D&D General Most common NPC/sidekick for a party

[aco175]

Another thread on clerics not healing had me thinking of the cleric role was the most chosen to make a NPC tagalong for a party- just to heal PCs. Most of my games lately has had no mage and a NPC caster links up for an adventure once in a while or another fighter type for part of a dungeon if he is rescued. What is the most common class or role that tags along with your group?

 

[MarkB]

In my experience, comic relief and/or talking animal.

 

[zarionofarabel]

None. The party is PCs only. I refuse to use DMPCs to prop up "missing" roles/skillsets and instead create a narrative that prevents that from being a problem.

 

[bedir than]

Our sidekick is the cook

 

[Arvok]

A sidekick is a great thing to have if you're an experienced DM running a group of newbies. Even if the NPC does nothing in combat (e.g. the grizzled cook who helps make and break camp), he can be a source of advice. He might not have any direct experience fighting monsters but he's been employed by enough adventurers that he knows when the party of greenhorns has a stupid plan and might be able to warn them. This can be a natural way to present ideas that seem obvious to experienced players but might not occur to new players (especially those who haven't read through all the Player's Handbook).

 

[TheDelphian]

Usually a local guide at best. While PC's know a lot a professional guide often knows more.

they do little more than guide so don't get into combat or other stuff if it can be avoided.

 

[jgsugden]

Little rhyme or reason. NPCs that join the party do so at the invitation of the PCs. If it makes sense for the NPC to do so, they join. However, as a DM, this is usually short lived as a reason arises for the NPC to leave. The most common NPCs are 'camp followers' that do not fight, but instead manage the gear of the PCs at lower levels, usually 'guarding' their camp while the PCs run off to be young heroes.

 

[Zardnaar]

Guy Hea L'bot at your service. Life cleric best henchman ever.

 

[ccs]

Most common in my games? Plot device.
This can take almost any NPC form really.

2nd most common: The character of a player who can't always make it. When they're present it's their PC. When they're not it's an NPC controlled by the group (including the DM).

3rd would be NPCs that the players intentionally recruit for whatever reason. As this would include familiars & such you'd think this would be #1. But it hasn't ever really played out like that in my games....

 

[Shiroiken]

I don't like introducing NPCs to join the party unless the party chooses to hire mercenaries. If the party lacks a role, they need to find a way to adapt to it. I might have a support NPC who doesn't help with the three pillars of adventuring, but provides aid in other ways and sometimes serves as a plot device. Adventuring NPCs are rare for me, and usually come about naturally during play.