Designing Retainers

As your character progresses on their journey, they might want to take some non-playable characters with them. In most cases, the DM can simply wave it off and play these addtions as obscure bonuses, possible contacts when they need something done in the background, or to simply give their players more options on how to aproach their current problem. However, when the players want a longer-term addition to their party, or when they want to recruit someone to follow them, things can get more complicated, especially when the players would enjoy having direct control over these NPCs. That's where Retainers comes into play. This system makes running multiple character easer, as Retainers have fewer options, but still serve their intended role. Retainers have their own stats, skills and abilities seperate from the player and monsters, as explained below.

### **Recruiting a Retainer**

Retainers are acquired trough social interactions with NPCs, as a Faction reward, or trough certain spell and abilities. You cannot attract a Retainer of equal or greater than your level, so they are always of a lower level than your character.

### **Health-Points**

A Retainer has Health-Points equal in number to their level. Each time a Retainer is hit by an attack, they make an Endurance saving throw. The DC is the average damage from the attack. If they succeed, they take no damage. If they fail, they lose one Health-Hoint for each of the attack's damage die. If they lose their final health-point, they drop unconscious and use the Player Character death rules. When converting a pre-existant summon or creature into a Retainer, its Condition is converted as follows:

* **Retainer Health-Points =** (Condition/ 5) \* 0.6

#### **Healing**

Retainers regain a health-point after each short rest, and each die of healing used on them recovers one health-point. Just like any attack that hits a retainer does some damage (though not significant enought to matter), healing abilities like can recover some damage, just not enough to be significant.

### **Initiative**

Retainers act on their commanding player character's initiative.

### **Armor Class**

A Retainer has light, medium, or heavy armor. The specific armor they’re wearing is a detail below this system’s level of abstraction.

• *Light armor* is 13 Guard.

• *Medium armor* is 15 Guard.

• *Heavy Armor* is 18 Guard.

### **Abilities and Skills**

A retainer has a primary ability and various skills. Normally, they roll ability checks with a +3 bonus. They gain an extra +1 bonus to ability checks made with their primary ability, and an extra +2 bonus to ability checks made with their primary skills.

### **Saving Throws**

Normally, a retainer rolls saving throws with a +3 bonus, and they gain an extra +3 bonus on saves made with the abilities listed on their card. They save against spells just like PCs do, but if they succeed on a save, they lose Hit-Points equal to one-twentieth of the spell's Numen cost. If they fail they lose heath-points equal to one-tenth of the spell's Numen cost. So a retainer who saves against a spell with a cost of 50 Numen loses 2 health-points (2,5 rounded down).

### **Ancestry, Senses, and Speed**

The ancestry (elf, dwarf, human, etc.) of the retainer determines their Perception and movement, and gives them special racial abilities.

### **Actions**

Retainers get same number of actions (3) as any other character in D&T. They can move and act, and they get opportunity attacks just like a player character. Additionally, all Retainers begin with a signature attack they can make each round. If granted extra attacks by a feature or ability, these are always their signature attack. As they gain levels, they unlock special actions or spells. Each is limited in the number of times per day it can be used, and their DCs are listed in their descriptions. At 7th level, all Retainers can make two signature attacks per attack action.

#### **Attacking**

Retainers hit with their signature attack whenever their commanding character hits, even if they and the Retainer are attacking different targets. If the PC misses, or if they simply don’t attack on their turn, then you make an attack roll for your Retaneir. Retainers get a +6 to hit with their attacks. This bonus increases by 1 at the 5th level, and from then on increases by 1 at every fourth level.

#### **Spells and DCs**

Retainers’ spells and actions that require a saving throw start with DC 13 at 3rd level, and improves by 1 every four levels. If a retainer makes a spell attack, it uses the same bonus that retainers get to all attacks.

### **Gear**

Unless provisions are specifically made otherwise, a retainer has the same gear as a starting PC of their assigned background.

### **Experience**

Your retainers level up once every two times your PC levels up, gaining extra levels if the difference between your character's level and theirs exceeds 4, at the rate of 1 extra level per 2 levels of difference. They gain special actions at 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th level.

#### **Magic**

Retainers can use magic items. A +1 weapon increases their attack roll and damage by 1, and +1 armor increases their Guard by 1.