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sometimes the best investment is people. All rights reserved.
Shadow of the Demon Lord, Poisoned Pages, Hired Help,
Hired Help takes the basic hireling rules presented in Schwalb Entertainment, and their associated logos
Shadow of the Demon Lord and develops them further to are trademarks of Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.
provide groups with interesting, compelling, and useful Schwalb Entertainment, LLC

companions. This supplement introduces guidelines for

hiring and loyalty, and new hireling options to provide
clear benefits to the groups who employ them. As with
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here is considered optional and before you put these [email protected] www.schwalbentertainment.com
rules into play, you should discuss the material with your
group to determine if it’s appropriate for your campaigns.
 Hirelings Skill and Availability
Each hireling has a skill rating, which determines
Seasoned adventures recognize the value of investing their availability and capabilities. The skill rating is
in a few hirelings to attend to the mundane, day-to- a number from 0 to 5, with 0 being unskilled and 5
day tasks. If you’ve sent a demon howling back into being quite proficient. Skill rating 0 characters tend
the Void, having to keep your armor polished can feel to be laborers with little to no formal training. A
a bit anticlimactic. You have better things to do than trained fighter might be skill rating 3 and a magic-
fumbling around with a torch, holding the horses’ user would be 5. The first table that follows shows
reins, or looking for lodging the next time you blow sample professions by skill rating, while the second
into Crossings. Unless you’re a skinflint, you’re bound table shows availability and price using the scale
to at least be tempted by the folks out there who make introduced in Shadow.
it their business to ease your way through the next
adventure. These folks, called hirelings, henchmen, Professions by Skill Rating
servants, lackeys, and less complementary names, Skill Rating Sample Professions
perform specific services in exchange for financial 0 Commoners such as laborers, torchbearers,
remuneration. lackeys, and servants
1 Commoners such as grooms, boaters,
butchers, cooks, sailors, teamsters, guides,
Recruitment 2
hunters, entertainers, and trappers
Commoners with advanced skills such as
Player characters might decide to part with some of artisans, healers, and guards
their hard-earned gold and silver to take on a few 3 Mercenary
hirelings to help out during their next adventure, 4 Scholar or veteran soldier
but where do they look to find such august persons? 5 Magician
Luckily, nearly every town and settlement plays host
to no shortage of individuals looking for work. And Availability and Price
one never has to go far to find suitable help, for these by Skill Rating
potential hirelings flock to places where they might
Skill Rating Average Price per Day Availability
find employment. A quick trip to the docks can elicit
a dozen or more offers to resolve all manner of needs, 0 7 bits Common
from those of hauling and lifting, to those of a more 1 1 cp Common
intimate nature. Similarly, hotels, high-class inns, 2 5 cp Uncommon
coaching stations, and other venues of a like kind 3 7 cp Uncommon
attract the hungry and eager. 4 1 ss Rare
The abundance of offers says little about the 5 5 ss Exotic
quality of the individuals in search of pay. After all,
if they were competent, might they not already have Finding Candidates
gainful employment? A discerning employer never
The ability to find suitable candidates depends on
accepts the first offer and takes the time to conduct
the community size and their availability. When
a proper interview in order to ascertain the merits
characters search for a hireling of a particular
and flaws of the hireling. Doing so weeds out those
skill level, secretly roll a d6 to see what they find
with insurmountable defects and ensures one finds for each day spent looking in a community of the
qualified candidates able and willing to perform all appropriate size.
the functions of the job described.
This said, the number of prospective candidates Candidates Discovered
depends largely on the nature of the work and the
size of the community. Any yokel can be convinced to Availability Yes Yes, but No, but No

hold a lantern for a few coins, but scholars of ancient Common 1–5 6 — —
esoteric lore don’t often quarter in rude hamlets Uncommon 1–2 3 4 5–6
on the thinly populated fringe of civilization’s vast Rare 1 2 3 4–6
tapestry. Similarly, a seemingly qualified contender Exotic — 1 2 3–6
for a difficult and dangerous job in some far-flung
village ought to raise alarms; such people don’t often Yes: You find a number of possible candidates equal
wind up in such places without good reason. It pays to to the pips on the die.
inquire into the interviewee’s history and references to Yes, but: You find a single candidate but there’s a
dodge avoidable shenanigans. catch. The GM rolls on the Hireling Secrets table.
2
 No, but: You don’t find any candidates, but you Skill 0 Hirelings
learn the identity of one who might work. The GM
rolls on the Hireling Complications table. The most common types of hireling available, these
No: You find no one capable of doing the task. characters can lug around gear, light and hold torches,
and perform common tasks that require no formal
Hireling Secrets training. These characters have the clothes on their
d6 Secret backs and little else.
1 The candidate made a dangerous enemy and needs
to get away quick. The people hunting the character COMMONER DIFFICULTY 1
catch up at some point during the next adventure.
Size 1 human
2 The candidate is a thief that plans to rob the hiring
character when convenient. Perception 10 (+0)
Defense 10; Health 10; Insanity d3 – 1; Corruption d3 – 2
3 The candidate is poor, disloyal, and resentful. It Strength 10 (+0), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 9 (–1), Will 8 (–2)
starts with half loyalty (see below). Speed 10
4 The candidate lied about their skill level. Roll a d3 – 1
to determine the candidate’s actual skill level. ATTACK OPTIONS
5 The candidate carries a disease that’s contagious. Club (melee) +0 (1d6)
Choose a fun disease or simply make secret Strength
challenge rolls for each member of the group the
next time they rest in proximity to the hireling to see
if they become infected.
Skill 1 Hirelings
6 The candidate masquerades as a hireling but is in
Specialized training sets these hirelings apart from
fact a hired killer sent to murder the hiring character those of the lower rank. These characters might know
or someone in that character’s group.
the lay of the land and be invaluable for reaching
Hireling Complications a distant destination. They could be hunters and
trappers, charged with feeding the group as they make
d6 Complication forays into the wilds, or they can be adept at tending
1 The hireling is in jail. Paying the debt (3d6 cp) frees animals, cooking, sailing, and so on.
the character to work for you.
2 The hireling is out of town, but returns after 1d3 days. SKILLED COMMONER DIFFICULTY 1
3 The hireling works for someone else. You will have to
pay double to steal the character away. Size 1 human
4 The hireling has retired. You will have to pay double Perception 10 (+0)
to coax the character out of retirement. Defense 10; Health 10; Insanity d3 – 1; Corruption d3 – 2
Strength 10 (+0), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 10 (+0), Will 10 (+0)
5 The hireling can only serve for half of the desired Speed 10
length of service. Skill Training The hireling has one of the following talents.
6 The hireling is overqualified for the work, with a skill • While the hireling is with the group in a wilderness
rating of 1 higher (maximum 5). The hireling will take environment, the group cannot become lost.
the job but at twice the normal rate. • The hireling can spend 1 hour hunting, trapping, or
foraging to provide nourishment for up to 5 people.
Hiring the Hireling • The hireling can use an action to remove the
frightened affliction from one animal it can reach.
Once the group finds a suitable candidate, they • The hireling grants 1 additional boon when using an
action to help.
negotiate the terms of the employment, which specifies • Food the hireling prepares allows characters that
the duration of the service, the work required, and complete a rest to heal 1d6 extra damage.
payment. You can determine that the group strikes the • The hireling makes rolls to drive or pilot with 2
boons.
deal with the following terms: the employment lasts • The hireling can use an action to help any creature
until they complete the adventure, the work required that can see and hear it within long range by
performing music.
falls within the hireling’s broad capabilities, and the
group must pay for at least three days in advance and ATTACK OPTIONS
with the rest of the payment due at the adventure’s Quarterstaff (melee) +0 (1d6)
conclusion. Longer term employment, delayed
payments, and services beyond those expected for the Skill 2 Hirelings
hireling’s skill rating ought to involve some negotiation,
which can be resolved through roleplaying as normal. Artisans, surgeons, healers, apothecaries, and similar
professions represent trades that require expertise in
a particular field. Hirelings from these professions
Sample Hirelings command a higher rate of pay than their more
What follows are statistics for human hirelings of mundane fellows. Skill 2 hirelings also include guards
various skill ratings. You can customize hirelings who have a modicum of training. Arms and armor
using the tables that follow. must be provided for them as part of their service.
3
 EXPERT COMMONER DIFFICULTY 1 SCHOLAR DIFFICULTY 1

Size 1 human Size 1 human

Perception 11 (+1) Perception 13 (+3)
Defense 10; Health 10; Insanity d3 – 1; Corruption d3 – 2 Defense 10; Health 9; Insanity d3; Corruption d3 – 2
Strength 10 (+0), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 11 (+1), Will 10 (+0) Strength 9 (–1), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 13 (+3), Will 10 (+0)
Speed 10 Speed 10
Expertise The hireling has expertise in one of the following Area of Scholarship The scholar is a master in a particular
areas. area of scholarship and an expert in two additional areas.
The scholar can recall obscure information related to the
• The hireling makes rolls to stabilize creatures with area of mastery and uncommon information related to
2 boons. In addition, if the hireling tends to a resting the areas of expertise.
character, the character heals extra damage equal Scholarly Guidance Each creature friendly to the scholar
to its healing rate and makes challenge rolls to resist and within short range makes Intellect rolls with 1 boon
the effects of disease and poison with 1 boon. and imposes 1 bane on rolls made against their Intellect.
• The hireling can use an action to repair an object,
removing 1d6 damage from it. ATTACK OPTIONS
• The hireling can create finished items of a particular
kind from provided raw materials. The hireling needs Staff (melee) +0 (1d6)
materials equal to half the item’s price and it takes 4
hours per ss of the item’s price to create the finished
item.
VETERAN SOLDIER DIFFICULTY 10

Size 1 human
ATTACK OPTIONS
Perception 10 (+0)
Club (melee) +0 (1d6) Defense 17 (mail, large shield); Health 24; Insanity d3 + 2;
Hammer (melee or short range) +0 (1d3) Corruption d3 – 1
Strength 13 (+3), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 10 (+0), Will 12 (+2)
GUARD DIFFICULTY 1
Speed 10

Size 1 human ATTACK OPTIONS

Sword (melee) +3 with 2 boons (2d6 + 2)
Perception 10 (+0) Large Shield (melee) +3 with 2 boons (1d6 plus 1d3)
Defense 11; Health 11; Insanity d3 – 1; Corruption d3 – 2 Crossbow (long range) +0 with 2 boons (3d6)
Strength 11 (+1), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 10 (+0), Will 10 (+0)
Speed 10
Skill 5 Hirelings
ATTACK OPTIONS
Finding individuals who have magical knowledge
Spear (melee or short range) +1 with 1 boon (1d6)
and who prove willing to hire out their services to
an employer takes work. Learning magic often takes
Skill 3 Hirelings years of effort and people who develop the necessary
Skilled mercenaries have survived enough fights to skills rarely sell their talent cheaply if at all. A typical
be more effective than ordinary guards, but also see magician has discovered d3 traditions and knows
relationships with employers as business deals and d3 + 1 spells for each tradition. The traditions and
nothing more. Mercenaries fight for coin. If they don’t spells presented below are but possible combinations.
receive payment, they won’t stick around.
MAGICIAN DIFFICULTY 5
MERCENARY DIFFICULTY 5 Size 1 human
Size 1 human Perception 14 (+4)
Defense 11; Health 20; Insanity d3 + 1; Corruption d3 – 1
Perception 10 (+0) Strength 10 (+0), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 14 (+4), Will 11 (+1)
Defense 17 (mail, large shield); Health 20; Insanity d3 + 1; Speed 10
Corruption d3 – 1
Strength 13 (+3), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 10 (+0), Will 11 (+1) ATTACK OPTIONS
Speed 10
Staff (melee) +1 (1d6)
ATTACK OPTIONS MAGIC
Sword (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6 + 2) Power 2
Large Shield (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d3) Fire control flame (3), flame missile (3), fire blast (2),
Crossbow (long range) +0 with 1 boon (2d6) flaming shroud (1)
Life life sense (3), minor healing (3), cure (2), moderate
healing (1)
Skill 4 Hirelings
Competent, capable, and experienced, hirelings of
this skill level can be relied upon to tackle challenging
problems and succeed. They include veteran soldiers
and brilliant scholars. You can randomly determine
the areas of expertise for available scholars in a
community by rolling on the Academic Professions
table in Shadow chapter 1.
4
 Customizing Hirelings Personality Quirks
Although they function as secondary characters, Hirelings have distinct personalities just as other folks
hirelings have close contact with the player characters do. You can use the personality tables in Shadow from
and thus ought to be colorful, distinct, and memorable. the hireling’s ancestry or the following.
You can use the following tables to add character to
these employees. Hireling Personality Quirks
d20 Personality
Ancestries 1–2 The hireling exhibits obsessive-compulsive behavior,
counting, touching, or straightening all the time.
As the most numerous people in the lands of Rûl, most
3–4 The hireling has nothing positive to say ever. The
hirelings have the human ancestry. This said, one might character grumbles and complains all the time.
hire a changeling in human disguise, an orc down on 5–6 The hireling idolizes a member of the group and
his luck, or a dwarf looking to make a few coins to get adopts the character’s mannerisms, sayings, and
body language.
her armor out of hock. For hirelings of other ancestries,
simply add their ancestry traits to the statistics box. 7–8 The hireling spouts aphorisms all the time. A fount
of positivity, the character says such things as “You
can’t soar with the eagles if you’re down scratching
Hireling Ancestry with the turkeys” or “I’m good enough, smart
enough, and, darnit, people like me.”
3d6 Ancestry 9–10 The hireling has an “endearing” catch phrase:
“Wasn’t me,” “Yessir, right away sir,” “As you wish.”
3 Cambion, elf, hobgoblin, pixie, or gnome
11–12 The hireling has a disgusting habit. The character
4–5 Clockwork eats loudly, spends time moving phlegm from its
6–8 Orc or goblin nose to throat and back again, or has reprehensible
hygiene.
9–12 Human
13–14 The hireling always has an angle. If the characters
13–15 Changeling or dwarf would just listen, the hireling could make
everything awesome for them.
16–17 Faun or halfling
15–16 The hireling does shoddy work and blames others
18 GM’s choice when caught.
17–18 The hireling needs coaching and encouragement all
Background the time or breaks down weeping.

Background offers explanations for why the hirelings 19–20 The hireling is relentless in paying complements to
employers but badmouths them to everyone else.
got into their line of work. Rather than use this
table, you can assume the hireling got into the trade Dark Secrets
for typical reasons: trained to do the work, family
business, and so on. Some hirelings have some nasty, dark secret that
might come to the surface during an adventure at the
Hireling Background least appropriate time. The GM can roll 2d6 secretly. If
d20 Background both dice come up with the same number, the hireling
1–2 Fled from war, plague, or something else and
has a dark secret. Cue sinister laughter.
works as a hireling to get back on their feet.
3–4 After failing in another trade, the hireling took Hireling Dark Secrets
whatever job was available.
d20 Dark Secret
5–6 Becoming a hireling gives the character a way
out from a terrible situation, place to live, or bad 1–2 A medium demon possesses the hireling.
relationship.
3–4 The hireling is a drunk and is impaired all the time.
7–8 Becoming a hireling is part of a new identity the
character has adopted to escape justice, enemies, 5–6 The hireling has fits of homicidal rage. When
or a vengeful cult. injured, the character becomes hostile to all
creatures and attacks the nearest creature each
9–10 The hireling went on a few adventures and has a round for 1d6 rounds.
hankering to get back into the business.
7–8 The hireling has seen some shit. The character
11–12 The hireling bears a curse that compels service to starts with 1d6 + 2 Insanity.
other would-be heroes.
9–10 The hireling is wanted for a serious crime.
13–14 The hireling is looking for something and sees an
opportunity to find it by accompanying the group. 11–12 The hireling owes someone a lot of gold.

15–16 The hireling has nothing better to do. 13–14 Someone else murdered the hireling and has taken
the character’s identity. The imposter could be a
17–18 The hireling craves recognition and believes that changeling or something far, far worse.
working in this way will provide it.
15–16 The hireling was hired to spy on the group by one
19–20 The hireling has severe amnesia. of their enemies.

5
 17–18 The hireling belongs to a diabolical cult of demon- situations where the outcome looks dire, the GM
worshipers. The character might try to recruit the
player characters or betray them. might test the hirelings’ loyalty. Such situations
19–20 The hireling is infatuated with one of the player
include, but are not limited to, all of the following.
characters and hopes to start a romantic relationship. • A player character becomes incapacitated.
• Another hireling dies.
Hireling Reliability • Enemy combatants number more than twice the
group’s numbers.
Hirelings promise much, but their dependability only
goes so far. Poor treatment, bad circumstances, and • A player character becomes subject to madness.
certain death can all cause hirelings to break ranks • The hireling gains Insanity or becomes frightened.
and flee or, worse, turn on their employers. Good For each hireling, the GM makes a Will challenge
treatment, pay, a cut of the treasure, and more can roll. The GM makes the roll with 1 boon if the
keep hirelings loyal and at your side. hireling’s loyalty is 3 or higher and 1 bane if it is 0. If
a hireling has negative loyalty, it gets an automatic
Loyalty Score failure. On a success, the hireling’s loyalty holds for
Every hireling has a loyalty score, which fluctuates 6 rounds and is not subject to loyalty tests during this
depending on what happens during the adventure. time. On a failure, the hireling’s loyalty drops by 1d3.
The GM determines the starting score by rolling a If the hireling reaches 0 or lower loyalty, roll on the
d3 + half the group level for each hireling, keeping Failed Loyalty table to see what happens.
the loyalty scores secret. The score changes often and
for a variety of reasons, as explained below. Bad Circumstances
Loyalty Loss Loss The hireling…
Bad circumstances cause hirelings to lose loyalty. Each 1 …takes any amount of damage. Incurs a maximum
of 1 loss to loyalty per 24 hours.
time a bad circumstance occurs, deduct the indicated
number from the hireling’s loyalty. 1 …gains an affliction.
2 …becomes injured.
Loyalty Gain 3 …becomes incapacitated.

Good circumstances increase loyalty and insulate 1 …must perform a task outside its remit.
hirelings against loyalty loss. Each time a good 2 …must perform an activity with an obvious risk to
circumstance occurs, increase the hireling’s loyalty. In self, possessions, or loved ones.

addition, each time the hireling’s loyalty increases by an

amount, it cannot lose more than the amount gained until
Good Circumstances
after it finishes a rest. For example, if a hireling gains 2 Gain The hireling…
loyalty, it can’t lose more than 2 loyalty until after the rest. 1 …receives a bonus equal to an extra day of pay.
2 …receives a bonus equal to two or more extra days
Disloyalty of pay.

Upon reaching 0, the hireling starts looking for a 1 …has damage healed by a player character.

way out of the arrangement, taking any opportunity 1 …has an affliction removed by a player character.
given to take off. Hirelings at this stage sneak away 1 …receives encouragement, compliments, and moral
during the night, flee in battle, or simply walk away. support. Grants a maximum of 1 gain per 24 hours.

If a hireling cannot escape in a safe manner, the 1 …receives a share of the treasure or other reward.
hireling remains, but cannot increase its loyalty above
0. The hireling can, though, go negative in loyalty. For Failed Loyalty
each 24-hour period it must stay with its employer, d6 The hireling…
the hireling’s loyalty drops by 1. While in negative 1 …becomes frightened for 3d6 rounds or, if already
numbers, hirelings work to sabotage their employers frightened, gains 1d3 Insanity. While frightened in
this way, the hireling must flee on each of its turns
and might, at the GM’s discretion, seek their harm. by the safest available route.
2 …becomes frightened for 1d6 rounds and flees by
Testing Loyalty the safest available route on each of its turns while
frightened.
Even the most constant servants think twice about 3–4 …quits and flees by the safest available route.
throwing their lives away, so hirelings, who normally 5 …surrenders to enemy combatants or otherwise
have little reason to go above and beyond what their flees by the safest available route.
contract stipulates, most likely flee danger, especially 6 …becomes hostile to members of the group and
when said danger could mean their very lives. In attacks them on the hireling’s next turn.