D&D: Sidekick & Servants – Unearthed Arcana Rules Getting An Update Soon
The Sidekick rules, which provided rules for levelling up your NPC companions, beasts, and familiars, are currently being tinkered with. This bodes well for those PCs who realize the real treasure is the friends we made along the way…
December’s Unearthed Arcana–which featured rules for bringing Sidekicks along for the ride (by giving them class levels and streamlined basic classes that they could take so they could level up along with the party and never feel left behind) were a popular subsystem, so much so that 5th Edition lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford is looking at tinkering with a new version of the rules to make it easier to bring along new companions, as he announced recently on Twitter.
The sidekick rules were popular enough that I'm tinkering with a new version, in which your sidekick's starting level equals your level. #DnD https://t.co/kBlQwk8FWQ
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
In fact, he and Bart Caroll, the Digital Marketing Manager for Wizards and one of the hosts of Dragon+ on Twitch talked all about the Sidekick Rules, as linked below:
It is important to note though, that these rules are all about celebrating the party’s accomplishments (which can mean seeing a friend you care about grow and become king, for instance) rather than worrying about a character getting overshadowed mechanically by another in combats.
There is an important distinction between an NPC controlled by the DM and an NPC controlled by the players.
The DM-controlled character/critter is rarely viewed as a party member.
But a player-controlled character/critter is often just as loved as a PC. #DnD https://t.co/oiuxogNJBO
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
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A lot of it comes down to playstyle–if you look at the commenter Crawford is responding to, they’re worried that they might lose the focus of the game to watch a DM “play with themself” but there’s a huge difference between a DM-controlled NPC and a player-run companion–even if the DM is just voicing what they say while the players make all the decisions for them in and out of combat, it’s all in whether you’re serving the character or the story.
All of that comes in response to this tweet, earlier in the same thread:
Some players love the feeling of being part of a group and celebrate the successes of its members.
Other players are all about the glory of their own character.
DMs, try to entertain both type of players, with moments for the group and the individuals in it to shine. #DnD https://t.co/ZaUXFDQOmm
Advertisement— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) January 10, 2019
Which is a nice reminder about different playstyles. It takes all kinds at the table, whether you’re kicking the door in and casting fireball every session, or spending a lot of time explaining your backstory to the Queen while she plots with one of the other party members to have another NPC exiled only to see them return later to try and reclaim the lands they’ve had taken from them by the Queen after she robbed John of Gaunt and I guess we’re doing Richard II now but there’s a queen which is honestly not all that far out there for reimaginings of Shakespeare now. Getting back on track:
This increased attention means it’s likely we’ll be seeing a more official incarnation of these rules soon. It’s a rarity for something to resonate so well with players as to warrant another pass that it doesn’t end up in an official publication sooner or later. And with new releases on the horizon, it may even be this year that your party starts trying to convince every encounter to end with a new recruit.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Sidekick rules, and in the meantime, Happy Adventuring!
