Couldn't find if this has been suggested before or not, so here it goes! How about Mercenary or other NPCs that can be hired for use in combat, with preset unchangeable equipment and levels? Perhaps have them as an "item" that can be purchased from a special "Mercenary Barracks" that can be equipped by each character, for a total of 3 potential Mercenaries/NPCs? Perhaps have a limitation in place that requires the hireable to be at most 2/3rds of the equipping characters level? Maybe have hireables be susceptible to perma-death in battle, even if the battle is won? You could use the current class types as a reference for hireable stats, with hireables having 7/10ths the HP of the class they are based on (melee/magic/divine) Perhaps unique classes for the hireables? Examples: "Squire" Melee-oriented class with weak supporting abilities similar to Human Servants. "Trained Griffon" Weak and highly mobile magic-oriented class with movement enhancing abilities. "War Dog" Low mobility, high defense, divine-oriented class with self-target abilities, like a self-target Frenzy/Heal (could call self-frenzy, "Puppy Rage," and Healing, "Lick the Wound.") Just some Took-Me-5-Minutes examples of mercenaries/NPCs, I don't know if this would be a good idea or not, but honestly it gets a little old having just 3 characters, at least for me. They would need balance-tweaking, to make sure they aren't overpowered or huge game changers. IDK.. Just something I was thinking about. Please don't flame me, I'm weak and frail, just like GM Gary! Oh no, now my next die rolls are going to be miscounted... never insult the GM, but always buy him pizza!
Hmm... This does sound like a pretty nice addition, but I have this two-sided opinion of it. How do I explain this? Well... I feel like, on one side, this idea could really add some nice strategy to the game (and of course, also some new customization options). But on the other side, this could totally ruin the balance that Card Hunter presently has. I mean, it was a pretty risky move of Blue Manchu to combine the elements of classic, old-fashioned D&D and CCGs into one single game, and I bet they really gave the current game some thought. To make a long story short, this idea of mercenaries/NPCs for hire could either make the game, or break it. I'm really not sure whether I'm right, but at least I think it sounds like a nice addition.
It's definitely a game changer, adding three extra friendly combatants, but if the statistics are balanced it could turn out to be a very fun aspect. RPG's are difficult to balance, there's a lot of numbers, lots of rules, and plenty of challenge in designing those rules. My groups have tried that before, making a custom or new tabletop RPG, however the main issue has always been agreeing on a fair, yet enjoyable, set of rules. I've chucked plenty of die, I still do every weekend, have been for many years, I also play a lot of card games, like Magic, Munchkin, and Chet Geek/Goth. I think it'd be doable, adding subordinate units, I think it's a plausible concept that could push the game in a good direction, but it has to be done right, and it would be wise to stick to the Golden Rule: The rules should never get in the way of having fun. If it's fun, do it! If it's not fun, make it fun or ditch it, after all, that's the whole point of a game; having fun.
