Playable Characters

Players start Kenshi with a set number of player characters to customize depending on their selected Game Start. Across the world of Kenshi, there are many characters who can become player characters after certain interactions. After recruiting any number of these characters, players can control each squad member as well as all of them at once.
The maximum number of characters you can control is 30. This can be increased with mods fairly easily. Once players have reached 30 characters total, dialogue options will no longer appear for recruitable characters. Instead, they may notice drifters hanging around and even protecting your town without a word. Note that having more characters is more computationally demanding and can affect game performance.
Most characters that can join the player must also be "Recruitable". Which means that they must have 25 or lower in Strength, Dexterity, Melee Attack, Melee Defence, Martial arts, and Dodge or lower than 75 cumulative total in those stats, if any of them are above 25. They also must not be a Diplomat, Law Enforcer, Military, or Trader class character. Though there are a few exceptions to these rules, due to dialog loopholes.
== Hiring Characters ==
Most Recruits join the Player Faction through dialogue options found in towns. Recruits for Hire can be found patrolling town or hanging out in a bar. These recruits have a set fee for joining and become Player Characters immediately after receiving that money. This fee is generally between 3,000 to 7,500 cats. 
Characters for Hire can be randomized Generic Recruits or Unique Recruits. Most randomized recruits start with very low stats, rag clothing, a simple weapon, and hunger. Unique recruits often have a few elevated stats (10-15) depending on their specialty (i.e. Medic) but are still relatively weak.
== Rescuing Characters ==
Slavery is prevalent across the world of Kenshi. Some Slaves are happy to serve their masters, but most are very appreciative to be freed by the Player. After freeing Slaves and Prisoners, they will become allied to the Player. They will appear green on the Map and will follow around the character who freed them. If they are kept safe for a while, they can potentially become Player Characters. Otherwise, they will run off into the wilderness to join back up with their faction.
In some locations such as Tengu's Vault and the Dust King Tower, Unique Recruits are being kept prisoner. They will join the Player Faction after being freed.
== Purchasing Characters ==
Slaves and Animal Player Characters can be purchased from their owners. After Slaves are purchased from their Slaver Boss, they will be Allies. If they are kept safe for a while, they can potentially become Player Characters. The Unique Recruit Ray is an exception to this. After purchasing Ray from his master, he is automatically a Player Character despite still wearing Hive Prisoner Shackles.
Animals purchased from Nomads, Farm Shops, or Holy Farms automatically become Animal Player Characters and do count towards your character limit. More information on purchasable animals can be found on Guide to Animals.
== Saving a Character's life ==
You can recruit a character by triggering a "You saved my life!"(FCS name) dialog.
Conditions:
"LT_MY_LIFESAVER" tag on your character; (Which probably means you have to heal them from the "dying" state. I didn't test this as i found this by accident during my ~3rd playthrough)
"DC_TARGET_LAST_SEEN_X_HOURS_AGO" > 24
saved character can have any "DC_PERSONALITY_TAG" except "PT_TRAITOROUS";
saved character must have "DC_IS_RECRUITABLE" tag or ("PT_BRAVE DC_PERSONALITY_TAG" and "Npc TOUGH Merc Basic 1" dialogue package)
If saved character has "DC_IS_RECRUITABLE" tag it must have "PT_HONOURABLE" "DC_PERSONALITY_TAG" or one of these dialogue packages: 
* civilian normal
* civilian tough
* Fresh Ronin
* Wandering citizen
* wandering trader (civilian combo)
* or "All leaders are alive = 0" condition must be met (at least one of the following leaders must be dead: Tengu, Longen, Esata, Phoenix, Bugmaster)
note: Due to these conditions it is possible to recruit characters with very high skill and attribute levels, such as named anti-slaver jonins (~80 stats in almost all skills and attributes (not counting racial bonuses which can boost them up to 90+)). [game version 1.0.51]
== 'Is Recruitable' Tag ==
To be considered recruitable by the DC_IS_RECRUITABLE tag, a character must not be one of the following classes:
* Diplomat
* Law Enforcer
* Military
* Trader 
Furthermore, no combination of these three stat pairs can be 75 or higher:
(Strength or Dexterity) + (Melee Attack or Martial Arts) + (Melee Defense or Dodge)
In each pair, it will use whichever one is higher. If the total from all three is 75 or higher, the character is not recruitable.
But it will also use only one stat in each of those pairs. So, for instance, a character with 70 Strength and 70 Dexterity would still be considered recruitable, as long as their other pairs sum up to less than 5. Also remember that while a character's stats might display 25, they could actually be 25.99, which would make the math off by 2 or 3. 
== List of Playable Characters (Wip) ==
This is a comprehensive list of every character that can possibly be recruited in vanilla, race, their method of recruitment, and price if applicable.
Character 	Race 	Recruitment Method 	Price	Notes
Adventurer 	Greenlander 	Game Start 	N/A 	Cannibal Hunters Game Start
Adventurer with skill	Greenlander 	Game Start 	N/A 	Cannibal Hunters Game Start
Agnu 	Soldierbot 	Dialog, Rescue 	N/A 	
Baker 	Random 	Rescue (Cannibal) 	N/A 	
Band of Bones 	Shek 	Rescue 	N/A 	Ignores Recruitable requirements. Only if honourable or maniacal Personality.
Bar Fisherman 	Random 	Rescue, Purchase from Slavery 	N/A 	
Bar fly 	Random 	Rescue, Purchase from Slavery 	N/A 	
Bar Thug (Traitorous)	Greenlander 	Rescue, Purchase from Slavery 	N/A 	
Bar Thug (Crazy) 	Greenlander 	Rescue, Purchase from Slavery 	N/A 	
Bar Thug (Drunken) 	Greenlander 	Rescue, Purchase from Slavery 	N/A 	
Bard 	Greenlander 	Dialog, Rescue, Purchase from Slavery	3,000	
Barman 	Random 	Rescue (Cannibal) 	N/A 	
Beep 	Hive Worker Drone	Dialog 	Free 	
Berserker 	Shek 	Rescue 	N/A 	Ignores Recruitable requirements. Only if honourable or maniacal Personality.
Big Fang 	Scorchlander 	Rescue, Purchase from Slavery 	 	
Big Gray 	Greenlander 	Rescue 	 	Depends on stats.
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