Gamemaster Characters: Recruiting Followers & Pets (D&D 5e)

Additional rules for your 5th edition game.

After finding an orphaned baby displacer beast, enlightening the misguided apprentice to a mad wizard, or helping a lonely dire lion heal an injury making it aggressive there are many adventuring groups that won't want to abandon a wayward NPC or monster—instead they'll plead to include it in the party.

Let them and use this article to guide the process, utilizing the mechanics for Morale, Goals, and Recruitment to determine how long a GMC (gamemaster character, one shared between the GM and the PCs) sticks around, how loyal they are, and when it's time for them to go.

Designed by Tyler Omichinski, illustrated by Rafael Benjamin.