Odds and Ends rules about Companion Characters

[caudor]

I've got a few quick misc. questions about Companion Characters.

I know they can't benefit magic weapons/armor bonuses, but if they drink a healing potion, does it work?

Can they apply chemicals (like frost) to a weapons?

Do Companion Characters get a Second Wind?

Thanks in advance for your advice

 

[DracoSuave]

I've got a few quick misc. questions about Companion Characters.

I know they can't benefit magic weapons/armor bonuses, but if they drink a healing potion, does it work?

Can they apply chemicals (like frost) to a weapons?

Do Companion Characters get a Second Wind?

Thanks in advance for your advice

They do have healing surges, and they can use consumable items, however you should not budget for them. Remember, however, they only have 1 daily magic item use per day, at any tier, and do not recharge it for reaching milestones.

Things that can improve their weapons, if not supplied by the party, should be reflected in their powers only. You should not outfit them with anything. If they regularly apply an ice effect to their weapon, make it fluff, and give them an ice power.

They do not have a Second Wind.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, that generally seems right. I was a bit uncertain on Second Wind. Oddly DMG1 NPCs DO get to use Second Wind, but DMG2 says nothing about it for CCs, so I guess the official position is no.

Frankly though, CCs are whatever you want/need them to be. The rules in DMG2 are a pretty good guideline but situations are going to come up where you will want to ignore those guidelines. The way an OA works is a pretty hard and fast rule that you change and you're playing a variant of 4e. The way CCs work? Its just a framework that should give good results and plenty of things in there are already unspecified, so fiddling with it is just 'the DM doing his job' and nobody should ever feel constrained by really anything in the DMGs.

Personally I've always given NPC companions a Second Wind, but in the past I also gave them a good bit fewer surges than what DMG2 recommends. The main thing you don't want there is to have the CC end constantly sucking up all the leader's healing powers, so I'd just watch how it goes and if that is the case then maybe hand them Second Wind. A CC that is actually a burden on a party is after all a pretty bad deal...