Minions

A minion is an NPC who serves someone else. Common examples of minions include a necromancer’s undead zombies, a ranger’s loyal animal companion, and an artificer’s robots.

Typically, the GM has control over NPCs. However, minions are considered to be part of a character, so players have full control over their minions. Players roll on behalf of their minions, control their minions ’ actions, and roleplay what their minions say.

For example, suppose a player is playing as a paladin who controls an order of knights. That player can decide what those knights do and how they behave. If one of those knights attempts a risky action, the player rolls on behalf of that knight, using that knight’s stats. The knights are effectively an extension of the paladin.

Contracts
Minions won’t serve you for free. Every minion requires a contract, which is an agreement about the minion’s services. The term “contract” isn’t literal — you don’t need your minion to sign a contract (though you’re welcome to do that if you like). Contracts also include verbal and implicit agreements.

The wording for contracts is as follows: “_______ will _______ in exchange for _______.”

[ Minion ]   [do this]              [something] Here are some example contracts: There aren’t any strict rules for determining the parameters for your contracts. When you want to gain a minion, collaborate with the GM to determine the contract terms. Generally, stronger creatures will make more demands than weaker creatures.
 * Barktholomew the Dog will serve you loyally in exchange for food and companionship.
 * Gerald the Scout will lead you through the mountains in exchange for a bag of gold coins.
 * Hargaesh the Demon will help you slaughter your enemies in exchange for 1 favor to be redeemed at a later time.

Roleplaying Minions
Once a player acquires a minion, the GM hands control of that minion to that the player. It’s the player’s responsibility to roleplay that minion appropriately. For example, suppose a wizard hires a barbarian minion who despises magic. The player should roleplay that barbarian as disliking the wizard. In fact, it might even make sense for the player to have the barbarian betray the wizard if the situation calls for it.

If players don’t roleplay their minions appropriately, the GM can step in and take back control of the minion.

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