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Scripten
2017-07-13, 02:10 PM
I realize in advance that this may sound a bit like an advice thread, so I'm going to preface everything with the statement that the situation isn't actually bad in any sense and that I have implemented solutions when needed. That being said, I feel that the topic is worthwhile to discuss.

I am currently running a weekly 6-player game of D&D. It's a fairly standard game with only a few homebrew rules and a loose, mostly sandbox-y storyline. (The players are currently traveling across the world for various reasons, doing jobs along the way.) As they've been moving along, they've made a funny habit of picking up NPCs and absorbing them into the party. So far they've had, at various times, a knight and several guards, a number of small monstrous races (several players are goblins themselves) and, most recently, a few tamed animals freed from a roadside attraction.

Now I, of course, did introduce the characters such that they would appeal to the players and gave them motivations that pushed them to travel with the party, but I've noticed more resistance than I expected whenever I try to get the characters to break from the party. I've had to explicitly have one of the NPCs state that he really needed to adventure on his own because of his convictions. None of the NPCs have been much stronger than the players and they usually stay out of the limelight, so I knew I wouldn't have to worry about accusations of running DMPCs. Nonetheless, it is amusing to see how much the party likes having DM-run "friends" along, even though they don't really make the party that much more powerful.

Have any of my fellow GitP DMs run into this sort of situation? And, if so, what did you do in response?

CharonsHelper
2017-07-13, 02:28 PM
Nonetheless, it is amusing to see how much the party likes having DM-run "friends" along, even though they don't really make the party that much more powerful.

Do they take an equal share of the loot? (and EXP) Because having to share the loot with them generally makes them seem much less necessary. :haley:

ellindsey
2017-07-13, 02:54 PM
I had this happen for most of the campaign I've been running. Very early on in the game, when everyone was level 2 and the party had no good melee meatshield characters, I had a strapping young farmboy ask them for help against a group of bandits. Gave him a very standard "I hit things with my sword" fighter build and had him accompany the group in their first ever combat, mostly so that I as a GM could show these never played D&D before players how the rules worked. I intended him to be a one-shot NPC.

At the end of the session, the pretty half-elf female rogue with maxxed-out CHA and social skills asked my poor NPC if he wouldn't please accompany them on their adventures as her protector? And I looked at the poor NPC I had drawn up with his significant WIS penalty and realized that there was no way he would say no to this. And that's how I ended up stuck running a GMPC for most of the campaign. They wouldn't let me either get rid of him or kill him off.

I finally got rid of him by running a "find the lost heir to the kingdom" plotline that ended with my GMPC being discovered to be the lost heir in question. Appointing him as the new crown prince seems to have finally convinced my players to let him leave the party.

Jay R
2017-07-13, 03:06 PM
Why in the world would they?

They don't throw away useful magic items unless they're cursed, and for the same reasons, they will not throw away useful allies unless they carry some negative aspect.

So if the DM wants the NPC to leave, the NPC has to just, ...you know ..., leave.

Scripten
2017-07-13, 03:15 PM
Do they take an equal share of the loot? (and EXP) Because having to share the loot with them generally makes them seem much less necessary. :haley:

Nope! Because, in most cases, they also don't fight. :smallbiggrin:


I finally got rid of him by running a "find the lost heir to the kingdom" plotline that ended with my GMPC being discovered to be the lost heir in question. Appointing him as the new crown prince seems to have finally convinced my players to let him leave the party.

This actually sounds like a pretty neat campaign idea. I imagine you got to develop the NPC quite a bit as you played?


Why in the world would they?

They don't throw away useful magic items unless they're cursed, and for the same reasons, they will not throw away useful allies unless they carry some negative aspect.

So if the DM wants the NPC to leave, the NPC has to just, ...you know ..., leave.

Well, like I said, they haven't even really contributed to battle at all. They just interact occasionally and give the players some opportunities to roleplay. As mentioned in the OP, I'm not really too worried about the situation; there's no real balance or spotlight-stealing issues. I'm just interested to hear about others' experiences with similar setups.

hymer
2017-07-13, 03:22 PM
Have any of my fellow GitP DMs run into this sort of situation? And, if so, what did you do in response?

Something similar, at any rate. Some of my players like getting NPCs attached to their PCs in one way or another. But the relationships tend to come to natural conclusions. The apprentice left when he felt sufficiently capable, the noble's daughter wanting to leave the clutches of her family found someone better suited to her needs, etc. The players usually enjoy meeting these NPCs again later, and seeing what's become of them. They are also occasionally useful as contacts and allies.

Max_Killjoy
2017-07-13, 03:22 PM
This is how I usually end up with what others would accuse of being GMPCs... the PCs arrange things such that it only makes sense for the NPC to stick around.

Kane0
2017-07-13, 05:24 PM
Perhaps offer a chance at some sort of stronghold or other small base of operations they will have to man and supply? Gives a nice place for them to store and make use of the posse they're gathering.

Darth Ultron
2017-07-13, 07:05 PM
It happens all the time in my games, but I do like having lots of NPC's around. It gives me, as DM, something to do when the players are not doing anything.

Mostly they stay out of combat, and really don't ''help'' all that much, but they are fun characters.

Though if the DM ''wants'' one to leave, they should....it should not be a big deal.

RazorChain
2017-07-13, 07:54 PM
This is how I usually end up with what others would accuse of being GMPCs... the PCs arrange things such that it only makes sense for the NPC to stick around.

Same here, actually one player of mine had this pet peeve of dragging along some poor schmuck and try to make a hero out of him/her. But often the case is that the party manages to drag someone along that they think is interesting, not to increase their survivability but just for the heck of it.

ellindsey
2017-07-13, 10:02 PM
This actually sounds like a pretty neat campaign idea. I imagine you got to develop the NPC quite a bit as you played?


Yeah, I had to come up with his backstory on the fly as he wasn't originally intended to be anything more than a single session NPC. Eventually I realized that what I knew about his history fit perfectly with the lost heir plotline. I had originally planned for one of the PCs to be the heir, but they all disqualified themselves by submitting backgrounds or character concepts that were ineligible for one reason or another. They seemed pretty happy with the way things worked out. Of course, now they've placed a low-WIS, easily swayed level 10 fighter on the throne of the largest kingdom in the immediate campaign area. I'm sure that won't backfire at all...

Pex
2017-07-13, 10:12 PM
And to think some DMs complain their players care nothing about any NPCs while playing mudering hobos. :smallsmile:

It is a compliment to the DM when the party really likes an NPC. He created a character the players can empathize. On a cynical note it also helps for at least one NPC the players meet who likes them back personally as opposed to another villain or indifferent shopkeeper or pompous authority figure.

An idea: Encourage the players to have a base of operations. Give the party a reward of land and possibly already built fort/castle. They can even have Titles. Of course someone needs to stay behind for maintenance and be in charge in their name while they go off adventuring. That's what the party NPCs can do. They become the Senior Staff. They're still involved with the party, and the players have confidence there are people they trust back home keeping things in order. Also helps for player absences. If a player can't make the game session when a new adventure starts his character remains behind as Lord/Lady of the Manor.

Cozzer
2017-07-14, 02:42 AM
Perhaps offer a chance at some sort of stronghold or other small base of operations they will have to man and supply? Gives a nice place for them to store and make use of the posse they're gathering.

+1 to this idea. It really feels empowering for players to have something (a camp, a small fortress, a village, a guild...) that they can slowly build by picking the things/NPCs/organizations they like the most during their adventures and keeping in touch with them.

hifidelity2
2017-07-14, 04:00 AM
Just have the NPC become a liability
- Accidentally alerts the guards
- Spoils the ambush (or triggers it)
- Etc

JeenLeen
2017-07-14, 08:49 AM
I realize you said you already tried solutions, but I also recommend going with the stronghold to give both you and your places what you like. Your players remind me of myself, and that would appeal to my 'collect allies' mentality.
I'd also recommend giving it a portal and the party a tool that lets them reach it. Namely since it sounds like your campaign involves a lot of travel, so a stronghold is kinda useless if the PCs are always far away. Maybe something that takes a day to activate, and can only be activated in 'safe' areas, to keep the party from restocking and resting safely when you don't intend them to do so. Or, if the party is high enough level to have spells like Magnificient Mansion (if 3.5), casting that on the key opens a doorway to the stronghold instead of the magically-created mansion, and the doorway only lasts for the duration of the spell.

Also, keep in mind that unless you discuss it OOC, the players might not realize you don't intend for them to keep the NPCs as traveling companions long-term. (But a stronghold nullifies that.)

Scripten
2017-07-14, 08:51 AM
I really like the idea of giving the players a basebuilding sideplot. After they've finished the current adventure (which is constantly on the move), I'll probably set up something that encourages them to set up shop. One of the characters is a cleric of a dead religion, so I could maybe give him the opportunity to build up a church from scratch.

ReaderAt2046
2017-07-14, 10:56 AM
Yeah, I had to come up with his backstory on the fly as he wasn't originally intended to be anything more than a single session NPC. Eventually I realized that what I knew about his history fit perfectly with the lost heir plotline. I had originally planned for one of the PCs to be the heir, but they all disqualified themselves by submitting backgrounds or character concepts that were ineligible for one reason or another. They seemed pretty happy with the way things worked out. Of course, now they've placed a low-WIS, easily swayed level 10 fighter on the throne of the largest kingdom in the immediate campaign area. I'm sure that won't backfire at all...

I would assume that the pretty half-elf rogue would have hooked herself in as Queen, which would let the party keep an eye on things.

GrayGriffin
2017-07-14, 09:15 PM
Yeah, our Pokemon games have had us regularly picking up NPC companions. And each player admittedly already has a trainer and a team to play, so really the NPCs are still mostly a minority. Still, our DM is pretty good about giving them their own goals and figuring out when for them to separate while still keeping in touch some way.

GorinichSerpant
2017-07-14, 09:52 PM
You could have one of the Npcs suggest setting up a base at some point before you offer them an opportunity to have one. Depending on how they feel about the suggestion, they might seek out a stronghold on their own initiative.