Destiny
Destiny is a stat that all creatures have, and ranges from (technically) -3 to +3, but more often is found in the range of -2 to +2. Destiny has several effects on a character, including the character's ability to use sacred and destined magical artifacts or to perform prophecized tasks, but most commonly it determines a character's ability to be resurrected should the character die.

A creature is normally affiliated with one or more of the Universal Conflicts. For example, a character might have a conflict determined by her race (e.g. the Realm of the Elf-Lords if she is an elf), a second determined by her alignment (e.g. the Cause of Honor if she is lawful good), a third by her class (e.g. the Masters of Disclipline if she is a Fighter), and a fourth by her religion (Legacy of the Dragons if she worships Quetzalcoatl). Of course, not all characters have four Conflicts; some have more if they fit into more, and some have fewer if they for whatever reason don't fit the theme. Our aforementioned elf, for example, might not belong to the Realm of the Elf-Lords Conflict if she is in exile from her people and feels no desire to go back.

Players should consult with their GMs to determine which Conflicts their PCs are affiliated with. Naturally, the side of a character on a particular conflict is most commonly defined by the character's alignment on the good-evil axis, and thus either benefits from positive status or from negative status accordingly; however, it is possible for an individual character to be positive/good in one Conflict and negative/evil in another.

As stated, a character's Destiny is usually the average of the character's status on all of his or her Universal Conflicts. So, for instance, if the status the Conflicts to which you are attuned are -2, 0, 1, and 2, then the average of those is 0.25, which is your Destiny. However, there are certain spells and effects that can temporarily or permanently alter your Destiny, and some beings have inherent modifiers that adjust their Destinies, which is how Destinies can become as high as +3 or as low as -3. As exemplified above, Destinies can be fractional, but for most important purposes, they round toward zero (i.e. positive scores round down, and negative scores round up). The general effects of Destiny for a character are as follows:

If your Destiny is...

-3: You immediately cease to exist, or to have ever existed. The story of the multiverse has no place for you, and you are not part of it. You cannot be resurrected by any means short of remaking you anew, and even that is difficult because nobody, not even the gods, know that you ever existed (because, after all, you didn't). Of course, if there are blueprints or their equivalent that do still exist, then this may change things, but you would still need to be created anew from those blueprints.

-2: You are essentially a lump of matter animated either by biochemistry or by magical animation, but you have no existence beyond that, and should you die, you simply become inanimate matter. You cannot be resurrected by any magical means (save that which could have created you in the first place). You could be resurrected by nonmagical means, if the science and technology to do so were available - but keep in mind that it isn't available on real Earth as of this writing (August 4, 2014). You also do not get an afterlife, since you have no soul, being nothing more than biologically or magically animated matter. You also are not able to take part in special prophecies or use destined artifacts.

-1: You are governed by the normal spiritual rules as appropriate to your race and/or religion. "Normal" magical means of resurrection (i.e. spells) do not work, but your religion may allow for exemptions in exceptional cases usually involving divine intervention, or allow for reincarnation as real-world Hindus and Buddhists believe in. As or more importantly, however, if your Destiny improves to 0 or better, more options of resurrection become available to you. You also are not able to take part in special prophecies or use destined artifacts without improving your Destiny first.

0: The D&D rules described in the Player's Handbook apply to you. Resurrection spells work, with all their limitations, material costs, and bad side effects. You can perform in prophecied roles or use destined artifacts some of the time, depending on the circumstance.

1: All of the normal spells and means of resurrection work on you, with the usual limitations but without their costs or drawbacks. For example, for Raise Dead to work, you must be within the time limit, have not died in a forbidden way, and have sufficient remains available for the spell to work, but it does not consume an expensive diamond or cause you to lose an experience level. Reincarnation and its ilk will still change your race, however. Prophecied heroes wielding destined artifacts will be able to fulfill their Destinies at this level.

2: You can be resurrected by ordinary healing magic. You do lose one hit point per round for every round that you are dead, which can make healing magic very impractical if not done quickly following your death. Of course, resurrective spells work the same way on you as with Destiny 1. Obviously, your ability to perform as a destined hero also remains.

3: You are about as immortal as a typical non-roguelike videogame RPG character. You remain semi-aware even while dead, and can resurrect yourself at the nearest coaligned temple or other appropriate location just by wanting to, without help from anybody else.

In the past, I hand-waved the ways that various factions (especially the Hylar) got around the problems that are described more mechanistically by the Universal Conflicts and Destiny, above. Here I will list some of the spells that the Hylar have that deal with Destiny and resurrection. Be warned - the Hylar are not the only faction to have spells like those described here. Numerous other magic-using factions have similar powers.


Dwarven Migration for Khelad-Mara
(Conjuration, Earth)
Level: Ritual spell approx. level 5, requires minimum 5 Topaz of Earth
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 4 hours
Range: 100 miles
Effect: One city, castle, or other settlement
Duration: One day per Topaz spent, up to 20 days
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No

You summon a force of Dwarven soldiers and colonists to conquer and populate a settlement of your choice. These invaders may be supplemented by other soldiers or volunteers that you or an ally may command. In order to cast this spell, you must have agents inside of the settlement who have assumed power over or overthrown one of the settlement's local power centers. Common examples of applicable power centers include rulers, town councils, churches or other shrines, thieves' guilds, etc. If you do not control or have not overthrown at least one such center of power, the spell fails and your army or colonists disperse or disappear.

Your army and colonists will migrate to the targeted settlement and attempt to conquer it. Individual conquest attempts can be resolved by role-play as determined by the GM, but failing that, the town gets a saving throw to resist your attempt to conquer it. The DC of the save is normally 15 + the relevant ability modifier of the highest-level caster involved in the ritual. Modifiers to the save are as follows:



The spell will conjure Dwarves to make the invasion sufficient to both capture the target settlement and then to populate it once the target falls to the invasion. The spell will not conjure colonists or soldiers from any settlement or garrison that is underpopulated or under-garrisoned, and will only conjure willing colonists and soldiers. If there are not enough willing to answer the call, then the spell will resurrect soldiers and colonists as described by Hylarin Reincarnation (even though these are Dwarves, not Elves). The invading colonists must be Dwarves, but the soldiers can be of any race, although the spell prefers to select Dwarven soldiers for Dwarven colonists (and, of course, the colonists can and probably will need to fight themselves as well).

Each member of your army or colonization force gets +1 to their Destiny to a maximum of +2 for the duration of the spell's effect. Your agents inside responsible for toppling one or more power centers have their Destiny raised to a minimum of +1, even if they are not Dwarves. Enemies in the settlement who try to fight have their Destiny scores reduced by 1 to a minimum of -2, but they do not receive this penalty if they instead attempt to flee before your oncoming invasion. If the invasion is successful, then the settlement is now inhabited by your Dwarven colonists, and the Destiny boni remain for the duration of the spell for those inhabiting or defending the target. If the invasion fails, then the victorious defenders (living and dead) get a +1 Destiny bonus for a period of 10 days following the expiration of the spell.


Elven Migration of the Hylar
(Conjuration, Wood)
This spell functions identically to Dwarven Migration for Khelad-Mara, except that the migrants are Hylarin elves, not Khelad-Mara dwarves, and costs Emeralds of Wood, not Topaz of Earth.


Hylarin Reincarnation
(Necromancy)
Level: unknown; not known to be castable by normal means
Components: unknown
Casting Time: 4 hours
Range: unlimited
Effect: one or more deceased creatures (normally a Hylarin elf)
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The Hylar know of no way of casting this spell by itself, but know of and use several other spells that can invoke it as part of their own functions.

The spell reincarnates dead Hylar (or any other race, as demonstrated by Dwarven Migration for Khelad-Mara). The spell creates entirely new young adult bodies for the targets, who are reincarnated as a race or races determined by the spell invoking Hylarin Reincarnation. The targets can have been dead for any length of time, and can even have -1 Destiny (but not -2 or -3). Individuals reincarnated this way retain enough memories of their past lives to know who they were in their past lives and retain their familial relationships and character classes, but are reincarnated with random (and in practice usually low) experience levels.

The initial selection of targets by this spell appears to be more-or-less random among all those of appropriate race and religion. However, it does preferentially select individuals who were close together in life. For example, if the legendary priestess-heroine Aimienna were reincarnated by Hylarin Reincarnation, chances are good that her husband Garin and good friend Corim would be reincarnated in this fashion as well. The spell also can reincarnate deceased individuals who are currently alive as reincarnations in different new bodies with different memories; thus, for instance, if Aimienna had already been reincarnated as normal under the New Elven Covenant, this spell could resurrect a historical previous incarnation of Aimienna as well (or any other historical person).

It is uncertain if reincarnation by this spell alters the ability scores of the deceased in any way upon revivification. However, based on previous observations, any alteration that it does do appears to be small in nature.


Sacrifice of Arms
(Conjuration [creation]
Level: NA. Can be cast by anybody, spell caster or not.
Components: one weapon
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: zero
Effect: one creature created by the offering
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will resist (if weapon is sentient)
Spell Resistance: Yes

You offer a weapon upon the altar of one of the Three Hylarin deities with whom you are a hero or other warrior in good standing. The spell has a chance of success, in which case a warrior appears who will use the weapon offered and become your henchman or companion. If the spell fails, then the weapon disappears. The chance of success is normally 1 in 20 (i.e. a 20 on a d20) for a nonmagical weapon, but is instead a d8 if the weapon is magical and unaware, and a d4 if the weapon is aware. Weapons that are aware will usually resist being offered in this fashion, and thus are entitled to saving throws and spell resistance normally. Nonmagical weapons or unaware magical weapons do not get saving throws. Wands and other magical items capable of using attack spells can qualify as weapons, but ammunition for other weapons cannot. Artifacts and artifact-level weapons cannot be offered.

The weapon you are offering must have been won by you in order for you to offer it. Winning a weapon can mean taking it from a defeated enemy, stealing it from behind traps or guards that you infiltrated past, or receiving it as a prize or gift in exchange for completing a potentially dangerous task. Purchasing or manufacturing a weapon will render it ineligible for offer, although somebody else may acquire it from you in a fashion that will restore its eligibility, as might you do the same yourself afterwards.

The character created will be of a random character class from the PHB and of race determined by the table for Reincarnation, and has an equal chance of either gender. The class will be one that is proficient with and can effectively use the weapon (re-roll for class if an inappropriate class is chosen), either by virtue of base attack bonus or class abilities such as Sneak Attack, the Monk's extra attacks/damage, etc. The alignment of the character will also be random, but will not be more than one step away from your alignment, or the deity to whom you are making the offering. The character's experience will equal 1/5 of your experience plus the gold-value of the weapon being offered. His or her ability scores will be determined by rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest roll six times, and then arranging them to taste as appropriate for the weapon.

It is unknown what happens to the weapon being offered if the spell fails, whether it is disintegrated, or is transported to another plane of existence and inaccessible to the person offering it. The warrior it is widely believed is a reincarnation of someone who was in the past a practitioner of Hylarin religion, similar to the people created by Hylarin Reincarnation, but to date nobody knows for certain. In either case, the new warrior's personality is initially compatible and friendly to yours, and the person has skills and expertise according to his or her ability scores and (newly-created) experience level. However, he or she is a free-willed individual who can and will develop his or her own likes and desires.

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 03-12-2015 @ 05:18 PM).]

WARNING!! The following information contained in this post is considered outdated and obsolete! Post #4 will contain the updated version shortly.

Adventuring Companies and Mechanics

The following describes rules a model of how adventuring companies are commissioned, developed, and recruited. These rules would be used if a set of PCs were to set out to starting an adventuring company of their own (one larger than just one party, that is), as well as for GMs when running nations or other factions with functional adventuring company creation methods.

In general, these rules replace the Leadership feat in the DMG for adventurers.

Before beginning, a few underlying ideas need to be laid out for clarity's sake:


When a government, temple, guild, or other organization commissions an adventuring Company, they begin by selecting a founder or small group of co-founders (usually a Founder and his or her Peers), the skills and abilities of whom set the theme of the organization. Depending on the resources and power of the founding organization and the effort it devotes to founding this company, the levels of the founders can vary. As these founders gain prominence and levels, they gain the ability to recruit more members, who in turn can recruit even more members, networking out from there. There is no theoretical limit to how large an adventuring company can become, although multiple layers of successive recruitment does lessen the recruitment ability of new members, which effectively limits the overall size.


Members and Recruitment

The game mechanics and structure of building an adventuring company are as follows:


The Founder
The Founder of an adventuring Company is the individual about whom the entire company is built, and ultimately is responsible for recruiting the rest of the company, at least in theory (in reality, the Peers usually come with the Founder). The Founder embodies the characteristics and qualities that the commissioner wants the Company to have, having been selected or hired by the commissioner directly. Since the Founder is the initial contact of everybody in the Company, the Founder will not desert the Company unless the entire Company disbands. If the Founder is killed, the Company may or may not unravel.
Recruitment Mechanics
There are no mechanics for recruiting Founders, except possibly heirdom in a hereditary situation. Recruiting a new Founder typically means starting a new adventuring Company.


Peerage
Peers are members who usually are part of the Company when it is founded, and are treated by the Founder as equals, even when the Founder technically outranks them (for example, Arthur Pendragon is king of Camelot, but the knights at his table are his Peers and equals - this is why his table is round). In a player-controlled adventuring company, the Peers are usually the other PCs. Like the Founder, the Peers are often constrained to having certain attributes as required by the organization commissioning the company; they may all need to be of a certain race, have a certain alignment, possess a certain class ability, and so forth.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: The Founder of an adventuring Company is allowed to recruit three Peers for being a Founder. The Founder and all Peers can each recruit an additional Peer for every ten experience levels, but each generation of Peerage reduces the effective level of a Peer by five levels for the purpose of recruiting additional Peers.
Recruit levels: Any newly-recruited Peer has the same experience level as the individual who recruited him or her.
Loyalty: If the Founder dies or deserts, NPC Peers have a +10 bonus to Loyalty checks to remain part of the Company.


Lordship
Members of an Adventuring Company, if they are successful enough, may be granted a noble title. They can then use this title to command retainers. These retainers are often but not always of the same race as the recruiter, can be of either sex, and may or may not share the same alignment as the their liege (especially if the liege is chaotic and the retainer lawful).
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: Noble titles vary from one country to another, but to use a generalized European model, a noble with a rank of Prince/Duke, or higher will get two retainers, while Barons and Counts have just one. Knights do not get retainers (squires are recruited via Mastery instead).
Recruit levels: The level of newly-recruited retainers is calculated as follows:
Loyalty: If the liege dies, the retainers have a +6 bonus to their Loyalty checks to carry on in their lord/lady's image. If the liege deserts, they have a -3 bonus to Loyalty checks to carry on what their lord/lady should have continued.
Further Recruitment: Retainers cannot have Peers, no matter what their level becomes. They can, however, earn noble titles and thus retainers of their own.


Honor
If a leader or founder of another adventuring Company, or sometimes another benefactor, greatly assists an existing adventuring Company, sometimes he or she can be invited to join as an honored guest. If the Company has been Sanctified (in orange to remind me to add that spell to the grimoire), joining in this fashion so gives a +1 to the honored guest's Destiny score to a maximum of 2, but if the honored guest is killed acting for the current Company this Destiny bonus is lost for this Company. Such a guest can be invited to multiple such Companies, and the Destiny boni are cumulative.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: The benefactor must provide some kind of significant, usually magical or Destined, help to the Company to be worthy of this honor. Joining is specific to the benefactor, and the 'recruiter' of the benefactor is always the Founder.
Recruit levels: The guest is supposed to join the Company one or more levels higher than the Company Founder. If this would greatly reduce the level of the guest, (more than two levels or so), then the Company may magically commission a copy of the guest (in orange to remind me to add that spell to the grimoire).
Loyalty: The Honored guest gets a +10 bonus to Loyalty checks if the Founder or Peers die, but deserts automatically if they desert.
Further recruitment: The Honored guest cannot have Peers or retainers, even if he or she has a noble rank (which is often). They can, of course, in their own Company, if they have one.


Persuasion
A member of the Company with sufficient Diplomacy skill can recruit people devoted to the Company through idealism and rhetoric. These individuals can be of any race, class, gender, or alignment, but naturally some will be more inclined to join than others. These members join the Company's ideals because of what they believe in first, and for financial or other concerns second.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: Each member of the Company gets one persuasion attempt per level. Each time the Company is in a friendly town, each member with one or more persuasion attempts available may use them to try to recruit more members. This is a Diplomacy check against a DC of 20, +5 for each individual already recruited by Persuasion, and +5 for each step in the chain of recruitment from the Founder or a Peer. If an attempt is successful, the recruiter may try again; attempts are only expended if unsuccessful.
Recruit levels: To determine the starting level of an individual recruited via Persuasion, roll a Diplomacy check, a Bluff check, and a Sense Motive check. The level L of the recruit will be equal to the following:
If all three checks are 20 or better, then the recruit will also have a noble rank:
Loyalty: Members recruited through rhetoric have a +8 bonus to their loyalty checks if the recruiter dies, +6 if the recruiter deserts.
Further recruitment: Honored guests, Retainers, and Hirelings cannot recruit using Persuasion.


Hiredom
Adventuring Companies can, of course, simply hire more members. This is in fact probably the most common way for Companies to get larger. Doing so requires that the Company be wealthy enough to make such hires, of course, and that wealth comes through playing their adventuring trade, by endowments from their commissioners or noble recruits. Hirelings can be of any race and alignment and can be of either gender, but neutral races and alignments are most common, and military hirelings are more often male than female. Hirelings are always assumed to be hired directly by either the Founder or by the highest-ranking titled noble.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: Adventuring Companies have a Wealth bonus, which normally begins equal to the level of the Founder if the Company was commissioned by a higher power. Companies gain Wealth as they gain treasure, with a point of Wealth being roughly equal to 10,000 gold pieces (more if Wealth is already high). Nobles joining the Company also contribute some of their fortunes to the treasury, roughly as follows:
Recruiting a Hireling requiers a DC 15 Wealth check, and reduces the Wealth bonus by 1. Adventuring Companies with no Wealth bonus cannot hire.
Recruit levels: The level of a recruited Hireling depends on the Wealth check, but is usually 1 + ((check result - 15) / 2). NPC adventuring companies will normally hire as long as the level corresponding of the average roll is no lower than two levels below the Founder's level.
Loyalty: Hirelings have no bonus to their Loyalty checks, not even from their experience levels, and will desert if the Founder, all Peers, and all Nobles capable of paying their fees are lost. However, they are not beholden to any specific recruiter within the Company and will remain within the organization if their personal recruiter dies or deserts.
Further recruitment: Hirelings can recruit by Marriage, Seduction, Mastery, and Binding, but not through other methods.


Marriage
Married adventurers often adventure together, and marriage is often the strongest bond of loyalty that a person can have. If an adventurer joining a Company is married and his or her spouse is also an adventurer, there is a chance determined by the joiner's alignment of the spouse joining as well. Spouses can be of any class, but are usually of the same race, opposite gender, and similar alignment to the person they married.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: The probability of a person's spouse being an adventurer depends heavily on race and is not described here. If the spouse is an adventurer, then the following alignment table determines the probability of joining:
Recruit levels: An adventurer spouse's level S is determined by his or her "recruiter's" level by the following formula:
where R is the level of the "recruiting" spouse, to a minimum of 1. Spouses can be copies of people as described in the case of Honored guests.
Loyalty: Spousal recruits have +12 boni to their Loyalty checks if the "recruiter" is still living and part of the Company, +6 if the "recruiter" is dead, and -6 if the "recruiter" deserted as the spouse may decide to continue with his or her new friends anyway.
Further recruitment: Spouses with noble titles do not have Retainers, or and spouses cannot recruit Peers.


Mastery
Masters of an art can have apprentices. Apprentices study to learn underneath their masters, and can be of any race, gender, but are usually of the same or very similar class as their masters, and while their alignments can diverge, they rarely diverge too sharply.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: A master of at least 6th level can have an apprentice, if he or she is a Bard, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, or Wizard. Barbarians, Elemental Priests, and Paladins can also have apprentices, provided they are at least 9th level. Clerics do not have apprentices (excluding multiclass clerics, of course). A noble with a rank of Knight or higher can also have a squire if he or she is at least 7th level. Every six levels a master is above the minimum, the master can have an additional apprentice (or squire).
Recruit levels: Apprentice levels are like the levels of cohorts as described by the Leadership feat in the DMG, but the ability score modifying the leadership score depends on the master's class, as follows:
Loyalty: Apprentices other than squires have a +4 bonus to their Loyalty checks if their master is alive and part of the Company, +2 if their master dies, and +0 if their master deserts for remaining in the Company anyway. Squires follow their knights as retainers honor their lords.
Further recruitment: Apprentices can be married, can recruit via Seduction or Binding, and can have apprentices of their own if skilled enough. They cannot have other followers.


Seduction
Love, attraction, and sex can be a powerful motivator, especially if commanded by someone with other admirable qualities who can filter ideals through their attraction. Many marriages, after all, begin with attraction and are maintained by love. It stands to reason that heroes, villains, and other adventurers should consider seduction when recruiting others to their cause.
Recruitment Mechanics
Requirements: In order to recruit via seduction, a prospective recruiter must satisfy one of the following:
In addition, if a seducer is married, the seducer's spouse must approve. If the seducer's spouse also fits the above criteria, is chaotic, or is an elf, he or she probably approves, but otherwise probably does not.
If a seduction recruiter is eligible, then the character gains Seduction attempts, which work similarly to Persuasion attempts for persuasive characters. Making a Seduction attempt is a d20 roll plus one half the seducer's level plus the ability modifiers of three different ability scores. To determine which scores a seducer uses, consult the following:
The DC of this Seduction roll is 20 + 5 for each existing recruit via seduction , and +5 for each step in the chain of recruitment from the Founder or a Peer.
Recruit levels: Seduction-recruited characters have levels derived in the same way as Persuasion-recruited characters, but the relevant skills are Bluff, Acrobatics, and Survival.
Loyalty: Seducees have +8 boni to Loyalty checks if their mate is alive and not deserted, +2 if their mate dies, and -8 if their mate deserts.
Further recruitment: Recruits gained through Seduction cannot have Peers but can recruit in other ways. If a recruit is made through Seduction and remains with his or her mate for three levels, the mate and seducee can get married if they are otherwise single.



Loyalty
A character's Loyalty bonus determines how loyal he or she is to the Company. For most characters, the Loyalty bonus is equal to the character's ECL plus modifiers based on role, race, and alignment, as follows:
Founders are always loyal to the Company and never fail a Loyalty check. Hirelings get a cumulative +2 bonus for every level gained within the Company, but gain no bonus from their levels themselves. Player characters do not have to make Loyalty checks.

A character will make a Loyalty check when (1) faced with extreme duress and probable death, or (2) the Company loses the individual who recruited the character. Loyalty checks are normally DC 15. If a member fails a Loyalty check, he or she will desert the Company at the soonest opportunity, usually at the end of an adventure. Orphaned adventurers (those who lost their recruiters but passed their Loyalty checks) remain loyal to the Company and effectively behave as Peers, although unable to recruit as Peers can.

Members who lose their recruiters have an additional +4 bonus to their Loyalty check if the recruiter dies but can be resurrected. If they pass, they do not check Loyalty again as a result of recruiter death unless the recruiter dies again and is not resurrected.

A character who deserts will force Loyalty checks on all of his or her recruits, with a large penalty. An adventuring Company is dissolved if all of its members desert or are dead.


Quick table: Loyalty Check boni based on recruitment type. Note that except where noted, the bonus if the recruiter deserts is -2 relative to the bonus ordinarily.
Founder: automatic success
Peerage: +10 (even if founder deserts)
Lordship: +6 (-3 if liege deserts)
Honor: +10 (automatic failure if the founder deserts)
Persuasion: +8
Hiredom: -2
Marriage: +6 (-6 if spouse deserts)
Mastery: +2
Seduction: +2 (-8 if mate deserts)
Binding: -2

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 05-10-2015 @ 09:58 PM).]

WARNING!! The following information contained in this post is considered outdated and obsolete! An updated version will soon be up on post #5.

Rules for PC Adventuring Company Recruitments

This article is intended to replace the Adventuring Companies and Mechanics article for use by PC adventuring companies, instead of modeled NPC-run adventuring companies.

Before beginning, a few underlying ideas need to be laid out for clarity's sake:



Rules for PC Adventurers and Recruits

Founding members
The players founding the group begin play each controlling one PC of the type Peer, a character who is created by the player and given stats, a biography, etc. as per the player's specifications and GM-given limits. Each player has only one Peer, but can recruit further members from that Peer. If a new player joins the game, the new player gets a Peer as well at the same level as the lowest-level existing Peer. Each player gets only one Peer that cannot be replaced; however, Peers (and other characters) can recruit other members. Recruited members have more limitations than Peers, but perform as PCs in almost every way.

Finding new recruits
PCs can encounter other recruitable characters while adventuring or while looking for other members to recruit. There are several different ways of recruiting a character which result in different types of recruits (explained in Recruitment Methods and Member Types, below). However, there are three ways to set about recruiting, which are the following:
It should be noted that recruiting is something of an adventure itself - the PCs must decide where to go when recruiting. The distribution of people you may encounter as potential recruits in the Hylarin capital of Elendell is not the same as the list you would get in the Faerûnian city of Waterdeep, for example. This goes double if you want to recruit a specific individual.

The act of being recruited: from an NPC to a PC
When a new member is recruited into the company, the player whose PC is doing the recruiting is given rulings from the GM to make the character as a PC. A newly-recruited character is given to the player with the following characteristics:
Most of these recruitments are self-explanatory. Misc. guidelines refers to things that cannot be fit into the categories above. For example, the GM may require that the newly-recruited character have at least 14 Strength and use a great sword as his primary weapon, or that she have Skill Focus (Swim), or the like.
Marital status is there in parentheses because whether or not a PC is recruited along with a spouse is determined at or before time of recruitment, and may be part of the recruitment deal (e.g. "if you're going to hire me, you also need to hire my husband").

Being a PC
Once recruited, a character is treated as a PC in nearly all ways, both in terms of game mechanics and in terms of role-play. There are, however, a few limits that players have to observe when dealing with recruited PCs, which are these:



Recruitment Methods and Member Types
As noted above, there are several different ways of recruiting somebody to join your group, and each method has its own rules and limitations. The following descriptions tell you how you can recruit, what you need to do in order to recruit that way, and what the limitations are.

Peers
Peers are the initial avatars of players who join the group. Each player gets one Peer. They are the founding members of the adventuring group, and are made with maximal freedom from guidelines.
Prerequisites: Peers can only be recruited by recruiting players. Each player gets one Peer.
Procedure: Any new player invited to the gaming group gets a Peer. Invitation of new players is at the behest of the existing players and the GM.
Limitations: There are no limits on whom Peers can and cannot recruit.
Stats: Peers start with ability scores, equipment, etc. determined by the starting settings of the game.
Loyalty: Peers cannot fail Loyalty checks, ever.

Rhetoric
Rhetoric-based recruits are individuals persuaded to join the company through persuasion and ideology.
Prerequisites: If you are a Peer, then you need at least a +8 bonus in Diplomacy in order to recruit by Rhetoric. If you are not a Peer, you need an additional +4 for each step you are away in the recruitment tree from a Peer.
Procedure: The target you are trying to recruit has an Apparent Level (AL), which is a random number from the target's ECL to twice the target's ECL. A DC 15 Sense Motive check will reduce the target's AL by 1, with an additional -1 for every five points the Sense Motive check beat DC 10. The recruiter also has an AL, which is equal to the recruiter's ECL plus 1 for a DC 15 Bluff check, and an additional +1 for every five points the check passed DC 15. Actually recruiting the target is done with a DC 20 Diplomacy check, reduced by -4 for each step the recruiter's AL is above the target's, increased by +4 for each step the target's AL is above the recruiter's, and +4 for each Rhetoric-recruited character the recruiter already has.
Limitations: The DC of the Diplomacy check increases the more recruits you have, but there is no theoretical limit to how many people you can recruit by Rhetoric. The DC also increases if you try to recruit somebody of a different race or alignment than you. Only one Rhetoric-recruitment attempt is allowed per recruiter against a specific target.
Stats: Rhetoric-recruited characters start with 1/2 the normal starting wealth. They also normally begin with a 25-point buy, although the GM may increase this (and increase the DC of the recruitment check correspondingly).
Loyalty: Rhetoric-recruited characters have a +6 bonus to their Loyalty checks if their recruiter dies, and +4 if their recruiter deserts. They add their level to the check as normal.

Seduction
Seduced recruits are individuals who were initially persuaded to join by means of seduction. However, they associate their seducer's beliefs and ideology with their seducer, and now believe in what their seducer believes.
Prerequisites: In order to recruit via seduction, a prospective recruiter must satisfy one of the following:
In addition, if a seducer is married, the seducer's spouse must approve. If the seducer's spouse also fits the above criteria, is chaotic, or is an elf, he or she probably approves, but otherwise probably does not. This is to be negotiated with the GM.
Procedure: The target and the seducer get an Apparent Level (AL), which works the same way as for Rhetoric recruits. In place of a Diplomacy roll, however, there is a Seduction roll, which works a bit differently:
Limitations: You get penalties if you try to recruit somebody of a different alignment or, especially, different race (although some races can seduce other races). Only one Seduction attempt is allowed per recruiter per target.
Stats: Your seduced recruit starts out with a 22-point buy, but gets +1 point for every 2 points your Seduction roll exceeded DC 15, not counting the penalty that results from already having multiple love interests. Your seduced recruit has 3/8 the normal starting wealth. The GM may increase the point buy and the DC.
Loyalty: If a seducee's recruiter dies, he or she has +6 bonus on the resulting Loyalty check. If the recruiter deserts, this bonus disappears.

Mastery
Apprentices are people who join you and your cause because they seek to study under you and, hopefully, become masters themselves.
Prerequisites: You may have one student if you are at least 6th level and a Bard, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, or Wizard. At 9th level, you can take an apprentice if you are a Barbarian, Elemental Priest, or Paladin. You may have one additional apprentice at 12th level (for all classes), another at 16th, and a fourth at 20th.
Procedure: You don't go and recruit apprentices; they come to you. All you need to do is make yourself available, and prospective students will come.
Limitations: There are no specific limits to recruits.
Stats: The level of a recruit is determined using the table for the Leadership feat. However, your relevant ability score isn't always Charisma, according to the following table:
The ability scores of your apprentice are a point-buy of 15 + your relevant ability score as per the above table. They have 3/4 the standard starting wealth.
Loyalty: Apprentices get a +4 bonus to loyalty checks as long as you are alive and part of the group.

Hiredom
You can hire more members to your group. These hirelings become members like any other, although their loyalty works a little bit differently.
Prerequisites: You need gold to get hirelings. There are limitations due to level, but that's about the only requirement.
Procedure: When recruiting a hireling, both you and the prospective hire have apparent levels just as if recruiting through Rhetoric. The base price for the hireling is 1000 gp x (the level of the hireling, squared); however, this is reduced by a Diplomacy check, as follows:
Limitations: You cannot hire a hireling whose AL is four levels higher than the highest-level character in your group.
Stats: Hirelings use a 25-point buy. A hireling's starting wealth is considered to be equal to the hiring fee.
Loyalty: Hirelings do not get the normal Loyalty bonus for their ECLs. However, every time a hireling levels while a member of the company, he or she gets a permanent +2 loyalty bonus.


Other Recruitment Methods
There are several other methods of acquiring new members, which you do not have control over when recruiting and are thus in their separate section. However, they can gain you additional members and recruitment types.

Marriage
Sometimes, your prospective recruits are already married when they join you, and they bring their spouses with them.
Prerequisites: Any character can be married. The exact mechanical probability of being married and of having a spouse who would be willing to join you is too complicated to easily discuss here. However, some advice may be useful:
Procedure: A recruit either is married or is not. If the recruiter is married, then the spouse either is an adventurer as well or is not. If a recruit has been in the group for more than a year, then he or she may get married, reducing the number of Rhetoric or Mastery-based recruits, if applicable.
Limitations: Spouses often don't like being asked to seduce people and similarly don't like their mates recruiting by seduction. However, if both spouses are seduction-capable, this limitation likely does not apply. Nonetheless, it's up to the specific couple. A recruit intending to bring his or her spouse is considered to have an Apparent Level two levels higher than he or she would otherwise.
Stats: The recruited contact of a spouse makes a Seduction roll to determine the spouse's ability scores. The spouse's level is the contact's level + 1d6 - 4, to a minimum of 1.
Loyalty: If a spouse's contact dies, he or she has +8 bonus on the resulting Loyalty check. If the recruiter deserts, this bonus becomes a -4 penalty.

Fealty
Noble lords and ladies, and powerful churchmen, have bodyguards, or retainers.
Prerequisites: Characters who own fealty have retainers. PCs can win fealty through their actions or as gifts from grateful benefactors, or recruit characters who have it.
Procedure: Your retainers come with your title.
Limitations: Nothing specific.
Stats: Noble titles vary from one country to another, but to use a generalized European model, a noble with a rank of Prince/Duke, or higher will get two retainers, while Barons and Counts have just one. The level of newly-recruited retainers is calculated as follows:
The ability scores of retainers use a 28-point buy.
Loyalty: If the liege dies, the retainers have a +6 bonus to their Loyalty checks to carry on in their lord/lady's image. If the liege deserts, they have a -3 bonus to Loyalty checks to carry on what their lord/lady should have continued.



Loyalty
A character's Loyalty bonus determines how loyal he or she is to the Company. For most characters, the Loyalty bonus is equal to the character's ECL plus modifiers based on role, race, and alignment, as follows:
Founders are always loyal to the Company and never fail a Loyalty check. Hirelings get a cumulative +2 bonus for every level gained within the Company, but gain no bonus from their levels themselves. Player characters do not have to make Loyalty checks.

A character will make a Loyalty check when (1) faced with extreme duress and probable death, or (2) the Company loses the individual who recruited the character. Loyalty checks are normally DC 15. If a member fails a Loyalty check, he or she will desert the Company at the soonest opportunity, usually at the end of an adventure. Orphaned adventurers (those who lost their recruiters but passed their Loyalty checks) remain loyal to the Company and effectively behave as Peers, although unable to recruit as Peers can.

Members who lose their recruiters have an additional +4 bonus to their Loyalty check if the recruiter dies but can be resurrected. If they pass, they do not check Loyalty again as a result of recruiter death unless the recruiter dies again and is not resurrected.

A character who deserts will force Loyalty checks on all of his or her recruits, with a large penalty. An adventuring Company is dissolved if all of its members desert or are dead.

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 05-10-2015 @ 09:54 PM).]