There are various various minions in the game with a variety of attributes. Some also have unique interactions.
Minions have several technical details that need to be considered when creating a replacement.
Some minions are classified as a terrestrial creatures and some are flying/floating creatures
Minions can have unpredictable scaling, but are usually 1 to 1.
Minions tend to have a small list of movement animations.
Minions are generally the simplest creatures to edit.
A Minion replacement generally involves several basic parts
Model replacement
Skeleton replacement
Binder replacement
Idle Animation replacement
Movement Animation replacement
Special Animation, VFX, and SFX replacement
In addition to the basic parts of the replacement, there are often other factors to consider that are more advanced edits
Scaling the model, skeleton, animations, and binders.
Minions generally do not have attachment settings. So when replacing it with a creature that is supposed to wield a particular weapon, the weapon has to be located and manually attached and weighted to the skeleton to be added to the model.
Some creatures, like Demi-humans, have multiple separate pieces that are combined by the game to give them variety. These parts have to be combined together to use as a replacement.
When thinking about what kind of creature you want to use for a replacement, think about some details about the creature.
If it's a terrestrial creatures, does it have a movement animation? Some terrestrial creatures, like Menphina with Dalamud, are stationary and thus do not have movement animations necessary for a terrestrial creature to appear to be walking or running. This is usually not an issue for floating/flying creatures that can get away with using their idle for movement.
$10
If you're still interested in commissioning a creature replacement, and want an idea of price, I've thought of a base price to set for a basic replacement of the basic parts indicated above.
If the creature you want to use for the replacement requires more advanced editing and work, a higher price might need to be negotiated based on the complexity.
Scaling
Shifting
Model combination
Weapon Attachment