I'm looking at starting a new campaign with a relatively low number of players (1 or 2) at the most. It will either be DCC or 5e but in doing a bit of prep, I decided it is almost certain that the player(s) are going to need henchmen.
I have not run a campaign where henchmen were needed or used in a long time but looking back to when we used to, I think we did things weird....
The henchman would be hired by the player and was usually a level 1 fighter. The player would give commands and generally decide what the henchman did in and out of combat but there was also an amount of GM control over the henchman. We used the morale rules and the GM would give the henchman a name and sometimes even a bit of background.
And if in the GM's opinion things started to get outside the norms of what the henchmen considered "safe employment" there could very well be a GM imposed "screw you guys, I'm going home" moment with the henchman. And I don't even mean suicidal job duties.
Also because the henchmen had backgrounds in the campaign world, sometimes they were called on for information or social interaction with other NPCs. This was almost always controlled by the GM as to what the henchman could divulge or glean from a situation.
Reading most of the updated rules on henchmen I have now, it appears they are just cannon fodder for the player to do as they wish. Probably named: "Bob 1", "Bob 2", "Bob 3"....
So I'm looking for opinions, how much GM control do you have in your games over henchmen?
Do the henchmen ever get developed into fuller NPCs?
What do you when your player wants to hire a henchmen that might be a member of the arcane or divine classes? Do you allow it? Who picks the spells, etc. for them daily?
Thanks for the advice.
I have not run a campaign where henchmen were needed or used in a long time but looking back to when we used to, I think we did things weird....
The henchman would be hired by the player and was usually a level 1 fighter. The player would give commands and generally decide what the henchman did in and out of combat but there was also an amount of GM control over the henchman. We used the morale rules and the GM would give the henchman a name and sometimes even a bit of background.
And if in the GM's opinion things started to get outside the norms of what the henchmen considered "safe employment" there could very well be a GM imposed "screw you guys, I'm going home" moment with the henchman. And I don't even mean suicidal job duties.
Also because the henchmen had backgrounds in the campaign world, sometimes they were called on for information or social interaction with other NPCs. This was almost always controlled by the GM as to what the henchman could divulge or glean from a situation.
Reading most of the updated rules on henchmen I have now, it appears they are just cannon fodder for the player to do as they wish. Probably named: "Bob 1", "Bob 2", "Bob 3"....
So I'm looking for opinions, how much GM control do you have in your games over henchmen?
Do the henchmen ever get developed into fuller NPCs?
What do you when your player wants to hire a henchmen that might be a member of the arcane or divine classes? Do you allow it? Who picks the spells, etc. for them daily?
Thanks for the advice.
Who plays the henchmen?
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