Got home from work and only caught you guys signing off 😓 could you answer something for me as a post stream tweet? If a lvl 11 PC gets a sidekick, it would make sense for the sidekick to be lvl 11 right? Im hesitant cause it's a big jump both narratively and party balance wise
— Allie Deutschmann (@alliebug321) January 8, 2019
The sidekick rules were popular enough that I'm tinkering with a new version, in which your sidekick's starting level equals your level. #DnD https://t.co/kBlQwk8FWQ
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
what do you mean the bugbear warrior doing 2D12 + strength damage with a great axe attacking 4 times a round and critting on 18-20 is too powerful? The actual fighter in the party loves being overshadowed! 😛 If a group has anxiety about their NPC companions doing well, I recommend not having NPC companions.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
It's not the group that's worried, its me, their DM. I don't want the npc's to outlast the players. They're the protagonists of the story.
— Rory Philstrom, DMDiv (@TheDMPastor) January 10, 2019
Some players love the feeling of being part of a group and celebrate the successes of its members.
Other players are all about the glory of their own character.
DMs, try to entertain both type of players, with moments for the group and the individuals in it to shine. #DnD https://t.co/ZaUXFDQOmm
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
That collective celebration is best when you are celebrating the success of other PCs, those are your friends around the table. Celebrating the success of NPCs often feels like deus ex machina, leaving the people around the table sidelined while the DM plays with themself.
— Rory Philstrom, DMDiv (@TheDMPastor) January 10, 2019
There is an important distinction between an NPC controlled by the DM and an NPC controlled by the players.
The DM-controlled character/critter is rarely viewed as a party member.
But a player-controlled character/critter is often just as loved as a PC. #DnD https://t.co/oiuxogNJBO
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
Yes, strong sidekicks can work if player controlled. But they’re basically a second character then, more of a hireling or follower from old ad&d, than a non-player character. Agreed. You just described the new sidekicks.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
That’s just simply not true. I mean it’s like a half-truth. The distinction is only real if the players allow it to be real.
Pretty much everytime I introduce an NPC…my players want he/she stat blocked and leveled so they can refer to it if need be. If the players are using the stat block of a character/critter, that's what I mean by player control. Sometimes that turns into co-control with the DM. Either way, they're invested.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
How opposed are you to NPCs leveling with players? Not opposed at all. I've provided rules in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" and in the recent "Sidekicks" article that level up NPCs.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019