Useful if anyone needs a merc army [Archive] - Wizards Community

Useful if anyone needs a merc army [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Seraphim of Night
11-27-05, 12:27 AM Hey, I don't know if anyone would use anything like this, but my Red Wizard finished The Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and well alot of strange things happened over a long period of time. He ended at Evoker 7/Red Wizard 10 and rebuilt the Moathouse into a Thayan trade enclave before moving on. These mercs can be contracted from here, let me know if they are any good.

Thayan Merc Battlegroup (1 of 4[8] – 300sp/day each):
• Mercenaries; 80 Humans; Warriors 1; Medium Humanoids; HD 1d8+3; hp 14; Init +7; Spd 30ft.; AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +4; Atk +4 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +4 ranged (1d8, longbow); Space/Reach 5ft./5ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+5, Ref+3, Will+2; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills & Feats: Climb +7, Jump +7, Swim +7; Improved Initiative, Toughness. Possessions: Bronze Scale Mail, Longsword, Longbow, Quiver (20), Round Steel Shield, Healing Salve (1), tanglefoot bag.
• Sergeant; Human; Warrior 2; Medium Humanoids; HD 2d8+6; hp 23; Init +7; Spd 20ft.; AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +2; Grp +5; Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +4 ranged (1d8, longbow); Space/Reach 5ft./5ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+6, Ref+2, Will+2; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 10. Skills & Feats: Climb +8, Intimidate +5, Jump +8, Swim +8; Improved Initiative, Toughness. Possessions: Bronze Chainmail, Longsword, Longbow, Quiver (20), Round Steel Shield, Witchweed Sticks, Healing Salves (5), heavling kit, witchweed sticks (5).
• Cavalry; 20 Humans; Warriors 1; Medium Humanoids; HD 1d8+6; hp 14; Init +7; Spd 20ft., mounted 50ft.; AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +1; Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +5 melee (1d8+3, heavy lance); Space/Reach 10ft./10ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+5, Ref+3, Will+2; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills & Feats: Climb +6, Jump +6, Ride +6, Swim +6; Improved Initiative, Toughness.
Possessions: Bronze Breastplate, Heavy Lance, Round Steel Shield, Longsword, Javelins x8, thunderstone.
• Cavalry Officers; Human; Adept 1/Warrior 3; Medium Humanoids; HD 3d8+1d6+16; hp 42; Init +7; Spd 20ft, mounted 50ft.; AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +3; Grp +6; Atk +8 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +8 melee (1d8+3, heavy lance); Space/Reach 10ft./10ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+6, Ref+4, Will+3; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills & Feats: Climb +6, Concentration +6, Jump +6, Knowledge (air,earth,fire,water) +4, Profession (sailor) +6, Ride +6, Spellcraft +4, Survival +5, Swim +6; Improved Initiative, I. Toughness, Mounted Combat. Spells/day (save DC 12 + spell level): 1st – bless, burning hands(red), cause fear(brown), obscuring mists(blue), sleep(white). 0 – cure minor wounds x2, touch of fatigue.
Possessions: Breastplate, Longsword (mwk), Round Steel Shield, Heavy Lance (mwk), Javelins x8, 2 Cure Moderates, 1 Bears Endurance potion, alter kit, thunderstone, witchweed sticks (5).
• There are 4 separate groups that can be purchased at 1,200sp per day total for all 4 battles (640/24/320/48sp per day or 160/6/80/12sp per day for each individual group). Each of these groups is designated by a different symbol on their round shields, & have dyed cloaks. The 1st is the Air symbol which is a round white shield with a silver circle. The 2nd group is the Water symbol which is a round blue shield with a green square. The 3rd group is the Fire symbol with round crimson shields, and a golden lozenge in the center. The last group is the Earth symbol with their round brown shields set with a golden triangle. Khemi (a larger island trade enclave nearby that sponsered them) earns 45sp/day from them when in the field, and they have proved quite capable and disciplined in Thayan tactics (LoD).
• In each of the 4 groups are 4 soldiers that carry light siege equipment. The White Cloaks (aetherius anima – heavenly, belonging to the upper world; breath of life) as 4 warriors armed with grappling hooks, 200 feet of rope and climbing kits. The Blue Cloaks (gurges obruoruiturus – a whirlpool, eddy, troubled water, flood, abyss, depth; drown, obliterate) has 4 warriors carrying a portable battering ram, with a rowboat (wet hide covered bottom, doubles as turtle shell for ram). The Red Cloaks (deflegratio incendium – destruction by fire; a conflagration, destruction, ruin) has 4 warriors armed with 2 ladders and each of these carries a soaked fruit jar of Netherese Alchemists Fire (3d6/DC18/burns 1rd in water - LoD). The Brown Cloaks (fulmen terrigena – crushing calamity or irresistible power; earth born) has 4 warriors carrying shovels, picks and spelunking kits. All the other soldiers carry bags of caltrops, except for the sergeant who carries a healer’s kit. Each of the cavalry officers carries an alter kit, as well as some healing salves & witchweed sticks also. Their supply wagons carry all the tents & provisions (2/battle). The 1st long-ship will go the blue army (100ft. / 20k), the most likely to ship supplies. By the time all 4 groups can afford longships, there will be 8 available rather than 4 (2/element).

Armor Check penalties and synergies are not included.
Jefuri no Oni
11-30-05, 02:11 AM Their stats look a bit too high for NPC class mercenaries. Case in point your level 1 human warrior has 16, 16, 16, 10, 14, 8. Those stats seem a bit too high for this kind of NPC, but if you DM is letting them have stats like these than what kind of commander wouldn't want to recruit them.

I suggest that you have some archers and spear men. There are more weapons out there than long swards. Give some of your troops thunderstones to use against enemy spell casters. Also give some of your troops a tanglefoot bag or two as those are useful even against high level characters.
Seraphim of Night
11-30-05, 03:21 AM I generally generate NPC's stats starting with 16 16 14 14 12 10, our groups tend to by high with stats due to our house rule of re-rolling ones. You would be amazed how many ones become six's. It doesn't make them that great when everyone is pretty decent. They all have tanglefoot bags, thunderstones are a good idea. They are training to work with wizards, so archers I did not bother with, they are more a small-time blitzkrieg that could storm a small holdfast or keep in little time. In time if they make enough money I may expand them with archers after I double from 4 to 4 double strength groups about when they have all funded thier 1st longship (100ft. There is a PC barbarian who is making these things on an island for money....Fenris Olaffson "The Heavysack" Human Barbarian 8 / Fighter 4 / Legendary Tactician 4 he made his own first longship "The Harlot" with a buxom wench on the prow). :bow: As it stands in my Thayan Enclave we are training specialized spearmen in lock-step (melee) & phalanx (hopelite) formations. They are eunach slaves that begin training at the age of 8 years old. Kill their first puppy at nine. Kill their first newborn at about 13 when they are available for sell. These are awesome fighters (6th and up) negotiations range upwards of 30,000gp for 100 (they are not sold in less than this amount), or 300,000gp for 1,000, drunk on the wine of courage and immune to pain (if anyone reads George R.R. Martin they should sound familiar...). If my timeline is right my first group of about 3,000 (of 5,000 to start) should be ready by 1375DR. (they take about 5 years minimum). They are expensive to train and only about 1/2 of my initial investment survives, but hey they have a reputation to hold up. I am thinking of calling them Myrmidons but I want something with more Zing. :plotting: I may post them when they are ready.
Silverpanther
11-30-05, 05:38 AM nice :)

i train my chars armies in an other way, inspired mainly by FF games (the seeds and the like) nad the genom-army from metal gear (oh, and star wars clone armies):

first, my players never bother themselves with raising armies before they are epic (i guess mainly because i don`t let them breathe until then... in my campaigns they get six levels per campaign year for the first 4 years, until level 24, after that they ONLY level up 4 times per year)

until now, one of them has chosen epic leadership EVERYTIME at level 24 :)

so he gathered troops that followed him willingly... but those were always only the run-of-the-mill npcs...

after finding the proper crafter (next time it will be an artificer from lantan i guess), this guy will create four "rings" (i am sure i will use some material from dmg II and races of stone next time) three of those rings are permanent "summon monster" spells (III, VI and IX), one is for healing as much and as often as you need it

now you need an "elite-squad" consisting of 100 hand-picked elite powerhouses (the first time, they ordered several of the finest halruaan diviners to search them over a course of several months from all over faerun... the second time they just cloned a willing one often enough until they had the needed number ;)) those guys have 18 18 16 16 14 14 stats... like my chars... just two dozen levels under them :D

those guys sacrifice four years of their life (like ian nottingham, just worse :evillaugh ) and go through hell (literally) but at the end of this, they are level 16 elite fighters (like sanctum guards in CotSQ, page 159) ... okay, now that the fighter has changed so dramatically (lv 12 for greater weapon specialisation) i guess the next time they will be trained for five years... until level 20

now those guys train as followed:

for the first year (they live in barracks... stronghold builders guide is so fine) they train and spare all day, from morning to evening (much worse then any SEAL training you can imagine ;))... and then (two times per day... or more if you find it appropriate) they step into the ring... and the highly intelligent weapon master that oversees the whole training (take a wise and bully veteran dreadnought, at least level 16 i guess) uses the console outside of the ring to summon the enemies... to get REAL COMBAT EXPERIENCE!!!

now, because they are only summoned, they have to defeat them in the given time! that is the challenge for which they gain the xp... if they fail, they have to do it again... and they better hurry, there are 99 comrades/brothers/clones that want to fulfill their daily pensum of bloodshed!

because they have neverending supplies of magical healing, the knowledge that the fight will be ended if it turns out too dangerous that the fighter might get killed, and the fact that they fight no absolute deadly battles (EL 1/4 for level 1 chars, 1/2 for level 2, 1 for level 3, 2 for lv 4 and so on, always character level -2)

>> they only get a FRACTION of the xp ordinary rewarded for defeating the ordinary version of that monster as it is listed in the MM (i found 1/4 for the character level and CR appropriate) that may not seem much, but remember that they are not allowed to sleep until they have achieved victory in two fights for that day! every day, 365 days a year! (yeah, maybe it is unrealistic that they do not become bloodthirsty psychopaths...)

so after one year of a daily gladiator live, they raised from level 1 to 4... so, the basic training is over, time to get serious! they get a tattoo that functions like a ring o sustenance... so they need only to two hours per night, what means six hours more for TRAINING :D so they level up 4 times per year now.

of course you can`t treat your upcoming elite soldiers like dogs... after the first year, they move from the barracks to whatever you think appropriate (i used the basic bedrooms after year on (sbgb page 19), after year two they get their first private room, the basic bedroom suite, the fancy bedroom suite after year three and the luxury version after graduating :) replace the valet with a permanent unseen servant)

yes, this project is very expensive and you will always have to build the giant towers to room the elite... but that is even the lowest cost... because you will have to do something BIG for the sun elves (of evereska?) that they will have your warriors equipped with custom made glass steel equipment (with every soldiers personal sigil of course) and magic items...

but it is worth it! ever imagined what it may look like when one hundred fully educated divine crusaders with the war or destruction domain (through their winged boots) fly over the battlefield and spread havoc among armies that are 50 times as large as this fox hound?!

and you can do WHATEVER you want! because at level 16 (or even 17) the most prestige classes are finished (if they have only 10 levels).

an elite squad of bladesingers? no problem! kensais, warpriests, spellswords, whatever you want!!!

it won`t take this guys long to pay you their education money back... you can this adapt to any class and any anlignment, a mercenary school melee mathguere looks ridiculous against :)

just wanted to say that
Seraphim of Night
11-30-05, 06:20 PM Yeah, I would love to have epic leadership, but I have never had a character with 25 charisma (unless that requirement changed). We have done a number of large battles at the lower levels, it can be fun especially if the armies aren't too big. Fenris from above is nothing but a reaver at heart and has pillaged his way along the inner sea and pirate isles. As it stands I have only 1 epic character in the realms (about level 34+) but even he doesn't have epic leadership, and he is more concerned with his dragon-armies, flying fortresses, and bringing Tiamat into the world than anything. I have ruled that even without epic leadership, he is a part of a military organization, and his high-lords & officers all have leadership as well. The hopelite spearmen that we will be selling are focused on 2 primary attributes. Discipline & Obedience. These guys will gut themselves if ordered to do so (unlikely since they are expensive - but they will maim themselves too). I like how you level them up by year, but my Red Wizard producing these has no interest in conquering anything (except maybe the Guild of Foreign Trade from Thay, he hates Sammas Kuul). He is merely masterminding their production to make money for his real interest. As it stands he has spent 50,000 xp on Golem construction at Evoker 8 / Red Wizard 10. Once he gets his 1st epic feat it will be efficient construct creation and then he will really start pumping them out (his primary enclave already sells shield guardians). He has gone really paranoid ever since he drew the (Euryale) from the Deck of Many Things. He does not even run his trade enclaves personally, but uses go betweens while remaining locked in his vault making his guardians (he is even terrified of being scryed so he remains mind blanked and allows no one new to meet him working only with those he knows. The remainder of his fortune is being used to find the nether scrolls which he is fascinated by. I like how you have pre-determined how much they level up. 6/year seems like alot, but since he is spending so much xp i could knock it down. I have been thinking about how best to do it, since he hasn't really been getting alot of playing lately.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Seraphim of Night 11-27-05, 12:27 AM	Hey, I don't know if anyone would use anything like this, but my Red Wizard finished The Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and well alot of strange things happened over a long period of time. He ended at Evoker 7/Red Wizard 10 and rebuilt the Moathouse into a Thayan trade enclave before moving on. These mercs can be contracted from here, let me know if they are any good. Thayan Merc Battlegroup (1 of 4[8] – 300sp/day each): • Mercenaries; 80 Humans; Warriors 1; Medium Humanoids; HD 1d8+3; hp 14; Init +7; Spd 30ft.; AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +4; Atk +4 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +4 ranged (1d8, longbow); Space/Reach 5ft./5ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+5, Ref+3, Will+2; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills & Feats: Climb +7, Jump +7, Swim +7; Improved Initiative, Toughness. Possessions: Bronze Scale Mail, Longsword, Longbow, Quiver (20), Round Steel Shield, Healing Salve (1), tanglefoot bag. • Sergeant; Human; Warrior 2; Medium Humanoids; HD 2d8+6; hp 23; Init +7; Spd 20ft.; AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +2; Grp +5; Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +4 ranged (1d8, longbow); Space/Reach 5ft./5ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+6, Ref+2, Will+2; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 10. Skills & Feats: Climb +8, Intimidate +5, Jump +8, Swim +8; Improved Initiative, Toughness. Possessions: Bronze Chainmail, Longsword, Longbow, Quiver (20), Round Steel Shield, Witchweed Sticks, Healing Salves (5), heavling kit, witchweed sticks (5). • Cavalry; 20 Humans; Warriors 1; Medium Humanoids; HD 1d8+6; hp 14; Init +7; Spd 20ft., mounted 50ft.; AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +1; Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +5 melee (1d8+3, heavy lance); Space/Reach 10ft./10ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+5, Ref+3, Will+2; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills & Feats: Climb +6, Jump +6, Ride +6, Swim +6; Improved Initiative, Toughness. Possessions: Bronze Breastplate, Heavy Lance, Round Steel Shield, Longsword, Javelins x8, thunderstone. • Cavalry Officers; Human; Adept 1/Warrior 3; Medium Humanoids; HD 3d8+1d6+16; hp 42; Init +7; Spd 20ft, mounted 50ft.; AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17; Base Atk +3; Grp +6; Atk +8 melee (1d8+3, longsword) or +8 melee (1d8+3, heavy lance); Space/Reach 10ft./10ft.; SA –; SQ –; AL LN; SV Fort+6, Ref+4, Will+3; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills & Feats: Climb +6, Concentration +6, Jump +6, Knowledge (air,earth,fire,water) +4, Profession (sailor) +6, Ride +6, Spellcraft +4, Survival +5, Swim +6; Improved Initiative, I. Toughness, Mounted Combat. Spells/day (save DC 12 + spell level): 1st – bless, burning hands(red), cause fear(brown), obscuring mists(blue), sleep(white). 0 – cure minor wounds x2, touch of fatigue. Possessions: Breastplate, Longsword (mwk), Round Steel Shield, Heavy Lance (mwk), Javelins x8, 2 Cure Moderates, 1 Bears Endurance potion, alter kit, thunderstone, witchweed sticks (5). • There are 4 separate groups that can be purchased at 1,200sp per day total for all 4 battles (640/24/320/48sp per day or 160/6/80/12sp per day for each individual group). Each of these groups is designated by a different symbol on their round shields, & have dyed cloaks. The 1st is the Air symbol which is a round white shield with a silver circle. The 2nd group is the Water symbol which is a round blue shield with a green square. The 3rd group is the Fire symbol with round crimson shields, and a golden lozenge in the center. The last group is the Earth symbol with their round brown shields set with a golden triangle. Khemi (a larger island trade enclave nearby that sponsered them) earns 45sp/day from them when in the field, and they have proved quite capable and disciplined in Thayan tactics (LoD). • In each of the 4 groups are 4 soldiers that carry light siege equipment. The White Cloaks (aetherius anima – heavenly, belonging to the upper world; breath of life) as 4 warriors armed with grappling hooks, 200 feet of rope and climbing kits. The Blue Cloaks (gurges obruoruiturus – a whirlpool, eddy, troubled water, flood, abyss, depth; drown, obliterate) has 4 warriors carrying a portable battering ram, with a rowboat (wet hide covered bottom, doubles as turtle shell for ram). The Red Cloaks (deflegratio incendium – destruction by fire; a conflagration, destruction, ruin) has 4 warriors armed with 2 ladders and each of these carries a soaked fruit jar of Netherese Alchemists Fire (3d6/DC18/burns 1rd in water - LoD). The Brown Cloaks (fulmen terrigena – crushing calamity or irresistible power; earth born) has 4 warriors carrying shovels, picks and spelunking kits. All the other soldiers carry bags of caltrops, except for the sergeant who carries a healer’s kit. Each of the cavalry officers carries an alter kit, as well as some healing salves & witchweed sticks also. Their supply wagons carry all the tents & provisions (2/battle). The 1st long-ship will go the blue army (100ft. / 20k), the most likely to ship supplies. By the time all 4 groups can afford longships, there will be 8 available rather than 4 (2/element). Armor Check penalties and synergies are not included.
Jefuri no Oni 11-30-05, 02:11 AM	Their stats look a bit too high for NPC class mercenaries. Case in point your level 1 human warrior has 16, 16, 16, 10, 14, 8. Those stats seem a bit too high for this kind of NPC, but if you DM is letting them have stats like these than what kind of commander wouldn't want to recruit them. I suggest that you have some archers and spear men. There are more weapons out there than long swards. Give some of your troops thunderstones to use against enemy spell casters. Also give some of your troops a tanglefoot bag or two as those are useful even against high level characters.
Seraphim of Night 11-30-05, 03:21 AM	I generally generate NPC's stats starting with 16 16 14 14 12 10, our groups tend to by high with stats due to our house rule of re-rolling ones. You would be amazed how many ones become six's. It doesn't make them that great when everyone is pretty decent. They all have tanglefoot bags, thunderstones are a good idea. They are training to work with wizards, so archers I did not bother with, they are more a small-time blitzkrieg that could storm a small holdfast or keep in little time. In time if they make enough money I may expand them with archers after I double from 4 to 4 double strength groups about when they have all funded thier 1st longship (100ft. There is a PC barbarian who is making these things on an island for money....Fenris Olaffson "The Heavysack" Human Barbarian 8 / Fighter 4 / Legendary Tactician 4 he made his own first longship "The Harlot" with a buxom wench on the prow). :bow: As it stands in my Thayan Enclave we are training specialized spearmen in lock-step (melee) & phalanx (hopelite) formations. They are eunach slaves that begin training at the age of 8 years old. Kill their first puppy at nine. Kill their first newborn at about 13 when they are available for sell. These are awesome fighters (6th and up) negotiations range upwards of 30,000gp for 100 (they are not sold in less than this amount), or 300,000gp for 1,000, drunk on the wine of courage and immune to pain (if anyone reads George R.R. Martin they should sound familiar...). If my timeline is right my first group of about 3,000 (of 5,000 to start) should be ready by 1375DR. (they take about 5 years minimum). They are expensive to train and only about 1/2 of my initial investment survives, but hey they have a reputation to hold up. I am thinking of calling them Myrmidons but I want something with more Zing. :plotting: I may post them when they are ready.
Silverpanther 11-30-05, 05:38 AM	nice :) i train my chars armies in an other way, inspired mainly by FF games (the seeds and the like) nad the genom-army from metal gear (oh, and star wars clone armies): first, my players never bother themselves with raising armies before they are epic (i guess mainly because i don`t let them breathe until then... in my campaigns they get six levels per campaign year for the first 4 years, until level 24, after that they ONLY level up 4 times per year) until now, one of them has chosen epic leadership EVERYTIME at level 24 :) so he gathered troops that followed him willingly... but those were always only the run-of-the-mill npcs... after finding the proper crafter (next time it will be an artificer from lantan i guess), this guy will create four "rings" (i am sure i will use some material from dmg II and races of stone next time) three of those rings are permanent "summon monster" spells (III, VI and IX), one is for healing as much and as often as you need it now you need an "elite-squad" consisting of 100 hand-picked elite powerhouses (the first time, they ordered several of the finest halruaan diviners to search them over a course of several months from all over faerun... the second time they just cloned a willing one often enough until they had the needed number ;)) those guys have 18 18 16 16 14 14 stats... like my chars... just two dozen levels under them :D those guys sacrifice four years of their life (like ian nottingham, just worse :evillaugh ) and go through hell (literally) but at the end of this, they are level 16 elite fighters (like sanctum guards in CotSQ, page 159) ... okay, now that the fighter has changed so dramatically (lv 12 for greater weapon specialisation) i guess the next time they will be trained for five years... until level 20 now those guys train as followed: for the first year (they live in barracks... stronghold builders guide is so fine) they train and spare all day, from morning to evening (much worse then any SEAL training you can imagine ;))... and then (two times per day... or more if you find it appropriate) they step into the ring... and the highly intelligent weapon master that oversees the whole training (take a wise and bully veteran dreadnought, at least level 16 i guess) uses the console outside of the ring to summon the enemies... to get REAL COMBAT EXPERIENCE!!! now, because they are only summoned, they have to defeat them in the given time! that is the challenge for which they gain the xp... if they fail, they have to do it again... and they better hurry, there are 99 comrades/brothers/clones that want to fulfill their daily pensum of bloodshed! because they have neverending supplies of magical healing, the knowledge that the fight will be ended if it turns out too dangerous that the fighter might get killed, and the fact that they fight no absolute deadly battles (EL 1/4 for level 1 chars, 1/2 for level 2, 1 for level 3, 2 for lv 4 and so on, always character level -2) >> they only get a FRACTION of the xp ordinary rewarded for defeating the ordinary version of that monster as it is listed in the MM (i found 1/4 for the character level and CR appropriate) that may not seem much, but remember that they are not allowed to sleep until they have achieved victory in two fights for that day! every day, 365 days a year! (yeah, maybe it is unrealistic that they do not become bloodthirsty psychopaths...) so after one year of a daily gladiator live, they raised from level 1 to 4... so, the basic training is over, time to get serious! they get a tattoo that functions like a ring o sustenance... so they need only to two hours per night, what means six hours more for TRAINING :D so they level up 4 times per year now. of course you can`t treat your upcoming elite soldiers like dogs... after the first year, they move from the barracks to whatever you think appropriate (i used the basic bedrooms after year on (sbgb page 19), after year two they get their first private room, the basic bedroom suite, the fancy bedroom suite after year three and the luxury version after graduating :) replace the valet with a permanent unseen servant) yes, this project is very expensive and you will always have to build the giant towers to room the elite... but that is even the lowest cost... because you will have to do something BIG for the sun elves (of evereska?) that they will have your warriors equipped with custom made glass steel equipment (with every soldiers personal sigil of course) and magic items... but it is worth it! ever imagined what it may look like when one hundred fully educated divine crusaders with the war or destruction domain (through their winged boots) fly over the battlefield and spread havoc among armies that are 50 times as large as this fox hound?! and you can do WHATEVER you want! because at level 16 (or even 17) the most prestige classes are finished (if they have only 10 levels). an elite squad of bladesingers? no problem! kensais, warpriests, spellswords, whatever you want!!! it won`t take this guys long to pay you their education money back... you can this adapt to any class and any anlignment, a mercenary school melee mathguere looks ridiculous against :) just wanted to say that
Seraphim of Night 11-30-05, 06:20 PM	Yeah, I would love to have epic leadership, but I have never had a character with 25 charisma (unless that requirement changed). We have done a number of large battles at the lower levels, it can be fun especially if the armies aren't too big. Fenris from above is nothing but a reaver at heart and has pillaged his way along the inner sea and pirate isles. As it stands I have only 1 epic character in the realms (about level 34+) but even he doesn't have epic leadership, and he is more concerned with his dragon-armies, flying fortresses, and bringing Tiamat into the world than anything. I have ruled that even without epic leadership, he is a part of a military organization, and his high-lords & officers all have leadership as well. The hopelite spearmen that we will be selling are focused on 2 primary attributes. Discipline & Obedience. These guys will gut themselves if ordered to do so (unlikely since they are expensive - but they will maim themselves too). I like how you level them up by year, but my Red Wizard producing these has no interest in conquering anything (except maybe the Guild of Foreign Trade from Thay, he hates Sammas Kuul). He is merely masterminding their production to make money for his real interest. As it stands he has spent 50,000 xp on Golem construction at Evoker 8 / Red Wizard 10. Once he gets his 1st epic feat it will be efficient construct creation and then he will really start pumping them out (his primary enclave already sells shield guardians). He has gone really paranoid ever since he drew the (Euryale) from the Deck of Many Things. He does not even run his trade enclaves personally, but uses go betweens while remaining locked in his vault making his guardians (he is even terrified of being scryed so he remains mind blanked and allows no one new to meet him working only with those he knows. The remainder of his fortune is being used to find the nether scrolls which he is fascinated by. I like how you have pre-determined how much they level up. 6/year seems like alot, but since he is spending so much xp i could knock it down. I have been thinking about how best to do it, since he hasn't really been getting alot of playing lately.