So I've got a fellow PC who is curious if they could have a padwan. The idea is that it would just be this other player and I would be the only PCS; so I would assume that this would make it that the Padawan would be a NPC. How should I / we go about doing this?
Thanks everybody, and may the force be with you!!!
2 hours ago, swordfishson said:So I've got a fellow PC who is curious if they could have a padwan. The idea is that it would just be this other player and I would be the only PCS; so I would assume that this would make it that the Padawan would be a NPC. How should I / we go about doing this?
Thanks everybody, and may the force be with you!!!
The warrior book has a interesting summery on how to handle an learning character, in that they accompany the PC and once per session can team up with them to either offer an boost, 1adv or 1success 1 adv per combat check in a single encounter, with the assumption that the apprentice is learning by the warrior's example without bringing the baggage of having an extra NPC all the time. The very back section of that book is really all about how to flesh out a warrior's resources, by being supported by NPC's he once helped, apprentices and even taking on a dojo.
Otherwise I would ask the player to look for opportunities, and to inform the GM that's precisely what he is doing. A Padawan shouldn't necessarily be inexperienced; for example my party is currently dealing with two NPC ex-inquisitors that are clones of one of the PC's, so our challenge is less about training them to be strong; they are already fairly experienced but rather teaching them how to live aside from just killing.
You first need to ask "what's the role of the padwan in this story?" Is the character there to round out the party? Is it there to open up new plot threads? Are they meant to always be around or to pop in and out out of the adventure? Is the player looking for some kind of mechanical benefit or simply more role play opportunity? Would this be any different than if the GM otherwise added an NPC to accompany the PCs on their adventures? Go over those questions with the GM see if adding the character is right for your adventure.
Most GMs should easily be able to handle the character narratively, or quickly stat it up as a minion. The real kicker is how the character is meant to fit into the story. It really depends on your play style and personalities as to whether the padwan should be ran by a player or the GM or even allowed at all.
Thanks everybody, your comments are super helpful.
This might be something that you could handle narratively with cut scenes. Perhaps the padawan just reaches out via the holonet (or occasionally with the force) for advice and direction. They may occasionally meet in person when the game allows. It seems like Obi Wan and Anakin did a lot of remote mentoring. This way you don't have a GM-controlled NPC 5th wheel all the time. Also, it opens up the opportunity for the padawan to be put into danger and require rescuing, or, conversely, come to the rescue later in the campaign.