Hirelings

[Laech92]

The question is if you have a hireling of a particular race or class do you get the special ability of its class or race? for instance player A has a wizard hireling, does player A get to use the charm ability?

[snarky]

I don't believe so, but the Hireling can carry an item restricted to the class that you wouldn't normally be able to carry, granting you its benefits.

[Andrew Hackard]

The Hireling gets exactly and only the abilities listed on its card, plus the rules that apply to all Hirelings found in the actual rulesheet.

[MunchkinMan]

Originally Posted by snarky

I don't believe so, but the Hireling can carry an item restricted to the class that you wouldn't normally be able to carry, granting you its benefits.

The term "carry" means to have an Item in play. As per the rules, any character can have any Item in play (with there being a restriction to one Big Item, and certain Curses can prevent you from carrying certain types of Items). So, what an Elf Hireling does is carry and use an Item for you, as long as that Item is legal for an Elf to use (which includes Items that anyone could use). The "carry" is important because it determines what happens to the Item depending on how the Hireling is lost. No matter what your Race, you can carry an Elf-only Item any time you want and don't need an Elf Hireling to do it.

[snarky]

Originally Posted by MunchkinMan

The term "carry" means to have an Item in play. As per the rules, any character can have any Item in play (with there being a restriction to one Big Item, and certain Curses can prevent you from carrying certain types of Items). So, what an Elf Hireling does is carry and use an Item for you, as long as that Item is legal for an Elf to use (which includes Items that anyone could use). The "carry" is important because it determines what happens to the Item depending on how the Hireling is lost. No matter what your Race, you can carry an Elf-only Item any time you want and don't need an Elf Hireling to do it.

Thanks for the clarification...I continually use the two somewhat interchangably, even though I know I shouldn't. :(

[whassumattuh]

This issue came up last night. Say my Hireling is using the Helm of Peripheral Vision. I understand that I get the combat bonus from wearing the headgear, but am I also unable to be stolen from? My friend suggested that the Hireling is wearing it, so the Hireling, not the player using the Hireling, is unable to be stolen from. I don't agree and I just wanted to be sure. Thanks!

[ComBAT]

Originally Posted by whassumattuh

This issue came up last night. Say my Hireling is using the Helm of Peripheral Vision. I understand that I get the combat bonus from wearing the headgear, but am I also unable to be stolen from? My friend suggested that the Hireling is wearing it, so the Hireling, not the player using the Hireling, is unable to be stolen from. I don't agree and I just wanted to be sure. Thanks!

I think that your friend is over-thinking the uses and restrictions of a hireling. To me, the hireling is more like a very limited cheat card with restrictions based on the race or class of the hireling with the hireling itself being prone to targets of certain curses and other special cards that affect hirelings only.
I think that anything the hireling is using and its special abilities and effects count toward you as well.
Use this reverse logic on your friend: If you yourself were using the Helm of Peripheral Vision, does that leave your hireling's item open for being stolen? I don't think so and think the reciprocal situation you describe above does not apply either.

If your friend's thinking was correct, we'd then have 2 separate entities with each player that are separately affected by curses and other cards when I highly doubt that was the intention of game developers.
"Curse! Lose one small item!" "My hireling's got my only item! You cursed me and not my hireling! So therefore the curse takes no effect!" There is already plenty of miscommunication
possibilities in some situations in through out the game where having this would just be a tad too much to be precise about.

[uttwich]

From the Need for Steed rules:

"Other Hirelings, like the "Elf Hireling", can specifically carry and use and Item themselves; in some cases, a Hireling can use an item that you cannot use for yourself. The items a Hireling carries count for you and are affected by Traps, Curses, and Bad Stuff as though you were carrying them yourself."

That said, if your Hireling is using the Helm of Peripheral Vision, it's effects apply to you, therefore you cannot be stolen from.

[uttwich]

A secondary question on raced Hirelings: The Bard Hireling can carry and use any item that is legal for a Bard to use. This would include big items, such as the Big Fat Lyre. If I already have a big item in play, can my Bard Hireling carry and use the Big Fat Lyre?

[MunchkinMan]

Originally Posted by uttwich

A secondary question on raced Hirelings: The Bard Hireling can carry and use any item that is legal for a Bard to use. This would include big items, such as the Big Fat Lyre. If I already have a big item in play, can my Bard Hireling carry and use the Big Fat Lyre?

Since the Bard Hireling actually carries the Item for you, it can carry and use the Big Fat Lyre for you when you already have a Big Item.