I'm starting off with running a small campaign one-on-one with my wife, partly to get us used to the rules, and also to work out how everything works these days. (Both of us played extensively in the 2nd ed - 3.5 era, and the internet has given so much more in the way of tools and gamplay styles/modes.)
As part of this I'm using additional DM controlled characters to make the combat far less deadly, and get around a few elements like locked doors. However, I want to pre-build some NPCs to add to the campaign, without revealing them until they meet the party. Once they're in play, I'd like to have them included in the game log etc, but to do that they have to be in the campaign from creation.
As such I'm trying to create the character sheet myself, and then add it to a campaign later. However, as the DM it doesn't look like I can do that.
Is there a way to add characters to a campaign after creation, while being the DM, or some way to add the characters to the campaign from scratch, but hide them from the players?
Would what I'm doing be better on some other platform besides D&D Beyond? Is there a better tool for campaign management?
Build them in your account and add them as needed with the join link, or add the NPC's as characters set to private and the name "gibberish" until you introduce them then change the name and or the private/public, link/campaign to suit your needs.
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CENSORSHIP IS THE TOOL OF COWARDS and WANNA BE TYRANTS.
Build them in your account and add them as needed with the join link, or add the NPC's as characters set to private and the name "gibberish" until you introduce them then change the name and or the private/public, link/campaign to suit your needs.
Adding my own characters using the Join link seems so unintuitive since I'm the DM and it's my campaign, but it's exactly what I needed. Thanks!
Just to throw out another option, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has rules for sidekick characters. Basically stripped down PCs that are simple enough for a player to be able to run one along with their PC. You might look at your wife running one of them to reduce the burden on you. For that matter, you might run them instead of full PCs.
Unfortunately, you can’t make them in the character builder, so it’s not perfect, but it might help out a little.
By general principles (my principles, that is), a GM should never control PC's in his own game. You can hand out NPC's for the PC's to run - with the GM keeping final say on what NPC's will and will not do - but really, you simply shouldn't play both sides of the fence. It's a bad idea.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
You can also Deactivate the character within the campaign (make sure it's properties are set to private).
You also don't need to create the character, then join it to the campaign. You can create the character in the campaign itself, then just claim it right away.
Having a DM controlled PC (which by definition is an NPC) within the group can be an effective tool. Especially if your players are afraid to interact with each other. Having an NPC who at camp can ask a specific question to get the conversation between characters rolling (or continuing) can be a godsend.
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Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
By general principles (my principles, that is), a GM should never control PC's in his own game. You can hand out NPC's for the PC's to run - with the GM keeping final say on what NPC's will and will not do - but really, you simply shouldn't play both sides of the fence. It's a bad idea.
You simply shouldn’t tell someone how to play the game. It’s a bad idea. They are playing a duet game and are a RL couple. I’m guessing they have an infinitely better idea what works for them and would be an enjoyable time than you do.
Everyone is different, but I personally can’t imagine it being fun to play in a bit of a vacuum where I am adventuring by myself with no party members to talk to. The setup that has been described, however, sounds like fun to me for a duet game.
Running NPC's during a game is pretty standard, even ones using class stats. The thing is to make sure you're not outshining the party. Which isn't particularly hard; if you just keep them at the level of the party, they're not going to outshine a whole group of players unless they're super optimized either by stats or by being tailored for the upcoming encounters. Even if they're higher level, you can manage them with a little finesse. Can maybe be used early on as part of why the party survives an early encounter with the BBEG if you want to set the tone "yeah, this BBEG has major clout and you're not at their level yet", and beyond that you just manage their appearances in the story so that while they might occasionally contribute and facilitate plot advancement, they're not solving all the party's problems for them. Obviously this is much easier to say than pull off in play, but if you just keep in mind that DMPC's are supporting characters, not main characters, you should have a good mindset to apply them.
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I'm starting off with running a small campaign one-on-one with my wife, partly to get us used to the rules, and also to work out how everything works these days. (Both of us played extensively in the 2nd ed - 3.5 era, and the internet has given so much more in the way of tools and gamplay styles/modes.)
As part of this I'm using additional DM controlled characters to make the combat far less deadly, and get around a few elements like locked doors. However, I want to pre-build some NPCs to add to the campaign, without revealing them until they meet the party. Once they're in play, I'd like to have them included in the game log etc, but to do that they have to be in the campaign from creation.
As such I'm trying to create the character sheet myself, and then add it to a campaign later. However, as the DM it doesn't look like I can do that.
Is there a way to add characters to a campaign after creation, while being the DM, or some way to add the characters to the campaign from scratch, but hide them from the players?
Would what I'm doing be better on some other platform besides D&D Beyond? Is there a better tool for campaign management?
Build them in your account and add them as needed with the join link, or add the NPC's as characters set to private and the name "gibberish" until you introduce them then change the name and or the private/public, link/campaign to suit your needs.
CENSORSHIP IS THE TOOL OF COWARDS and WANNA BE TYRANTS.
Adding my own characters using the Join link seems so unintuitive since I'm the DM and it's my campaign, but it's exactly what I needed. Thanks!
Just to throw out another option, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has rules for sidekick characters. Basically stripped down PCs that are simple enough for a player to be able to run one along with their PC. You might look at your wife running one of them to reduce the burden on you. For that matter, you might run them instead of full PCs.
Unfortunately, you can’t make them in the character builder, so it’s not perfect, but it might help out a little.
By general principles (my principles, that is), a GM should never control PC's in his own game. You can hand out NPC's for the PC's to run - with the GM keeping final say on what NPC's will and will not do - but really, you simply shouldn't play both sides of the fence. It's a bad idea.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
You can also Deactivate the character within the campaign (make sure it's properties are set to private).
You also don't need to create the character, then join it to the campaign. You can create the character in the campaign itself, then just claim it right away.
Having a DM controlled PC (which by definition is an NPC) within the group can be an effective tool. Especially if your players are afraid to interact with each other. Having an NPC who at camp can ask a specific question to get the conversation between characters rolling (or continuing) can be a godsend.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
You simply shouldn’t tell someone how to play the game. It’s a bad idea. They are playing a duet game and are a RL couple. I’m guessing they have an infinitely better idea what works for them and would be an enjoyable time than you do.
Everyone is different, but I personally can’t imagine it being fun to play in a bit of a vacuum where I am adventuring by myself with no party members to talk to. The setup that has been described, however, sounds like fun to me for a duet game.
Running NPC's during a game is pretty standard, even ones using class stats. The thing is to make sure you're not outshining the party. Which isn't particularly hard; if you just keep them at the level of the party, they're not going to outshine a whole group of players unless they're super optimized either by stats or by being tailored for the upcoming encounters. Even if they're higher level, you can manage them with a little finesse. Can maybe be used early on as part of why the party survives an early encounter with the BBEG if you want to set the tone "yeah, this BBEG has major clout and you're not at their level yet", and beyond that you just manage their appearances in the story so that while they might occasionally contribute and facilitate plot advancement, they're not solving all the party's problems for them. Obviously this is much easier to say than pull off in play, but if you just keep in mind that DMPC's are supporting characters, not main characters, you should have a good mindset to apply them.