Okay so my whole campaign is fairly homebrew, I call it Cat God of Chaos
I figured that a good way to move things along and make things easy on me was to have a campaign that was basically, God of Chaos has chosen to mess up your lives, what do you do?
but back on topic to my question in the paths I have planned for them there are quite a few monsters that seem like the sort that they could attempt not to fight and instead add to the party, if they go down that route what are some things I should make up plan wise so that I'm not left scrambling?
I was thinking maybe making up character sheets for some of the monsters, but I don't want to spend a lot of time creating a character sheet for a monster they may decide to destroy instead of befriend, are there any like premades that might be for monsters turned character or ideas on how to turn a premade regular into a premade monster with only a little work?
You might want to check the sidekick section of Tasha's cauldron of everything. It has easy rules to make companion npc.
Edit: Actually, Tasha also has a section with advice about how to parley with monsters immediately after the sidekick section since those are usually good candidates for that.
Just don’t let them join the party. Especially if you’re a new DM, you don’t want to take on running a party member. By all means let the party have chances to talk their way out of encounters instead of fighting all the time. But there’s a lot of space between not fighting and joining the party.
At most, if you really want them to have an ally like that, make it temporary. They travel with the party for a session, and then have to go off on their own way.
On the other hand, you could let them join the party. It would be good opportunity to learn how to run an NPC party member.
The trick with that is to remember that NPCs in the party have their own agendas. They have their own goals and if they join the party, it is to get something they want. If you ask an NPC like this what they want or how to solve a problem, they are most likely going to further their own goals and ideals.
A monster in the party should be something that makes villagers afraid. They should be suspicious of these adventurers who hang out with monsters: that's what the bad guys do, right? There should be reasons why the players should say "Maybe, we shouldn't walk around everywhere with a manticore." It should be a choice for the players to make and any choice with an obvious answer isn't a choice at all.
That said, I wouldn't force this upon your players if they aren't trying to befriend monsters. They should get a monster companion because they want one, not because you want them to have one.
After the monster joins be sure to have it be an endearing companion that is always targeted by every opponent, especially those with charm spells or things that will cause madness.
Turn the companion on the party.
Make them spend resources on healing an NPC.
It will allow you to see how much they want this critter around. If they let it die you need not include another opportunity. If they take great pains to keep it alive you know where they stand. Either way, everyone will remember "Fluffy" and you can get role play value out of it.
If it gets to be troublesome, do a catch and release scenario. It is getting sick from being out of its environment, home sick or physically ill. Intelligent creatures are more easily handled by saying that they have duties/responsibilities/longings that need attending to. Whatever you do, go for the heartstrings with the relationship and departure.
I encourage you to slam the door shut on this idea altogether. As you said, don’t waste time preparing sheets for these monsters especially if there is a good chance the party won’t even add them.
As a new DM, keep your games very black and white, simple and to the point. Monsters are baddies that the party is supposed to kill. Period. Focus on leaning to run combat efficiently and fighting strategically with the monsters. In order to do that, run as many combats as possible to practice practice practice.
Once you are an experienced DM who has mastered the basics, then you can begin to toy with ideas like this.
This has happened multiple times in my campaign. Normally, I have such monsters act as mostly noncombat allies. They are there for the purpose of the character's story, but they don't fight for the players unless specifically threatened, and even then they may run away instead of fight. They can also act as an NPC- not with the party, but a contact for information/quests in the central location (town, hideout, etc.).
In some special circumstances, I've had them fight, but mostly not because it's a headache for encounter balance.
Also, it should be quite hard to befriend a very strong monster, otherwise it messes up the balance of the game.
If the monsters are not super strong, it works better.
PS. Take in count the NPC monsters currently with the party when calculating for encounters because they might play a signifigant role in combat, and you'll have to prepare for that.
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Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
keeping the befriendable and may go with the party monsters close to the players level, anything else would be too big in size to join the party
I'm not letting them know they can befriend enemies so that it can happen organically
When I'm not the Dm I play a bard and have a lot of fun throwing the Dm for a loop and chucking their every plan out the window, so I'm trying to plan out my campaign as if my bard was also in the party to keep myself from being thrown for a loop
keeping the befriendable and may go with the party monsters close to the players level, anything else would be too big in size to join the party
I'm not letting them know they can befriend enemies so that it can happen organically
When I'm not the Dm I play a bard and have a lot of fun throwing the Dm for a loop and chucking their every plan out the window, so I'm trying to plan out my campaign as if my bard was also in the party to keep myself from being thrown for a loop
Makes sense.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
Okay so my whole campaign is fairly homebrew, I call it Cat God of Chaos
I figured that a good way to move things along and make things easy on me was to have a campaign that was basically, God of Chaos has chosen to mess up your lives, what do you do?
but back on topic to my question in the paths I have planned for them there are quite a few monsters that seem like the sort that they could attempt not to fight and instead add to the party, if they go down that route what are some things I should make up plan wise so that I'm not left scrambling?
I was thinking maybe making up character sheets for some of the monsters, but I don't want to spend a lot of time creating a character sheet for a monster they may decide to destroy instead of befriend, are there any like premades that might be for monsters turned character or ideas on how to turn a premade regular into a premade monster with only a little work?
You might want to check the sidekick section of Tasha's cauldron of everything. It has easy rules to make companion npc.
Edit: Actually, Tasha also has a section with advice about how to parley with monsters immediately after the sidekick section since those are usually good candidates for that.
Just don’t let them join the party. Especially if you’re a new DM, you don’t want to take on running a party member. By all means let the party have chances to talk their way out of encounters instead of fighting all the time. But there’s a lot of space between not fighting and joining the party.
At most, if you really want them to have an ally like that, make it temporary. They travel with the party for a session, and then have to go off on their own way.
On the other hand, you could let them join the party. It would be good opportunity to learn how to run an NPC party member.
The trick with that is to remember that NPCs in the party have their own agendas. They have their own goals and if they join the party, it is to get something they want. If you ask an NPC like this what they want or how to solve a problem, they are most likely going to further their own goals and ideals.
A monster in the party should be something that makes villagers afraid. They should be suspicious of these adventurers who hang out with monsters: that's what the bad guys do, right? There should be reasons why the players should say "Maybe, we shouldn't walk around everywhere with a manticore." It should be a choice for the players to make and any choice with an obvious answer isn't a choice at all.
That said, I wouldn't force this upon your players if they aren't trying to befriend monsters. They should get a monster companion because they want one, not because you want them to have one.
After the monster joins be sure to have it be an endearing companion that is always targeted by every opponent, especially those with charm spells or things that will cause madness.
Turn the companion on the party.
Make them spend resources on healing an NPC.
It will allow you to see how much they want this critter around. If they let it die you need not include another opportunity. If they take great pains to keep it alive you know where they stand. Either way, everyone will remember "Fluffy" and you can get role play value out of it.
If it gets to be troublesome, do a catch and release scenario. It is getting sick from being out of its environment, home sick or physically ill. Intelligent creatures are more easily handled by saying that they have duties/responsibilities/longings that need attending to. Whatever you do, go for the heartstrings with the relationship and departure.
I encourage you to slam the door shut on this idea altogether. As you said, don’t waste time preparing sheets for these monsters especially if there is a good chance the party won’t even add them.
As a new DM, keep your games very black and white, simple and to the point. Monsters are baddies that the party is supposed to kill. Period. Focus on leaning to run combat efficiently and fighting strategically with the monsters. In order to do that, run as many combats as possible to practice practice practice.
Once you are an experienced DM who has mastered the basics, then you can begin to toy with ideas like this.
This has happened multiple times in my campaign. Normally, I have such monsters act as mostly noncombat allies. They are there for the purpose of the character's story, but they don't fight for the players unless specifically threatened, and even then they may run away instead of fight. They can also act as an NPC- not with the party, but a contact for information/quests in the central location (town, hideout, etc.).
In some special circumstances, I've had them fight, but mostly not because it's a headache for encounter balance.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
thanks for the advice, it's all super helpful
I don't plan to force them to take on and npc ally but I don't want to leave anything unplanned for
No plan survives contact with the party.
Repeat to yourself: it's just a game, I should really just relax.
Ask your players what they want. Give them what they ask for.
Also, it should be quite hard to befriend a very strong monster, otherwise it messes up the balance of the game.
If the monsters are not super strong, it works better.
PS. Take in count the NPC monsters currently with the party when calculating for encounters because they might play a signifigant role in combat, and you'll have to prepare for that.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.keeping the befriendable and may go with the party monsters close to the players level, anything else would be too big in size to join the party
I'm not letting them know they can befriend enemies so that it can happen organically
When I'm not the Dm I play a bard and have a lot of fun throwing the Dm for a loop and chucking their every plan out the window, so I'm trying to plan out my campaign as if my bard was also in the party to keep myself from being thrown for a loop
Makes sense.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Keep in mind that being and adventurer is pretty dangerous. It should take a LOT to convince someone to join them.
If your friends told you he was going to go the Ukraine and kill Russians, do you think he could convince you to join them?