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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Sidekicks instead of Extra Attack?
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<blockquote data-quote="FXR" data-source="post: 7625312" data-attributes="member: 6781105"><p>I believe it all depends if the DM actually wants characters to have henchmen (or companions, which might sound a bit more gender-neutral).</p><p></p><p>According to my experience, players really hate to have their characters become less efficient because they have befriended a wide-eyed orphan (rogue 1) or a slightly-unhinged farmer woman (paladin 1, an npc in my campaign which is now level 5) who joins the party (if you guess nobody wanted to play a beast master as written you would be right). So, as far as my group goes, saying that the companion can act if you sacrifice your action (or part of your action) would mean no companion in the game. It also makes little sense, as the main PC is always more powerful than the companion, so I don't see how Sir Hackalot, the level 9 fighter would want to sacrifice his actions to allow his squire to take a attack action with a lower bonus and, probably, lower damage. </p><p></p><p>Having an companion is a perk but it also has a cost. The henchman is entitled to a share of treasure and has its own personality, which may not always mesh with the characters' plans. Since the compaion is a weaker character, it also means to you have to spend some ressources to ensure it survives the tougher challenges which affect the group.</p><p></p><p>In my campaign, companions are always of a lower level than the PCs and receive half-a-share of XPs. If, for some reason, the companion contributed significantly to the success of the party during an encounter, he might gain a full-share of XPs, but this is the exception rather than the rule.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FXR, post: 7625312, member: 6781105"] I believe it all depends if the DM actually wants characters to have henchmen (or companions, which might sound a bit more gender-neutral). According to my experience, players really hate to have their characters become less efficient because they have befriended a wide-eyed orphan (rogue 1) or a slightly-unhinged farmer woman (paladin 1, an npc in my campaign which is now level 5) who joins the party (if you guess nobody wanted to play a beast master as written you would be right). So, as far as my group goes, saying that the companion can act if you sacrifice your action (or part of your action) would mean no companion in the game. It also makes little sense, as the main PC is always more powerful than the companion, so I don't see how Sir Hackalot, the level 9 fighter would want to sacrifice his actions to allow his squire to take a attack action with a lower bonus and, probably, lower damage. Having an companion is a perk but it also has a cost. The henchman is entitled to a share of treasure and has its own personality, which may not always mesh with the characters' plans. Since the compaion is a weaker character, it also means to you have to spend some ressources to ensure it survives the tougher challenges which affect the group. In my campaign, companions are always of a lower level than the PCs and receive half-a-share of XPs. If, for some reason, the companion contributed significantly to the success of the party during an encounter, he might gain a full-share of XPs, but this is the exception rather than the rule. [/QUOTE]
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Sidekicks instead of Extra Attack?
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