I'm starting my players in a merchant caravan. I have the NPCs set pretty much - except for a few general merchant family members and some laborers - from the NPC Gallery (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/mastery/nPCGallery.html). Is there a source of info for what a typical caravan would have in it in terms of how many wagons, people, etc. What would a merchant caravan pay for guards on a per diem basis?
I notice that the Jade Regent path has an episode where the PCs join a caravan for a time, but I already have a couple of paths that I may not get to and it seems a little much to buy one path for a caravan profile.
Thanks,
Bill
Depends on what they're moving. Most merchants deal in tonnage, and a heavy wagon can pull two tons. I'd suspect they might have at least three wagons for specific goods (such as hauling six tons of grain or ore), one wagon of general goods (pots, pans, pins, simple jewelry and clothes - things they could barter off in towns along the way from Point A to Point B) and one to two wagons with their own stocks of food and water (Depending on how long their route is). That's 5-6 wagons before accounting for people.
I'd say give the bigwig merchants their own wagons - you said family? Well. Mama and Papa might have their own wagon. Depending on the age of any children, they might live with them or have their own wagon. General laborers and Guards would share wagons - I'd use Medium Wagons for all these. But instead of just being covered in tarps, you've got a 2x3 square wheelhouse. Give each guard/laborer their own 5' square, and you can squeeze six of them into each wagon.
Probably will want at least 5 laborers, and anywhere from 4-10 guards depending on the goods being moved. I'd say opt for smaller numbers with 1-2 more levels, and more personality. With fewer NPCs, you can easily assign more interesting personas to them.