Sidekick Guide Available?

[metalith]

I know that Sidekicks are still currently UA material but I have seen write up a few guides for some UA material but I haven't seen one for Sidekicks. Is there a Sidekick Guide available? I have been looking at some material especially for Experts and Spellcasters and for Spellcasters it seems like Druid and Cleric bases Spellcasters are pretty SoL.

[ProsecutorGodot]

From what I understand, Sidekicks are straightforward enough that using them should be fairly easy. I'm not aware of any guide to using them.

What I will share, in case you weren't aware, is that Sidekicks are going to be officially printed in the D&D Essentials Kit (https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/495-live-from-the-descent-d-ds-next-story-unveiled) as a way to enable a Single Player experience. I believe the goal with these 1-1 rules is to take some of the strain of playing fully realized class characters and instead let you have "your hero" and his allies instead of a party of heroes without realized identities.

[metalith]

Well I mean is not utilization but a guide in this CR 1 or less creature is good for this Warrior. This one is great for Expert and Warrior, ie an essential break down of the possibilities. I was hoping Sidekicks could be available like Leadership was 3.5. Especially as a way to help shore up a gap in a party make up.

[LordEntrails]

Not that I have seen. But their are two Sidekick "classes" on the DMsG;
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/266919/Legendary-Squire--Sidekick-Class
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/267500/Mage-Apprentice--Sidekick-Class

I don't have them and their are no reviews or ratings, so no idea if they are any good. But they are inexpensive.

[Snowbluff]

If you want my honest opinion, you can just draw from the existing guides for advice.

Rogue and partially bard guides will be handy for Expert.

For the caster one, literally just steal from the spell list guides from the appropriate class.

Warriors just build them like a fighter.

Really, it's quite straight forward. I think sidekick classes can be pretty strong, especially the caster one.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Well I mean is not utilization but a guide in this CR 1 or less creature is good for this Warrior. This one is great for Expert and Warrior, ie an essential break down of the possibilities. I was hoping Sidekicks could be available like Leadership was 3.5. Especially as a way to help shore up a gap in a party make up.

Assuming availability, most often you're going to be recruiting other humanoids or common type animals. Extraordinary sidekicks would be something like a Brass Dragon Wyrmling or a Dryad.

There are 23 pages of monsters on DND Beyond with a CR of 1 or lower, so evaluating each one would be an extensive process and wouldn't be all that appropriate as a majority of those creatures aren't likely(or able) to be befriended, which is the second prerequisite for having them be your sidekick.

[MeeposFire]

The real optimization that is unique is what NPC can you get as your sidekick and then combine that with a sidekick class to see what you can come up with. For example if you are going for a warrior sidekick or even an expert then you want someone who cna deal more damage in one attack (the warrior even more so per attack) rather than one based around multiattack since extra attack does not work with multi attack.

Granted in my view this also somewhat goes against the idea behind this. This is to give your party the ability to have NPCs that can stick with you and grow with you but are not built exactly like PCs.

[JackPhoenix]

Assuming availability, most often you're going to be recruiting other humanoids or common type animals. Extraordinary sidekicks would be something like a Brass Dragon Wyrmling or a Dryad.

There are 23 pages of monsters on DND Beyond with a CR of 1 or lower, so evaluating each one would be an extensive process and wouldn't be all that appropriate as a majority of those creatures aren't likely(or able) to be befriended, which is the second prerequisite for having them be your sidekick.

The actual number would be much lower for expert and spellcaster, as they need to be able to speak at least one language. For the warrior, it's simple: pick the toughest beatstick creature you can find. Notably, if you expect the sidekick to get to the higher levels, creatures with one powerful attack benefit more from Extra Attack than creatures with Multiattack, as they are mutually exclusive. Humanoids can benefit from magic weapon and armor, and access to magic damage is important in higher level play.

[No brains]

Strangely enough, you may not want to make a spellcasting creature into a spellcasting sidekick. If it had useful spells before, they get replaced by the spellcasting sidekick's class feature, potentially hurting its intended function.

Another bizarre note about spellcasting sidekicks is that they can get warlock spells that recharge on a long rest that are known like bard spells. This gives the appearance of versatility, but the sidekick is probably going to play most like a sorcerer with low points given how it recovers spells.

ALSO IMPORTANT: Sidekicks do not get ritual casting. They won't work as a mule for utility spells.

Probably the best way to use a sidekick is to give them Fire Bolt/ Toll the Dead/ Eldritch Blast and use them as artillery. Potent cantrips help with this. Their other two features, Focused Casting and Empowered Spells could work together to release a potent cloudkill, flame sphere or other lingering damage effect.

[metalith]

Strangely enough, you may not want to make a spellcasting creature into a spellcasting sidekick. If it had useful spells before, they get replaced by the spellcasting sidekick's class feature, potentially hurting its intended function.

Is that in a line of the UA that I'm missing. I don't see how that would happen or why?

[ProsecutorGodot]

Is that in a line of the UA that I'm missing. I don't see how that would happen or why?

It is in the UA, under Spellcasting for the Spellcaster sidekick.

At 1st level, the sidekick gains the ability to cast spells.(If the creature already has the Spellcasting trait, this feature replaces that trait.) Choose a class: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard. This choice determines the spell list, spellcasting ability, and spellcasting focus used by the sidekick, as shown on the Spellcasting table.

There is a bit of ambiguity here. Innate Spellcasting isn't technically the Spellcasting trait. They are separate traits.