Questions tagged [gmpc]
A GMPC or DMPC is a player character controlled by the Game Master (or Dungeon Master, in D&D). This tag is for questions primarily about GMPCs and issues related to them.
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Can the dungeon master have a player character?
I’m starting a campaign with some friends with me as the DM even though I’d rather be a player, I am the only person in my group who has had experience being a DM. I asked my friends if a DM is ...
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I have a suddenly small party and I was running a longer campaign, how do I handle this without giving up the campaign?
I am a DM with general experience, I am not a beginner, and I am certainly not an expert. My DnD group initially started as your typical four people, all casual friends, then one of the members had to ...
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Using a NPC to fill a vacant role in the party
The newly started scenario places my players on their own spaceship, but they are lacking a competent mechanic among them since they are only two; a pilot and a computer operator.
I am considering ...
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What is the difference between a DMPC and an NPC? [duplicate]
Most of the references to DMPCs I see in fora and stuff seem to be describing characters played by DMs who want to have their cake and eat it too—both to DM and to play. In these references it’s often ...
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Is it reasonable to have an extremely overpowered GMPC accompany the party early on to let them with enemies that they can't overcome on their own?
I created a scenario that features an antagonist who has armies of demons and creatures at their disposal.
I made a gmpc character to help my players because the game features a ton of difficult ...
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How can I convince my DM that my diplomacy will work on his characters?
So I’m playing D&D 3.5e with a small group, and my character, a smooth talker whose main ability is diplomacy, was trying to convince one of the DM's characters to come and help him with a quest ...
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Is it okay to have a DMPC who is also the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy)?
I don't want to make my DMPC (i.e. Dungeon Master NPC) star of the show by any means, I realize how important it is to let the characters do their own thing. I want this character to act in the ...
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How should I restrain myself when both playing a character and DMing?
I'm currently playing an IRL game with two of my friends. As you might imagine, I was worried that they weren't powerful enough to take on the higher level encounters so I made a character to help ...
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If my team-mate absorbs a creature we have been fighting, will the rest of the party still gain EXP?
My DM is playing a DMPC along with our party, as well as the standard DM role.
During an encounter, his PC absorbed a gelatinous cube, and is saying that because it was not a true kill, the rest of ...
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Is this wolf DMPC overpowered or underpowered?
I am new to being a DM and soon will have my first session. Since we are with three players total (me as a DM plus two PC characters) I want to help them out a little. The players are a Dwarf Cleric ...
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How do I DM and play a PC at the same time without metagaming?
We have a large group of 9 people. As such, it's more manageable when we split into 2 separate teams to take objectives (like one team saves the villagers and the other fights the bandit leader). In ...
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How do I make a god ally NPC for the party?
I have this idea for a godlike NPC.
They will most likely be a noncombatant neutral party to the players.
Basically an NPC that exists for the sake of introducing or advanding the plot.
But there is ...
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What's the difference between an NPC and a GMPC?
I was reading this question, and while I do agree on the answers stating a GM should avoid having a character of his own as it's hard to properly play it, I don't really see what the line between that ...
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My GM has created a Mary Sue NPC. What can I do to persuade the GM to make her less powerful?
My GM has created a Mary-Sue-type NPC. She is a demigod with thousands of years of experience, and was once an enemy, but is now an ally of the party, though really of only a few favourite players. ...
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How to use a GMPC for the good of the campaign?
I find myself prone to creating GMPCs.
For the unfamiliar, a GMPC is an NPC that the GM has a special fondness
for, much like a "Mary Sue" in fiction. They are often overpowered, have plot armour, a ...
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How can I talk to my game-master about his self-insert character without offending him? [duplicate]
I have been in this long-term game where the group has been in a semi-railroaded adventure. However, there has been something that has been bugging me for a while.
The game-master has this person ...
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How can I play as a DM, and still have a character who keeps up in levels and can influence the story?
I'm forming a group of new players along with myself to play D&D 5e together. The DMing will probably fall to me, and maybe another friend. However, I'd also like to sometimes have my own ...
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Can the Lore Master also be a Player Adventurer?
I brought The One Ring game when it was extremely on sale at Humble Bundle because I and my wife want to find a tabletop RPG we can both play together.
There is only the two of us though. Does one of ...
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Does having a recurring NPC ally incur the same risks as having a GMPC?
I'm brand new to table-top RPGs and I am my group's DM (D&D 5e). I've been brainstorming ideas to work into our next campaign after LMoP, and I'm liking the idea of recurrent NPCs who are on their ...
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Small campaign to get us (1 PC and 1 GMPC) up to level 2 before starting Lost Mines of Phandelver - is this a good idea?
I've played D&D several times before (3.5e), and I'm really loving how 5e sounds. My wife (who hasn't played at all before) is also very interested in D&D, to the point where we now have the D&...
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How to handle a martyred GMPC as a player?
I'm a player in a one-on-one game with a friend, who is the GM. Both of us control several characters each, which should in theory be getting equal use. (Our game uses FATE mechanics, however, the ...
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Giving Players control of an NPC in combat?
I'm a new DM, currently running a game for two friends. Neither of the PCs like one another, but due to story and their stubbornness they ended up with a group of 6 NPCs. Most of the NPC are basically ...
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How much should I limit a plot-driving GM 'avatar'?
I am GM for a group of (mostly) new Pathfinder players who are extremely off-the-rails in their approach. This is fun, but made it nearly impossible to prepare for a session — they are as likely to ...
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How to design a GMPC that will not push the story ahead?
I'm going to play a campaign of D&D using the Starter Set. I will be the DM, and it is going to be a 1 on 1 campaign1.
The 3rd approach of this answer appeals to me as a way to do this without ...
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How can I run a game for a group of 3 players that doesn't include a healer?
How do I handle having a party without a Healer? I have a Healer character ready but not a player for her, and I don't know how well I could handle playing her as a GMPC when I have another character ...
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How to GM and Play a Character fairly [duplicate]
I'm a new player to RPGs and I'm trying to incubate my skills so that I can play in a group one day. I've got a fair grasp of the rules and I've been running one on one campaigns with my wife; both as ...
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Should I use a GMPC to help a small party?
I am starting a Pathfinder game. It will be my first time DM'ing, though I have played 3.x and Pathfinder for a few years. The party will consist of my girlfriend, my best friend, and his girlfriend. ...
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Our DM has a PC, how do we stop going to the PC for answers (because the DM knows everything)?
Everyone is our party is new to tabletop games, and it's our DM's first time DMing.
Our story is we are being led across a country to a city, and being led by out DM's PC. (The PC has travelled the ...
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How can I GM and play a PC without spoiling the fun?
We're returning to D&D 4E after a long absence from it, coming back from Savage Worlds since we've really missed HP-based battles and videogame-like logic.
However, as we talked about our new ...
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What dangers are there in having my GMPC be the recurring villain?
I have started my first 3.5 campaign and had the idea that as the GM I could still enjoy playing by making a character using the normal rules and running it as the villain. It would gain the same ...
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