I will fill this in as the role-play continues. I also include links for those seeking to know more about the times. If there is something you feel that I should add or that I disagree with and you have documentation, PM it to me.
Currencyhttp://www.history.ac.uk/richardII/coinage.htmlWe are going to assume that the pence was worth about $1.50 back then.
A more international currency, the ducat, is worth about $100 a coin.
FinancesPayment: An honest day's work. Usually expected to participate in the battle more competently than the peasant levies we are replacing.
Raiding: When mercenaries go unpaid, they may raid there former employers lands. Taking small castles or forts and holding them for ransom to our employer is not overly uncommon. After the initial raid, it would be common for mercenaries to demand 'protection' money from the towns.
Ransom: When you capture an English Man-At-Arms, A knight, or a warhorse, you don't kill them. Historical ransoms have made countries go bankrupt, and anyone our company captures we get to sell off.
http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/1465Arms & ArmorDuring this time period you would see a rise in the popularity of the two handed weapons, and further development of plate.
Budget: On the body, you might see a type of armor known as a
Gambeson. A dagger would be considered essential, and a pike or
Halberd would be both cheap, easy to use, and effective against most types of armor. If you are using a one handed weapon, a large
Heater Shield would be considered a popular choice. A cheap helmet might be thrown on top to protect the head.
An Investment: As your armor improves, you might throw some small plates into the mix. By now the inventions of the
Coat of Plates and
Splint Armor had been around for some time (although splint armor was more popular in Germany. A wider variety of helms would be available to Men-At-Arms, and a cavalryman might have plated lower legs, knee cops, and an all in one great helm if mounted. If your an eastern character, especially from Muscovy, you might have
Lamellar armor.
I'm Invincible! A wealthy nobleman or knight would make several additions as well. Aside from having better fitted armor, in general the plates would also be made of higher quality materials. (Except for the absolute best harnesses, in general armor steel was worse than weapon steel). They would likely throw on mail as well over their gambeson. You could also expect their armor to feature more plates. They might have a secondary helm underneath a massive great helm in order to allow the knight to transition between foot and mounted combat more effectively. Keep in mind that the 1350s knight was not a fully plated figure, the 'knight in shining armor' appeared around 1420. The cost of this type of set up would be about that of a Ferrari, along with another Ferrari for a warhorse.