Hirelings

[PlayerSkillFTW]

Anyone else think that Hirelings should be at least semi-useful? Right now, they're completely and utterly worthless.
A few things i'd like to see, is the ability to change their equipment (like swapping equipment/clothing onto a vendor via their paperdoll), as well as an ability to "bond" them and lodge them at Inns (like stabling). Hirelings can gain stats/skill through practice, and will present a stat/resist/skill list similar to Animal Lore when you tell them to "Report".

Give certain hirelings certain abilities too. All "Warrior" subset Hirelings can use Healing on themselves with bandages (you can give them more bandages by dropping them on the hireling), as well as special abilities with the weapon you give them. Fighters are the generic "Warrior" hireling, are relatively cheap and take 1 Control Slot. Paladin and Samurai Hirelings are advanced "Warrior" hirelings, they would cost more and take at least 2 Control Slots, but have access to Chivalry and Bushido spells, respectively.
All "Wizard"" subset Hirelings have access to Magery spells. Mages are the generic "Wizard" hireling, and are relatively cheap and take 1 Control Slot. Necromancers, Arcanists and Mystics are advanced "Wizards", they would cost more and take at least 2 Control Slots, but have access to Necromancy, Spellweaving and Mysticism spells, respectively.
The "upkeep" cost of a Hireling would scale with the Hirelings Barding Difficulty (which scales with his Stats/Skills), so a maxed out Hireling would cost alot more to employ than a fresh Hireling.

 

[Merus]

I think they already have something similar to this ingame... though they are getting a little harder to find. They are called friends

 

[Lythos-]

I think they already have something similar to this ingame... though they are getting a little harder to find. They are called friends

That's the most epic statement I've ever seen and entirely true.

 

[PlayerSkillFTW]

I think they already have something similar to this ingame... though they are getting a little harder to find. They are called friends

Lol. Most of my old friends have quit the game, and those few still left log on very irregularly. Hard to make new ones on Napa, when the population is incredibly small. Not everyone plays on Atlantic or an Asian shard.
Anyways, it still would be nice for Hirelings to finally be made useful. Even back in the day, they were mostly garbage, besides training skills on them in the Jhelom Pits. Plus, they'd be a "pet/hireling/minion" that Warriors could heal with bandages and the Healing skill.
Wouldn't mind setting up a Paladin hireling in an all 70's Full Platemail Set with +25 Health/+48 Stam/+90% RPD and give him a Kat with 40% Dam Inc/30% SSI/50% Stam Leech/50% Lightning/40% Lower Attack, and a reforged Shield with 12% Damage Eater/35% Dam Inc/15% RPD. Thing is though, that Insurance/Blessed won't function on Hirelings, so if they get killed, all the equipment get's dropped on their corpse, and if you fail to retrieve it in time, it's gone. This would also help to keep Hirelings out of PvP.

 

[yars]

We need the equivalent to Lydia in skyrim

 

[The Zog historian]

Lol. Most of my old friends have quit the game, and those few still left log on very irregularly. Hard to make new ones on Napa, when the population is incredibly small. Not everyone plays on Atlantic or an Asian shard.
Anyways, it still would be nice for Hirelings to finally be made useful. Even back in the day, they were mostly garbage, besides training skills on them in the Jhelom Pits. Plus, they'd be a "pet/hireling/minion" that Warriors could heal with bandages and the Healing skill.
Wouldn't mind setting up a Paladin hireling in an all 70's Full Platemail Set with +25 Health/+48 Stam/+90% RPD and give him a Kat with 40% Dam Inc/30% SSI/50% Stam Leech/50% Lightning/40% Lower Attack, and a reforged Shield with 12% Damage Eater/35% Dam Inc/15% RPD. Thing is though, that Insurance/Blessed won't function on Hirelings, so if they get killed, all the equipment get's dropped on their corpse, and if you fail to retrieve it in time, it's gone. This would also help to keep Hirelings out of PvP.

It's admittedly hard on some shards to make new friends. I was fortunate during the Bane-Ophidian war, when I met two of my best UO friends simply by helping them out. Occasionally I had seen one around over the years, but we never got to know each other.

I have to give massive credit for the invasion's design. It was great for bringing everybody together in the same area. Some of us, total strangers to each other, nonetheless helped each other with resses and heals.

 

[Lord Nabin]

I think they already have something similar to this ingame... though they are getting a little harder to find. They are called friends

Well played.

That being said. I could see some changes to the for hires.

Every once in awhile for effect and honestly a sense of wanting to help the unemployed I hire a few guards for my house. They look nice standing there and parading back and forth.

 

[kRUXCg7]

I can see a demand for well prepared[*] food for hirelings or else they will starve and suffer from stat and skill los.

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[*] No plastic junk food from a first circle's magery spell! Only real food from real ingredients carved from real animals prepared by real GM cooks.

 

[Zosimus]

Pizza would be better than hirelings.


PIZZA WILL NEVER •GIVE YOU UP •LET YOU DOWN •RUN AROUND AND DESERT YOU •MAKE YOU CRY •SAY GOODBYE •TELL A LIE AND HURT YOU

 

[yars]

Pizza would be better than hirelings.


PIZZA WILL NEVER •GIVE YOU UP •LET YOU DOWN •RUN AROUND AND DESERT YOU •MAKE YOU CRY •SAY GOODBYE •TELL A LIE AND HURT YOU

Plus it doesn't get jealous when you other pizzas around. And sometimes you can get a deal on 2!!!

 

[Zosimus]

LOL!!!