To the end that @
pemerton is speaking of, the same route is available for beginners via the "Companion" rules in DMG2. Its extremely easy to make a simple, Companion NPC in the vein of the (more complex) lazylord and let your girls (if you can switch them back on) run that in combat as mundane inspiration, manifest destiny or something more substantial such as a the friendly spirit/ghost that pemerton outlines above (there is modern genre fiction galore supporting that trope).
I'm thinking about starting a 4e thread on Companion characters as we've used several of them in my game to round the group out (and fill a key Defender or Leader Role) when we wanted to amp up the difficulty/complexity to BBEG fights to the max degree. I'm not sure how much use people would get out of it however, as it appears that most people have normal sized or larger groups.
We've had:
- The aforementioned lazylord (this was built as a fully on lazylord however and not a Companion analogue) once as manifest destiny and another time as inspiration from a group of felled settlers who died defending their home against insurmountable odds.
- A magical, animated sword as an Aegis of Assault Swordmage Companion; suite of actions/resources controlled by the Bladesinger.
- The Ranger/Rogue's trusty dog as a standard Companion Leader; suite of actions/resources controlled by the Ranger/Rogue.
- The Druid's Bear companion as a standard Companion Defender; suite of actions/resources controlled by the Druid.
- A Silver Dragon Paladin Mount at Epic tier as a standard Companion Brute Striker; suite of actions/resources controlled by the Paladin.
I highly recommend this technique for small groups or new players.
And don't sweat it @
TheGlow. My 8.5 year old nephew is the same way. He is tremendously creative and full of imagination but I cannot pull him away from Minecraft or just running around outside and playing ball sports or make-believe, Calvinball games. I suspect he will come around in a few years and be able to harness the attention span (and sustained interest) for an adventure, and I suspect the same thing will happen with your 8 year old.