TEXT: Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers and Pets | EN World EN5idEr
  S
  OME ADVENTURERS WANT 
  to recruit every living thing they 
  can to their side—collecting pets, 
  building a veritable kingdom of their 
  own, and more. While the core rules 
  offer up allies, followers, and hirees, 
  managing these characters effectively 
  is another matter altogether. Unwary 
  gamemasters can quickly find their 
   
  WRITING Tyler Omichinski
   
  COVER ART Rafael Benjamin
   
  EDITING Mike Myler
   
  LAYOUT Frank Michienzi
  Gamemaster Characters:
  Recruiting Followers A Pets
  game slogged with action economy 
  when too many companions are in 
  play making handling and balancing 
  combat a daunting task.
  
  Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers and Pets | EN World EN5idEr
  Open Game Content | The game rule information in this 
  article is designated Open Game Content. All other material 
  in this article, including maps and illustrations (including 
  illustrations in the public domain), in-character and out-of-
  character narrative and descriptive text, character and place 
  names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” 
  EN Publishing product and article titles, and  
  EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated 
  Product Identity.
  GMCs. Companion NPCs are referred to as Game-
  master Characters (GMCs) to identify them as the 
  gaming group’s peripheral characters. Unlike stan-
  dard NPCs, control of a GMC is shared between 
  the gamemaster and players. Both sentient and non-
  sentient creatures (pets like dogs, horses, and other 
  living creatures with an Intelligence of 5 or less) can be 
  GMCs, but conjured creatures bound to their creator 
  (like familiars) or crafted creatures (like golems) are 
  not eligible to be GMCs.  
  New Mechanics
  Handling GMCs involves the introduction of additional 
  rules and mechanics into gameplay: Morale, Goals, 
  Recruitment, and Resolution. Whenever a creature 
  becomes a GMC, the GM assigns it a Morale and a 
  Goal. The rest of its statistics can be managed by either 
  the GM or players.
  Morale 
  Morale is more than confidence, discipline, and 
  enthusiasm, but also the general attitude that a GMC 
  has towards the adventurers. Poor spirits can be 
  partly overcome by the importance of a cause that 
  the party are pursuing, or through positive feelings 
  towards them. 
  Morale is measured on a scale of -10 to +10. 
  Whenever Morale is reduced to 0 or less, the GMC 
  leaves at the next safe available opportunity to do 
  so. They are unlikely to put themselves at immediate 
  risk in order to depart, and they continue to defend 
  themselves and their erstwhile allies if there is no 
  other option. 
  At Morale -10, the GMC attacks the adventurers at 
  the next convenient opportunity. This does not mean 
  that the GMC immediately turns on them and strikes, 
  but may betray them mid-combat, try to turn them 
  over to another force, or otherwise undermine the 
  actions of the PCs. 
  At Morale +10, the GMC has advantage on all rolls 
  that would affect its Morale.
  During combat while a GMC has Morale +5 or more, 
  they follow directions and instructions, willing to 
  cooperate and follow orders. The gamemaster hands 
  control of the GMC to the PCs until combat ends or 
  their Morale is reduced to +4 or less.
  Affecting Morale
  Several factors can raise or lower Morale, but all 
  of these are at the GM’s discretion and should be 
  considered based upon the goals and nature of the 
  individual GMC. For example, a creature that does 
  not need to eat every day does not lose Morale for 
  missing a single meal, while a creature that is capable 
  of regrowing limbs is less affected by the (temporary) 
  loss of an arm.
  Managing Morale is an important aspect of keeping 
  companions and there are several ways that players 
  can improve the feelings of a GMC, best expressed 
  through roleplay involving their Goals and Alignment.
  Alignment
  Interactions between a GMC and PC with conflicting 
  alignments are rife for complications. The GMC’s 
  Morale is immediately reduced by 1 whenever a 
  member of the party takes an action that directly 
  conflicts with their alignment. Similarly, the PC 
  has disadvantage when making checks to change 
  or otherwise manipulate the GMC’s Morale if they 
  do not share at least any alignments (for example, a 
  chaotic good adventurer appealing to a lawful neutral 
  companion). This represents how actions can speak 
  louder than words and the difficulty in perpetually 
  lying to someone about true intentions and morals.
  y
  
  Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers and Pets | EN World EN5idEr
  AssistAnce
  GMCs are only able to use the Help action on 
  ability checks when they have a bonus of +3 or 
  higher, providing all the advantages that a PC could 
  TABLE: MORALE LOSSES
  INCIDENT
  SENTIENT GMC MORALE LOSS
  PET GMC MORALE LOSS
  Loss of limb
  -6
  -12
  Untreated disease
  -1 per day
  -2 per day
  Become frightened
  -2
  -4
  Exhausted
  -1 per level of exhaustion
  Miss a meal* 
  -1
  Hit by trap
  -1
  Ill-equipped
  -3
  -1 per level of exhaustion
  -2
   -1
   —
  Cursed
  -5
  -5
  Loss of loved one
  -10
  -7
  Acting against alignment
  -4
  -2
  Getting lost
  -3
  0
  Adverse treatment
  -2
  -4
  An attractive bribe
  -5
  -6
  Argumentation
  -2
  -0
  PC purposefully frustrating a Goal
  -10
  -10
  PC accidentally frustrating a Goal
  -4
  -6
  Goal reaches completion and is failed.
  -3 or more
  -3 or more
  * A GMC’s Morale loss is doubled for each additional missed meal.
  TABLE: MORALE GAINS
  OCCURRENCE
  SENTIENT GMC MORALE GAIN
  PET GMC MORALE GAIN
  Heartfelt plea
  +5
  +2
  Night of carousing or play
  +4
  +6
  PC assists in the accomplishment of a Goal
  +6
  +6
  PC is indispensable in the accomplishment 
  of a Goal
  +8
  +8
  Upgraded equipment
  +1
  +0
  5% of wealth worth of food/treats/gifts
  +1
  +2
  Given a magic item
  +5
  +0
  Healed instead of a PC
  +2
  +2
  PC goes against their interest for GMC
  +3
  +2
  Goal reaches completion and is successful
  +5 or more
  +5 or more
  provide. When a GMC has a bonus of +2 or less they 
  can still be of assistance, but not enough to provide a 
  mechanical benefit.
  
  Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers and Pets | EN World EN5idEr
  Goals
  Everyone seeks to accomplish something in life and 
  find their own reasons for siding with others. Working 
  and adventuring together has a purpose, and most 
  people do not sign on just for the joy of it—and even 
  when they do, they need that joy and excitement to 
  continue or they’ll be bored and move on.
   As a result, each GMC requires a Goal that they are 
  working towards. It can be very specific or relatively 
  nebulous, ranging from ‘to save my son from the tribe 
  of goblins that kidnapped him’ to ‘spreading justice 
  throughout the land’. The purpose of a Goal is to help 
  create depth and motives for the being, encapsulating 
  into a guiding light for the GMC. Pets naturally tend 
  towards Goals that are simpler and more abstract, 
  such as ‘eat good food’, ‘enjoy hunting’, ‘find a mate’, 
  and so on.
  X
  Recruitment
  A gaming group presented with the opportunity 
  to start collecting companions are likely to want to 
  catch’em all—Recruitment is to help GMs keep each 
  session from turning into an exercise of enlisting 
  every possible GMC that crosses the party’s path. 
  While this could in itself make for a very compelling 
  campaign, in other instances it can derail the larger 
  narrative and have an adverse effect on the game. 
  Whenever a new potential GMC is introduced, the 
  gamemaster should know in advance if they can be 
  recruited or not. No matter the cause or results of the 
  roll, it is reasonable for some NPCs to simply refuse. 
  For example, it would make very little sense for a 
  king to personally work alongside and for a group of 
  unknown adventurers, and no matter how inspired 
  a lowly crop farmer might be they are unlikely to 
  abandon their cherished family to face almost certain 
  death alongside epic champions of blade and spell. 
  Recruiting a GMC requires a minimum of three 
  separate ability checks, increasing in difficulty the 
  more prestigious and powerful the creature is (DC 10 + 
  the creature’s CR). For pet GMCs the adventurers must 
  succeed on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks and 
  provide ample fresh, desirable food to give to the crea-
  ture. For sentient GMCs, a range of different checks may 
  be applied, at the GM’s discretion. These may include 
  social checks (using Deception, Insight, Intimidation, 
  Persuasion), be contests of skill and strength (with 
  Acrobatics, Athletics, Performance, Sleight of Hand), 
  or the matching of wits (involving Arcana, History, 
  Nature, Religion), and the GM may choose to have 
  opposed checks instead of standard DCs. In addition, 
  a sentient GMC requires a reason that the adventurers 
  can help them accomplish their Goal.
  Maintenance
  One of the most important things to remember about 
  GMCs is that they are not inanimate objects, nor are 
  they merely tools for adventurers—they're beings 
  with their own desires, needs, and objectives. 
  Sentient GMCs have a maintenance cost in 
  gold and require an equal share of treasure the party 
  finds, reducing their Morale by 1 whenever they 
  receive anything less. 
  Pet GMCs require a weekly expenditure of gold 
  equal to CR to pay for food, lodging, and upkeep 
  (minimum 1 gold). At the GM’s discretion, these costs 
  may be higher in certain locations. For example, in an 
  isolated village high in the mountains the housing and 
  feeding of a Large lizard will be much more costly. At 
  the end of each week a pet GMC’s maintenance cost is 
  not paid, its Morale is reduced by 5.
  At the end of each game session that there is no 
  action taken towards a GMC’s goal, their Morale is 
  reduced by 2 (in addition to any incidents that affect 
  them). When the GMC’s Morale is reduced to 0 or 
  less, they make an ultimatum to the adventurers, 
  pointing out their dissatisfaction and giving the PCs 
  one more opportunity to rectify the circumstances.
  
  Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers and Pets | EN World EN5idEr
  Once per day, a PC can attempt to raise the Morale 
  of a GMC with a rousing speech to convince them 
  of the importance of the task that faces them all, a 
  menacing warning to push them back into line, or 
  something else entirely. The DC of an ability check to 
  improve Morale is 10 + the creature’s Wisdom modi-
  fier + the creature’s Morale score. On a success, the 
  GMC’s Morale improves by 2. When the check result 
  is 5 points or more than the DC, or on a natural 20, the 
  GMC’s Morale improves by an additional 3.
  Resolution
  All journeys must come to an end, but just because 
  the party’s companions are not the main characters 
  in the campaign doesn’t mean that they aren’t the 
  main characters of their own stories! However a 
  GMC’s story comes to a close, their final fate deserves 
  a measure of attention and respect to give their place 
  in the game a lasting impact. 
  Resetting
  Some goals can be completed--the goblin-abducted 
  son of the farmer can be saved, or he may already 
  be dead by the time he’s reached. Regardless of what 
  ultimately happens to the boy, it simply doesn’t make 
  sense for the GMC to keep this Goal any longer. 
  When a Goal is completed successfully, a GMC 
  increases their Morale by 5 or more. If the Goal is 
  failed however, a GMC reduces their Morale by 3 or 
  more. After their Goal has been resolved, if a GMC 
  seeks to continue adventuring with the party they 
  need a new Goal to serve as their guiding light—
  without an objective to strive for there is no reason for 
  them to go on more adventures.
  leAving
  When a GMC’s Morale is reduced to 0 they give the 
  party an ultimatum, and when reduced to -5 or less 
  they leave. In these instances the GMC may make 
  their exit peacefully and amicably, or it may be rela-
  tively antagonistic departure. 
  If a GMC no longer has a Goal they will similarly 
  leave. This is most likely to be amicable and can be 
  resolved relatively simply--a tearful and happy 
  parting--or it can go many other ways. This can be 
  an important moment for the gamemaster to remind 
  the PCs that there are countless other stories going 
  on around them, and invoking a sense of wonder can 
  serve them well. 
  Dying
  Ultimately some GMCs will die but unlike the adven-
  turers, when their hit points are reduced to 0 or less 
  they immediately die. They do not make Dying rolls 
  and receive no second chances without the use of 
  powerful magic (like revivify). Even at their most 
  heroic, these characters are not PCs and thus the rules 
  about their survivability are less lenient. e
  Artist: Viktor Vasnetsov
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 315 - Gamemaster Characters.pdf