Hirelings - Roleplay and communication questions

[Squark]

So after a situation in which one of my characters could not make a single check in part of a scenario (4-07- Specifically the mindscape search), I decided to take another look at Hirelings. A Hireling could effectively give my character expert proficiency in a skill and two lores, and even grab assurance in that skill in the event I'm just trying not to drag the group down with a critical failure. But I've never seen hirelings used in play. How should I handle relying on my hireling's expertise? Is it important to let the GM know I have a hireling at the beginning of the scenario?

[Outl]

Most players don't mention their hireling even if they have one. It's not required. In many players' minds it's not even treated as a person, more like a boon roughly equivalent to an Additional Lore feat. Also, many hirelings are mostly used for Earn Income so they wouldn't come up during play anyway.

This isn't all that unusual for PFS play, some things just happen silently in the background. Most players also don't mention when they cast long-term buffs like Mage Armor, Tailwind, Ant Haul, and Deep Breath. Most GMs don't ask whether weapons are drawn while exploring, and might not even ask after initiative is rolled. Preparing and swapping out prepared spells is also usually ignored, and medicine checks, refocusing, and searching are often handwaved after a battle ends. It's just assumed the player will track all that stuff on their own without (or sometimes even with) cheating. Probably a result of trying to get through adventures quickly.

I sometimes mention my hireling(s) during character introductions at the beginning of the sessions, but many players don't. And some groups don't even do character introductions.

When I use the hireling I always try to describe how the hireling is helping, or at least mention them as I tell the GM the result of my roll, but as far as I can tell no one has ever cared. Other players often don't even distinguish it as any different than their character rolling, so maybe you've seen hirelings used in play without realizing it.

[Hilary Moon Murphy]

How hirelings are treated kind of depends on the group and the situation. In Play-by-Post games, my hirelings have their own avatars, full personalities, and banter with the other characters.

My chief hireling, Research Rat has 58 posts, and is part of the Research Rat franchise covering the needs of multiple PCs.

I play him with a raucous brooklyn accent in live games too. He shows up, follows the party, makes wisecracks, and spits toolkits out of his cheek pouches when it is time to aid a PC in a skill check.

[umopapisdnupsidedown]

I've seen hirelings tastefully RPed and implemented, but for me a gaggle of actual hirelings following the party to the Depths of Hell breaks immersion. So I've thought very hard about how to implement hirelings for each of my PFS characters.

My Fetchling's' shadows are their hirelings, for example. If they need help with Athletics the shadow gets very strong and helps. If they need help with a knowledge skill the hireling whispers in their ear. Downtime checks with that hireling might be lounging at the docks while the hireling loads cargo (Sailing Lore to Earn Income).

My cleric of Nethys has an unseen servant hireling, who can follow him to the Depths of Hell and not drastically break immersion. I've seen hirelings RPed as planar beings who appear when called upon, too, which seems pretty good.

My witch is easy—the hireling is just a temporary gift bestowed on the familiar, or on the character, by their patron.

My elf fighter has a thing about remembering friends who died, so his hirelings are all about recalling memories from friends long gone.

There are a lot of ways to make it work that aren't actually a gaggle of hired hands tailing the party like squires or minstrels from Monty Python.

[Christopher Waterfield]

Hirelings completely break immersion for me, so I do not use them. That is my personal preference and I'm not throwing shade on those who do use them.

[Research Rat]

umopapisdnupsidedown wrote:

I've seen hirelings tastefully RPed and implemented, but for me a gaggle of actual hirelings following the party to the Depths of Hell breaks immersion.

"But.... I don't wanna go into the death dungeon!" wails Research Rat. "Sometimes, I really hate my hireling contract."

I love it when Research Rat gets to whine about hazard pay!

[umopapisdnupsidedown]

Research Rat wrote:

umopapisdnupsidedown wrote:

I've seen hirelings tastefully RPed and implemented, but for me a gaggle of actual hirelings following the party to the Depths of Hell breaks immersion.

"But.... I don't wanna go into the death dungeon!" wails Research Rat. "Sometimes, I really hate my hireling contract."

I love it when Research Rat gets to whine about hazard pay!

Research Rat might hang out with Badger, my ysoki's hireling. He has a little rat familiar, and Badger is her friend. Badger is very worldly and wise, and has traveled all over Golarion adventuring and learning things. Now he just rides around in my character's pocket, providing advice where necessary.

[SuperBidi]

Christopher Waterfield wrote:

Hirelings completely break immersion for me, so I do not use them. That is my personal preference and I'm not throwing shade on those who do use them.

I'm with you.

As long as this is out of adventure, like for the briefing, I don't mind hirelings. But once inside a dungeon, it really feels off.

[Tim Emrick]

Most of my PFS2 PCs have hirelings. Even my skill monkeys (the rogue and the investigator) have some blind spots that could use shoring up.

I try to give each hireling a little bit of color, and a reason to follow this crazy hero into danger--my leshy fighter has a leshy hireling who "talks pretty," my Chelaxian sorceress has a well-paid halfling with skills she finds too boring to learn for herself, and so on. PBP gives much more freedom for this than most on-person sessions, due to the time pressure, and like HMM, I enjoy roleplaying their occasional contributions in that format.

I find it helpful to have players mention their hirelings during character introductions. Even somethibg as simple as, "you can count on my PC for X, Y, & Z, but I suck at Q, so I have a hireling for that," is useful info. But if nobody else mentions hirelings, I've frequently forgotten to mention my own until partway in, when I suddenly remember, "Oh right, I bought a hireling for that."