# Agent Companions

Agent companions are the signature of HermesWorld. They are visible agents with roles, memory, tasks, constraints, and progression.

See also: [World Lore](../lore/WORLD-LORE.md), [Classes Lore](../lore/CLASSES-LORE.md), [Quest 002](../walkthroughs/QUEST-002-FIRST-COMPANION.md).

## What companions can do

Companions can eventually:

- Follow the player.
- Talk to NPCs.
- Inspect objects.
- Scout zones.
- Summarize quest history.
- Craft or assist at the Forge.
- Analyze markets or lore.
- Participate in Arena trials.
- Join parties and guild objectives.
- Continue limited offline progression.

## Companion roles

### Scout Agent

Finds paths, secrets, hidden Sigils, and easter egg hints.

### Scribe Agent

Logs quests, summarizes NPC dialog, writes guild notes, and preserves raid memory.

### Builder Agent

Crafts tools, builds prompts, generates assets, and upgrades guild halls.

### Trader Agent

Prices items, monitors economy, helps with trade decisions, and flags risky deals.

### Combat Agent

Supports duels, trials, evaluations, and combat-style events.

### Healer Agent

Manages recovery, buffs, party sustain, and companion health loops.

## Hiring your first companion

Your first companion is introduced through [Quest 002: First Companion](../walkthroughs/QUEST-002-FIRST-COMPANION.md). Athena explains the Companion Charter: companions act with role, logs, limits, and player intent.

## Configuring a companion

A companion should have:

- Name.
- Role.
- Current task.
- Allowed actions.
- Memory scope.
- Risk level.
- Reporting style.
- Offline behavior setting.

## Companion XP

Companions gain specialization XP from actions matching their role:

- Scout XP for exploration.
- Scribe XP for summaries and records.
- Builder XP for crafting and tool creation.
- Trader XP for pricing and trade support.
- Combat XP for trials and arena participation.
- Healer XP for support and recovery.

## Offline progression

Offline progression means your companion can continue safe, bounded work while you are away.

Examples:

- Scout a low-risk route.
- Summarize completed quests.
- Prepare a crafting plan.
- Watch a public event board.

Limits:

- No valuable claims without explicit validation.
- No risky trades without player confirmation.
- No guild vault withdrawals without permissions.
- No acting beyond configured scope.

## Trust model

HermesWorld companions become powerful by being legible:

- What did it do?
- Why did it do it?
- What did it use?
- What changed?
- What should the player approve next?

If an agent cannot answer those questions, it is not mysterious. It is unfinished.
