D&D Duet

Adventures and advice for creating a whole world, just for two

Creative Characters for Your Duet Game: Tabletop for Two, Episode Three

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picture of old books and a candle with text that reads Creative Character Types

In episode three of Tabletop for Two, we talk about:

  • the different types of characters you might want to include in your duet game and
  • how alignment with the party’s goals plays a special role at the one-on-one gaming table.

Watch the Episode

You can find the show notes for Tabletop for Two, episode three below, along with links to related posts! 

Join us Friday nights at 8pm EST for Tabletop for Two on Twitch!

Alignment of Goals

When we talk about alignment with the party’s goals, we’re discussing something that goes beyond “evil” or “good” NPCs.

Instead, since duet D&D is all about the PC and their story, it’s important to consider how a given character’s goals match or align at odds with those of the PC.

Types of Characters to Consider

  • Friends and Allies
    • Core party
    • Patrons, mentors, and guides
    • Friendly NPCs
  • Enemies and Opposition
    • BBEG campaign-long
    • Setting-based villains and morally ambiguous parties 
  • The best thing about “Friendly” or “Enemy’ designations is that they can change!
  • Neutral
    • Sometimes NPCs have goals that don’t really matter to your PCs, so the goal there, if the NPC and their motivations are important to you as the GM, is to find a way to align what’s important to the NPC to the PC and player.

Also, keep in mind that having a variety of NPCs woven into your campaigns at different levels allows you the space to figure out who resonates with your party!

You can find our series on creating a vibrant world with a variety of character types here!

The Law of Surprise

In the episode, we also discuss a few instances where the PC’s reaction to a particular NPC surprised the GM and what they did about it.

Remember that you can have NPCs who are more than what they seem.

One of my favorite surprises was discovering that a new ally was secretly a dragon!

However, the caveat here is that we want to be careful in these instances, especially with an “enemy” NPC so that the player doesn’t feel cheated.

What are your favorite character types to include in your duet games? Let us know in the comments below!

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