Elvenoutrider
2016-09-16, 01:30 PM
Hi all, so I know these message boards have a tendancy to lean more towards people posting their problems but Im in a good mood given a few great sessions so I thought I would throw some positivity in and try to add a new take on one of the big no nos we all read about to avoid when writing a game. I have run the same campaign twice both with very experienced players and with newbies. THe campaign involves a lot of political intrigue, some incredibly combats and battlefield strategy.
WHen I say incredibly powerful combats, I dont just throw them at the pcs, I throw in a lot of clues, witnesses and sometimes superiour officers simply telling them - "yeah this is going to be a bloodbath if we walk in unprepared"
In the course of setting up the challenges, I know where the adventure starts, ends and 3 or four major scenes I write in as sort of a crossroads for continueing (I dont railroad them into them but I apply carrots and sticks to try and get them there). In between the beginning and end and scenes, I fill the area with a couple Npcs with various resources, allies, enemies, and agendas. The players can join them, fight them, play them off of eachother. I am working on a formula for how to do this right because mostly setting those up has been trusting my gut so far... IM getting off topic
Where this leads to is sometimes the pcs end up joined by characters with pc class levels. While not all of them have been popular, Ive had a fair amount of success so Im going to write a bit about the dos and donts and some characters who have worked. Lets start with the donts, as I think this will be easier
Do not:
1) force the pcs to accept them on the quest - people are disinclined to be forced to do anything, word it as a strong suggestion
2) force the pcs to give them a share of the loot - let the pcs be the one to offer this as an incentive for help. have the dmpc paid by a benefactor, have them just be there for altruistic reasons. On a side note, if there is treasure in your dungeon that the dmpc could use, there is nothing wrong with asking the pcs "Hey I bet I could clobber those orcs a bit better if you let me use the magic sword.
3) Do not upstage the party - I will go into this later but if you already have someone good at a job dont make a dmpc that is going to make them superfluous. ONe of the worst examples Ive seen of this is my party in the star wars rpg bought an astronomech droid which rendered my techie character obsolete. I ended up having to reroll because it realy didnt make sense to get rid of a droid that could do my job better. I went with it but it irked me
4) If they are a liability make sure they know it, or make sure it only happens a few times. For people that have played escourt missions in video games, you know being a babysitter isnt fun. If the dmpc isnt up to the same level as the pcs, have them know it. give them a ranged weapon and have them stand back and do what the pcs say. Putting them in danger can definitely create tension but dont overdo it. Have them trip a trap that you planned out that it looks like the pcs wont run into, have the archeologist they agreed to escourt accidently activate some necromancy runes and raise some fallen foes back up as zombies. have the child they rescued get up in the middle of the night to relive themselves to be attacked by a bandit. The msot important thing to note here though is - have the dmpc learn from the experience and dont let it be a constant issue - the line between building tension and annoying everyone is very fine.
5) Dont make the story about the dmpc - its great if they have a reason to be in the dungeon but make sure the players are still the main characters of the story. Lets say the Dmpc has a vendetta against the dungeon boss - make sure one of the boss' underlings is someone the pcs have a reason to be going after.
6) Dont make them diametrically opposed to the party allignment - this should really go without saying but if you have a party of good characters and they suddenly have to constantly put in extra effort to stop their new battle buddy from torturing and killing villagers, no one is going to be having fun.
7) Do not make them as strong as a character the players could have made for this purpose - sometimes a party composition leaves out desired skills, but if this character can suddenly solve problems for the party as well as a pc, the other players may start to feel upstaged. Do not max out the skills, dont optimise their build. the party should still feel the loss from their choices of skills, feats, and spells. The exception of this is a tank or support character as its just going to annoy everone if the tank keeps dropping and everone loves a support character
Dos:
1) Do add personality quirks - pretty much every game has a random table of personality quirks, these can make the character
2) the character can cook - not really sure why but adding this detail can make your players much more inclined to take them
3) a friend in need - give them a tragic backstory and be in need of help. Theyve come this far they just need the pcs for the last push. This can be a big motivator
4) Tells jokes - if you as a person can do this, it adds to the likeability
5) Do fill gaps in the party ability - does the party lack a ranged attack, maybe they need a healer, someone who can stand in the middle of a crowd and get wailed on for a while - find something the party needs, especially if they cant get through the adventure without it. Best example is there is a dungeon full of traps and the party has no one with trap finding. As stated before, it is best to make sure this character who is there to fill in the gap is not as strong as one of your players would be in that situation. Do not optimize the build or make the dmpc a few levels lower
6) Make it so the character isnt always on the pcs minds - for your sake as well. He is not there to solve all of the problems for the party or to steal the spotlight. If your pcs have to ask where he is and what he is doing, youre pretty much doing it right (not during combat)
7) Make the dmpc the voice of the dm without breaking immersion - if the pcs suggest something that wont work for an obvious reason (Thats great Krusk, but the rest of the party isnt immune to fire). You can point these things out in character without breaking the immersion.
8) Kill the Dmpc or have them betray the party at a crucial time to motivate them or create a huge plot twist
9) if the party splits up, players can play as the npcs for a bit so everyone can keep playing
DMPCs who have worked
Olan the bandit - he is the leader of a bandit faction the pcs defeated and captured, when asked why he staged an armed insurrection, he told the pcs their benefactor was actually a psychopath behind closed doors, and had his son killed in the front lines to he could have a night in bed with his son's wife. as soon as he was done with her, he had her banished. When Olan brought this up in court he was exiled and had his own family killed. THe party kept him alive in secret until finally an ally of the lord paid off one of the pcs to kill him. THis dramatically increased party tension as they tried to find the traitor. One of the things he was able to do was lead men with the command skill (houseruled skill). When the pcs were entering a dungeon, he could lead their men and guard the enterance.
Peter the Pious - a mute cleric of a healing god who was assigned to the party to keep them alive when rooting out an evil cult. He had some stern looks for some of their behavior but as a mute he really couldnt stop the party actions. he also cooked them lovely cmapfire meals
Dominic the archeologist - a low leveled investigator who the pcs needed for his knowledge of the ancient species who made the dungeon they were entering. He stayed back in combat, firing his ranged weapons and getting sneak attacks when he could. he triggered a few traps and spells inadvertantly during combat
Christoff the guard - the pcs broke into a lord's keep to save a number of women he had captured under false pretenses. 6 npc guards joined them and christoph was one of them. The pcs botched the plan and in the course of the battle, christoff managed to get enough lucky rolls to tank a hallway full of guards for a few rounds, long enough for the pcs to do what they needed. Because of his heroics, I awarded him with a backstory and some pc class levels and he became a tank for the party.
WHen I say incredibly powerful combats, I dont just throw them at the pcs, I throw in a lot of clues, witnesses and sometimes superiour officers simply telling them - "yeah this is going to be a bloodbath if we walk in unprepared"
In the course of setting up the challenges, I know where the adventure starts, ends and 3 or four major scenes I write in as sort of a crossroads for continueing (I dont railroad them into them but I apply carrots and sticks to try and get them there). In between the beginning and end and scenes, I fill the area with a couple Npcs with various resources, allies, enemies, and agendas. The players can join them, fight them, play them off of eachother. I am working on a formula for how to do this right because mostly setting those up has been trusting my gut so far... IM getting off topic
Where this leads to is sometimes the pcs end up joined by characters with pc class levels. While not all of them have been popular, Ive had a fair amount of success so Im going to write a bit about the dos and donts and some characters who have worked. Lets start with the donts, as I think this will be easier
Do not:
1) force the pcs to accept them on the quest - people are disinclined to be forced to do anything, word it as a strong suggestion
2) force the pcs to give them a share of the loot - let the pcs be the one to offer this as an incentive for help. have the dmpc paid by a benefactor, have them just be there for altruistic reasons. On a side note, if there is treasure in your dungeon that the dmpc could use, there is nothing wrong with asking the pcs "Hey I bet I could clobber those orcs a bit better if you let me use the magic sword.
3) Do not upstage the party - I will go into this later but if you already have someone good at a job dont make a dmpc that is going to make them superfluous. ONe of the worst examples Ive seen of this is my party in the star wars rpg bought an astronomech droid which rendered my techie character obsolete. I ended up having to reroll because it realy didnt make sense to get rid of a droid that could do my job better. I went with it but it irked me
4) If they are a liability make sure they know it, or make sure it only happens a few times. For people that have played escourt missions in video games, you know being a babysitter isnt fun. If the dmpc isnt up to the same level as the pcs, have them know it. give them a ranged weapon and have them stand back and do what the pcs say. Putting them in danger can definitely create tension but dont overdo it. Have them trip a trap that you planned out that it looks like the pcs wont run into, have the archeologist they agreed to escourt accidently activate some necromancy runes and raise some fallen foes back up as zombies. have the child they rescued get up in the middle of the night to relive themselves to be attacked by a bandit. The msot important thing to note here though is - have the dmpc learn from the experience and dont let it be a constant issue - the line between building tension and annoying everyone is very fine.
5) Dont make the story about the dmpc - its great if they have a reason to be in the dungeon but make sure the players are still the main characters of the story. Lets say the Dmpc has a vendetta against the dungeon boss - make sure one of the boss' underlings is someone the pcs have a reason to be going after.
6) Dont make them diametrically opposed to the party allignment - this should really go without saying but if you have a party of good characters and they suddenly have to constantly put in extra effort to stop their new battle buddy from torturing and killing villagers, no one is going to be having fun.
7) Do not make them as strong as a character the players could have made for this purpose - sometimes a party composition leaves out desired skills, but if this character can suddenly solve problems for the party as well as a pc, the other players may start to feel upstaged. Do not max out the skills, dont optimise their build. the party should still feel the loss from their choices of skills, feats, and spells. The exception of this is a tank or support character as its just going to annoy everone if the tank keeps dropping and everone loves a support character
Dos:
1) Do add personality quirks - pretty much every game has a random table of personality quirks, these can make the character
2) the character can cook - not really sure why but adding this detail can make your players much more inclined to take them
3) a friend in need - give them a tragic backstory and be in need of help. Theyve come this far they just need the pcs for the last push. This can be a big motivator
4) Tells jokes - if you as a person can do this, it adds to the likeability
5) Do fill gaps in the party ability - does the party lack a ranged attack, maybe they need a healer, someone who can stand in the middle of a crowd and get wailed on for a while - find something the party needs, especially if they cant get through the adventure without it. Best example is there is a dungeon full of traps and the party has no one with trap finding. As stated before, it is best to make sure this character who is there to fill in the gap is not as strong as one of your players would be in that situation. Do not optimize the build or make the dmpc a few levels lower
6) Make it so the character isnt always on the pcs minds - for your sake as well. He is not there to solve all of the problems for the party or to steal the spotlight. If your pcs have to ask where he is and what he is doing, youre pretty much doing it right (not during combat)
7) Make the dmpc the voice of the dm without breaking immersion - if the pcs suggest something that wont work for an obvious reason (Thats great Krusk, but the rest of the party isnt immune to fire). You can point these things out in character without breaking the immersion.
8) Kill the Dmpc or have them betray the party at a crucial time to motivate them or create a huge plot twist
9) if the party splits up, players can play as the npcs for a bit so everyone can keep playing
DMPCs who have worked
Olan the bandit - he is the leader of a bandit faction the pcs defeated and captured, when asked why he staged an armed insurrection, he told the pcs their benefactor was actually a psychopath behind closed doors, and had his son killed in the front lines to he could have a night in bed with his son's wife. as soon as he was done with her, he had her banished. When Olan brought this up in court he was exiled and had his own family killed. THe party kept him alive in secret until finally an ally of the lord paid off one of the pcs to kill him. THis dramatically increased party tension as they tried to find the traitor. One of the things he was able to do was lead men with the command skill (houseruled skill). When the pcs were entering a dungeon, he could lead their men and guard the enterance.
Peter the Pious - a mute cleric of a healing god who was assigned to the party to keep them alive when rooting out an evil cult. He had some stern looks for some of their behavior but as a mute he really couldnt stop the party actions. he also cooked them lovely cmapfire meals
Dominic the archeologist - a low leveled investigator who the pcs needed for his knowledge of the ancient species who made the dungeon they were entering. He stayed back in combat, firing his ranged weapons and getting sneak attacks when he could. he triggered a few traps and spells inadvertantly during combat
Christoff the guard - the pcs broke into a lord's keep to save a number of women he had captured under false pretenses. 6 npc guards joined them and christoph was one of them. The pcs botched the plan and in the course of the battle, christoff managed to get enough lucky rolls to tank a hallway full of guards for a few rounds, long enough for the pcs to do what they needed. Because of his heroics, I awarded him with a backstory and some pc class levels and he became a tank for the party.