or manifesting the power whether or not the entity summoned is the same one you have summoned with prior casting/manifestations.
Giving an order to a Summoned Companion does not require an action and can be performed freely.
Unless otherwise stated, a Companion with the Summoned Companion Tag cannot benefit from Companion Upgrades unless it also has the Class Companion Companion Tag.
Adventurers can pay NPCs to join them on their adventures, some may tend to a Party’s Camp, whilst other may act as manual labour or mercenaries. A Hireling is always tied to the Character(s) who made the contract with them and pays their fees.
Giving an order to a Hireling(s) requires an action (1AP), the number of Hirelings that can be commanded by the action is equal to the commanding Character’s Determination + half their SB. Each Hireling not given an order will have default actions and behaviours, based on their Stat Block and Concepts, that they will perform until they gain new orders.
A Hireling does not benefit from Companion Upgrades; however, they can be Trained in the same way a Character can, some Feats and Class Features allow for unique Hireling Training options.
To gain the service of a Hireling firstly a Character must make a contract with the Hireling. This contract should specify the following details:
The Length of the Contract. This is how long the contract should last for, it could be a set period of time such as a Year, or it could be tied to a set action occurring such as until the dungeon has been cleared. The contract will end when the stated conditions for the length of the contract are met, though if the Character wishes for the contract to continue, they can arrange for a new contract negotiation to arrange an extension to the length of the contract.
The Pay and Rate of Pay. This is how much and how often the Hireling will be paid. Note the more skilled and experienced the Hireling is the higher the rate they may charge, for example a labourer whose job is to carry the party’s camp supplies may only as for 2SP a Day paid Monthly, whilst a trained cook may charge 2GP a Day paid Monthly.
Especially dangerous work may ask for more frequent payment periods, such as being paid weekly, and additional charges for certain factors, like additional charges to take part in a large battle or disarming Traps.
Expected Duties. This section covers exactly what tasks the Hireling will be expected to perform. To ask the Hireling to perform duties not covered here, may require additional payments negotiated in the moment but they will have the right to refuse. Attempts to force a Hireling to perform duties outside of their Expected Duties will lead to a breach of contract (See Mistreated Hireling).
Contract Holders Duties. This section will include any duties expected on the Character who made the contract, such as providing food and/or shelter. To not perform actions expected here will lead to a breach of contract (See Mistreated Hireling). Note more generous offerings made by Character’s here may lead to reduced pay demands.
Characters and the Hireling will need to negotiate until both parties are happy with the terms of the contract. Once resolved the contract is made and both parties will be expected to follow the terms of the agreement.
This section contains additional rules for specific kinds of Hirelings.
Animal Hirelings often are either brought as part of ongoing contact with another Hireling such as an Animal Tamer, or they are brought with a single payment into the service of the Character, such as a horse brought to be a Mount.
If the Animal Hireling has another Hireling they are bonded to, they are treated as a single Hireling with their owner, for determining their rules interactions with the Character.
If the Animal Hireling is brought by the Character as part of a single payment, follow the rules for Hirelings. While they do not have a contract to maintain, you must still provide them appropriate care, such as adequate food, drink, and shelter, otherwise they follow the rules for a Mistreated Hireling. Though if a Character spends time training with such a Hireling and bond with them may turn such a Hireling into a Retainer, at which point the Animal Hireling is no longer considered a Hireling and follows the rules for Retainers.
Sometimes a Companion may, due to the actions of one or more Characters, swear themselves to the service of or form a bond with a Character, this can include animals a Character has spent time gaining the trust of, a knight who has been moved by a Character’s mercy or decorum, or an orphaned cutpurse shown kindness by a member of the party. These Companions are called Retainers and upon swearing service to or bonding with a Character, become a Companion with the Retainer Companion Tag. A Retainer is always tied to the Character(s) they formed the bond with.
Giving an order to a Retainer(s) requires an action (0AP), the number of Retainers that can be commanded by the action is equal to the commanding Character’s Determination + their SB. Each Retainer not given an order will have default actions and behaviours, based on their Stat Block and Concepts, that they will perform until they gain new orders.
A Retainer may benefit from Companion Upgrades, they can also be Trained in the same way a Character can, some Feats and Class Features allow for unique Retainer Training options.
A Mount is a Companion with the Mount Companion Tag. Mounts will always belong to another Companion type and as such will follow the rules for that kind of Companion, such a Class Companion or Hireling, in addition to the rules presented below.
A willing entity that is at least the same Size Category as the Character if not larger, and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a Mount. In Active Time Encounters use the following rules.
Once during the Character's movement, they can Mount an appropriate entity that is within 1m of them or Dismount. Doing so costs an amount of Movement Speed equal to half the rider's Walking speed.
If an effect moves their Mount against its will, while the Character is riding it, they must succeed on a TG 10 Agility (Acrobatics) Test, or fall off the Mount, landing Prone in a space within 1m of it. If they’re knocked Prone while Mounted, they must make the same Test.
If the Mount is knocked Prone, the Character can use their reaction (1RP) to Dismount it as it falls and land on their feet. Otherwise, they are dismounted and fall Prone in a space within 1m of it.
While the Character is Mounted, they have two options. They can either control the Mount or allow it to act independently. Intelligent entities, such as dragons, act independently.
The Character can control a Mount only if it has been Trained to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and similar entities are assumed to have such Training. If they control the Mount their actions that allow them to move instead can allow the Mount to move using its Movement speeds but along a course of your choosing. If they do not have control, the Mount can only use its own actions to move and can determine where it wants to move.
Companions with the Mount Companion Tag always take their Turn simultaneously with the Character whilst Mounted, otherwise they follow the normal rules for Initiative for that type of Companion. However, if they are Mounted during their Turn and then become Dismounted before the start of your next Turn, the Companion takes their Turn simultaneously with the Character rather than when it normally will occur for this Round. Effectively the Mount should only ever have one Turn each Round, Mounting and Dismounting should not give additional Turns that Round, merely determining when that Turn occurs in the Round’s Turn Order.
If the Mount provokes an Opportunity Attack whilst a Character is riding it, the attacker can Target the rider or the Mount.
A Character may wish to acquire suitable armour for their Mount. Barding is considered to be made of a single Armour Piece and uses the below Table for determining cost and HT. Mounts always gain the benefit of their Barding’s Armour Set Property as shown in the Equipment Chapter.
| Barding Type Name | Cost | HT | Armour Properties | Armour Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Barding | ||||
| Padded | 20GP | 11 + Agility | Clanking, Comfortable | Quilted |
| Leather | 40GP | 11 + Agility | - | Quilted |
| Brigandine | 200GP | 12 + Agility | - | Quilted |
| Medium Barding | ||||
| Hide | 40GP | 12 + Agility (Max 2) | - | Quilted |
| Scale Mail | 200GP | 14 + Agility (Max 2) | Clanking | Composite |
| Half Plate | 2000GP | 15 + Agility (Max 2) | Clanking, Sturdy | Plate |
| Heavy Barding | ||||
| Chainmail | 400GP | 16 | Clanking, Heavy (2) | |
| Splint | 1000GP | 17 | Clanking, Heavy (3) | Composite |
| Plate | 3000GP | 18 | Clanking, Heavy (3), Sturdy | Plate |
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bit & Bridle | 2GP |
| Feed (1 Day) | 5CP |
| Saddlebags | 4 - 10GP |
| Saddle, Standard | 20GP |
| Saddle, Exotic | 60GP |
Saddlebags. A standard Saddlebag has 10 Container Slots with 3 Side Slots. A Medium or smaller Mount can carry 1 Saddlebag without impeding its ability to act as a Mount, with the number doubling for each increase in Size Category.
If a Character forgoes the ability to Mount their Companion, they also can spend 10GP for the large Saddlebags which have 25 Medium Sized Container Slots. A Medium or smaller Mount can carry 1 Large Saddlebag, with the number increasing by 1 for each increase in Size Category.
Saddles. A Saddle braces the rider, helping them keep their seat on an active Mount in strenuous situations. It gives them Advantage on any Test they make to remain Mounted. A Saddle, Exotic is required for Mounting any aquatic or flying Mount.