I have run a DMPC in every game for the last 20 years and my players love it. I make sure not to spoil anything (I tend to not use rogues since I know where the traps are...) and they are treated as a full PC, earning XP, leveling, etc. Forget what people say and do what is fun for you and your players.
All the DMPC's I have tend to be support characters. They tend to just do stuff like cast Faerie Fire or give inspiration. I also just add class levels onto npc statblocks as it's a lot quicker then making a character sheet. Party haven't objected to them so far and seem to get on with at least 2 of them.
There is a difference between a DMPC and a PNPC. A DMPC is a way for the DM to try to play in their own campaign. No bueno.
A PNPC (Party NPC) is just like every other NPC on the planet, but is allied with the party and acts as their agent. In other words, a PNPC doesn’t act on their own in general unless it’s to get the party out of a pickle. (Like breaking the glass in case of emergency.) Otherwise they mostly stay quiet (unless it’s to remind the party of a basic fact), they don’t really participate in combat (they get narrated as participating but that’s mostly just to maintain verisimilitude), and the generally just do whatever the party tells them to do (usually the menial tasks that would be boring and/or split the party).
Both the main DM for my group, and myself (one of the backup DMs since we kindasorta rotate whenever the main DM needs a break) use PNPCs to great effect and have for almost 2 decades.
I have run a DMPC in every game for the last 20 years and my players love it. I make sure not to spoil anything (I tend to not use rogues since I know where the traps are...) and they are treated as a full PC, earning XP, leveling, etc. Forget what people say and do what is fun for you and your players.
All the DMPC's I have tend to be support characters. They tend to just do stuff like cast Faerie Fire or give inspiration. I also just add class levels onto npc statblocks as it's a lot quicker then making a character sheet. Party haven't objected to them so far and seem to get on with at least 2 of them.
There is a difference between a DMPC and a PNPC. A DMPC is a way for the DM to try to play in their own campaign. No bueno.
A PNPC (Party NPC) is just like every other NPC on the planet, but is allied with the party and acts as their agent. In other words, a PNPC doesn’t act on their own in general unless it’s to get the party out of a pickle. (Like breaking the glass in case of emergency.) Otherwise they mostly stay quiet (unless it’s to remind the party of a basic fact), they don’t really participate in combat (they get narrated as participating but that’s mostly just to maintain verisimilitude), and the generally just do whatever the party tells them to do (usually the menial tasks that would be boring and/or split the party).
Both the main DM for my group, and myself (one of the backup DMs since we kindasorta rotate whenever the main DM needs a break) use PNPCs to great effect and have for almost 2 decades.
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