alienux
Explorer
I use NPCs with the party if I'm DMing a game with less than 4 players, but I follow some fairly strict guidelines:
-The NPC never makes decisions
-The NPC will fight (to help keep CR/Encounter difficulty balanced), but only at a basic level
-The NPC never helps the party do anything they can't already do (outside of aiding in combat at a basic level)
-The NPC never does anything to outshine the players
-The NPC never has more info than the players, unless it would be in the same vain that a normal NPC who is not with the party would have.
Never had a problem in any game with any players doing it this way.
-The NPC never makes decisions
-The NPC will fight (to help keep CR/Encounter difficulty balanced), but only at a basic level
-The NPC never helps the party do anything they can't already do (outside of aiding in combat at a basic level)
-The NPC never does anything to outshine the players
-The NPC never has more info than the players, unless it would be in the same vain that a normal NPC who is not with the party would have.
Never had a problem in any game with any players doing it this way.