A PC might want to hire, or upgrade, troops for many reasons - here a few examples:

• You want someone to act as a servant / footman / page. (Watch)
• A business wants to improve security. (Watch, Guard)
• A homeowner wants to secure their house. (Watch, Guard)
• As a status symbol - wealthy and important people/businesses have their own security.
• A town needs guards. (Watch, Guard, Soldiers)
• A merchant or ship's captain wants to protect their cargo. (Guard, Soldiers)
• As a status symbol (2) - Better equipped troops are higher status.
• You want to clear or secure an area of countryside. (Various)
• You need to fight a war. (Various)

There are a couple of things to be aware of, when you look through the lists below.

• As always, these standard NPCs are built with very simple profiles (commoner abilities are all 11, other NPC class abilities are all 12, giving a +1 to each skill)
• Unless you provide accommodation (bunk or lodgings space) for your troops, they go home when they are off duty and are, effectively, part-timers. That probably means one person on duty at any particular time, which is enough to raise the alarm and call the watch, but with no chance to call out the whole unit if you are attacked.
• Unless you have an armoury, troops come with the most basic equipment, and only have the minimum they need to do the job. You can buy extra gear for then, at cost (remembering there are five in each unit) which can be a cost-effective solution if the equipment come to less than 39gp per person. However, if you want to employ a better, or higher status, guards an armoury (390gp) is the better option. Be aware that an armoury will only provide for two units of experienced troops, or one unit of elite troops - so you might find it beneficial to use different techniques for different troop types.

These rules fall some way between the Pathfinder Downtime system and the recruiting rules from Skull & Shackles.

1. There is a cost associated with recruiting any team, which covers agents, money spent while looking and minimal equipment for new team members. Team numbers, skills and costs reflect those in the Downtime systems, although there are minor differences.
2. You must also make a good impression on the team that you with to recruit, so there is also an Influence Check. This can be a Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidation check, the DC is 10 plus 2xLevel of the team, with +2 if the team have a PC class. A team of Watchmen (Commoner-1) has a DC of 12, a team of Elite Soldiers (Warrior-3) has a DC of 16, while a team of Artillerists (Fighter-2) also have a DC of 16.
3. To recruit any of the teams listed below, you must be in an appropriate town or city. You won’t find a team of Elite Archers, etc, in a small village - but you might find a team for The Watch.

Guards & members of the watch protect things and expect to stay in civilized areas. They are not deployed to fight wars or battles, and expect to spend the bulk of their time in secure areas (This might be a walled enclosure in the wilderness or on the frontier). All other troops can be deployed as guards (in both civilised, frontier or wilderness) OR be sent to fight in battles or wars.

Members of the watch are Commoner-1, most other troops are Warrior-1, up to elite troops who are Warrior-3. However, you should note that this is the average ability of the troop. A 'standard' unit might actually consist of an 2xExperts(L1), 2xWarriors(L1) and 1xFighter(L2) - but they will all be treated as L1 warriors. An elite unit will follow a similar pattern. However, no characters in the unit ever have individual character sheets, and they are not considered individually - unless an individual becomes a more important recurring character.

These troops are the starting point for most people, and probably all the middle classes need. They offer security for upmarket families, homes and businesses in towns, making them less prone to burglaries and theft. Unless you have accommodation space (either Bunks or lodgings) available - these troops go home overnight. The Watch all have Perception-4, while Guards and Soldiers have Profession(soldier)-5

Experienced Troops are not covered by the Downtime Rules, which jump straight from Basic Troops (L1) to Elite Troops (L3). However, other occupational roles include L2 NPCs, some of which (eg Pirates and Marines) impinge on descriptions. .

You must have an armoury, before you can recruit Experienced Troops. (except for members of The Watch as detailed below)

You must add an Armoury before you can recruit experienced troops, as they expect to be issued with proper equipment by their employer. An armoury costs 390gp and can provide weapons and armour for up to ten troops. If you wish to employ more than ten experienced troops, you need more armouries. An armoury can serve different troops and, for example, a single armoury might serve a unit of Experienced Guards and a unit of Experienced Archers at the same time. The Watch do not really benefit from an armoury, and it is better to equip them individually.

Unless you tell me differently, troops will be issues with the equipment listed below. You can develop your own weapon set for troops, however the cost must not exceed 100gp per individual. This is the minimum gear that a professional guard or soldier would expect to be issued with - although you can enhance your troops by spending extra GP, if you want to.

Elite Troops are all Warrior-3 and expect to have better equipment than their junior counterparts. Therefore, a single armoury can only support one unit of Elite Troops.

NOTE: This is a change from the downtime rules and an easy way to factor in the extra costs of employing better and more sophisticated troops

You must add an Armoury before you can recruit elite troops, as they expect to be issued with proper equipment by their employer. An armoury costs 390gp and can provide weapons and armour for one unit of five Elite Troops. If you wish to employ more than one unit of Elite Troops, you need more armouries.

Unless you tell me differently, troops will be issues with the equipment listed below. You can develop your own weapon set for troops, however the cost must not exceed 200gp per individual. This is the minimum gear that a professional guard or soldier would expect to be issued with - although you can enhance your troops by spending extra GP, if you want to.

Cavalry are expensive. Very expensive. Not only are they Elite Troops and, therefore, need an armoury (390gp) per unit - they also need a stable(1,710 gp) per unit and a light war horse (110gp) for each rider. This means you must spend 2,650gp as part of your recruitment drive for each unit.

Unless you tell me differently, troops will be issues with the equipment listed below. You can develop your own weapon set for troops, however the cost must not exceed 200gp per individual - but this will buy you less than the standard equipment issue. You can enhance your troops by spending extra GP, if you want to.

However, they are the best fast response troops available to you - which is why Mercenary PC groups often get sent on that type of mission :)