D&D 5E Anyone using the Sidekick rules for PCs in their games?

[JEB]

Does anyone here use the Sidekick rules (from the Essentials Kit and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything) for player characters in their games? If so, how well does it work in practice? Does it work well with parties that also include the main classes? And has anyone used it to run monstrous PCs?

 

[Talltomwright]

Does anyone here use the Sidekick rules (from the Essentials Kit and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything) for player characters in their games? If so, how well does it work in practice? Does it work well with parties that also include the main classes? And has anyone used it to run monstrous PCs?

It’s worked fine so far; I’ve used it to adjust NPCs who tag along in Descent Into Avernus and Curse of Strahd as in both the tag-alongs as written start more powerful than the PCs and then rapidly become a liability.

It’s made them simple to run and their hp increases mean the PCs don’t have to keep saving their sidekick’s asses all the time. They are simple to the extent of being really weak compared to PCs though. My players got very frustrated with a sidekick cleric for their poor number of spells and slots! That’s very much the design principle, evidently, so the PCs remain the heroes.

On reflection for NPCs they are meant to respect and value Sidekicks may not be the way to go, so in future I might up the level of the sidekicks or home brew a mix of PC abilities with the RAW sidekick rules. But for rounding out a party, or getting the OSR feeling of bringing along hirelings (cannon fodder) the rules work fine.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

No, but I might do a students project soon and sidekick rules might come in handy.

 

[Talltomwright]

Oops, just realised I totally misread the OP, sorry! I think you could definitely use the sidekick rules to create simplified PCs but they would be under-powered for their level when balancing encounters and would feel weak compared to traditional characters.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I think it would work well.

The Expert features are petty nice for team play and both the Mage and the Warrior have features that would make full classes envious (Initiative on Initiative, Unbreakable concentration etc)

I use them a lot as references to build my simpler classes for 5e.

 

[HammerMan]

ironicly I have had 2 players (not smae game group) ask if they could level dip into warrior (other DM said no, and I have not decided yet) but we have not used them as written

 

[DND_Reborn]

We did it for a while, and it worked fine, for "simpler" PCs. We didn't do it with mixed classes, and I would be a bit worried with the extra features a regular class might seem a bit OP compared to the sidekicks.

I think it would be a nice way to boost a creature like a ranger's beast companion, but we haven't done that yet.

 

[aco175]

I would likely let the class be a PC if a player wanted to play one, but am hesitant to let a PC dip into one for some cool benefits that the others do not get. 1 level of warrior for the +2 to hit will every weapon and a reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack seems too much and reminds me of 3e.

 

[Cruentus]

I have used them in my games, and the characters have said "Wow, these guys feel more effective than we are", and the Sidekicks were of a lower level. I think it had to do with the fact that the Sidekicks are actually focused on what they do, and do it well.

I have had several players ask about playing Sidekicks as primary classes, and its something I've mulled over. I would use Sidekicks alone for classes, I wouldn't mix them with standard classes. The Sidekicks would then allow us to organically add ribbons or other small things to customize the character, compared to everything that gets dumped on you with the 5e classes and subclasses.

I've also had a couple players ask about "simpler" classes for them to play. They really don't feel like learning all the stuff that can go into a 5e character. They just want to wander around and adventure.

 

[Weiley31]

I use the Essentials/Tasha's version of Sidekicks for higher-than-average NPCs. The UA Sidekick rules are used for more important/higher tiered versions of said higher-than-average NPCs/or select important characters.