Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia refers to all the "optional" staff and equipment which a troop leader may choose to bring along, but must pay extra for.

People

There is more to a troop leader's personal retinue than scribes and soldiers. Often it is necessary to hire specialised people to perform certain tasks, and so make the whole unit more effective.

Scouts

Trained scouts just plain make your life easier, and make your unit more versatile and effective. Their first and most obvious use is in the collection of trained scout reports. They also make it less likely that you'll get lost on the way.

Healers

Healers tend to your wounded troops, when you're on the road. Having one or two around will ensure that your wounded men get the best possible care when you're away from towns or cities. Of course, some wounds are simply beyond help, and overworked healers often have to prioritise their cases and let troops die who might otherwise live.

Command Staff

It's often useful in battle to exert one's authority and make sure everyone is in line. Ultimately, the effectiveness depends on the leadership of the troop leader, but it's also necessary to have sufficient staff to carry orders and information back and forth.

Equipment

Your unit carries lots of equipment: weapons, armour, pots, pans, saddles, tents, etc. That's all taken care of, as are the mules, and the small equipment wagons, as part of your soldiers' pay. There are a few things, however, which belong to the whole unit -- and which, therefore, you must pay for yourself. Each item of equipment needs a number of men to operate it; if you have too few able-bodied men in your troop to operate all your equipment, some of it will be automatically abandoned.

Carts

The next best thing to a healer when you have wounded men is a good sturdy cart. Let the wounded travel in style at the expense of a healthy couple of soldiers! It won't really help them get better, but it will help them travel much more quickly. Of course, you can't pile them too high; if you have lots of wounded men, you'll need lots of carts. Needs 2 men per cart.

Banners

During the chaos of battle, it can become easy to get disoriented, confused, and even lost. Confused troops are more likely to panic and flee. By the use of brightly coloured banners with the insignia of your unit and your realm, you can direct the eyes of your troops in battle -- keep them together. Archers don't usually see the use, but cavalry and infantry live and die by their banners. Needs 1 man per banner.

Siege Engines

It is likely that at some point you will find yourself facing fortifications: whether the dirt and wood fortifications of a rural command post, or the tall granite walls of a citadel. Sure, you could tell your men to climb with their hands and ropes, but that's not always going to work. Siege engines will do the trick of providing some means of helping your troops climb in a group, making it harder to throw them back from the walls, and doing some damage to the fortifications to boot.

Unfortunately, siege engines are incredibly heavy and hard to maneuver -- they'll slow you down something terrible. Most units don't consider these standard equipment.

Caravans

Need to carry some food or wood? Caravans are the only way for a troopleader to do this. Traders can manage at least half a dozen caravans at a time and perhaps more; soldiers and other classes are lucky to be able to handle just two. A single caravan carries up to 100 bushels of food. In addition to carrying goods, caravans are good at slowing you and your unit down considerably.

Caravans may have some limited use to normal soldiers. If you have food in the caravans you have with you, and there is starvation in the region you are in, your men will eat the food carried in your caravans. This will protect them from getting sick due to lack of food.

Giant Wooden Badgers

There are no giant wooden badgers in this game. You cannot build them, you cannot buy them. Stop asking about them. Seriously. (But what about some Holy Hand Grenades?)