Gendif's page

I... have no idea what just happened.

I have used GMPCS on several ocassions and I will admit that I've found that they can really add to the experience. However I have made myself a few rules which govern how I play these npcs.

1) They are not the heroes of the story.
They are never recognized as such. They assistants, guides and support for the players.

2) Their role must not overlap with a player character.
If the group has an arcane caster then they don't need me throwing a second one in. This is the mechanical corollary to point 1.

3) They cannot be the face of the party.
In the unlikely event that they have social skills they do not use them, I am not here to play with myself.

4)They guide but do not steer.
With a gmpc I have a voice in the party whom the party trust. Through this I can make suggestions providing it is in character. The dmnpc will never object to whatever the party majority decides to do. EVER.

5)They consume no resources.
They will not take treasure rewards nor will they require purchase of consumables. If the party has stretched resources the gmpc shall be poor, if everyone is fully stocked on consumables so are they. A pc should never give nor receive significant amounts of gold from this character.

6)They have a place and a purpose and then they leave.
Normally a GMPC is deployed by me into groups of less than 4 in order to shore up the numbers. When the 4th seat is filled the GMPC becomes an NPC and steps back. The GMPC always has a story reason to exist and a clearly defined goal, once fulfilled they retire and a new gmpc will emerge if still required.

7)They are optional and at players request.
I always ask smaller groups if they'd like to have a gmpc in order to give the group access to a more rounded set of tools. This allows players to be what they want without fear that their lack of a divine caster will be their doom.

8)They act as the players require in combat.
Whilst I dont normally pass the sheet over to the players the gmpc will follow direction in combat. This lets the players, as a team, strategize and plan without fear that I will have the gmpc misbehave for no real reason.

An example: In a certain AP my party had released an evil outsider from imprisonment in exchange for information. This information was provided as the outsider wanted the adventurers to succeed in order to vanquish those who imprisoned it.
Shortly after the party got TPK'd. Now this wasn't their fault entirely as we'd recently lost the 4th seat and they'd decided to soldier on without them. They didn't want a gmpc as...well... they got a lot of the npcs around them killed.
So I decided that this outsider would arrange their ressurection so they could continue playing. The players were having fun and we wanted the game to progress, but they needed a frontline figher.
Enter the DMPC.
I supplied the party with a dmpc figher whose life was sworn to the outsider for mysterious and unexplained reasons. The fighter explained they were now bound to ensure the parties success and follow every reasonable order given to them.
My players immensely enjoyed this as now they had a moral quandry and their debt to this outsider hanging over their head. Meanwhile I got to create and experience mid-level fighter play and very slowly develop this unique slice of story alongside the players.

DMPC's are wonderful things. Just remember that the focus should ALWAYS be your players and their characters.

My group, a rather new to PF bunch but solid RPG fans, are about 1/2 through The Skinsaw Murders and about to head to Misgivings. We've got a Gnome Sorcerer, Shoanti Druid and Generic Human Fighter with the additional options to call NPC support when needed.

Here's the funny bit and it's about them piecing together the clues about who the Skinsaw Man is, I never saw their top suspect coming.

See the Gnome is a suspicious sort. He's really getting into the Thassilonian stuff and basically became Quink's apprentice shortly after meeting him. Having a mentor who leaps to conclusions and uses flimsy evidence has not been good for him. After the onset and hints at an undead foe he becomes convinced it's Chopper returned from the grave in some foul manner. I have it explained that Chopper's remains were incinerated, scattered and all his possessions destroyed as i'm hoping to not derail into what I know is a dead end.

Now at was at this point that I accidentally fanned the flames of suspicion. A lot of the local knowledge my players' characters have is from patrons at The Rusty Dragon. They happily tell tales of the terrible murdermaw who eats ships whole and goblins who'll raid towns just for their firewood as it's still burning. Wild exaggerations, ofcourse. Getting them to talk on the Late Unpleasantness is a somber thing but the tall tales still creep in. The popular version of Chopper's Demise is that Hemlock himself storms the house alone and duels the axe-wielding fiend as the house burns.

So, the thought process in my dear gnome player goes like this:
We're investigating an Undead Murderer. Serial Killer. Chopper? Can't be Chopper. Why not? He's dead, Hemlock Killed him. We've found 3 bodies now. The Mill, the con-men and the ghoul farm. Hemlock keeps sending us out looking but we're not making much...
...
...
Hemlock sent us to that farm, coincidence? Hemlock is a kind of poison. Chopper's last victim was the previous sheriff. Hemlock confronts Chopper alone. No real evidence other than a few terrified guards that...
HOLY CRAP WAS HEMLOCK CHOPPER?! ARE WE WORKING FOR A SERIAL KILLER?! WHAT DO WE DO!? BUT WE TRUST HIM! WE'RE DOOMED IF THIS IS TRUE!

The weird thing is, with the world as I have presented almost everything points to Hemlock being a serious contender. The only flaw is he's not undead and has no motive, though i'm sure if he was an evil undead mastermind he'd have solutions to that.

I swear next session is going to be interesting... I think I might need to rush them along to Misgivings, but they've mainly been taking order from Hemlock so far!