D&D 5E Running NPC allies

[robus]

So it keeps happening that the PCs manage to end up with some NPC allies and I, as DM, run them. But it's really starting to grate on me as I end up rolling dice against myself and basically playing alone while the players sit and watch. It's a bit ridiculous and I feel awkward about it (especially if there is a number of allies...) I feel bad if I don't run the allies optimally (because I'm not giving the full aid) and I also feel bad if I run them too well (and end up outshining the PCs!)

What are some better ways to handle this? The most obvious one, of course, is to have the players run the allies, but are there others? And, if the players do end up running them, what kind of information do the players need (beyond a stat block) to make it work smoothly?

 

[LordEntrails]

First, don't send NPC allies with the party. Second, if you do, don't make them combat capable. Or if they are, make them less effective (lower level) than the PC's (and don't give them PC levels).

Finally, let the players run them. Give them a stat block and a quick personality and behavior outline such as; "Often loud and opinionated, but hesitates to put himself in danger." Or, "Rarely speaks up as he has low self esteem and tries to stay our of combat, using his sling when necessary."

Part of making the PC's shine is setting them in a world where they are exceptional. 5E doesn't default to NPC's having class levels or abilities. Keep the characters special

 

[robus]

First, don't send NPC allies with the party. Second, if you do, don't make them combat capable. Or if they are, make them less effective (lower level) than the PC's (and don't give them PC levels).

I guess you're unfamiliar with WotC's 5e adventures - recently, they love handing out allies...

Finally, let the players run them. Give them a stat block and a quick personality and behavior outline such as; "Often loud and opinionated, but hesitates to put himself in danger." Or, "Rarely speaks up as he has low self esteem and tries to stay our of combat, using his sling when necessary."

Part of making the PC's shine is setting them in a world where they are exceptional. 5E doesn't default to NPC's having class levels or abilities. Keep the characters special

I understand all that - I guess I was hoping for some actual play experiences?

 

[iserith]

We call that "monsterbating."

The easiest solution is to just have the NPC allies move and do the Help action on their turns. The PCs gain a benefit for having them around and you don't have to worry about the NPCs outshining the characters or stealing kills.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I generally just come up with a reasonable, if generally lowball damage number. Then I flip a coin at the end of the round, to decide if they hit or not. If they NPCs are just a pile of mooks, if they miss, one of them gets killed instead.

 

[robus]

We call that "monsterbating."

The easiest solution is to just have the NPC allies move and do the Help action on their turns. The PCs gain a benefit for having them around and you don't have to worry about the NPCs outshining the characters or stealing kills.

I'm currently running the final battle of SKT where the PCs + allies go up against an ancient blue dragon (who is quite a deadly threat). The allies need to deal damage in order for her to be a manageable foe. (Though I must say that storm giant allies deal a heck of a lot of damage and were quite ably cutting her down to size! Which triggered some of my discomfort!)

So I don't think just Help would be enough in this case, but perhaps I'm mistaken?

 

[Phion]

Not sure if this helps, but I typically don't give the party healers/ if they have any healing capability its purely physical such as first aid or bandages. In my experience I have found good old fashioned fighter builds (i.e. soldier) to be both useful, yet not taking the limelight. Also fighter styled NPC's are hard for players to assess their abilities or have certain expectations, whereas a paladin or cleric NPC players expect miracles to be pulled out of their backsides in a tight spot.

 

[iserith]

I'm currently running the final battle of SKT where the PCs + allies go up against an ancient blue dragon (who is quite a deadly threat). The allies need to deal damage in order for her to be a manageable foe. (Though I must say that storm giant allies deal a heck of a lot of damage and were quite ably cutting her down to size! Which triggered some of my discomfort!)

So I don't think just Help would be enough in this case, but perhaps I'm mistaken?

I don't know anything about SKT, so I can't say. But I would not design a challenge that relied upon NPCs doing damage to the threat. That diminishes the PCs' accomplishments in my view. In any case, a Help action does effectively increase the damage output of the party by increasing their chance to hit. In theory. I'm not a math guy but that sounds right.

 

[Ovinomancer]

I don't know anything about SKT, so I can't say. But I would not design a challenge that relied upon NPCs doing damage to the threat. That diminishes the PCs' accomplishments in my view. In any case, a Help action does effectively increase the damage output of the party by increasing their chance to hit. In theory. I'm not a math guy but that sounds right.

It was a poorly built finale in SKT. The BBEG is far outside the capabilities of the expected party, so they add up to 5 storm giants to aid. 5 storm giants who can easily handle the fight on ther own, mind. I paired it down to 3, and that was about 3 to many. With the foreknowledge and prep available to my players (free potions of giant size, frex), they were a match for the BBEG without aid, a mistake I made in assuming the potions just made you big.

 

[Blue]

We photocopied the stats and handed them out to the players to run. To simplify initiative each player rolled Init for their PC, and their NPC could go either right before or right after. This eliminated a bunch of jumping back and forth.

Players running was especially useful when running through the underdark adventure where we had a huge squad of fellow escaped prisoners, but was also useful in the others. We also cheered when NPC did things that followed heir own motivations that didn't help the party (or the PC they were running) - we were like that. And boo'd if they stupidly ran up as meatshields.