1. Esquival the Freshmaker - Obese baker with dreams of being a knight. Surprisingly tough, but gets winded easy, -4 Svs vs Exhaustion from travel. Treat as always carrying a Medium Load. Excellent income means he comes with a coat of scales (let out to acccomodate his bulk, only +3 armor bonus), longsword, sturdy wood shield and enough supplies for a week in the wilds. Pay as soldier.
2. Zelga the Begger - Former Guild-Thief. Maimed (foot sawed off) as punishment for prior thefts. Reduced to begging in the town square. Speed reduced to 20ft and -2 AC but Skill Focus in Perception/Disable Device. Starts out with no gear but cloak, crutch and beggar's bowl. She will accept the lowest level of pay despite her skills.
3. Pol - A draper's son, claims to be 17 but clearly younger. Ran away or disowned. Literate and excellent with figures. Useless at physical labor. Offers himself as a clerk (skilled pay) but will take job as linkboy. Has a dagger, pot of tar and a few torches.
4. The Dragon - Fire-swallower. This former circus performer is well-muscled but recalcitrant. Has an oroborous tattoo over chest and stomach. Lost his taste buds long ago. Does not start with gear, shirt or shoes. Can be hired as unskilled labor (in which case he won't fight) or as soldier (skilled brawler but will eventually demand equipment).
5. Jon the Bargeman - Tall and hiresut with knotty, powerful muscles. His broken bargepole makes for a quarterstaff. No one his age should be as strong as he is. Sharp-eyed, rarely speaks. Hire as labor or combatant--will do either without complaint. Mourning his wife. 15% chance every day he departs without a word.
6. Brian the Chicken-Infested Peasant - A former crofter, Brian suffers from a curse that causes chickens to spontaneously appear inside his clothing. This is definitely uncomfortable for him (the chickens claw, bite and often immediately shit) but a boon to any party that will adopt him. Brian produces 1d4 chickens every day unless he is naked or constantly observed (the chickens only appear when no one's looking). The fowl are violent-tempered and immediately try to escape. Brian dearly wants the money to pay for a Remove Curse and might do anything to get it. He has no equipment.
7. Llewyn of Blauders - Llewyn is a skilled rogue who was born into a minor religious sect. A total pacifist, he refuses to carry weapons or participate in combat even to save himself. Nonetheless Llewyn is an excellent acrobat, trap-disabler and has a talent for making himself scarce. Pay as an expert hireling with hazard pay. He has leather armor, thieves' tools, a bag of marbles and a collapsible 10-foot pole.
8. Arecilia Dantwidge - This pale, death-obsessed young woman is a noble scion and terrible poet looking for "experience." She wants to witness combat, poke dead bodies, and examine monsters up close. She will make a game effort at being a hireling but has no idea how to do basic things like start a fire, dig a pit, etc., tires easily. Can be a clerk, linkgirl or unskilled labor. Has a wardrobe worth 35 gp, purse of 100 gp and set of masterwork daggers. A gang of bounty hunters hired by her parents will arrive to collect her in 2d4 weeks.
9. Vaughn Meachum - An ex-miner and mason with many useful skills. Stonecunning as a dwarf, able to recognize metal veins, coal seams etc. Starts with a shovel, which he wields with deadly skill, and a manual of architecture and engineering. He is in fact a budding revolutionary and will attempt to secretly organize the party's hirelings against them.
10. Chauncey St. Claire and His Amazing Pigs - This swineherd (Com3, Skill Focus Handle Animal) has a staff, wallet and three puckish pigs he has drilled to near-perfection. The pigs are watchier than watchdogs, excellent at foraging and can fight viciously as a coordinated team. Give them 8 tricks, teamwork feats, alertness and trapsense +3. Chauncey will expect to be treated as a full party member and also a stream of constant flattery to his handsome and clever animals. He will not brook sending his pigs alone into danger. The animals actually know no loyalty and will will eat anyone left alone and vulnerable, including Chauncey.
11. Ebard the Touched - Once a teller of false fortunes and seller of fake relics, Ebard has since become known as a wild-eyed mountebank. A wallet of food, some torches and a ratty old robe are all he brings. He claims that dreams and visions have summoned him to the deep chambers of the earth, there to sublime his mortal existence before an immensity he calls The Caller in Dreams. He will perform any task so long as a party takes him into the deeps beneath the earth. Once below he manifests supernatural abilities--either give him the Oracle class or Sanctuary and Know Direction as (Sp)s. Ebard will continue to serve the party faithfully until an encounter with a Gelatinous Cube, Ochre Jelly or other ooze---whereon he will charge forth to be devoured by the thing, crying "as I dreamed! I go to join the world-mind! This mortality is over!"
12. Jack Ville - The son of poor but proud farriers, this well-muscled youth desires experience and to collect some interesting stories before settling down. No equipment and knows none but his father's trade, but will shoulder his burden however tasked. The joke with this guy is he is exactly what he appears to be. See how long it takes for your players destroy his innocence, for science.
