D&D 5E Players with multiple characters

[Li Shenron]

Do you allow players to run multiple characters, and, if so, is that common in your campaigns?

I have definitely been in campaigns where I have run multiple characters, including an Age of Worms campaign where I ran the whole party. But I’ve thinking about this, as the focus on characters and story in 5e would seem to discourage running multiple characters.

He, he... I had 3 gaming groups in tabletop play so far in 5e, and in all groups there have been players playing 2 PCs. I allow the most experienced player(s) in a group to play 2 PCs instead of 1, if I am afraid that the party is too small.

I'd rather do that, than have NPCs sidekicks join the party, so that I don't have to step into the party myself. Although NPCs and mercenaries of course have the side benefit of being expendable cannon fodder/trap springers...

 

[JonnyP71]

I allow it, but with the current 5E expectation of a party size of 3-5 it is only very rarely necessary for us. I occasionally have an NPC tag along with them, but rarely for more than a session or 2.

However when we play older games such as 1E my players frequently have 2 PCs each - that version was created around an expectation that parties would comprise 6-10+, thus many of the modules I have for it would simply be unviable when used with my current group of 4+DM, unless they utilised Henchmen and Hirelings - something I've not managed to train them to consider!

 

[phil62]

I generally allow it to bring the party size up, especially if it's just a handful of players.
I used to dislike it for newish players, but some are quite savvy around the rules and it deals with some of the decisions of "which class" if they can try several at once.
There's clearly no right or wrong about it: it's so dependent on the individual players.

 

[Imaculata]

In my group each player controls only one character, but I do allow them to control the combat actions of npc cohorts.

 

[Pickaxe]

Thanks for all of the responses so far. Apologies if I wasn’t clear, but I’m interested in cases when a player is running two characters at the same time, not simply having one in reserve. This would most often come up, as noted by many above, when there are not enough players; we’re finishing CoS with two players each with two characters and a couple of NPCs (who the players also run on occasion). But playing multiple characters is also something a player might want to do as a way to experience playing more kinds of characters, especially if he or she does not get to play a lot. I’ve played multiple characters a number of times, mainly as a way to play different classes at a time when I was not playing frequently. My interest was in how often this happens and attitudes toward it. It certainly does not seem to be something that D&D promotes, now or in previous editions.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

Poll is missing the option "Only allow it in specific situations".

I usually don't allow it, but I do allow it in the following cases:
- One of the players disappears and another player is willing to take over his PC until there's a moment where it's reasonable for the PC to leave
- There is some large scale battle with many allied NPCs involved and the players want to command those NPCs rather than me making up their actions

 

[Ezequielramone]

I'm running a dark sun campaign and between modules a player asked me to change his pc. The original had a focus (a madness every dwarf have in Athas). And he went on a solo quest to complete it. He needed a champion and at that point he realised the party's gladiator was that champion so he could go on with the second step of his focus. They were fighting Hamanu's army and the player asked me if he could play a halflings who changed side. So he was playing the second pc. The first dwarf came back one session (because two players couldn't play) and gave the sword he created to his champion and then he disappeared (first time running 2 PCs). At the end of the next adventure in the final fight I called for the dwarf to show up. Everyone at the table was happy to see the dwarf again. And for fighting by his side again. So, for that (long) encounter he played with two pcs.
So I allow it in some cases

Also, in the original Dark Sun box there are rules for having more than one pc, so it was something I wanted to try it, maybe more than on pc at the same time could only happens in certain circumstances. Now the gladiator want to change for a while and play an elf.

It has to be said that from the beginning the player was very respectful about this. He wrote me saying that he wanted to try another character and he didn't want to have any kind of advantage, he was ok if the next pc had a lower level or something. And both times he told the other players the same, he asked if someone was uncomfortable about him having 2 PCs, but everyone was ok and all of us were happy.

 

[akr71]

It happens more frequently than I'd like and occasionally it is my own fault. Currently, the party recruited a war cleric NPC. I asked my wife to run her during combat because I had enough to look after as it was. After a while - getting to know her and her back story, the party don't want the NPC to leave. In fact my wife now considers the cleric to be 'hers' and is not an NPC any more.

 

[jasper]

I grew up with players running multiple pc at the table and everyone had a backup pc. Generally it was when we were seating 5 players. After all didn't the mods back then ,when maps were blue, say for 6-8 player characters of x level?
Most of the time it was one or two players running two pc. I did allow one player (hello Bob "bola" King) run 3 pcs. His ranger ended up killing his ninja.
I would do now if I was running homebrew and the story need more pcs.

 

[The Old Crow]

If I have only one or two players, everybody tends to run multiple characters. If I have three or more players, everybody tends to run one character.