Mercenary System

Overview

The mercenary system is designed to add a new dimension to Ragnarok Online, allowing players to have an NPC henchman to fight at their side. Players will be able to support, party with, and control a mercenary using an updated version of the homunculus system. Different from homunculi, any player can use mercenaries, but instead of a creature that grows alongside you, mercenaries have fixed stats based on the level of mercenary summoned. A contract is made with a mercenary and scrolls are used to call them into battle. Both homunculus and mercenary can be used by a player at once. Mercenaries are all of the Demi Human race.

Summoning a Mercenary

Initially to make use of the mercenary system, you must visit one of the mercenary guilds across the Rune-Midgarts Kingdom. The Spearman Mercenary Guild is located in Prontera (prontera 41, 337), the Bowman Mercenary Guild is in Payon (pay_arche 99, 167), and the Fencer Mercenary Guild is located in Izlude (izlude 47, 139). To invoke a contract with a mercenary and summon one to your side, you must purchase scrolls. The cost of scrolls increases with higher level mercenaries, and the maximum level of mercenary that can be summoned is limited by a character's base level. Some high-level contracts require a certain amount of Loyalty Points to purchase, and the Superior Mercenary Scroll (Level 10) can only purchased in exchange for loyalty points. Scrolls cannot be sold, transfered, or moved into storage or carts.

The stats of the mercenary summoned is based on the scroll used and they come with fixed skills which are different depending on the type of mercenary summoned. Once a mercenary is summoned, it will last either until it dies or the contract expires.

AI

The mercenary system is very similar to that used by the homunculus, as both are run by an AI on the client side. Mercenaries by default use a non-aggressive AI and only attack targets hitting the player or targets the player is attacking. The AI itself is located in the /AI/ folder in the RO directory. Where as homunculus normally executes AI.Lua, mercenaries use a separate file AI_M.Lua. Users can and are encouraged to customize their mercenary AI by modifying the files in the /AI/USER_AI/ folder. Instead of configuring it with /hoai command in-game, players use /merai instead to configure custom AI.

Interface

The following are keys used to control mercenaries.

Enemy Targeting - Alt + Left Click (on monster)

Left clicking once will cause the mercenary to queue up the monster. Left click again and the mercenary will immediately switch targets.

Moving - Alt + Left Click (on ground)

Alt and Left Clicking on the ground will cause the mercenary to stop everything and move to the target cell.

Standby - Ctrl + T

In standby the mercenary will stop everything and wait for orders at the master's side.

Information - Ctrl + R

Opens the mercenary status window.

Usage

Mercenary Details

Base Stats

A mercenary's level and statistics are fixed when summoning, based on the level of scroll used. However, based on one's Loyalty Points with that mercenary's guild and the kill count, additional bonuses can be received.

Skills

Mercenary skills are based on the level of the mercenary summoned, and one's Loyalty Points with the mercenary guild. Skills act as if they have been used by a Party member; for example, the Sacrifice skill will not function if the mercenary's own level is not within 10 levels of the summoner.

Supportive Skills

The mercenary is considered very much the same as a player and all supportive magic should function, with the following exceptions:

Skill	Effect
Increase Agility	Mercenary will receive a boost to its flee rate only.
Blessing	Mercenary will receive a boost to its hit rate only, and will cure cursed status.
Heal	Heal only recovers 1/2 the normal amount that it would heal a player.
Endow Blaze	Players can only cast Endow Blaze on the Mercenary if they are the summoner.
Endow Quake	Players can only cast Endow Quake on the Mercenary if they are the summoner.
Endow Tornado	Players can only cast Endow Tornado on the Mercenary if they are the summoner.
Endow Tsunami	Players can only cast Endow Tsunami on the Mercenary if they are the summoner.
Ankle Snare	A maximum of 10 traps can be placed at one time. Traps can be placed directly beneath targets.
Provoke	Can be cast on players as well as enemies. Can be used to break stone curse and frozen states.

Upkeep

Mercenaries require no feeding or upkeep to keep in play like homunculus or pets (though its contract automatically expires after 30 minutes).

Separation

If a mercenary moves more than 15 cells away it will be teleported to the summoner's position.

Player Versus Player

Mercenaries can be used in both PvP and WoE maps. Mercenaries are unable to damage the emperium.

Appearance

Each class of mercenary has its own custom sprite. Each level of mercenary uses a specific headgear that allows it to be identified. These headgears cannot be chosen or changed and do not have any effect on the performance of your mercenary.

End of Contract

The following are the 4 conditions in which a mercenary will leave its master. In each case, the game will display a message in the chat box as to why the mercenary left.

Contractor Dies

The player summoning the Mercenary has died.

Mercenary Dies

The mercenary summoned has died.

Contract Ends

The mercenary contract lasts 30 minutes, after which the mercenary will leave.

Contract Canceled

The player manually dismisses the mercenary.

Loyalty

As a player fights along side with mercenaries, that player can gain Loyalty Points. More points gives the player faster Killcount Bonuses and allows the player to contract higher level mercenaries. Number of Loyalty Points is specific to each guild of mercenaries, so for example if a player gains a large number of points with the Bowman Mercenary Guild, the amount will have no effect on their standing with the Fencer and Spearman guilds.

The following conditions affect one's Loyalty Points.

Fighting Together with Mercenary

When a suitably strong monster is killed by a player (more than 1/2 the base level of the player), their Killcount goes up by 1. It doesn't matter if the player or the mercenary kills the monster, or if they work together to kill it. For every 50 killcount, they gain one Loyalty Point.

Successfully Completing a Contract

If a player and their mercenary successfully survive the full duration of a 30 minute contract, they gain one Loyalty Point.

Mercenary Dies

If the mercenary is killed while bound by contract to a player, they lose one Loyalty Point.

Killcount

As either the player or their mercenary kills monsters (monsters higher than 1/2 the base level of the owner), their killcount will increase. At fixed killcount intervals, a mercenary will receive a random boost to one of their stats. The number of kills required goes down based on the player's reputation with that mercenaries guild. The mercenary can obtain multiple bonuses, which will increase another stat randomly or boost the same one further. There's a total of 5 increases that can be received to each stat.

Killcount bonuses do not stack, and if a player receives a higher level bonus it will replace the existing bonus of that type.

	Lvl 1	Lvl 2	Lvl 3	Lvl 4	Lvl 5
Flee Boost	+15	+30	+45	+60	+75
Attack Power Boost	+15	+30	+45	+60	+75
HP Boost	+5%	+10%	+15%	+20%	+25%
SP Boost	+5%	+10%	+15%	+20%	+25%
Hit Boost	+15	+30	+45	+60	+75

In the case that the mercenary receives a boost to its HP, their HP will be completely recovered. Likewise, if SP is increased they will fully recover their SP.

The boost to stats that are received is not permanent, and is lost at the end of the contract, regardless of how it ends.

Item Pricing and Limitations

Item Name	Level Requirement	Other Requirements	Price*	Effect
Level 1 Scroll	Base Level 15+	None	7,000Z	Summons a level 20 mercenary.
Level 2 Scroll	Base Level 25+	None	14,000Z	Summons a level 30 mercenary.
Level 3 Scroll	Base Level 35+	None	21,000Z	Summons a level 40 mercenary.
Level 4 Scroll	Base Level 45+	None	28,000Z	Summons a level 50 mercenary.
Level 5 Scroll	Base Level 55+	None	35,000Z	Summons a level 60 mercenary.
Level 6 Scroll	Base Level 65+	None	42,000Z	Summons a level 70 mercenary.
Level 7 Scroll	Base Level 75+	50+ Loyalty Points	49,000Z	Summons a level 80 mercenary.
Level 8 Scroll	Base Level 85+	100+ Loyalty Points	56,000Z	Summons a level 90 mercenary.
Level 9 Scroll	Base Level 90+	300+ Loyalty Points	63,000Z	Summons a level 95 mercenary.
Level 10 Scroll	Base Level 90+	500+ Loyalty Points	400 Loyalty Points	Summons a level 99 mercenary.
Mercenary Red Potion	-	None	1750Z	Recovers a base of 1000 HP.
Mercenary Blue Potion	-	None	3500Z	Recovers a base of 100 SP.
Mercenary Concentration Potion	-	None	560Z	Increases Mercenary ASPD by 10%.
Mercenary Awakening Potion	Level 40+ Mercenary	None	1050Z	Increases Mercenary ASPD by 15%.
Mercenary Berserk Potion	Level 80+ Mercenary	None	2100Z	Increases Mercenary ASPD by 20%.

Fencer Mercenary

Scroll Level	Mercenary Name	Level	HP	SP	ATK	Hit	Flee	DEF	MDEF	HP/SP Regen	Headgear	Skills
1	David	20	502	70	174~261	50	47	26+5	0+3	8 HP per 8s 2 SP per 6s	Giant Band Aid	Bash Level 1 Decrease AGI Level 1
2	Ellen	30	979	99	258~387	65	68	31+6	0+9	10 HP per 8s 2 SP per 6s	Angry Snarl	Magnum Break Level 3 Provoke Level 5
3	Luise	40	1,555	134	326~489	80	85	36+7	3+9	13 HP per 8s 4 SP per 6s	Elephant Hat	Benediction Level 1 Weapon Quicken Level 1
4	Frank	50	2,397	162	382~573	90	109	39+8	5+10	18 HP per 8s 4 SP per 6s	Baseball Cap	Crash Level 1 Magnum Break Level 5
5	Ryan	60	3,387	195	406~609	105	128	42+9	7+10	24 HP per 8s 5 SP per 6s	Funeral Hat	Bash Level 5 Benediction Level 1 Crash Level 4
6	Paolo	70	4,495	241	436~654	120	145	45+10	12+17	33 HP per 8s 8 SP per 6s	Hibiscus	Decrease AGI Level 3 Sense Level 1
7	Jens	80	5,889	279	468~702	135	168	47+11	15+17	45 HP per 8s 9 SP per 6s	Tiger Mask	Bash Level 10 Berserk Level 1 Scapegoat Level 1
8	Thierry	90	7,520	325	500~750	150	185	49+12	18+24	60 HP per 8s 13 SP per 6s	Crescent Helm	Bowling Bash Level 5 Compress Level 1
9	Steven	95	9,052	348	524~786	155	190	51+12	22+27	104 HP per 8s 14 SP per 6s	Angeling Hat	Shield Reflect Level 5 Crash Level 3
10	Wayne	99	12,355	451	760~1,040	159	204	64+30	30+45	228 HP per 8s 25 SP per 6s	Solar God Helm	Bash Level 10 Bowling Bash Level 10 Frenzy Level 1

Bowman Mercenary

Scroll Level	Mercenary Name	Level	HP	SP	ATK	Hit	Flee	DEF	MDEF	HP/SP Regen	Headgear	Skills
1	Mina	20	256	200	170~255	48	36	7+5	5+3	7 HP per 8s 6 SP per 6s	Beanie	Double Strafe Level 2 Berserk
2	Dororu	30	457	70	228~342	70	48	11+8	7+5	8 HP per 8s 6 SP per 6s	Golden Gear	Arrow Shower Level 2 Sight Level 1
3	Nami	40	732	93	260~390	92	61	15+12	9+10	11 HP per 8s 3 SP per 6s	Golden Bells	Arrow Repel Level 1 Weapon Quicken Level 2
4	Elfin	50	1092	116	310~465	110	83	18+17	11+14	17 HP per 8s 3 SP per 6s	Alice Doll	Magnificat Level 1 Sense Level 1 Tender Level 1
5	Clara	60	2212	280	360~540	143	101	20+17	13+20	29 HP per 8s 9 SP per 6s	Kabuki Mask	Double Strafe Level 5 Remove Trap Level 1
6	Dali	70	3098	353	424~636	153	116	21+24	15+33	51 HP per 8s 16 SP per 6s	Crown of Ancient Queen	Double Strafe Level 7 Skid Trap Level 3 Decrease AGI Level 1
7	Karaya	80	4051	415	468~702	171	135	24+27	16+39	72 HP per 8s 21 SP per 6s	Zealotus Mask	Arrow Shower Level 10 Freezing Trap Level 2 Mental Cure Level 1
8	Hiyori	90	5039	469	481~723	193	155	24+27	18+40	88 HP per 8s 24 SP per 6s	Silver Tiara	Sandman Level 3 Weapon Quicken Level 2 Provoke Level 3
9	Kero	95	5572	499	500~750	205	166	25+27	20+41	96 HP per 8s 26 SP per 6s	Nekomimi	Double Strafe Level 10 Land Mine Level 5 Arrow Repel Level 1
10	Sukye	99	7381	642	816~1124	222	182	49+27	49+41	126 HP per 8s 34 SP per 6s	Etc	Arrow Repel Level 1 Berserk Level 1 Focused Arrow Strike Level 10 Level 1 Weapon Quicken Level 5

Spearman Mercenary

Scroll Level	Mercenary Name	Level	HP	SP	ATK	Hit	Flee	DEF	MDEF	HP/SP Regen	Headgear	Skills
1	Rodin	22	2071	100	168~252	52	23	30+4	1+3	11 HP per 8s 2 SP per 6s	Nurse Cap	Pierce Level 1 Regain Level 1
2	Lancer	34	2523	131	208~312	71	35	33+4	1+3	12 HP per 8s 3 SP per 6s	Dark Blinder	Brandish Spear Level 2 Lex Divina Level 1
3	Nathan	41	3397	161	248~372	81	42	36+22	55+12	51 HP per 8s 3 SP per 6s	Goblin Leader Mask	Pierce Level 2 Recuperate Level 1 Sacrifice Level 1
4	Roan	55	4580	191	300~450	105	57	39+35	5+17	102 HP per 8s 4 SP per 6s	Sheep Hat	Crash Level 1 Defending Aura Level 1
5	Orizaro	60	5899	221	350~510	120	62	42+39	10+19	144 HP per 8s 4 SP per 6s	Lazy Smokie	Guard Level 3 Pierce Level 5
6	Thyla	72	7874	252	370~555	133	75	46+15	10+84	77 HP per 8s 30 SP per 6s	Grief for Greed	Brandish Spear Level 5 Weapon Quicken Level 2
7	Ben	81	10260	330	380~570	142	84	50+63	15+51	394 HP per 8s 14 SP per 6s	Marionette Doll	Berserk Level 1 Sacrifice Level 1
8	Pinaka	90	13167	366	400~600	153	110	55+74	20+57	591 HP per 8s 16 SP per 6s	Lion Mask	Pierce Lv10 Provoke Level 5 Scapegoat Level 1
9	Kuhlmann	95	14648	398	440~660	158	120	60+77	25+63	683 HP per 8s 20 SP per 6s	Cross Helm	Brandish Spear Level 10 Defending Aura Level 3 Guard Level 7
10	Roux	99	18000	413	700~950	169	129	70+90	30+75	978 HP per 8s 23 SP per 6s	Lord Kaho Horns	Clashing Spiral Level 5 Guard Level 10 Sacrifice Level 3 Weapon Quicken Level 5

Monster Mercenary

Scroll Name	Level	HP	SP	ATK	Hit	Flee	DEF	MDEF	ASPD	Skills
Wild Rose	38	4000	50	?	?	123	?	?	?	Bash Level 5
Doppelganger	72	7800	200	231~247	147	122	43	18	166	Bash Level 5 Weapon Quicken Level 5 Sacrifice Level 3
Egnigem Cenia	78	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	Unknown

Mercenary Skills

Mercenaries have access to a wide variety of skills, both new skills and skills that are currently used by player classes. The exact skills a mercenary receives varies from mercenary to mercenary, but usually they get anywhere from 2-4 skills. Stronger and higher level skills are usually only available to high level mercenaries. Skills from summoned mercenaries can be cast from the AI code or manually by assigning it to a hotkey for you to target.