Minions are combatants who don’t matter much to the story and, on their own, present little threat to the player characters.
Minions largely function the same way as any other character in combat. The differences for minions are outlined below.
Minions Have 1 Health
The big difference for minions is that they have only 1 health. If they take 1 health damage, they are removed from combat. The GM can decide whether the minion actually dies or not. If using the initiative damage plugin, 1 initiative damage will also end the minion.
Minion Statblocks
Minions do not have separate stats from other NPCs & antagonists. Instead, the GM simply decides when any given NPC should be a minion. You could theoretically make a God-Dragon into a minion (although you shouldn’t).
When To Use Minions
Any or all of the following factors indicate that it’s a good idea to use minions:
- A single powerful antagonist has henchmen around him to protect him.
- The total number of NPCs in the fight is more than 3 but less than 10.
- If its more than 10, consider using the Troops mechanics.
- Not all combats are about who wins or losses. Sometimes a combat is just to see if the enemy guards can sound the alarm when attacked. Minions are useful for this sort of encounter.