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Message: <blockquote data-quote="scourger" data-source="post: 2092591" data-attributes="member: 12328">I haven't played a DMPC in years, since AD&D 2e.  For one thing, I have enough to do running the wqorld and everyone else in it--usually foes for the PCs.  Also, I find it is too tempting for a DM to try to "play too" with DMPCs.  I have seen many times that the DMPC in other DM's hands was a tricked-out PC just the way the DM wanted him or her.  Players, including me, really resent it when the DMPC dominates the action or the story.  I am sure I was guilty of the same things when I played DMPCs, so I just stopped doing it.  I don't like playing in games with DMPCs, either.  I've just had a couple of bad expereinces with DMPCs.  I like the DM, but he shouldn't be allowed to mix DMing & playing.  I would even extend that to NPCs.  If an NPC is traveling with the party, they're an ally or a cohort (to use d20 vernacular); and 1 of the players should run that character.  The litmus test I suggest is whether the DM would allow a player to totally run the character (NPC or DMPC or whatever), including giving over a character sheet and allowing the player to make all decisions for the character.  If not, it's a "DM's pet" character.  Alternatively, if it makes the DM unhappy when the player decides that the character does something that the character "wouldn't do"--it's a "DM's pet"; especially if the DM "over-rules" the player.  I just have little use for this as a DM or as a player.</blockquote>

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