D&D 5E NPC Allies?

[shadowoflameth]

OK. Here's a poll for the community. I there are some strong negative feelings about this, but indulge me as I test the wind. I'll leave the poll open for 2 weeks.

 

[SirMoogle]

Could you clarify what the difference is between a DMNPC who is friendly and assists the party compared to an Ally?

 

[commandercrud]

So there can't be any recurring NPCs controlled by the DM? This poll makes no sense.

 

[payn]

Didn't somebody just do a survey monkey deal on this recently?

Edit: Yeap, found it right here.

 

[iserith]

I will sometimes include them if the PCs need someone as a resource, but only for a short time. As an example, Trukker d'Orien was a drunken, excoriated member of a dragonmarked house with a big elemental-powered rig that the PCs needed to traverse the Mournland in an Eberron campaign. So he featured on their journey, tagging along with them and getting into trouble, until the journey back when during a battle with the Lord of Blades' zealots, he drove into a radioactive crater and died.

I think the key part of successfully involving these NPCs is that they need to be short-run only, funny enough to outweigh being annoying, and they can never outshine the PCs except for one epic moment where they do something awesome (then hopefully die afterward).

 

[Swarmkeeper]

If you mean an NPC that helps the party in combat, I think that is best used sparingly, if at all. If it is a matter of a small party, better to invoke sidekick rules and the the players control the action. The only exception to the rule I would endorse is teaching a new player how to play one-on-one (I provided my daughter’s character with 3 NPC friends to help her with some initial adventures - she was 8 at the time)

 

[Nebulous]

I don't really understand the poll question. Anyway, I think the DM decides if an NPC is recurring or temporary or permanent or whatever. I use them sparingly, unless the players are down one, then I will have a permanent NPC. Actually, when I ran Princes, we only had 3 players and I gave the party 2 NPCs, a priest and veteran, and they stayed with the party and slowly got better, but they weren't full classes. The healer got petrified by a medusa, and the veteran later was written out of the story when we had a 4th player show up. I think I had him turned into a wight and they had to kill him!

 

[Oofta]

Every once in a while I'll add a DM NPC to the party for story reasons or to fill in for someone that can't be there. So an NPC cleric because the party needs a healer or an NPC that makes a guest appearance for story reasons.

In general I don't run the NPC mechanically, although I do have veto rights on actions in combat and I "speak" for the NPC out of combat. It doesn't happen often, I don't remember the last time it happened for more than a session or maybe two.

 

[Nebulous]

I have Ezmerelda who has just joined the party in Curse of Strahd. She's effectively a 5th member, a CR 8 and helps in combat. I have her there for story reasons but don't want her as a permanent fixture. In fact, the only reason she IS there is because the adventure has it scripted. She is tougher than the PCs individually and I don't want her to outshine them.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I don't like DMPCs but allies are fine if the PCs recruit them. Allies are always weaker than the PCs and are never in charge. They're not the same things, so I couldn't vote in the poll.