In my campaigns, I typically create characters who serve as potential allies, competitors, or threats. For example, I created a ranger character that was hunting one of my players. I wanted to add this ranger character to the campaign in a hidden mode so that my players couldn’t metagame and research this character’s stats and abilities. This would also allow me to better keep track of which custom NPCs belong to which campaign I’m running.
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This will be more of a nuisance with the encounter builder and the combat tracker, if you are using PC character sheets for NPCs. I don't think you can add a non-campaign character sheet from your own list to the encounter builder, you'd have to create a monster stat block for it as a homebrew creature.
Come to think of it, a button to save an NPC into a homebrew monster stat block, without having to go through the rigamarole of editing it manually, would be handy.
This will be more of a nuisance with the encounter builder and the combat tracker, if you are using PC character sheets for NPCs. I don't think you can add a non-campaign character sheet from your own list to the encounter builder, you'd have to create a monster stat block for it as a homebrew creature.
You can't have PCs as enemies and can't have NPCs as allies. So it can't be perfect either way.
Come to think of it, a button to save an NPC into a homebrew monster stat block, without having to go through the rigamarole of editing it manually, would be handy.
There have already been other threads that discussed why PCs can't be conveniently converted into monster stats.
This will be more of a nuisance with the encounter builder and the combat tracker, if you are using PC character sheets for NPCs. I don't think you can add a non-campaign character sheet from your own list to the encounter builder, you'd have to create a monster stat block for it as a homebrew creature.
You can't have PCs as enemies and can't have NPCs as allies. So it can't be perfect either way.
Come to think of it, a button to save an NPC into a homebrew monster stat block, without having to go through the rigamarole of editing it manually, would be handy.
There have already been other threads that discussed why PCs can't be conveniently converted into monster stats.
Then wouldn’t it be easier if we could have PCs as enemies and have NPCs as allies?!? Wouldn’t that just solve the whole kerfuffle?
This will be more of a nuisance with the encounter builder and the combat tracker, if you are using PC character sheets for NPCs. I don't think you can add a non-campaign character sheet from your own list to the encounter builder, you'd have to create a monster stat block for it as a homebrew creature.
You can't have PCs as enemies and can't have NPCs as allies. So it can't be perfect either way.
Then wouldn’t it be easier if we could have PCs as enemies and have NPCs as allies?!? Wouldn’t that just solve the whole kerfuffle?
Well that basically comes down to the fact that the rules don't cover it. So it needs to be brought up with WotC so they can put it in a supplement book how to calculate challenge like that.
The current challenge rules only cover PCs vs NPCs.
The reason I brought this up because there a lot of great and useful monsters to use as henchmen, wild animals, monsters guarding treasure. But when there is a narrative need for a adversary character with unique abilities and a complex backstory, it’s far easier to just build that character the same as you would a PC. For example, I have a shapeshifter monk (way of the shadow)/ rogue (Assassin) that has presented himself as a primary antagonist that can hide anywhere, be anyone, and kill you in one shot anytime you get caught unprotected at night. Sure, I could just choose the default “assassin” monster, but then I would have to add or somehow keep track of all the unique abilities this characters race and dual-class status grants him.
Another reason why I think having PCs put into encounters as enemies would be useful is because currently I’m running a campaign where all of the PC’s are on different islands on a large archipelago and are basically running solo side quests that intersect with each other from time to time. If two of the PCs end up in a clash and bring their respective NPC allies into the fray, it would be super convenient if I could just plug and play the two teams into the simulator and have the rest fall into place that way.
People use NPCs built with PC rules and with monster rules on both sides of encounters all the time. NPC allies are already all over published adventures . The encounter builder and combat tracker need to support that at least, it's not optional, and they'd be doing a lot of home DMs a big favor to support PC-built NPCs as well. If pedants are going to cry because there's no official Wizards rule for calculating CR for it, then just put up a "CR not calculated" warning and move on, having the feature is more important.
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In my campaigns, I typically create characters who serve as potential allies, competitors, or threats. For example, I created a ranger character that was hunting one of my players. I wanted to add this ranger character to the campaign in a hidden mode so that my players couldn’t metagame and research this character’s stats and abilities. This would also allow me to better keep track of which custom NPCs belong to which campaign I’m running.
Would anyone else be interested in such a function? And, for the design team, could a function like this feasibly be added?
Create a second campaign to store them in, and then move them over to the main campaign if needed?
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There isn't a way to have hidden characters in campaigns. You either do as Houligan suggests or just rename the characters to indicate campaign.
This will be more of a nuisance with the encounter builder and the combat tracker, if you are using PC character sheets for NPCs. I don't think you can add a non-campaign character sheet from your own list to the encounter builder, you'd have to create a monster stat block for it as a homebrew creature.
Come to think of it, a button to save an NPC into a homebrew monster stat block, without having to go through the rigamarole of editing it manually, would be handy.
You can't have PCs as enemies and can't have NPCs as allies. So it can't be perfect either way.
There have already been other threads that discussed why PCs can't be conveniently converted into monster stats.
Then wouldn’t it be easier if we could have PCs as enemies and have NPCs as allies?!? Wouldn’t that just solve the whole kerfuffle?
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Well that basically comes down to the fact that the rules don't cover it. So it needs to be brought up with WotC so they can put it in a supplement book how to calculate challenge like that.
The current challenge rules only cover PCs vs NPCs.
The reason I brought this up because there a lot of great and useful monsters to use as henchmen, wild animals, monsters guarding treasure. But when there is a narrative need for a adversary character with unique abilities and a complex backstory, it’s far easier to just build that character the same as you would a PC. For example, I have a shapeshifter monk (way of the shadow)/ rogue (Assassin) that has presented himself as a primary antagonist that can hide anywhere, be anyone, and kill you in one shot anytime you get caught unprotected at night. Sure, I could just choose the default “assassin” monster, but then I would have to add or somehow keep track of all the unique abilities this characters race and dual-class status grants him.
Another reason why I think having PCs put into encounters as enemies would be useful is because currently I’m running a campaign where all of the PC’s are on different islands on a large archipelago and are basically running solo side quests that intersect with each other from time to time. If two of the PCs end up in a clash and bring their respective NPC allies into the fray, it would be super convenient if I could just plug and play the two teams into the simulator and have the rest fall into place that way.
People use NPCs built with PC rules and with monster rules on both sides of encounters all the time. NPC allies are already all over published adventures . The encounter builder and combat tracker need to support that at least, it's not optional, and they'd be doing a lot of home DMs a big favor to support PC-built NPCs as well. If pedants are going to cry because there's no official Wizards rule for calculating CR for it, then just put up a "CR not calculated" warning and move on, having the feature is more important.