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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jmartkdr2" data-source="post: 8098005" data-attributes="member: 7017304">One distinction I've seen made in these discussions is: DMPC vs. NPC traveling with the party,A DMPC in this case is when the DM gets a full player character, who is a main character and a part of the party, and expected to be equal to them, so the dm can get the experience of being a player as well as a DM. This is... easy to mess up, to put it mildly . The meta fact that you are the dm as well as the player will color everything that pc does, and especially any interaction that pc has with other pcs. It can be done, but successful implementation is rare. The later is when the npc is clearly an npc - a secondary character. This is generally only a problem if the npc outshines a pc at their niche or there are way too many npcs getting turns in combat, but both of those issues are simple to avoid. I don't think I've ever seen them used consistently badly by someone who wasn't a bad dm for a bunch of other, more fundamental reasons. So the general advice is: if you (the dm) want to have permanent presence in the party, don't do it. Let the PC be the stars of the show. But like all advice, breaking it and getting a success is possible. It's just unlikely.</blockquote>