Conceptually, I think of the NPC statblocks much like ECL races from 3e or XP-penalty races from 2e. Where sidekicks can outshine PCs are in their choices of stat blocks, which effectively work as “races” for a sidekick class. Builds that rely on raw stats and feats, rather than class features, will be the most powerful. To start with, sidekick classes mostly match PCs in terms of raw ability scores and feats*. To get the most out of them, we have to focus on the areas where they aren’t far behind player character classes. However, the rules suggest that the DM treat a sidekick as a full player character for the purposes of setting encounter difficulty, so it’s important to make sure they aren’t dead weight in a party. ![]() I’d rate the Warrior as 70% of a Champion, the Expert as 70% of a Mastermind with a bard dip, and the Spellcaster as 40% of an Evoker (I’m looking forward to seeing your ratings of the sidekick classes). I think of the sidekick classes as stripped-down versions of regular classes. Some of the ideas contained in this post might also prove useful that want to play a sidekick class as their main PC as well, for whatever reason. I hope this guide will give players and DMs alike some ideas for how to boost their sidekicks’ capability so they are fun to use and have around, rather than a liability for the PCs. If a DM is strictly following the CR/encounter rules when sidekicks are involved, the party risks being run over if the sidekicks aren’t pulling their weight. The new Sidekick rules specify that the DM should treat sidekicks as if they were full player characters for the purposes of determining encounter difficulty. It appears at least one of my old builds is still floating around.Īside from personal fun and nostalgia, there’s one practical reason I wrote this guide. I’ve been away from D&D for a very long time, although in the early days of 3e I spent a lot of time on the old WOTC CharOp boards, manufacturing various hilarious and/or obscenely overpowered builds with the other forum regulars that I never intended to play, just for the fun of it. I also love minmaxing and theorycrafting, purely as a thought exercise, even though I don’t necessarily play optimized builds myself. ![]() Although 5e is a more streamlined system, the new Sidekick rules offer much the same opportunity for creativity. As a DM, I loved awarding goons of various kinds to my players (often using obscure or underpowered kits and races that players would never take themselves) and as a player I loved collecting them. I got my start in D&D with 2nd Edition, which had extensive rulesets governing the acquisition and use of hirelings, henchmen, followers, lieutenants, apprentices and various other flunkies.
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