Hireling, using ANY item.

[Wulffmeister]

I've been thinking about hirelings. It says (on this Hireling card) it can use one extra itenm even if you could not otherwise.
Does this apply to items, lets say "Usable by Elf only"?
Thanks in advance.

[Andrew Hackard]

Yes. The Hireling is essentially a Cheat! card with legs. The differences are that you can swap out the Item that the Hireling is using, the Hireling can be killed (with the Kill the Hireling GUAL card), and you can ditch the Hireling to escape from a fight. In the latter two cases, you also lose the Item it is carrying, if any.

[cartmanbeck]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard

Yes. The Hireling is essentially a Cheat! card with legs. The differences are that you can swap out the Item that the Hireling is using, the Hireling can be killed (with the Kill the Hireling GUAL card), and you can ditch the Hireling to escape from a fight. In the latter two cases, you also lose the Item it is carrying, if any.

I thought that hirelings were affected by the "Usable by X only" status... which is why there are "Elf Hireling", "Lizard Guy Hireling", etc in the game. If you can use any item on a hireling regardless of race or class distinctions, then they are much more powerful than I thought.

[Andrew Hackard]

The question was about the base Hireling from original Munchkin, so that's what I answered. Don't infer general rules from answers to specific questions.

[cartmanbeck]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard

The question was about the base Hireling from original Munchkin, so that's what I answered. Don't infer general rules from answers to specific questions.

Ah, I see what you mean, then. So the basic, GENERIC Hireling (from the core set) can use any one item that a player could theoretically use, even if it has restrictions. Other Hirelings, like the Elf Hireling, can use an item that an Elf could use (but not one restricted to Wizards or Orcs). Gotcha.

This begs the question from me, though about something like the Three-Handed Sword (which requires 3 hands to wield). Could the generic Hireling use that, even though the assumption would be that he/she would have only two hands?

[TheBigGeordieGeek]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard

Yes. The Hireling is essentially a Cheat! card with legs. The differences are that you can swap out the Item that the Hireling is using, the Hireling can be killed (with the Kill the Hireling GUAL card), and you can ditch the Hireling to escape from a fight. In the latter two cases, you also lose the Item it is carrying, if any.

As Andrew says its essentially a "Cheat!" card, so yes the hireling can use it, it at least that's how I have always run my games.

[Clipper]

Originally Posted by cartmanbeck

This begs the question from me, though about something like the Three-Handed Sword (which requires 3 hands to wield). Could the generic Hireling use that, even though the assumption would be that he/she would have only two hands?

As geordiracer82 stated, it definitely would be usable by Hireling. There is another question over whether a Race/Class Hireling could use the Item, although the most recent ruling we have says that they can use the Three-Handed Sword too.

[Wulffmeister]

Thank you so much for clarifying this to me :D
Btw, Love the game. Seen it from tabletop on youtube, and since i got it (about a month ago), i've played it 3 times, and already got expansion 2-8 (waiting for 5 & 6 to arrive)