How prominent are Servant NPCs (from Status or Allies) in your games?

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

The title sums it all up. How much importance, and how much spotlight time, do the various servant NPCs have in your campaigns? And I mean pretty much all the possible variants: servants that come from Status, outright Allies (whether 'normal' or Minions), slaves bought as 'equipment', *AIs bought as 'equipment', Bioroids in a PC's custody, spirits with an agreement of mutual help of some sort, henchmen with a salary, or even 'corporate' or similar assistants and underlings provided by Rank?

Thanks in advance!

[Opellulo]

I put very much (perhaps too much) importance to PC's families, especially if they're nobles and/or rich: a couple of times the campaign shifted from the main adventure to a "Dallas Style" family intrigue.

I encourage the players in buying allies and servants they're very good plot hooks, strenghten party bonds and can evolve to full PC if the main is killed or some new player joins the campaign.

In the last mithological Greek campaign I mastered the "party" was 11 people strong: 5 PCs and other 6 between allies, servants and relatives.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

I encourage social connections. And by encourage, I mean they are mandatory absent traits that prohibit them or a really good backstory explaining why you are a misanthropic sociopath that has no family, friends, allies, enemies or whatnot.

I also hand them out like candy as rewarded traits during play. Contacts, allies, patrons, enemies, dependents, hirelings, followers, etc.

People are social critters. We group up automagically.

[mlangsdorf]

Servants and allies are mostly a social contract in my DF game: if the PCs spend money to have guards for their camp, then their horses and treasure won't get stolen while the PCs are delving.

For a while, Bruno played a necromancer with 5 skeletal goons that were mostly around for comedy purposes. I mean, they contributed to the fight, but often as bone shields and axe fodder. They didn't get much spotlight time.

[Enoch]

I wish my players had more of them. I should probably think of ways to encourage the practice.

-Joshua

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Enoch

I wish my players had more of them. I should probably think of ways to encourage the practice.

-Joshua

Which one of the list? You can always assign them some through their jobs.

[Enoch]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Which one of the list? You can always assign them some through their jobs.

Honestly all of them but familiars and animal companions. Servants for status is definitely something I'll be requiring in my next campaign. I think I just need to be upfront about it, I don't think I've mentioned my desire before (mostly because I get busy when I'm about to start a campaign and it slips my mind).

I think our group has some issues with them. This probably comes from our most used RPG system, D&D, which has a variety of restrictions and disadvantages. Cohorts and henchmen get a share of XP. Hirelings and servants are useless in high levels and die like flies. Hell in our current game I'm playing in (D&D 4E) none of us even have mounts because they're pretty useless and my character ridiculously can't ride any mount in the game because he weighs more than 300 lb.

-Joshua

[Mailanka]

My games have extensive casts of detailed NPCs, and the players' servants are often among them. Lately, I've taken to granting quite a cast of servants and soldiers to politically powerful PCs, and then asking for them to pick and choose whom they take with them. For example, in my up-coming Chambara game, we a high ranking samurai is served by his politically savvy uncle (who is, in turn, served by a large unit of cavalry), a loud and fun no-dachi samurai (who is, in turn, served by 300 elite samurai) and a combat butler and his crew of man-servants. He's allowed to bring one of them with him on his adventures, though he's allowed to change that one out when he comes back home. I like that it forces the player to think about what servants are good at what tasks, helps them appreciate their servants more, and sets high status and rank PCs apart from low status PCs.

[starslayer]

It can depend VERY highly on the build.

Examples
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->I have a biomancer who built her own pet/companion- it's an ally, a mount, and can quickly extradite her from combat if she gets in over her head.

->I have a deep and brooding necromancer, he makes undead on occasion- but does not have any levels of ally (so he might raise up a few dozen zombies to attack a building, but he does not start any given adventure with them, and once there task is done abandons them).

->I have a wizard/knight; he has a golem horse, it is purchased as gear.

->I have a wizard/ghost who lacks any reliable way to communicate with the world (though plenty of ways to AFFECT it), he has a dependant who is a medium, he is VERY protective of her because if she were to come to harm he would once again be without a way to interact with the world; at the same time he has to ask her to go into dangerous situations with him, again for her ability to allow him to interact.

->I have a demon/path mage- she has a powerful mental attack that causes others to be sworn to her service, and is callous/aloof, she has no permanent ties to others.

->I have a proud alchemist he has a much inflated opinion of himself, and dislikes relying on others; he has family in his story but no advantages/disadvantages establishing the severity of those bonds.
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I would say about 25% of my PCs use an ally/dependant type advantage; and about 50% use some sort of autonomous companion, and the rest go it alone; in each case it seems to suit the build.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

For a while, Bruno played a necromancer with 5 skeletal goons that were mostly around for comedy purposes. I mean, they contributed to the fight, but often as bone shields and axe fodder. They didn't get much spotlight time.

You know, as bone shields they were pretty awesome. I was a great Defender up until I made a really stupid mistake and turned my back on a Peshkali.