Companion characters as PC

[AllisterH]

There's an interesting solution for the "too many options" problem some player's face when playing 4e (and I think it could work for 3e as well).

The DMG2 companion rules. You get an effective PC but with less worry about the number of options you have to think about.

Might speed up your games a fair bit.

 

[Wik]

Except companion characters are NOT equivalent characters. And they can't use magic items.

It's a starting point, though, for GMs interested in reducing a character's options for a new player's benefit.

 

[Baumi]

They work great!

We had a new player (nearly no rpg experience) who was frightend by the full character sheets, so we let her play an npc (which was created as a companion) and she had much fun, wasn't any weaker and did understand her character nearly instantly.

The only thing I would boost a bit are the Role-Features. The DMG2 ones are weaker because they shouldn't overpower the Players (only normal marks, no addidtion dices for healing, ...) but just give them the specials of a class and it should work fine.

P.S.: They CAN use magic Items, only ignore the +x bonuses which are not nessesary since Companion bonuses level more quickly than player one's.

 

[Asmor]

I've done basically this exact thing on multiple occasions, well before DMG2 came out. A friend's girlfriend used a character which was created as a monster because she was... let's just say a little slow and didn't quite pick up the game.

 

[Skywalker]

Except companion characters are NOT equivalent characters. And they can't use magic items.

Isn't that the point?

FWIW I am having good success with using Companion Characters for PCs in the following situations:

1. Absent players;
2. Players who want reduced options;
3. One shots; and
4. Flashbacks where players play NPCs.

 

[tsadkiel]

FWIW I am having good success with using Companion Characters for PCs in the following situations:

1. Absent players;
2. Players who want reduced options;
3. One shots; and
4. Flashbacks where players play NPCs.

I would add:

5. Players who want to play monsters.
6. Players who want to use third party races and classes without having to generate an 18th level Apelord Witch Doctor by hand.

EDIT - For that matter, since companion characters don't have many fiddly, map sensitive class abilities, they may be a good choice for pbp and pbem games. Hmmm.

 

[Wik]

Isn't that the point?

Yeah, it is. If you're gonna have one guy running a companion character, and the rest running regular PCs, that companion character isn't gonna be as good. It's the whole point of the class.

Who wants to play a character that is considerably weaker? If everyone is a CC, then fine, I can see that working. But if just one is? Unless there's a trick to it (ie, the companion character is a non-standard race and/or class the player really wants to play), the player suffers.

 

[erf_beto]

Who wants to play a character that is considerably weaker? If everyone is a CC, then fine, I can see that working.

But then, if a CC really is weaker than a regular PC, how could you run a party of CCs instead of PCs without tweaking encounters?
I ask because I want to do that.

I think it's clear that they are weaker when you look at their pseudo class features, wich could be rewritten for this special case, but also, is "level+4" a good enough advancement for attack bonus? Are their Healing surges and HPs enough? And having access to fewer encounter/daily powers means and inferior damage output, doesn't it?

Should you just use a party of higher level companions or use the original class for features and number crunching?

 

[tsadkiel]

but also, is "level+4" a good enough advancement for attack bonus?

1st level Dragonborn Defender (companion character) with a greatsword - attack bonus of 5 (base) plus 3 (proficiency) = 8.

1st level Dragonborn Fighter with a greatsword - attack bonus of 0 (base) pus 5 (strength) plus 1 (two handed talent) plus 1 (expertise) plus 3 (proficiency) = 10.

30th level Dragonborn Defender (companion character) with a greatsword - attack bonus of 34 (base) plus 3 (proficiency) = 37.

30th level Dragonborn Fighter/Swordmaster/Demigod with a greatsword - attack bonus of 15 (base) plus 10 (strength) plus 1 (two handed talent) plus 3 (expertise) plus 3 (proficiency) plus 6 (enhancement bonus) = 38.

Not too bad, given that the fighter started with a 20 strength and boosted his chance to hit whenever he could.

 

[Skywalker]

Who wants to play a character that is considerably weaker?

Those people who value simplicity over power.

FWIW the power gap isn't that considerable IME, though the reduction in options is.