DM's running NPC's with players [Archive] - Wizards Community

DM's running NPC's with players [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Chaze
01-05-08, 05:12 PM Hey all, just looking to know if any of you DM's (or players that have a DM that) run an NPC with the PC party. As for me, I run a dwarf cleric with the PCs because their group consists of a fighter, sorc, and ranger. I sometimes get upset though because they think of him as more of a heal bot (if you ever played DAoC) than an actual party member.

So what do/does you (or your DM) run, if any?

[EDIT]: May have been a little vague, let me try to make it clearer :)
Wight_Chocolate
01-05-08, 05:25 PM Nobody, not a single one of you, is to put the letters "DM" and "PC" in conjunction with one another. I mean it. The original poster didn't do it, so this one might actually stand a chance.
Chaze
01-05-08, 06:09 PM Haha I catch your drift, and in no way is this cleric a DMPC. To be honest I could care less if he lives or dies. I just wanted them to have 4 party members. Who knows, maybe they'll kick him out of the party and pick up a new guy sometime in the future.
Varia
01-05-08, 06:14 PM I've been running a 1.0 campaign for a bit over 2 years now.

I play whoever the PCs decide they want to invite along on their adventure, from among the pool of NPCs they know and get along with. That varies from adventure to adventure, based on what the PCs are planning to do (and thus what their perceived needs are, and whether they think a particular NPC would be especially interested in coming due to the nature of the trip), and what, if anything, the NPCs are doing (they have their own lives and may not be available at any given time).

They usually take a strange, slightly mentally broken woman they knew from school because she's interesting (She's actually a 1.0 incantatrix in a world without any (surviving) incantatrixes, and no specialist wizards, so she has to mostly teach herself from scratch, and that and the alien concept of forbidden schools of magic make her seem mentally broken to the PCs), and the slightly CE white dragon henchman of one of the PCs. For the current adventure, partly for extra strength, and partly to milk the offered "per person" reward, they have also asked along another henchman, and a classic leather-bikini clad warrior woman/part-time minor sleeze/self-aggrandiser/"archaeologist" they know from occasional meetings and one major adventure arc with her. They dont entirely trust her due to how she was making money when they first met (installing secret back entrances in empty caves suitable for use as lairs, waiting for something to move in and collect some loot, using her secret entrance to sneak in and steal it blind, and then going back to town and playing up being a major hero, with the loot as "proof" of her deeds.), but they needed a tracker at the time, and one thing led to another.

At other times they have teamed with a paladin or two, an aquatic elven fighter/thief, a druidic teacher from their old school, a gnomish cleric/thief, a pair of hobgoblin scouts, an ex-slave warrior, a squad of town militia, a man with a treasure map, a mottley collection of forcably recruited hobgoblin and bugbear prisoners, an ogre-magi, and assorted henchmen.
curan69
01-05-08, 06:30 PM Our DM has always runs a character with our party. Right now he is running a Bard.
Talaxar
01-05-08, 06:51 PM In the past I have run my own characters with the other players because I've had trouble enlisting enough players in my community. I think that it is a great way to introduce new people to the game by giving them a direct example. The key here is not to be a party leader in any respect because of the DM's omniscience. Bumbling wizards (not sorcerors), clerics, extra fighters, rogues, and other classes that don't rely on charisma are good choices.
When done correctly the DM run party member can casually get players back on track, support other team members, and fill out the gaming group nicely. It's also a good opportunity to play a multi-class character that doesn't excel at anything (never hog the spotlight), but can fill in for a downed PC or just keep the group from getting stuck.
Jaxgaret
01-05-08, 11:05 PM The OP is running an NPC-PC Cleric, and he is miffed that they don't treat him like an actual party member. The Cleric's feelings are hurt, alas, alack, how dare they treat him like a healbot!

Here's a suggestion: stop worrying about your Cleric's spotlight time and concentrate on running the campaign.
Wight_Chocolate
01-05-08, 11:54 PM The OP is running an NPC-PC Cleric, and he is miffed that they don't treat him like an actual party member. The Cleric's feelings are hurt, alas, alack, how dare they treat him like a healbot!

Here's a suggestion: stop worrying about your Cleric's spotlight time and concentrate on running the campaign.

DON'T. GO. THERE.
Toran_A_Sunder
01-06-08, 12:19 AM I have an enormous list of characters I dream of one day playing. Alas, as I woul have to give up every other hobbie/interest/job/life I have outside of game to be able to play all of them, I instead find an outlet by running them as NPCs for brief scenarios so I can at least enjoy them a smidgen. In no way are they party leaders, though of course sometimes they may nudge the party in one direction or another. But they never have the spotlight (unless they happen to be the BBEG) and rarely are they used for more than filling a particular niche that the party feels must be filled.

On a similar note, a friend of mine played the worst DMPCs you could dream of, until one day he played a mute, warforged monk. Best tag along NPC ever, in that in no way was it one of his typical DMPCs.
Ananvilhurtz
01-06-08, 12:20 AM Bacon
Jaxgaret
01-06-08, 12:58 AM DON'T. GO. THERE.

I didn't, and I won't.
Chaze
01-06-08, 01:03 AM The OP is running an NPC-PC Cleric, and he is miffed that they don't treat him like an actual party member. The Cleric's feelings are hurt, alas, alack, how dare they treat him like a healbot!

Here's a suggestion: stop worrying about your Cleric's spotlight time and concentrate on running the campaign.

Um, are you intoxicated? Please read all my posts on this thread before you start accusing me of running a DMPC. The cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out. By NO means am I trying to earn spotlight for the Cleric.
Jaxgaret
01-06-08, 01:07 AM Um, are you intoxicated? Please read all my posts on this thread before you start accusing me of running a DMPC. The cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out. By NO means am I trying to earn spotlight for the Cleric.

Did I accuse you of running a DMPC? Why don't you try reading my post again. Tell me where I called your Cleric a DMPC.

If the Cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out, what's the issue? Why do you "sometimes get upset though because they think of him as more of a heal bot than an actual party member."?

That's what he is. A healbot.

Unless you're claiming that he really is an actual member of the party? But since he's an NPC, but not a PC, that would make him...

Note that that last sentence is just me yanking your chain for humor value. Relax, dude.

Honestly, some of what you are saying (that you don't care about the NPC character) doesn't jive with your other statements (that you care about the NPC character). Please try to be more clear.

As much as you may think I'm just being a dick, I'm trying to help you out here. I don't derive pleasure from insipid forum trolling.
Silversheen197
01-06-08, 02:06 PM I sometimes give my party NPCs that acompany them on missions, but they're usually very weak compared to the rest of the party.

One good example was Adrian, the 3rd-level Wizard in a party of 5th-6th levels. They didn't have any (reliable) arcane casting, seeing as the party's only wizard was one of the changling's many multiple personalities, and the mission they were on was to get back an extremely valuable magical bird that had been stolen from Adrian. It made sense. He also proved to be useful, too, not just "Uh-oh, quick, someone stop their normal party functions to protect our employer!" The fact that he knew invisibility and charm person helped the party out immensly, but the majority of things were still up to them.
CCS
01-06-08, 03:31 PM The world my players adventure in is chock full of NPCs.
Everyone, from the snooty acolyte they deal with (alot) at the local temple to the extra pair of fighters they hired one week, to the bullywug guide they've aquired to lead them around the swamp, is an NPC. Some are just more detailed than others.

Wether or not any particular NPC accompnies them depends upon 2 things(in this order);
1) The players desire for their involvement,
2) The needs of the NPC or situation.

As a DM I have no need to run a character per-se on top of everything else I do. The deal is basically this; "You guys play these 5 people. Me? I get to play the part of everyone & everything else in the world(s).... And I'll even write challenging/interesting adventures for you - or at least try my best to extrapolate ones based upon your actions".

So, it all boils down to a question of
1) How do I feed the group needed info?
One of the most entertaining ways is through PC-NPC interaction. Sometimes that'll occur at a static location with them visiting the acolyte, othertimes it'll require a more mobile source, IE the bullywug.
2) Me reacting to the players.
Personally I don't care one way or the other that they've got no arcane caster. They made the characters they wanted to play. And this is (largely) the story of the adventures those characters have.
If, in the future, they decide that they're lacking in the arcane department they have a few options - somebody begins to take levels in it, they recruit a new player, someone retires their current character & plays something new, or they recruit an NPC caster to accompny them. If they do the latter we'll see how that develops RP wise.
Chaze
01-06-08, 03:54 PM Did I accuse you of running a DMPC? Why don't you try reading my post again. Tell me where I called your Cleric a DMPC.

If the Cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out, what's the issue? Why do you "sometimes get upset though because they think of him as more of a heal bot than an actual party member."?

That's what he is. A healbot.

Unless you're claiming that he really is an actual member of the party? But since he's an NPC, but not a PC, that would make him...

Note that that last sentence is just me yanking your chain for humor value. Relax, dude.

Honestly, some of what you are saying (that you don't care about the NPC character) doesn't jive with your other statements (that you care about the NPC character). Please try to be more clear.

As much as you may think I'm just being a dick, I'm trying to help you out here. I don't derive pleasure from insipid forum trolling.

Excuse me if I was being rash. It just honestly occured to me that you were accusing me of that. My apologies.

There are some pretty interesting ideas coming from everyone, might use them in the future.

[EDIT]: Another apology to Jax- I did get in an argument with a close friend before I posted that... so I suppose it was more of me just trying to find somewhere to vent. Just so happens your comment was the first one I read, and I took it the wrong way. Lol
surly
01-06-08, 03:56 PM Since one of our players moved out of town, we have had an npc cleric in the adventuring party. But he is played by one of the players (pc/npc??). It is more of a workload for him but less for me, and as all DMs know, we got alot on our plate already. The funny thing is, he sometimes enjoys playing the cleric more than his sorcerer.

I've had other npcs join up with the party for select adventures but always lower level and in the support staff category. And if the party abuses them, they move on or die in the next battle.
Jono2660
01-15-08, 01:01 AM Rorin's a *****.
RedWizard
01-15-08, 01:17 AM I sometimes run NPCs with the party for flavor but my NPCs tend to add to their problems as opposed to giving them any relief. The last adventure had them fleeing an angry mob into a dungeon with a rich priest who was the target of the mob (they discovered he was a charlatan without any divine power). He was a coward who refused to help the party in any way other then to continually promise riches once he was delivered safe to his allies. He was accompanied by an aide/lower level cleric who always made sure the charlatan priest was healed first and if he had anything left over for the party then he would oblige. In this way yes I gave my party a healbot but one with severely divided loyalties and severely depleted healing ability. The party would grumble how they lost more HP defending these idiots then they made up for in healings from them.

Good times...
eamon
01-15-08, 07:12 AM I usually just hand the NPC's char sheet to a player (with a lot of experience and who clearly like character creation a lot) after an initial phase to set the tone. I even let em advance or reengineer the NPC. They still treat the NPC... well, like just another NPC.

I don't think it's something to worry about. It's hard enough as is to roleplay one character well, and I'm satisfied as long as the NPC doesn't do anything particularly crazy for the duration of his travels (or travails) with the party. Sure, sometimes you get the comic moment where a PC asks the NPC - hey, why were you tying your shoes during the last combat, and the player with the NPC's sheet goes uhhhhh....

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Chaze 01-05-08, 05:12 PM	Hey all, just looking to know if any of you DM's (or players that have a DM that) run an NPC with the PC party. As for me, I run a dwarf cleric with the PCs because their group consists of a fighter, sorc, and ranger. I sometimes get upset though because they think of him as more of a heal bot (if you ever played DAoC) than an actual party member. So what do/does you (or your DM) run, if any? [EDIT]: May have been a little vague, let me try to make it clearer :)
Wight_Chocolate 01-05-08, 05:25 PM	Nobody, not a single one of you, is to put the letters "DM" and "PC" in conjunction with one another. I mean it. The original poster didn't do it, so this one might actually stand a chance.
Chaze 01-05-08, 06:09 PM	Haha I catch your drift, and in no way is this cleric a DMPC. To be honest I could care less if he lives or dies. I just wanted them to have 4 party members. Who knows, maybe they'll kick him out of the party and pick up a new guy sometime in the future.
Varia 01-05-08, 06:14 PM	I've been running a 1.0 campaign for a bit over 2 years now. I play whoever the PCs decide they want to invite along on their adventure, from among the pool of NPCs they know and get along with. That varies from adventure to adventure, based on what the PCs are planning to do (and thus what their perceived needs are, and whether they think a particular NPC would be especially interested in coming due to the nature of the trip), and what, if anything, the NPCs are doing (they have their own lives and may not be available at any given time). They usually take a strange, slightly mentally broken woman they knew from school because she's interesting (She's actually a 1.0 incantatrix in a world without any (surviving) incantatrixes, and no specialist wizards, so she has to mostly teach herself from scratch, and that and the alien concept of forbidden schools of magic make her seem mentally broken to the PCs), and the slightly CE white dragon henchman of one of the PCs. For the current adventure, partly for extra strength, and partly to milk the offered "per person" reward, they have also asked along another henchman, and a classic leather-bikini clad warrior woman/part-time minor sleeze/self-aggrandiser/"archaeologist" they know from occasional meetings and one major adventure arc with her. They dont entirely trust her due to how she was making money when they first met (installing secret back entrances in empty caves suitable for use as lairs, waiting for something to move in and collect some loot, using her secret entrance to sneak in and steal it blind, and then going back to town and playing up being a major hero, with the loot as "proof" of her deeds.), but they needed a tracker at the time, and one thing led to another. At other times they have teamed with a paladin or two, an aquatic elven fighter/thief, a druidic teacher from their old school, a gnomish cleric/thief, a pair of hobgoblin scouts, an ex-slave warrior, a squad of town militia, a man with a treasure map, a mottley collection of forcably recruited hobgoblin and bugbear prisoners, an ogre-magi, and assorted henchmen.
curan69 01-05-08, 06:30 PM	Our DM has always runs a character with our party. Right now he is running a Bard.
Talaxar 01-05-08, 06:51 PM	In the past I have run my own characters with the other players because I've had trouble enlisting enough players in my community. I think that it is a great way to introduce new people to the game by giving them a direct example. The key here is not to be a party leader in any respect because of the DM's omniscience. Bumbling wizards (not sorcerors), clerics, extra fighters, rogues, and other classes that don't rely on charisma are good choices. When done correctly the DM run party member can casually get players back on track, support other team members, and fill out the gaming group nicely. It's also a good opportunity to play a multi-class character that doesn't excel at anything (never hog the spotlight), but can fill in for a downed PC or just keep the group from getting stuck.
Jaxgaret 01-05-08, 11:05 PM	The OP is running an NPC-PC Cleric, and he is miffed that they don't treat him like an actual party member. The Cleric's feelings are hurt, alas, alack, how dare they treat him like a healbot! Here's a suggestion: stop worrying about your Cleric's spotlight time and concentrate on running the campaign.
Wight_Chocolate 01-05-08, 11:54 PM	The OP is running an NPC-PC Cleric, and he is miffed that they don't treat him like an actual party member. The Cleric's feelings are hurt, alas, alack, how dare they treat him like a healbot! Here's a suggestion: stop worrying about your Cleric's spotlight time and concentrate on running the campaign. DON'T. GO. THERE.
Toran_A_Sunder 01-06-08, 12:19 AM	I have an enormous list of characters I dream of one day playing. Alas, as I woul have to give up every other hobbie/interest/job/life I have outside of game to be able to play all of them, I instead find an outlet by running them as NPCs for brief scenarios so I can at least enjoy them a smidgen. In no way are they party leaders, though of course sometimes they may nudge the party in one direction or another. But they never have the spotlight (unless they happen to be the BBEG) and rarely are they used for more than filling a particular niche that the party feels must be filled. On a similar note, a friend of mine played the worst DMPCs you could dream of, until one day he played a mute, warforged monk. Best tag along NPC ever, in that in no way was it one of his typical DMPCs.
Ananvilhurtz 01-06-08, 12:20 AM	Bacon
Jaxgaret 01-06-08, 12:58 AM	DON'T. GO. THERE. I didn't, and I won't.
Chaze 01-06-08, 01:03 AM	The OP is running an NPC-PC Cleric, and he is miffed that they don't treat him like an actual party member. The Cleric's feelings are hurt, alas, alack, how dare they treat him like a healbot! Here's a suggestion: stop worrying about your Cleric's spotlight time and concentrate on running the campaign. Um, are you intoxicated? Please read all my posts on this thread before you start accusing me of running a DMPC. The cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out. By NO means am I trying to earn spotlight for the Cleric.
Jaxgaret 01-06-08, 01:07 AM	Um, are you intoxicated? Please read all my posts on this thread before you start accusing me of running a DMPC. The cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out. By NO means am I trying to earn spotlight for the Cleric. Did I accuse you of running a DMPC? Why don't you try reading my post again. Tell me where I called your Cleric a DMPC. If the Cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out, what's the issue? Why do you "sometimes get upset though because they think of him as more of a heal bot than an actual party member."? That's what he is. A healbot. Unless you're claiming that he really is an actual member of the party? But since he's an NPC, but not a PC, that would make him... Note that that last sentence is just me yanking your chain for humor value. Relax, dude. Honestly, some of what you are saying (that you don't care about the NPC character) doesn't jive with your other statements (that you care about the NPC character). Please try to be more clear. As much as you may think I'm just being a dick, I'm trying to help you out here. I don't derive pleasure from insipid forum trolling.
Silversheen197 01-06-08, 02:06 PM	I sometimes give my party NPCs that acompany them on missions, but they're usually very weak compared to the rest of the party. One good example was Adrian, the 3rd-level Wizard in a party of 5th-6th levels. They didn't have any (reliable) arcane casting, seeing as the party's only wizard was one of the changling's many multiple personalities, and the mission they were on was to get back an extremely valuable magical bird that had been stolen from Adrian. It made sense. He also proved to be useful, too, not just "Uh-oh, quick, someone stop their normal party functions to protect our employer!" The fact that he knew invisibility and charm person helped the party out immensly, but the majority of things were still up to them.
CCS 01-06-08, 03:31 PM	The world my players adventure in is chock full of NPCs. Everyone, from the snooty acolyte they deal with (alot) at the local temple to the extra pair of fighters they hired one week, to the bullywug guide they've aquired to lead them around the swamp, is an NPC. Some are just more detailed than others. Wether or not any particular NPC accompnies them depends upon 2 things(in this order); 1) The players desire for their involvement, 2) The needs of the NPC or situation. As a DM I have no need to run a character per-se on top of everything else I do. The deal is basically this; "You guys play these 5 people. Me? I get to play the part of everyone & everything else in the world(s).... And I'll even write challenging/interesting adventures for you - or at least try my best to extrapolate ones based upon your actions". So, it all boils down to a question of 1) How do I feed the group needed info? One of the most entertaining ways is through PC-NPC interaction. Sometimes that'll occur at a static location with them visiting the acolyte, othertimes it'll require a more mobile source, IE the bullywug. 2) Me reacting to the players. Personally I don't care one way or the other that they've got no arcane caster. They made the characters they wanted to play. And this is (largely) the story of the adventures those characters have. If, in the future, they decide that they're lacking in the arcane department they have a few options - somebody begins to take levels in it, they recruit a new player, someone retires their current character & plays something new, or they recruit an NPC caster to accompny them. If they do the latter we'll see how that develops RP wise.
Chaze 01-06-08, 03:54 PM	Did I accuse you of running a DMPC? Why don't you try reading my post again. Tell me where I called your Cleric a DMPC. If the Cleric is strictly for healing and helping the party out, what's the issue? Why do you "sometimes get upset though because they think of him as more of a heal bot than an actual party member."? That's what he is. A healbot. Unless you're claiming that he really is an actual member of the party? But since he's an NPC, but not a PC, that would make him... Note that that last sentence is just me yanking your chain for humor value. Relax, dude. Honestly, some of what you are saying (that you don't care about the NPC character) doesn't jive with your other statements (that you care about the NPC character). Please try to be more clear. As much as you may think I'm just being a dick, I'm trying to help you out here. I don't derive pleasure from insipid forum trolling. Excuse me if I was being rash. It just honestly occured to me that you were accusing me of that. My apologies. There are some pretty interesting ideas coming from everyone, might use them in the future. [EDIT]: Another apology to Jax- I did get in an argument with a close friend before I posted that... so I suppose it was more of me just trying to find somewhere to vent. Just so happens your comment was the first one I read, and I took it the wrong way. Lol
surly 01-06-08, 03:56 PM	Since one of our players moved out of town, we have had an npc cleric in the adventuring party. But he is played by one of the players (pc/npc??). It is more of a workload for him but less for me, and as all DMs know, we got alot on our plate already. The funny thing is, he sometimes enjoys playing the cleric more than his sorcerer. I've had other npcs join up with the party for select adventures but always lower level and in the support staff category. And if the party abuses them, they move on or die in the next battle.
Jono2660 01-15-08, 01:01 AM	Rorin's a *****.
RedWizard 01-15-08, 01:17 AM	I sometimes run NPCs with the party for flavor but my NPCs tend to add to their problems as opposed to giving them any relief. The last adventure had them fleeing an angry mob into a dungeon with a rich priest who was the target of the mob (they discovered he was a charlatan without any divine power). He was a coward who refused to help the party in any way other then to continually promise riches once he was delivered safe to his allies. He was accompanied by an aide/lower level cleric who always made sure the charlatan priest was healed first and if he had anything left over for the party then he would oblige. In this way yes I gave my party a healbot but one with severely divided loyalties and severely depleted healing ability. The party would grumble how they lost more HP defending these idiots then they made up for in healings from them. Good times...
eamon 01-15-08, 07:12 AM	I usually just hand the NPC's char sheet to a player (with a lot of experience and who clearly like character creation a lot) after an initial phase to set the tone. I even let em advance or reengineer the NPC. They still treat the NPC... well, like just another NPC. I don't think it's something to worry about. It's hard enough as is to roleplay one character well, and I'm satisfied as long as the NPC doesn't do anything particularly crazy for the duration of his travels (or travails) with the party. Sure, sometimes you get the comic moment where a PC asks the NPC - hey, why were you tying your shoes during the last combat, and the player with the NPC's sheet goes uhhhhh....