NP's: How play them?

[Blacksheepcomedy]

I am making an NPC for the storyline and to help my boys figure out how the mechanics play out. I plan on using it to nudge them in the right direction in battle mostly. It is a Dragonborn/warlord designed to be a supportive role, that is why I choose those two combos. When I see them really grasping the game I'll have him leave the group for whatever reason I think is going to fit a story later. I started building it like a full PC. For one I am lacking a five player team at the moment and two I feel they will need a little intervention.

My question is this: Should i play him like a PC or should I be playing it under NPC rules? Instead of having his bonus be 1/2 level + mods + other mods, should I play it with just a standard mod like +6? Should I have it have no second wind and healing surges or should I just go all out and play it as if it were apart of the party.

I will not cheat with it nor will I save it should it come under great harm but I feel it can be a great tool without using divine intervention. What do you all think?

Also, is there a basic quick way to bring in NPC's into a game for encounters without taking the time to build an entire character? What is the basic info I need to just have on hand should things go to battle. I want the first few sessions be town adventures until they get to second level. Then the real adventure begins.

 

[Quickleaf]

DMG2 is your friend here as it contains rules for companion NPCs - which are not built as PCs but more like monsters instead. I believe the MME (Mordainkainen's Magic Emporium) also has henchmen rules but someone who owns it might correct me.

 

[Rune]

My question is this: Should i play him like a PC or should I be playing it under NPC rules?

The answer to this question lies in another question: How much game-time during combat do you want to dominate? If the answer is "as little as possible," (as it probably ought to be), do not build it as a full PC.

Should I have it have no second wind and healing surges or should I just go all out and play it as if it were apart of the party.

All NPC/monsters have 1 healing surge per tier, although most can't use them. No Monster has a second wind.

I will not cheat with it nor will I save it should it come under great harm but I feel it can be a great tool without using divine intervention. What do you all think?

I am firmly of the "no fudging dice rolls" school of DMing, but that doesn't mean you should not try to keep the NPC healer from dying. After all, his/her continued survival increases the PCs' chances of survival, as well.

Also, is there a basic quick way to bring in NPC's into a game for encounters without taking the time to build an entire character? What is the basic info I need to just have on hand should things go to battle.

I believe the rules for creating companion characters is in the DMG 2, however, I gave my copy to a friend, so I'll just give you an alternate (and, probably very similar) method that should suit your needs just as well.

Essentially, you're building a monster.

• Give it a role--for a warlord, probably soldier (leader).
• Give it defenses appropriate to role and level (for a soldier, that would be AC = 16 + 1/level, Other defenses = 12+1/level (you could drop one by a couple of points and add a couple to another, if you like).
• Give it hit points appropriate to role and level (for a soldier, that would be 24 + 8/level).
• Give it racial abilities (but only the ones that will come up--don't forget the dragonborn bonus to surge value, though!).
• Give it class features (although, if these take the form of powers, I'd limit it to one--and, in the case of a leader, that one should be your healing power! On the other hand, make sure you include the fun abilities that help the PCs out, like the Action Point bonus and the initiative bonus!)
• Give it 1 of each type of class power--that is, 1 warlord At-will, 1 warlord Encounter, 1 warlord Daily, and 1 warlord Utility.
• Do not bother with Ability Scores. All single-target melee attacks should be at a flat bonus of 5 + 1/level to hit. Attacks that target defenses other than AC should be at 3 + 1/level to hit. Add +1/level damage anytime a power would indicate you add an ability score bonus.
• In order to speed things up and give more play time to your players, seriously consider giving each attack option a set damage, instead of a damage roll. For single-target At-will attacks, this should be 8 + 1/level. For Encounter powers, increase this by 25%. For Dailies, increase by 50%. If the attack targets multiple opponents, decrease the damage by 25%.
• Give it 1 healing surge.

I think you'll find that a companion character designed this way will run as simply and effectively as possible, while not overshadowing the PCs.

 

[jshaft37]

DMG2 is your friend here as it contains rules for companion NPCs - which are not built as PCs but more like monsters instead. I believe the MME (Mordainkainen's Magic Emporium) also has henchmen rules but someone who owns it might correct me.

Article from the MME section on hirelings and henchmen:

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Hirelings and Henchmen)

The section in the book is a little more extensive.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

All NPC/monsters have 1 healing surge per tier, although most can't use them. No NPC/monster has a second wind.

That's not quite true - companion characters do have PC-level surges and can second wind.

 

[Rune]

That's not quite true - companion characters do have PC-level surges and can second wind.

Yeah, like I said, I gave my DMG 2 away. This is even better for the OP, though.

 

[Blacksheepcomedy]

wow. Thanks all for the time you all gave in your thoughts. I will also refrence the article and DMG2 to make my final prep. Now that I know there is a guide to the madness I can adhere to, this will solve my issue.

LB

 

[S'mon]

DMG2 is your friend here as it contains rules for companion NPCs - which are not built as PCs but more like monsters instead. I believe the MME (Mordainkainen's Magic Emporium) also has henchmen rules but someone who owns it might correct me.

The Companion NPC rules in DMG2 work very well in my experience, and are definitely the best option.

You can let the Companion NPC have an Action Point if you'd like to see him have the occasional moment of glory.

 

[S'mon]

That's not quite true - companion characters do have PC-level surges and can second wind.

It's actually not true at all, the NPC-as-monster creation rules in the 4e DMG give all 'classed' NPCs Second Wind as an ability.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Actually, rereading the companion rules, although they all get healing surges, NONE of them explicitly get second wind (well, unless its a character companion who is a dwarf, who gets it via their racial power).

That said, the companion character rules change the creature from a monster to a character, and the second wind rules say that it can be used by "characters"... so it could be argued they get it that way.

Personally, I think that unless you want the PCs to spending their actions healing the companion, that it should have second wind. And I would imagine that constantly having to blow your own healing on the companion (or worse, using your actions to stabilize the companion) kind of defeats the purpose of having a companion in the first place and it likely to cause the PCs to end up resenting it.