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<blockquote data-quote="humble minion" data-source="post: 8098343" data-attributes="member: 5948"><p>It's possible I'll be running an introductory game for a couple of my brother-in-law's kids soon, and I'd given this some thought. If there's only two players and a GM, then you probably do want an NPC of some sort just to bulk out the party and fill some of the capability holes (especially since I'd likely be running Phandelver and I don't want to have to rewrite it TOO much for an extremely weak party). But a lot of the posts above about how it can go wrong are very true.</p><p></p><p>So i was intending to have a DMPC/NPC whose main purpose was to help out/buff/heal PCs, and who had an in-character reason for taking a back seat when the real PCs were making significant decisions, plans, running negotiations etc. And it helps if they're funny/memorable/quirky so the players don't just start seeing them as a healing battery. </p><p></p><p>Exact class etc was going to depend on what classes the PCs were, but option 1 was an elderly forgetful Life cleric from the home village who's tagging along with the PCs because he promised their mothers he'd take care of them. Falls asleep a lot, tells rambling stories of the old days, etc. Option 2 was a reformed evil henchman, probably a battlemaster fighter with a lot of support maneuvers, who attached himself to the PCs somehow after his previous evil master was defeated. Compulsively and floridly servile, hunchbacked, doggedly loyal, talks all "Yeeesss marrshter", occasionally makes oblique and horrifying references to what life was like serving under 'the old marshter'. The cleric would get a gig if the party was short on healing, the fighter if they were lacking a front-liner.</p><p></p><p>I also thought about a jester-type bard who was there to tell the glorious story of the PCs adventures, but that seemed like a bit too much work and bookkeeping.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="humble minion, post: 8098343, member: 5948"] It's possible I'll be running an introductory game for a couple of my brother-in-law's kids soon, and I'd given this some thought. If there's only two players and a GM, then you probably do want an NPC of some sort just to bulk out the party and fill some of the capability holes (especially since I'd likely be running Phandelver and I don't want to have to rewrite it TOO much for an extremely weak party). But a lot of the posts above about how it can go wrong are very true. So i was intending to have a DMPC/NPC whose main purpose was to help out/buff/heal PCs, and who had an in-character reason for taking a back seat when the real PCs were making significant decisions, plans, running negotiations etc. And it helps if they're funny/memorable/quirky so the players don't just start seeing them as a healing battery. Exact class etc was going to depend on what classes the PCs were, but option 1 was an elderly forgetful Life cleric from the home village who's tagging along with the PCs because he promised their mothers he'd take care of them. Falls asleep a lot, tells rambling stories of the old days, etc. Option 2 was a reformed evil henchman, probably a battlemaster fighter with a lot of support maneuvers, who attached himself to the PCs somehow after his previous evil master was defeated. Compulsively and floridly servile, hunchbacked, doggedly loyal, talks all "Yeeesss marrshter", occasionally makes oblique and horrifying references to what life was like serving under 'the old marshter'. The cleric would get a gig if the party was short on healing, the fighter if they were lacking a front-liner. I also thought about a jester-type bard who was there to tell the glorious story of the PCs adventures, but that seemed like a bit too much work and bookkeeping. [/QUOTE]
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