[RPG] hire several veteran soldiers to accompany me

dnd-5ednd-adventurers-leaguefollowers-and-hirelings

Seeing as one can hire guards for PC bases as 'Skilled Hirelings', can I take several veterans with me if I pay them enough?

I am a wizard with low HP, so any guards would be great.

I am playing in an Adventurers League game.

Best Answer

In Adventurers' League, Not Sure

There isn't anything official one way or another about whether hirelings are legal in AL. They are in the PHB so they are part of the rules.

On the other hand, the AL DMG says "Services provided by an NPC are limited to this list." This could mean just the spellcasting services, or it could mean all services.

There is a money cost and you probably can't afford it

Hirelings cost gold.

In AL season 8, gold is in short supply due to the treasure points rules. There are reports on the forums that PCs don't actually get enough gold to do class stuff.

When you get 75gp max per level at tier 1 and revivify costs 300gp, your cleric is not going to be raising many party members. When a fighter needs to be level 12 before they have enough gold for non-magical plate armour, extra gold for hirelings is probably not going to happen.

There is an experience cost, but this probably doesn't apply

In home games, hirelings reduce the amount of XP your characters get.

From the DMG, chapter 8:

If the party received substantial assistance from one or more NPCs, count those NPCs as party members when dividing up the XP. (Because the NPCs made the fight easier, individual characters receive fewer XP.)

There is nothing in the AL DMG about how this ties in with the milestone xp system, where xp is earned solely by sitting at the table (a per-hour rate) and achieving story goals.

The other PCs

In all seriousness, the other characters are supposed to be guards. A party should be working to keep foes away from the artillery (sorcerer, warlock, wizard, any archer).