Is there a name for the "subparty" controlled by a single player that includes:
- Player character
- Familiar, animal companion
- Pet
- Summoned monsters/nature's allies
- Mount
- Cohort/Followers (from the Leadership feat)
If so…what is it?
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\$\begingroup\$ You're looking for a single generic term which could apply to any or all of those? If that's what you're looking for, can you say Why? Do you have some character who has more than one of those at once? \$\endgroup\$– BeanlucCommented Jun 20, 2018 at 21:11
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\$\begingroup\$ If you're not happy with any answers below, you get to make one up, then tell everyone here to use it! \$\endgroup\$– user117529Commented Jun 21, 2018 at 4:59
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\$\begingroup\$ @Beanluc In one campaign I DM, one PC has 4 familiars and the PC and each familiar has a soulspark familiar, and the PC has a necrocarnum zombie (therefore the player brings to the table 10 creatures). So, speaking from experience, I'd be interested to know if there's a commonly accepted collective term for a PC and all the NPCs that congregate around the PC because of the PC's choices. \$\endgroup\$– Hey I Can ChanCommented Jun 21, 2018 at 19:52
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2 Answers
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Technically, the player controls one character only, the player character (PC). All other characters are controlled by other players—the other PCs by their respective players, and all others by the DM. Familiars, companions, mounts, summons, cohorts, and followers are all NPCs, controlled by the DM; their relationship to a PC just gives them a certain loyalty and obedience for the given PC. That player only “controls” them by having their PC give out orders, which those creatures should generally follow—but it is up to the DM to control how they follow those orders (as appropriate to their Intelligence, needs and desires, and relationship to the PC).
It is extremely common to houserule responsibility for controlling these creatures to the player, but it is a houserule. And since these characters are not officially all grouped by a player’s control over them, there is no official term for that group.
In my experience, the most common colloquial general term for such creatures is minion, so the group could be referred to as “the PC and his-or-her minions.”
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4\$\begingroup\$ OK, seriously, any word for a group of people working together could be used here. Unless you have some particular reason to associate a particular word with this concept in this RPG, it isn’t worth posting—and if you do, that’s an answer, not a comment on mine. Please stop. \$\endgroup\$– KRyanCommented Jun 21, 2018 at 20:39
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2\$\begingroup\$ Comments removed, since they were amounting to discussing a thesaurus list. Leave your own answers folks. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Jun 21, 2018 at 21:22
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No.
There is no special term for the "Sub-Party" as you called it. Primarily because there's no need for such a term. Also, as others have mentioned, these friendly creatures are technically NPCs controlled by the DM with player control generally being houseruled or, in terms of combat, more akin to the PC delivering orders to the creatures and the NPC obeying. If you wish to give the "Sub-Party" a name, feel free, but I question the need.
