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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Negflar2099" data-source="post: 5049780" data-attributes="member: 65944">It occurred to me while reading the DMG2 that the new companion rules found there are quite a versatile little tool in the DM's arsenal and I thought of some interesting new ways to use them and I wanted to share those ideas. For those who don't have the DMG2 companion rules are rules for creating and running special NPCs that are simpler to create and run than full blown PCs and in fact so simple to run a player could theoretically run a PC and a companion at the same time. The idea is that the companions would help round out the party if you don't have enough players to form a complete group. The companions would either be retainers hired to join your party for a limited time, NPCs like apprentices and squires who join you out of devotion or duty, or creatures that join your party because you saved them, such as the wolf you raised since it was a cub. That said I think the rules could do a heck of a lot more than just that. Here are my ideas:1) Simpler PCs: If you have a player who is new to the game or just finds running a PC to be too complicated you could let them run a companion instead. 2) Apprentice tier adventures: 4e got you down because even a 1st level character is too powerful? Have you yearning for an apprentice tier that exists before the heroic tier? Just have everyone run a companion. They are still balanced but weak enough vs PCs (at 1st level) that they could represent young apprentice adventures. 3) Give them out as rewards: Instead of handing out yet another +1 sword think of giving over the service of a companion. Maybe the druid PC pulls a tack out of a bear's paw and that bear joins the group for a few levels or maybe the group rescues a fire bat from a volcano. In any case they would probably only hang around for 5 levels or so (just like non-magic item boons) and then they would disappear. 4) Golems, golems, golems: Maybe you have a PC wizard whose been bugging you about letting him create a golem and you want to let them have one but you have no idea how to make that balanced. Now it's easy. Just create that golem as a companion and away you go. 5) Demons and more demons: On another related note if you have a PC who wants to summon and command a demon then companion rules would let you do that too. I have a few more but I will put them in my next post.</blockquote>

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