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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Scotley" data-source="post: 2090917" data-attributes="member: 11520">This is a really interesting discussion. My group is largely made up of players in their late 30's, we are busy people and don't get to play as often as we would like and unfortunately, we have absenses fairly frequently. It should be noted that all the players in the group have spent time on both sides of the screen. It is not uncommon to only have three players at a session. Thus, we frequently make use of DMPC's to fill out the roles in party. Even with playing multiclassed characters there are often areas that don't get filled. The DMPC is usually generated last and tends to be good at things nobody else wanted. The DMPC is usually the last to get a choice of magic items. I typically run DMPC's with a degree of limitation. One of the first I ever ran was a dipsomanic druid (I loved all the neat info in the 1e DMG). When the party was going along fine he was usually busy drinking, but in an emergency he could rouse himself to act. Other times I have played DMPC's that were fearful and so sometimes frozen with terror and unable to act. I find that playing a younger than normal character is a good limitation. They let the older wiser party members make the decisions, but they also get bored quickly and may get into trouble if the rest of the party is stalled. The DMPC is usually a sub-optimal build. Often they take classes and make choices that limit their ability to steal the spotlight. I have often used Bards in the past, but under the latest rules these characters are often called upon to play the 'face' of the party which is an inappropriate role for the DMPC. Druids were once a favorite of mine for this role because their spell list and combat abilities tended to make them better in a support or second tier roll; however, the current generation has a good selection of flashy spells and with wildshape can be a serious combat powerhouse as well. The healer in Minatures handbook and the mariner from Dragonlance Age of Mortals are two classes I'm experiementing with now. Some DM's might find the NPC classes such as adept and warrior to be good choices. I use DMPC's in a variety of roles. They can fill in ability gaps when the party lacks a healer or good utility spells. Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Warmages are all fun to play in combat, but they tend to leave the party without a lot of less flashy, but useful spells. An extra bit of help in combat can come in handy when the dice go against he players. Some skills, such as knowledge skills can be useful tools to give the players clues. The DMPC is an excellent way to insert some humor in the game or as someone else said remind the players of forgotten clues. A mature DM can play the DMPC without stealing the thunder of the other players. It is important to be sure the players realize that the DMPC is wrong sometimes. They are also usuful for drawing out quieter players. Sometimes having the DMPC show an interest in the character of a less vocal player can help bring them out of their shell. When the players are stalled the DMPC can help you get things moving again. It is also helpful to have the extra character in the group when an infrequent player shows up. When a player's character is out of action for some reason, they may wish to take over the DMPC for a while to have something to do while their character is unconcious, or otherwise seperated from the action. It will only work if you can seperate what you know from what the character knows and be humble enough not to want your character to be the center of attention. It seems to me that most of the positive comments are coming from people with real experience using DMPC's while most of the naysayers haven't tried it or perhaps tried it with a less mature DM. I cannot run a true PC while I DM, I agree with that, but I can have a voice and tool in the party that helps me do my job as DM better. Perhaps half-npc or semi-PC is a better way to think of it. That being said, if the players ever complain about my use of DMPC's I would rethink it and either change the way I do it to address their concerns or stop altogether. It is a nice tool to have available, but it isn't absolutely required by any means.</blockquote>

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