
By the same author as Grand Line 3.5
18th May 2015, 12:22 AM
Ah GMPCs, the ultimate tool of any party to make you question your decisions as GM. |
18th May 2015, 8:27 AM"The trouble with GMPCs"
I am happy to use GMPCs, if anything it makes it more fun since the GM gets to play too. The trouble is the fine line that a GMPC has to walk. It can't be the strongest character in the party, it can't be the party face, it can't be the major decision maker, it can;t be rendered useless, it can't commonly contradict the party's desires... |
18th May 2015, 12:40 PM
The group I DM for occasionally is pretty small, so I have to use DMPCs to get a balanced party. The problem is, they aren't very experienced with 3.5 (and in one case, D&D in general), so whenever I have an NPC suggest a course of action, they automatically agree with him, assuming that it's me giving them a not-so-subtle "hint" about the ideal course of action. It got to the point that my NPCs basically became cookie-cutter one-dimensional stabbing/blasting/healing machines so the players would be willing to take initiative. |
18th May 2015, 9:07 PM
I feel like the perfect class for a DMPC would be either a potion-focused Alchemist or an Artificer. Non-combat but combat-capable, probably Int focused instead of Cha or anything like that- academics, perfect to explain to the rest of the party why no, the 10 foot pole won't allow the 300lb+armour Goliath Fighter to walk across the spike pit or pipe up with some bit of trivial-yet-crucial lore about the region, and anytime they're not 'needed' they can just be hanging out, brewing potions or working on magic items. |
21st May 2015, 4:30 AM
I know I'm late to the party, but my 12-yr. old Neko Assassin's handler that I've talked about somewhat fills the GMPC role. He's an Pathfinder Infiltrator with the Mastermind Archetype. And a Winter Wolf, but that's irrelevant. It handles the mastermind archetype well. Always forcing my character to put up with the rest of the party, not murder the other characters in their sleep[This is a discussion that's been had many times, apparently she needs to learn how to deal with people, and they make good cannon fodder (They don't really)], make me guide the party instead of him[Usually towards a target I'm after. Get them to do dirty work without realizing it]. All in all it works out rather well. The party has no idea the Winter Wolf they barely acknowledge exists when it doesn't suit some idea they have is actually the guiding force behind where the party goes and does. |
18th May 2015, 12:28 AM"the fifth panel "
Roll instead of oll. One of those easy to miss mistakes. |
18th May 2015, 2:05 AM
I'd rather deal with a GMPC than a GM's Girlfriend PC. "Obviously she should have third level spells at level 3" |
18th May 2015, 2:35 AM
You mean she took Versatile Spellcaster at Level 3, successfully argued that she can learn spells of any level even if she doesn't get spell slots to cast them, and then sacrifices two 2nd level spells in order to be able to cast a 3rd level spell? |
18th May 2015, 5:08 AM
Hell this is Standard operating procedure for Fixed list casters like Dread Necromancers, Beguilers and Warmages, the hard part is legitimately getting 4ths at the same level (thank you sanctum spell/acorn of far travel) |
18th May 2015, 5:10 AM
All of that is better than a hippie DM that declares violence to be off limits, nobody's characters are allowed to eat meat(even my freaking wolf companion) and we are expected to convince the evil king to change his ways with peaceful diplomacy. |
18th May 2015, 6:41 AM
Fucking hell I hope she doesn't have pets. According to a vegan friend, you CAN feed a dog vegan dog food, provided you're OK with having a miserable half-starved dog who eats barely enough to keep body and soul together. |
18th May 2015, 7:12 AM
Now, I don't advocate murder, but I do advocate forcing someone to spend six months in the wild, learning to fend for herself. I think the like was crossed when she declared that we couldn't have a campfire or use our wool blankets. |
18th May 2015, 8:02 AM
My chars have stolen the parties treasure and left them to die at the hands of demons, listened to the legions of voices in his head, set up death camps and commanded legions of Chaos Spawn to use a card cataloging system to sort a chaotic plane, but I have yet to make even one char as clearly insane as PETA... |
18th May 2015, 11:33 AM
Speaking of terrible GMs, I recently dodged a bullet with a potential new gaming group. There aren't many in my new home town, and I was really happy to hear of a group that was open to trying different RPG systems. |
18th May 2015, 3:53 PM
Actually misogynist, or tumblr misogynist? |
18th May 2015, 11:33 PM
Not sure if that's a legitimate distinction, actually. Yes, tumblr is full of silly people making the most absurd claims. But misogynists also have a tendency to downplay their actual comments to resemble innocent remarks when called out on them, or worse, try to spin it into 'all in good fun, can't you take a joke' type narratives. Like racists, very few misogynists say as blatant stuff as 'know your place', but they show their nature in other ways. Anyway, to answer your question, someone who thinks sexual assault is hi-larious and that female characters who aren't sexualized need to be put into sexual circumstances that male characters are not subjected to shows a mindset that women are sexual objects first, human beings second (if at all). To me, that's a pretty huge warning sign. |
19th May 2015, 12:16 AM
I asked because I've seen plenty of people who actively look for things to be offended by. After a bit of experience with them, I prefer to just disengage. |
19th May 2015, 10:33 AM
Sir I think I'd fit in just fine with your games, that bit with the piercings sounds 500% hilarious and exactly like what I'd want to go along with. |
19th May 2015, 11:43 AM
Well, they did say their characters were looking for a girl to have a little fun with, in the middle of a dungeon. |
19th May 2015, 12:55 PM
Well yeah, people sometimes get offended over trivial things, but there are also legitimate things to get offended about, so I tend to try to take it as a learning exercise. If the thing pointed out to me indeed is trivial or, frankly, very borderline ("A bear ate my dog! How dare you post pictures of bears!"), I'll shrug and move on. If the issue is legitimate and affects many people who have a different life experience from me (as double standards and the sexual objectification of women in the media very often does), I think about why I might be holding such ideas without even realizing it, apologize and try to not be a jerk about this particular issue in the future. After all, being called sexist is nowhere near as bad as perpetuating sexist crap without realizing it. But that's just my two cents. |
19th May 2015, 2:54 PM
I agree. That does sound like a bad DM. I am an equal opportunity evil DM. It's just that I rarely get a female player or a male player with a female character who tries to get their mack on in the middle of a battlefield or a dungeon. |
19th May 2015, 5:27 PM
Only time i ever put in a rape story in my chars background was when i wanted a berserker with enough mental trauma to justify him shying of in the face of confrontation. |
18th May 2015, 8:47 PM
I don't know, I think a lot of fun could be had with a GM like that. |
18th May 2015, 10:52 PM
Prefacing this with "I work for the forest service majored in Forestry and Natural resources and could have minored in Wilflife ecology but was a class shy. (probably could have done a minor in art design but that's that) |
19th May 2015, 2:26 PM
Best part is, she referred to my wolf companion from then on as "uplifted" and "enlightened". |
18th May 2015, 10:34 AM
I once created the ultimate DMPC in fourth, and I say this because all he did was buff, heal, and let others attack when it was his turn. (He was a warlord/wizard hybrid) |
18th May 2015, 2:09 PM
My (½)Dwarf Archivist in 3.5 was similar, but also used terrain-altering magic. With a party of a fighter/rogue, a sorcerer/bard, and a fighter/psion, he was pretty necessary. A cleric might have made a better healer, but this guy was also the first questgiver, and my plot worked best if he was an Archivist. |
18th May 2015, 11:40 AM
wait Luke actually likes Mary Sue DMPC's? guess i'm going to have to rethink the sequel to the guest comic i already sent in. |
18th May 2015, 1:56 PM"Huh, found the comic I wanted to quote on the very first click"
Well, he, Cory, and GM ARE nicknamed "The Munchkin Trio." I don't think something that's entirely rules-legal counts as a Mary Sue in a campaign that includes characters as powergamed as Zoro, Luffy, and Mihawk. |
4th Nov 2017, 7:36 PM
I think he just think it's more fun if everyone can be part of the adventure. And probably trust the GM to not try to make the GMPC the "hero". |
18th May 2015, 6:46 PM"Wait wait wait"
How did I miss that? I completely should have seen DMPC coming if I had remembered that page! |
DragonTrainer
16th May 2015, 1:15 AM
Click here for Let's Play Life is Strange Ep2: Out Of Time - Part 4
If you have a guest comic you would like to submit, please send it to:
DragonTrainer201@gmail.com
For More Details Click Here
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