I've got some NPC's which play a significant role in the campaign and often be around to help the party in encounters, Is it better to run them in encounters as player characters or build them up as unique monsters?
The encounter builder doesn't have a provision to add NPCs to the party for encounter balance calculations. Same as for using them as monsters, they will count in the equation there on the "monster" side making the encounter *seem* to be more difficult than it actually will be.
Depending on the amount of "help" that your NPCs can provide in a given encounter, you will most likely need to add another PC to the group, in the encounter builder, that is on-par, 1-2 levels above, or 1-2 levels below the average level of your party. You could also omit using them in the calculation and aim the encounter for the heavy end of the spectrum by one or two categories. I might suggest that this requires a gentle touch.
I have a sidekick or two in party and have homebrewed them to be more in-line with the effort that a PC might be able to provide. Comperable to a PC 1 level lower than party average. I've flown a little close to the sun a couple of times, but my wings haven't melted yet. I don't think I'll be pushing too much harder until level up again. Point is, you have to know when enough is enough.
Bit of warning: This is kinda like adding salt to your soup, you can always put more in. By the time you've found out that you've added too much, it's difficult to remove it without making a mess and someone has a disgusted look on their face.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
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I've got some NPC's which play a significant role in the campaign and often be around to help the party in encounters, Is it better to run them in encounters as player characters or build them up as unique monsters?
The encounter builder doesn't have a provision to add NPCs to the party for encounter balance calculations. Same as for using them as monsters, they will count in the equation there on the "monster" side making the encounter *seem* to be more difficult than it actually will be.
Depending on the amount of "help" that your NPCs can provide in a given encounter, you will most likely need to add another PC to the group, in the encounter builder, that is on-par, 1-2 levels above, or 1-2 levels below the average level of your party. You could also omit using them in the calculation and aim the encounter for the heavy end of the spectrum by one or two categories. I might suggest that this requires a gentle touch.
I have a sidekick or two in party and have homebrewed them to be more in-line with the effort that a PC might be able to provide. Comperable to a PC 1 level lower than party average. I've flown a little close to the sun a couple of times, but my wings haven't melted yet. I don't think I'll be pushing too much harder until level up again. Point is, you have to know when enough is enough.
Bit of warning: This is kinda like adding salt to your soup, you can always put more in. By the time you've found out that you've added too much, it's difficult to remove it without making a mess and someone has a disgusted look on their face.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad