I\'ve said this before, and I\'ll say it again: bad idea. Guards should be limited to NPCs and (maybe) very high-level, important PCs, for a couple reasons: first off, what\'s to stop a player from assembling a small army of mercs? Second, you would probably go broke hiring all those guards. Third, where\'s the RP element in that? Why bother adventuring with other players when you can just hire a half-dozen warriors and go kill a dragon with them? And fourth, I\'m sure the powers that be (read: the rulers of the city) would take a dim view of people assmebling their own little army or soldiers, and they would not hesitate to monitor it through spies/magic, or even order it disbanded before the player got the bright idea of trying to take over .