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A few suggestions:
- Don't make her a "DMPC", which means don't treat her is *your* character. That leads to a world of trouble.
- Outside of combat, you should be her "voice". Let her fill the group in when appropriate, she can be a good conduit for information that you think the group needs. But don't have her solve any problems or find any answers that the group should really be doing.
- in combat, let one of the players (the most experienced) move her around, and if possible decide on her actions, within reason. If it's really too confusing for the player, then you can call out the spells she is casting and such like.
- Be sure that her character sheet is complete and easy to read. If all her weapons and spells are fully statted out on the character sheet, it shouldn't be that difficult for a player to run her during combat. If necessary, make a side list (like, on a post-it) of the spells she typically casts forst in combat situations, but allow the character running her to take other decisions when appropiate.
- Since she *is* an NPC, don't hesitate to overrule the character making choices for her, and have her do something else during combat.
As you said, NPCs who are helping the group should be mostly passive, just lending their firepower when appropriate.
i have a few ideas if you like.
1. Talk to your players, tell them that npc is there just to balance the team and she's not gonna make any important decision due to your history and knowledge.
2. Make her believe she's so damn stupid she cant make any good decition.
3. Make her have an oath that forbids her to talk in front of noone who's not a friend or a close party member.
4. Avoid any limelight moment you are tempted to do, when you are playing an NPC with the party is easy to forget you are not a player.
5. Magic go wrong, she becomes moult.
6. Kill her, change her for another NPC, and so on...
7. We all have our personality, you can just say she dont like to speak when it comes to important moments. If someone ask her why she's so shy when an important moment comes, just say: "I made an important decision once...it didnt go well" and then she just look aside. (this is like BOM BOOO, CHARACTER BITE)
And that's pretty much all. Also, if you want her to come from a cold place it doesnt need to be snowy, right? maybe she can come from the stolen lands. Maybe she's from any mountain in Golarion with a little bit of altitude...
hope it helped!
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I have used an NPC party member twice, once as an escort quest and once as a 4th party member. Their stories are at Amaya of Westcrown (Jade Regent spoiler) and Iron Gods among Scientists (Iron Gods spoiler).
In both cases, the party member was a regular NPC promoted to party member, so I had to adapt the character as written. Fortunately, Amaya was described as shy, so her shyness manifested as quiet and passive. Val was young and impulsive, but I gave her a serious case of hero worship of the other party members, so she always agreed with that they wanted. All I needed was an excuse why the NPC would not help make major decisions for the party. Each took a supporting role in the party: Amaya was the healer and Val was the crafting assistant. Each did decide on her own actions in accord with the party's goals.
Remember, the NPC is still an NPC, and her words and actions can amuse the players. Don't make her too quiet. As for metagaming, every time the party interacts with a regular NPC you still have that inside knowledge. The hostile NPC could give away key information while boasting. The friendly NPC could hide like a coward or offer aid like a hero, depending on what the plot needs. The inside-knowledge aspect of a party member NPC is no different. And the decisions are easier, because the character is established with her own values already.
A party member NPC offers a unique advantage for the GM: they are fair game for abuse. They can be kidnapped, mind-controlled, left out of key battles, and all sorts of agency-robbing things that would be unfair to a player. For example, once in Lords of Rust the party fighter went out to buy supplies across untamed territory all alone. Okay, not alone because I realized the risk and sent Val with him. But the random encounter roll was 00. They encountered Kulgara, the orc with a chainsaw illustrated on the cover of the module, and her entourage of warrior orcs. The fighter, with no ranks in Bluff, tried to bluff his way out with a lie that would have done nothing to save him. Val, with maximum ranks in Bluff and high Charisma, instead flattered Kulgara. Kulgara liked the flattery and took Val as her new servant, leaving the fighter safely behind. I could not have done that to a PC, because it removed the character from the game for a few sessions. Doing that to an NPC was fine. By the way, the rest of the party was furious at the fighter for losing Val.
The Pathfinder Player Companion: People of the North tells of the northern tribes of humans (and other species). Kellid barbarians are found in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords and Numeria (Val is a Kellid bloodrager). Ulfen are the vikings of the Land of the Linnorm Kings and Irrisen. Erutaki are the eskimos of the unnamed artic tundra--and some characters in the Land of the Linnorm Kings in Night of Frozen Shadows were Erutaki. Jadwica are the natives of Irrisen ruled by the winter witches.
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The thing to remember about NPC's that in 'starring roles' is to think of them as the 'secondary actor' the one that compliments the main 'actor' in this case the PC's.
They normally have the average stat spread 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 that way they can be good at what you need them for to fill. But not to be as good as the PC's (whom likely have better stat spreads) You can also use them as the people that ask questions to get the PC's thinking but not the one that asks NPC to NPC questions, unless it seems especially important.
Normally for these characters you want to follow the Pathfinder Society Build.
Single skills centered around:
Mobility (Acrobatics, Climb, Ride, stealth or Swim)
Interaction (Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate,Perform[any],and Sense Motive)
Knowledge (Heal, Knowledge[any],Linguistics, Spellcraft, Survival)
Day job (Craft Or Profession)
A character that compliments what the group needs but doesn't push to spotlight is all you need. If your campaign continues and a PC takes leadership this character might become their Cohort/hireling.
I've done this with mostly NPC Healers. The really started to consider playing Clerics themselves after so many NPC clerics I make tend to be Abbadar Worshipers and tend to ask for payment for any healing or take part of treasure that leaves the party 'pool' of resources. But alas no they have yet to do so, But they do like the NPC's other than that one aspect.
Also unless important to the plot, Never make the NPC a big deal to the world around the PC's. No Princesses or Princes unless part of the plot of Temporary. the NPC should just be a 'commoner' that fits what they need. It tends to avoid characters being shown up by the NPC
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Not sure which color of the Draconic bloodlines you've picked for the NPC but I'd recommend White dragon. gives you the Cold Resistance your looking for and it downplays her abilities for the group as to avoid overshadowing them or as I call it, keeping them as a Supporting actor to help keep the PC's in the spot light. Her cold spells and abilities won't hurt the White Dragon all that much this way so it'll be up to the PC's.
You can have her talk or be less passive in social areas. She can certainly be the foil by asking questions of the group when you don't understand what they are asking or the information they're trying to get.
This way you all get an idea of what is happening as does everyone else around the table if there is confusion.
But yes having her help with combat is very useful, and making that her primary use is the best use.
as for her origin: She could be from the Village of Heldren, located in the south of Taldor, swept up by the magical gate when the winter witches first opened them, due to the blizzard she suddenly found herself in, her blood finally triggered awakening within and kept her safe long enough to find shelter. Her senses becoming sharper and with sudden knowledge of magic for use, she slowly trek'd her way towards civilization gaining more power and skill along the way. (her 3 levels, and gives you the option of investing in linguistics to show her learning to communicate with locals)
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They normally have the average stat spread 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 that way they can be good at what you need them for to fill. But not to be as good as the PC's (whom likely have better stat spreads) You can also use them as the people that ask questions to get the PC's thinking but not the one that asks NPC to NPC questions, unless it seems especially important.Stats are Str 8, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 15.
Also, I like the second suggestion...
thanks, Added by accident another reply to the double-posting of this topic.
All in all, looks like fun.
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Recommend you stat her up with some buff spells, in my experience, if the players have to escort an NPC, they prefer one that carries their weight in combat but doesn't steal the show.
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It is just like running any other NPC, they have their own knowledge, beliefs and motivations.
Just because the NPC knows something, does not mean the NPC automatically divulges that information at the drop of a hat.
My current DMNPC is designed for support and to keep things running, in those occasional situations where the players forgot or missed the 27 times a certain thing was mentioned to accomplish a goal. Usually the PC fighter or barb do a good job at getting things unbogged down in pointless discussion, but sometimes they need a little help.
I'd give her a significant and obvious flaw that makes it clear that players should not be looking to her in certain situations. Maybe I'd play her as being terribly indecisive and anxious about decision making. I'd try to clearly telegraph this to players early on by showing her having difficulty choosing what to eat or wear. This anxiety disappears in the thick of combat when she's running on instinct and doesn't have time to overthink the situation.
Do you roll for your NPC's in combat or do you let one of the players roll? It's kind of funny to play the NPC, attack the monsters, and then play the monster, attack the NPC... no? It's like you're playing against yourself.
And you know the monster stats and it's weak and strong points and know what to do and what not to do. I find the whole thing somewhat odd.
For combat, give the NPC party member a preferred style of combat. Amaya preferred healing and battlefiend control. Val preferred charging in with her sword and helping a partner. Thus, I could play the party-member NPC on mental autopilot and focus on the antagonist's strategy. Pick tactics for the NPC that don't rely on the monster's weaknesses and the inside knowledge will be easy to ignore.
My players don't want to take over an NPC that they did not create (I let them design and roleplay Leadership cohorts). They would rather focus on their own characters.
Even worse than two NPCs fighting is two NPCs negotiating. In Jade Regent, Amaya had high Charisma and inherited political connections, so sometimes I had to roleplay her as leading negotiations. It was a pain and my voice would occassionally give out. Then my next party-member NPC Val had high Charisma, too. I wanted to avoid a repeat of diplomacy against myself, so I made her an unpredictable (as in the Unpredictable trait that makes Bluff a class skill) liar. If the party wanted a bluff, she was their girl, but for straight talking, the other party members took over. The inside knowledge helped with roleplaying the bluff, because after a good die roll, I could tailor her bluff to fit the biases of her target and make up some entertaining dialogue.
How can I possibly play her objectively and not metagame the whole thing?
The bulk of the GM's job at the table is portraying NPCs from their own limited perspectives. What makes this any different?
Oy.
I ran a homebrew 5th Ed. dungeon, and the PCs convinced a LN intelligent giant ape to join the party. He mostly opened the giant stone doors (the PCs' highest Strength is 10 or 12--and a Halfling!) but was also a pretty tough combatant. I think by session 2, I was able to foist him off to a player. They ended up giving him the Crown of the Monkey King magic item/not quite an artifact.
I'm not a fan of DMPCs. When I'm DMing, they're kind of a distraction, and when there is a DMPC v NPC interaction, it IS like playing with myself while other people are watching. AWKWARD!!!
I've also be subjected to a DMPC evoker/eldritch knight that was surprisingly sloppy with her area of effect spells. Lost an animal companion that way.
It's not easy for me to divorce myself from what I know vs. what she knows. I basically have to PRETEND I don't know what I know. So if there's a trap on a door, and I know there's a trap on the door, should I not let her try the door because I know it's booby-trapped? Or should I let her try, because I have to pretend I don't know anything?
That's a problem that exists with enemy NPCs too. You, as GM, know which PCs are the most dangerous, have the highest AC, etc. But you're supposed to act like you don't; for example, if you know a PC is immune to fire but the dragon doesn't, you should probably have the dragon try to burn the PC.
But I suppose it's more of a problem when you actually want the NPC to survive.
If it's not obvious to you what the friendly NPC would realistically do, there are several possible options:
(1) Be a follower, never a leader. You know the door is trapped, but the NPC never opens doors so it doesn't matter.
(2) Be random. If you're not sure whether to make the NPC stand in the half of the room that you secretly know is going to get hit by a fireball trap when the door is opened, roll a dice to decide where the NPC should go.
(3) Be dramatic. Guess what would make the most interesting story and do that. You think getting caught in the fireball trap would make the next encounter more exciting, so you have the NPC try to open the door. Or: you think the party might need emergency healing after triggering the fireball, so you have the NPC stand in a safe place, just in case. (Use this approach in moderation.)
(4) Be predictable. Have some defined character traits that make decision-making easy. If in doubt, go left. If in doubt, play it safe and assume every door is dangerous.
I'd not worry about XP and keep the NPC a fixed number of levels behind the PCs.
Though if the NPC provides such a major contribution to combat that it's like having a third PC, it might make more sense to split XP three ways.
You could use something like the cohort rules from the Leadership feat:
A cohort does not count as a party member when determining the party’s XP. Instead, divide the cohort’s level by your level. Multiply this result by the total XP awarded to you, then add that number of experience points to the cohort’s total.
If a cohort gains enough XP to bring it to a level one lower than your level, the cohort does not gain the new level—its new XP total is 1 less than the amount needed to attain the next level.
"I wouldn't bother keeping track of it".
From what you described it sounds that I should advance the NPC, but not giving it actual XP...?
Would it be at the expanse of the PC's then, or not?
As Matthew Downie said above, an NPC is like a cohort. You set the NPC's level based on the levels of the PCs. I myself keep the party at the same level, and the NPCs that tag along with them are either at the same level as the party (NPC party member), two levels below the party (Leadership cohort), or three levels below the party (non-Leadership follower).
I can't give XP to the dead character
As GM you can do whatever you want. You can drop XP entirely. You can say the dead character is having adventures in the afterlife.
I can't give XP to the dead character even if the plan is to have her be ressurected.
Not entirely germaine.
- If the PC participated in a combat prior to their death, but you hadn't yet awarded xp for it, a case could be made that the experience was earned prior to death.- If you typically "catch up" a player who was absent for one or more sessions, you could do the same thing for the resurrected guy.
- If your players are typically at different levels of experience, with different totals of xp, then I agree, you probably shouldn't give any extra xp to the resurrected guy.
At the end of the day, you are the DM and you can decide to deal with the situation in any way you find appropriate.
Recommend you stat her up with some buff spells, in my experience, if the players have to escort an NPC, they prefer one that carries their weight in combat but doesn't steal the show.
Agreed with hesitancy.
In 4 decades, I have yet to see this work long term. The rare times are for small tables 3 or less players. Even then, spot light thieves and Mary Sues are to be avoided.
Just give her Warrior levels. Some added BAB, HD, and Fort saves won't hurt, but she won't outshine anyone either. Maybe give her Additional Traits so she can take Magical Knack to keep her caster levels up. Maybe have her go Eldritch Knight.
In one PF campaign, we had 3 PCs and 3 player-controlled NPC Warriors, and that worked our really well.
Warriors are tough, so they don't require lots of healing, they are really easy to run, and they are effective. They mostly had static feats, like Iron Will and Weapon Focus. So real fast in combat too.