Allies

Allies can add a fourth dimension to combat, giving heroes someone to protect, bolstering their numbers, or throwing in unexpected chaos.

ALLY TYPES

Allies come in three flavors. Burdens, Helpers, and Wildcards.

Burdens

Burdens are allies who need to be protected. Refugees, a child prince, or even a great warrior who the queen has asked to be brought home safely, can be burdens. When burdens are along for the ride, heroes have to pay attention to their safety.

Helpers

Helpers are allies who are there to bolster the heroes and allow them to take on bigger challenges. Hirelings, golems, and charmed monsters make good helpers. When helpers are along for the ride, heroes can move faster and fight stronger foes.

Wildcards

Wildcards are allies that may cause headaches to both the heroes and their foes. A rescued storm giant toddler may try to help by hurling lightning bolts in dangerous directions. A guardian naga may underestimate the toughness of the heroes as she leads them to their trophy. A befuddled old wizard may fireball a group of monsters one minute and then wake a sleeping dragon the next. Wildcards throw chaos into plans and while providing some measure of help, also force heroes to deal with additional obstacles.

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RUNNING ALLIES IN COMBAT

Allies can be a great vehicle for adding to your story, but they can also be a threat to slow the game down. Therefore, utilize the following methods to keep them moving quickly in combat.

NO INITIATIVE

Allies act at the very end of the round after everyone, including heroes with critical failures on initiative. They exist in a space outside of the round so they don't take the focus from the heroes.

PLAYER CONTROLLED

To keep the game in the hands of players, allies should usually be player controlled. This serves several purposes. First, it helps bond the players to their heroes' allies because they have investment in their actions. Second, it gives players a chance to play a second hero. Third, it keeps them making the rolls.
If there are enough allies for every player to control one or more allies, then players can be assigned to different allies. If there are fewer allies than players, set up a rotating control of that ally each round, so all players get a chance to be involved. If this leads to manic allies, that's absolutely fine. Chalk it up to a wild or fearful mind.
Before a player controls an ally, make sure they have a loose idea of what the ally's personality or objectives are so they can roleplay their decisions in combat. When a player controls an ally, try to roll with their decisions. If they do something dumb that might get the ally killed, then it gives the other heroes an opportunity to react to save them. If no one is interested in saving them, it's probably an indication that the players don't want that ally in the team.
To resolve attempts for allies, have the players make luck rolls. If a player tries to buff or assist the ally for an attempt, you can grant the luck roll advantage. However, don't get too bogged down in the details. Allies are extras in your story, and their combat impact should usually be to absorb attacks and provide small assists in the background.

VAGUE ABILITIES

In order to keep the focus on heroes and their story, the abilities of allies should be kept vague. When they hit a monster with their sword, the damage they deal can be the same as the monster's damage. If they would deal a killing blow, make the decision for the best impact of the story, leaving the monster hanging on by a thread if that is better, or slaying it if the players will appreciate it. If an ally is a healer, their heals can be simply a player's hero's surge value. If they are a caster, their spells can have the same vague effect as their attacks. Either way, the abilities they have don't need to be defined to the players who run them. If the player wants to use some action the ally possesses, such as having a caster cast an attack spell, they say what they intend and make their luck roll. You can then describe what spell the ally actually casts and the effect. In the end, the goal is not to overshine the heroes.

The Pen & Dagger RPG    Directors & Mythmakers Guide    Combat      Allies