Dungeon Master Player Characters

The Dungeon Master Player Character is an extremely advanced and complex tool used by some DMs. They are very rarely used, and their use is highly contentious in the hobby. Some DMs (like myself) always have one. Most DMs take one look at the idea and laugh. Some players would prefer one in the party. Most players hate the idea absolutely. Why all the conflict? And what is the actual value and practical use of such a character? Considering there is objective proof that this can be done and can be fun, (As there are many players and DMs who love it) we should give it adequate consideration as a legitimate technique, rather than dismissing the subject out-of-hand. Let's start with a clear definition so we can talk about this. A tight definition is more useful than a broad one, as it gives us something specific to discuss. We can make up new names for anything that is excluded.

We need to exclude things that some people call a DMPC, to give it a specific form. A DMPC is not...

• An NPC. NPCs typically have static stat blocks, or at most only a partially developed character sheet, they don't collect xp or gain levels, their scores and capabilities are arbitrary, and they are just all-around simple, mechanically.
• A background character. The DMPC is more than fluff with a mouth. They're nothing like the amorphous blob of ideas that is the king, or the shopkeep, or the tavern wench. A DMPC has teeth.
• Temporary. They're in it for the long haul. (Even if they get killed on the way)
• Your time to shine. Nobody deserves more spotlight than anyone else, so don't hog it.
• A new way to terrorize/antagonize your players. (Seriously, who is this jerk DM I keep hearing horror stories about? He needs a swift boot to the butt.)
• A PC controlled by the DM to account for an absent player. (That's just doing someone a favor)
• A Party-controlled character, whose actions are determined primarily by group consensus. (That's just the DM giving the party an inordinate amount of control over an NPC.)

OK, so what does the exclusions leave us with? A DMPC is...

• A character, with a full character sheet with levels, xp, the works- who is fully controlled by the DM.
• An active member of the party who contributes to combat, exploration, and socialization.
• A character who takes part in the rewards of adventure.
• In the case where the role of DM switches from session to session, and the players continue to control their character during their time in The Chair, their character may count as a DMPC during that time, despite not being explicitly constructed to serve that function.

To run a DMPC correctly, the DM must play fair and abide by the rules regarding their character. They can't fudge their rolls the way they would for a monster, for example. Any rules that apply to the players must, then, also apply to the DM when he is operating his character. (For example, if players must make check rolls in the open, so must the DM for his DMPC) Furthermore, the DMPC cannot be favored by the DM, and just as players should be discouraged from employing player knowledge in character, DMs are to be equally modest about their meta-knowledge advantage, and choose not to use it. Nothing can stop a DM from including a mary-sue DMPC that ruins the game, except that DMs desire to not ruin their own campaign.

So, what are the benefits?

• The DM gets to join in on the fun! This may seem a little juvenile, but DMing is a tough gig, and there's rarely anyone willing or able to sub-in for you. Having a PC kicking around where you can be personally invested in the current events of the game can be a nice way to keep your attention.

• The DM can have a personal avatar in the game through which he can directly interact with, incentivize, inform, and guide. Remember Gandalf in The Hobbit? He is a good example of what a DMPC is all about, in this regard.

• The DMPC can be used as filler, to flesh out the party. You can use the DMPC to make up for low numbers, or to provide some tactical versatility to the party. (Like, if they didn't make a healer or a fighter.)

• The DMPC can be used as a teaching tool, a sort of guide to the world and system to accompany (and protect) the newbies while they get their legs.

Now, what are the problems with it, and how have people overcome them?

• It's a whole bunch of extra work. Remember, your players spend their whole time at the table just running and planning their one character apiece. Meaningful roleplaying, good build planning, and effective cooperative combat tactics, together make for a great deal of work. You need to manage your character's finances, inventory, physical needs, downtime, backstory, ethical and moral values, relationships, xp and leveling, etc.- and you'll have to do it while simultaneously describing environments, controlling every monster in every encounter, ensuring time passes, awarding treasure and xp, keeping your notes organized, managing the spotlight, and all of the other stuff you already have to do as a DM. It can be a big attention sink if you get too carried away, and it can reduce the quality of the rest of your game. The key to preventing this is, as with everything else the DM does, good planning and preparation. First off, make yourself some extra time to plan your character so it doesn't eat into the prep time for your session. If you already know how much xp is going to be awarded throughout an adventure, then you don't need to bother handing it out piece-meal as you go, just give the DMPC the xp first and level him later. Because you know how much xp will be distributed, you also know when your characters are going to level. You can use that information to make a premade character sheet for what your character will look like when that happens. When it does, just toss the old sheet! Finally, to help prevent your character from distracting from the game, use your character as an instrument to support your delivery of game material. Your character's reactions to the world can be more descriptive than your exposition- and more personal to your players, because it adds an emotional or value charge to it, which may even be different than the charge you gave it during your exposition! (IE: Describe the attacking dragon in excruciating, horrifying detail. Describe your character looking at this wall of destruction and yawning. Or something like that.)

• It's a conflict of interests. Generally, the players are at the mercy of the DM. (Have some mercy for your players.) A DMPC, however, is in a unique position that it doesn't have to be. A DM who is invested in their personal character has great incentives to fudge the rules in his favor. Now, most DMs do fudge the rules a bit for the purposes of keeping the adventure exciting, and the adventurers not anticlimactically killed for nothing, so some fudging should be considered reasonable if that's the way they roll anyways. The problem comes when the DM goes too far, and where the line stands, exactly, can be extremely hard to tell. Generally, though, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, "would I do this for a PC? Have I already decided against it for a PC?" You will need to cross-examine yourself as well. Every time a consequence lands on a PC, you need to think, at least quickly in the back of your mind, whether or not you have fudged that exact thing for your character, and why. For example, if you fudge a damage roll because you like your character alive, but then don't do it for a player's character, and they become aware of it, you will be facing some angry players, because you have been unfair. And that's really what the whole conflict of interests thing comes down to: Fairness. If it's true for a PC, it must be true for a DMPC, and vice-versa, otherwise it is unfair. The problems arise when baseless accusations are made because someone feels slighted where they have not been, and that's just something you're going to have to contend with. Sadly, there's no way to mandate maturity at the table, and misunderstandings can and will happen. Being honest and polite is the best solution.

• It's competition for attention. The number one reason players dislike DMPCs, is because they take up spotlight that could otherwise be used on the setting or the PCs, and that seems unfair and unnecessary to the players. Remember that the DM can have as much spotlight as he wants, while players need to invent ways of roleplaying their characters into the scene in order to get any. So, how do you overcome this? Well, first off, you need to manage your time well and consume as little spotlight as possible as the DM. There are many strategies to do this, and they're described throughout this page, so we'll focus on how to reduce the spotlight consumption of your DMPC. For one thing, make them less interesting! Make them interesting enough to deserve the spotlight when they need it, but bland enough that there's not much else to say... Like Watson is to Sherlock Holms! For another, try your best to keep the DMPC's activities focused on the players. In all instances, interact with them, prod them, que them, instigate them, and inspire them. Think of it kind of like an awards ceremony host; their only job is to segue the spotlight on to someone else. Now, that doesn't mean their time in the spotlight must be uninteresting- the opposite in fact. The DMPC should always strive to start something interesting and put it in the players hands to use. In this way, the DMPC can actually be used to manually dispense spotlight to players who aren't receiving much! In the instances where the DMPC does interact with the environment in isolation, in a way that does not or can not involve the PCs, make sure that interaction is important. Use the DMPC as a plot device to instigate events in the narrative that the protagonists probably shouldn't be involved in.

• It's confusing. Many DMs dislike the DMPC because it adds a new layer of difficulty in separating meta-knowledge from character knowledge. In other words, it is extremely easy to accidentally metagame through your DMPC. This can be bad in a few ways, but mostly it's just unfair if you can get away with it but your players can't. The main way it can be bad, is when the DM uses their personal knowledge of the setting to personally go out and get itself the best of everything without regard for the PCs. That's just plain immature, and if you can't help yourself, you shouldn't be in The Chair. The other way it can be bad is when the DM goes overboard on exposition from the DMPC and trails off into TMI-land, giving away important plot hooks, pointing out subtle foreshadowing, and otherwise just spoiling it for the party. Let me put it to you this way: If you don't do that with your NPCs, then you can handle not doing it with your DMPC, you simply have to choose not to. Otherwise, you are too inexperienced and need to get out there and play more!