Welcome to the official player guide for the Hallowed Realms Henchman System! Whether you are a solo player looking for an extra edge in deep dungeons, a mage in need of a sturdy frontline meat-shield, or an archer looking for magical support, the Henchman System allows you to hire capable mercenaries to assist you in your adventures.

This guide details everything you need to know about finding, hiring, maintaining, and fighting alongside your contract mercenaries.

Finding and Hiring a Henchman
Mercenaries gather where the drinks flow and rumors abound. You can hire a Henchman at any local Inn by interacting with the Tavern Keeper.

When purchased, your contract takes the form of a Henchman Item placed directly into your backpack.

Fighter Contract: Looks like an armor piece (fighter henchman).

Archer Contract: Looks like a bow (archer henchman).

Wizard Contract: Looks like a magical rod or tool (wizard henchman).

Creature Contract: Looks like a contract token (creature henchman).

Summoning Requirements:
To summon your mercenary out of the contract item, simply double-click it. However, you must meet the following criteria:

Rest Region Only: You must be inside a designated "Rest Region" (such as a town Inn, Guarded Zone, or a Player House that you own) to summon them.

Follower Slots: A henchman requires 1 Follower Slot.

Group Limit: You may only have one active Henchman in your party at any given time.

Death State: If your henchman is currently dead inside the contract, you cannot summon them until you visit a Healer to resurrect them.

When summoned, the contract item disappears from your backpack, and your mercenary steps into the world, fully geared and ready for adventure!

Mercenary Roles & Equipment
Every henchman's gear, colors, and specific weapon loadouts are randomized upon creation, making every mercenary look unique! However, their skill sets strictly define their tactical roles:

⚔️ The Fighter (Henchman Fighter)
AI Archetype: Close-quarters Melee Fighter.

Weapons: Randomly rolls either a Swordsmanship loadout (Broadsword, Viking Sword, Longsword, Scimitar, Katana, etc.) or a Mace Fighting loadout (Mace, Mauler, Club, War Axe).

Defenses: Spawns with a random heavy shield (Heater, Bronze, Wooden, Metal, Chaos/Order style shields) and heavy plate armor or chainmail armor, along with an optional plate helm.

Role: Sturdy frontline tank designed to hold aggro and take a beating.

🏹 The Archer (Henchman Archer)
AI Archetype: Ranged Archer.

Weapons: Randomly rolls either a standard Bow setup (Bow, Composite Bow, Elven Bow) or a Crossbow setup (Crossbow, Heavy Crossbow, Repeating Crossbow).

Defenses: Wears lighter, flexible leather or studded leather armor configurations and usually goes helmet-less or wears a light cap.

Role: High-sustained physical DPS from a safe distance.

🔮 The Wizard (Henchman Wizard)
AI Archetype: Full Magery Caster.

Weapons: Equipped with a defensive Wizard Staff or Magical Gnarled Staff.

Defenses: Classic wizard robes, cloaks, and hats randomized in various dyed hues.

Role: Ranged spellcasting, raw elemental damage output, and active magical crowd control.

🐾 The Creature/Monster (Henchman Monster)
AI Archetype: Beast / Brawler Melee.

Role: A non-human monstrous companion hired to tear through enemies using raw claws, teeth, and natural high-physical capabilities.

Management, Morale, & The Pay System
Henchmen do not fight for eternal loyalty; they fight for Gold and Glory. Their service relies on a dynamic time and morale system governed by their internal Fame.

Service Time & Morale Depletion
When you summon a Henchman, they will stay with you for a specific duration based on their initial Fame pool.

While traveling through dangerous lands (any non-rest region), your henchman’s service timer ticks down every 60 seconds, consuming 5 points of Fame.

Morale Warnings: When their remaining time drops low (under 5 minutes / 25 Fame remaining), they will start to complain out loud, warning you that they feel the journey lacks profit and that they intend to leave soon.

Desertion: If their service time/Fame hits 0, they will immediately stop fighting, voice their complaints (e.g., "I think I will head back to town and get a drink," or "The risk is not worth the little reward"), desawn from the world, and retreat back into your backpack as a dormant contract item.

Checking Status
You can check your henchman's exact status at any time. They will speak directly to you, stating exactly how many bandages they have left and precisely how many minutes remain on their contract.

Extending Contracts (The Loot Share)
To keep your henchman happy and extend their service time, you must pay them! You can drag and drop treasure directly onto your henchman. They accept:

Gold Coins

Copper/Regional Coins

Gems and Jewels (Valued at double or triple gold value!)

Xormite / Crystals

When you hand them treasure, they will joyfully pocket it, loudly proclaim their satisfaction (e.g., "My purse grows heavier. I like this arrangement!"), and their service timer will be significantly extended.

Combat Mechanics & Caretaking
Your henchman is a living part of your combat team. They react organically to the battlefield and require care to stay optimal.

Automatic Healing & Bandages
Henchmen will automatically apply bandages to themselves during or after combat if they are injured, missing stamina, or low on mana.

They have a functional Healing skill checks. At higher skill levels, they can successfully cure themselves of lethal poisons using their bandage supply.

Keep an eye on their bandage count via the status command!

Combat Commentary
Mercenaries add immense immersion to your hunts. They have custom combat triggers and will dynamically shout battle cries or talk smack to your enemies when they land a massive melee blow, get struck by a spell, or see a monster challenge them.

Combat Support Items
You can hand items directly to your henchman to assist them in a pinch:

Poisoned? Drag and drop a Cure Potion (Lesser, Standard, or Greater) directly onto them. They will instantly drink it, cure their affliction, play a drinking sound, and hand you back an empty glass bottle!

Mounts and Movement Speed
Mounting Up: When you mount your own steed, your humanoid henchmen (Fighters, Archers, Wizards) will automatically call forth a specialized Hench Horse and mount up alongside you, increasing their movement speed to match your pace.

Dismounting: When you dismount to engage in foot combat, your henchmen will automatically dismiss their horses and adjust their movement speed to a standard combat stride.

What Happens If They Die?
If your henchman falls in battle:

They do not leave a lootable corpse on the ground; instead, they instantly collapse back into their respective contract item inside your backpack.

The contract item will change its name to indicate that the henchman inside is Dead.

To bring them back, you must travel to a town Healer or Shrine, where you can utilize resurrection services to revive your companion contract before they can be summoned again.

Quick Tips for Adventurers:
Pay as you go: Don't wait for your henchman to threaten to quit. Every time you clear a major dungeon room, pass a bit of gold or loose gems to your mercenary to keep their timer maxed out.

Cure them quickly: While they can bandage through poisons, an unlucky healing fail can be fatal. Keep a few spare Cure Potions in your pack to toss to them if they get heavily poisoned by high-end monsters.

Dismiss Safely: If you need to log out or leave your keyboard, head into a town Inn or your house. Keeping them inside a Rest Region halts their morale decay, ensuring they don't desert you while you are away!