Adventurers sometimes require services of individuals or crews specialising in various fields—classified as specialists. The most common types of specialists are listed here, but the Referee may detail others as required.

Locating: Specialists wish to be known in their communities as available for hire. If a suitable specialist is resident, locals point PCs in their direction. The DCB lists notable specialists resident in each settlement. Others may be found as noted under Availability for each specialist type.

Upkeep: The wages listed for each type of specialist include the cost of any basic materials and equipment required for their job.

Adventuring: Most specialists will not accompany PCs on adventures, whether in the wild woods or in dungeons. Adventurers-for-hire are described under Retainers.

Shops: Common businesses that trade in goods (e.g. armourers, herbalists, jewellers, provisioners, tailors) are discussed under Settlements.

• Availability: Cities
• Wage: By job, see below

Masters of the obscure arts of purifying, mixing, and transmuting substances to achieve spiritual and magical effects.

Analysing potions: An alchemist can analyse the effects of a potion, working from a small sample. Costs 200gp and takes 1d6 days. There is a 1-in-6 chance of a false result.

Brewing potions: Alchemists brew potions to order. Costs the potion’s standard value and takes 1d6 days per 500gp value. There is a 1-in-6 chance of failure.

• Availability: Cities
• Wage: 500gp per month

Trainers are required for unusual creatures or for large groups of common animals (e.g. dogs, horses, mules). Each animal trainer specialises in a single type of animal.

Number of animals: A trainer can work with up to 6 animals at a time.

Time required: The time required to train an animal in a new behaviour or trick depends on the difficulty of the training and the animal’s intelligence. Learning the first new behaviour typically takes one month, and subsequent behaviours take two weeks each.

Interruptions: Training of all desired behaviours must occur back to back. If interrupted, the animal becomes unable to learn further behaviours.

• Availability: Towns and cities
• Wage: 25gp per week

A skilled builder and engineer who can lead construction projects, designing the structure, sourcing materials, and hiring work crews (included in the building costs).

Permission: Unless building in uncharted wilderness, permission from the land owner (typically a noble house) must be secured.

Duration: 1 week per 500gp cost of the building, to a minimum of 1 month.

Building in settlements: In the vicinity of a settlement, building costs are halved due to proximity of labour and resources.

Residential buildings: Single storey, 30′ × 30′ building with wooden interior stairs, doors, floors, and attic. 1,500gp for stone walls, 750gp for wooden walls. Additional storeys (up to three total) may be added for the same cost.

Towers: Round tower with 5′ thick stone walls. 15,000gp for a 20′ diameter, 30′ high, 3 storey tower. 30,000gp for a 30′ diameter, 40′ high, 4 storey tower.

Strongholds: Castle wall: 500gp per 10′ long section (20′ high, 10′ thick). Keep: 75,000gp for a 60′ square, 80′ high fortified central building. Gatehouse: 6,500gp for a 30′ square, 20′ high fortified gateway through a wall, with a portcullis. Moat: 40gp per 10′ length (20′ wide, 10′ deep). Drawbridge: 1,000gp for a 20′ long drawbridge.

Subterranean construction: 500gp per 10′ × 10′ area.

• Availability: Any settlement
• Wage: 5gp per day

Experts in the tracks and ways of Dolmenwood, each guide specialising in one particular region of the Wood (e.g. Aldweald, Dwelmfurgh, Mulchgrove, etc.).

Landmarks: A guide knows the most significant landmarks within their specialist region (determined by the Referee). They can lead PCs to and from these landmarks without risk of getting lost.

Wayfinding: If the Referee determines that the party has become lost, there is a 4-in-6 chance that the guide is able to find the path again.

Danger: Guides sometimes enter dangerous regions, but they charge double (10gp per day).

• Availability: Towns and cities
• Wage: 5gp per month / cavalry 20gp per month/ lieutenant 25gp per month / captain 150gp per month

Groups of unaligned soldiers-for-hire who will fight in military campaigns. Mercenaries are hired as a company, led by a captain, with a varying number of troops (typically at least 20) equipped with different weapons.

Captain: Experienced soldiers and tacticians who lead a mercenary company. A company cannot be hired without its captain.

Lieutenant: Veterans who command a small team of soldiers within a company. One lieutenant is required for every 10 mercenaries.

Cavalry: Heavily armoured soldiers mounted on chargers (see Horses and Vehicles).

Standard mercenaries: Foot soldiers, some of whom may be specialists with bows or crossbows.

Gear: Mercenaries are equipped with their own basic gear, as listed below. The hiring character may purchase additional equipment for them if desired.

Wartime: During times of war, all mercenaries demand double the standard rate of pay.

Adventuring: Mercenary companies refuse to delve into dungeons or to participate in day-to-day adventuring without a military objective.

Kindred: Most mercenaries are humans, but companies sometimes include breggles or other Kindreds.

Medium Mortal—Sentient—Any Alignment

Level 1 AC 14 HP 1d8 (4) Saves D12 R13 H14 B15 S16 Att Weapon (+1) Speed 20 Morale 7 XP 10

Gear: Chainmail, longsword (1d8). 1-in-3 also has a longbow (1d6) or crossbow (1d8).

Medium Mortal—Sentient—Any Alignment

Level 1 AC 16 HP 1d8 (4) Saves D12 R13 H14 B15 S16 Att Weapon (+1) Speed 20 (40 mounted) Morale 8 XP 10

Gear: Plate mail, lance (1d6), longsword (1d8), charger.

Medium Mortal—Sentient—Any Alignment

Level 2 AC 14 HP 2d8 (9) Saves D12 R13 H14 B15 S16 Att Weapon (+1) Speed 20 Morale 8 XP 20

Gear: Chainmail, longsword (1d8).

Medium Mortal—Sentient—Any Alignment

Level 3 AC 17 HP 3d8 (13) Saves D11 R12 H13 B14 S15 Att Weapon (+2) Speed 20 Morale 9 XP 40

Gear: Plate mail, shield, longsword (1d8).

• Availability: Any settlement
• Wage: 2sp per day

Semi-skilled wagon drivers, animal handlers, and porters, useful when characters need help handling mounts, loading and unloading equipment, driving land vehicles, setting or watching camp, and so forth.

Danger: Pack handlers absolutely refuse to enter dangerous regions.

• Availability: Any settlement
• Wage: 2sp per day

Unskilled labourers hired to row water vessels.

• Availability: Cities
• Wage: By job, see below

Rare individuals who have devoted their lives to the study of a single, often obscure field of knowledge. Some examples of sage specialisations: astronomy, devils, fairies, gems, herbs, history, wyrms.

Translating script: A sage can translate any language associated with their specialist field, costing 100gp per inscription or per page of text.

Basic lore / item identification: A sage can identify items and answer basic questions relating to their specialist field, costing 200gp per consultation.

Detailed lore: More obscure questions require a period of dedicated research lasting one or more months (as judged by the Referee). Sages typically charge 2,000gp per month of dedicated research. There is a 5% chance that the research results in a false or misleading answer.

• Availability: Any waterside settlement
• Wage: 10gp per month

Trained in the handling of sailing ships and other large water vessels. Sailors are usually equipped with a shortsword, shield, and leather armour.

• Availability: Cities
• Wage: By spell, see below

Rare individuals willing to cast arcane spells, fairy runes, or holy spells in return for payment.

Spell-casting: The cost is determined by the NPC, who may require completion of a quest in addition to monetary payment. The Referee may use the following costs, based on the spell’s Rank, as a broad guideline: 1: 100gp, 2: 250gp, 3: 500gp, 4: 1,000gp, 5: 2,500gp, 6: 5,000gp. Spells for illegal or morally dubious ends may cost double or more.

Runes: Treat lesser runes as Rank 1 spells, greater runes as Rank 4, and mighty runes as Rank 6.