The Mercenary

Character Description: The Mercenary sees the adventuring life as a means to further his personal wealth. He may accept a job with a party at a set salary or might agree to take a fixed share of any treasure the party finds. Any interest he has in the party's goals are secondary to his pocketbook.

Not all Mercenaries are interested in money. Some may be interested in acquiring souvenirs for their personal collections, while others may wish to hoard magical devices or fatten their spells books. In all cases, however, the Mercenary's first interest is in himself.

A Mercenary is not necessarily a criminal or a thief-- he prides himself in his professionalism and has no shame about his interest in wealth and material possessions. Since his motivations are straightforward, the Mercenary is a good personality type for novice players.

Best Suited For: The Mercenary is best suited for neutral alignments, particularly neutral good and lawful neutral. Lawful good characters are less inclined to exploit others for personal gain, while evil characters are more likely to turn to criminal activities to increase their wealth. This personality type is suitable for any kit.

In Combat Situations: The Mercenary is a good, professional combatant. He takes orders well, offers strategic suggestions when asked, and fights valiantly alongside his companions. However, he will not volunteer for dangerous missions, nor will he unnecessarily risk his neck unless he gets extra pay or there's a chance of recovering an especially desirable treasure.

In Role-Playing Situations: The Mercenary tends to let the other player characters do most of the negotiating and interacting with NPCs. He may take a more active role if he suspects an NPC has information about a treasure or about any of his other personal interests. Otherwise, there are no restrictions for the Mercenary-- he can be humorous and personable, introverted and serious, or arrogant and obnoxious, as determined by the player

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