More Sidekicky Sidekicks But why? I think Unearthed Arcana: Sidekicks is a pretty neat idea, and it shares design goals with things I've had in mind for a long time. But the sidekick level tables it presents are too packed with a medley of player class features to be a useful alternative to those Player's Handbook classes. Presented here are two types of sidekick progression I think would be useful to my own game, and fun for my own players. Sidekick Requirements Your sidekick can be almost any type of creature with a stat block, but it must meet these requirements: It does not already have a class feature shared by a PHB class. E.g. Spellcasting, Sneak Attack, Reckless Attack.

Its challenge rating must be 1 or lower.

The two of you must be friendly, and it must look up to and serve you . A sidekick is not a colleague or peer, or even a lieutenant or apprentice.

. A sidekick is not a colleague or peer, or even a lieutenant or apprentice. It must be able to gain experience by traveling with the party, but too subservient for normal class levels. In cases where an NPC or creature follower doesn't meet these criteria, it is usually preferable to use the class rules in the PHB. As a middle ground, consider letting a loyal but unintelligenct creature gain the hit dice, proficiency bonus, and Ability Score Improvements without the additional features. Gaining and Leveling Up a Sidekick When your sidekick joins you, it gains a level in the sidekick class. For simplicity's sake, whenever you gain a level, your sidekick also gains one. It is also acceptable to calculate XP and level advancement independently. I prefer the system in Unearthed Arcana: Three-Pillar XP, so that a sidekick's involvement with the adventure can inform its growth without splitting XP away from player characters. Playing a Sidekick Your DM will typically roleplay your sidekick, but you make choices for them in combat. When your sidekick gains levels in this class, you make the selections as if they were a second character of yours, but the DM must approve of them. Some choices in the sidekick class may grant access to spellcasting or innate magical abilities not appropriate for all sidekicks, especially animal companions. If a sidekick has human, or near-human intelligence, and the right physiology, they may be able to use and attune to magic items. Sidekick Graduation Sidekick progression is considerably slower and weaker per-level than Player's Handbook classes. If your sidekick is ready to become a more independent ally with powers on par with a (lower level) player character, it may be time for them to take a class level using the rules in the PHB. Depending on how many levels of sidekick they have, it may work best to use the multiclassing rules on page 163, or your DM may decide that actual class levels will take the place of their sidekick levels, usurping their ability to support you as a hanger-on. Hit Points and Proficiency Bonus Whenever a sidekick gains a level, it gains one Hit Die and its hit point maximum increases. To determine the amount of the increase, roll the Hit Die in the sidekick's stat block and add its Constitution modifier. It gains a minimum of 1 hit point per level. Once your companion has a level in sidekick, its proficiency bonus is determined by its level, as shown in the class' table. The Sidekick Level Proficiency Bonus Features 1st +2 Ascended Extra 2nd +2 Helpful 3rd +2 Sidekick Role 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 5th +3 ─ 6th +3 Role feature 7th +3 ─ 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 9th +4 ─ 10th +4 ─ 11th +4 ─ 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 13th +5 ─ 14th +5 Role feature 15th +5 ─ 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 17th +6 ─ 18th +6 ─ 20th +6 How Did I Get Here?

Ascended Extra At 1st level, the sidekick gains proficiency in one saving throw of your choice, unless they are already proficient in two or more saving throws. If they have fewer than four proficiencies in skills and tools combined, they gain proficiency in skills and tools of your choice until they have four. They cannot gain tool proficiencies if they do not have the intelligence or physiology to use tools. In addition, your sidekick is proficient in light armor(or barding), and if they are humanoid, simple weapons. Helpful At 2nd level, your sidekick has grown adept at giving well-timed assistance; they can take the Help action as a bonus action on their turn. Sidekick Role At 3rd level, you choose a role of sidekick that determines the nature of their assistance. Choose the Familiar, the Muscle, or the Talent role, each of which are detailed later. Your choice grants your sidekick features later on. Ability Score Increases When your sidekick reaches certain levels, you can increase one of their ability scores of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. Your sidekick can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. How Did I Get Here? However your sidekick reached 20th level without graduating into a hero or independent ally, they've joined the ranks of such prestigious, hypercompetent sidekicks as John Watson, Radar O'Reilly, and Jeeves(although some might argue persuasively that Wooster was the sidekick). As developed as they are, they still serve to make you shine all the brighter. While you travel with your sidekick, you both gain Inspiration daily at dawn. Feats At the DM's discretion, much of the work of developing a sidekick can be done through Feats. If you want your sidekick to cast more spells, the best way to do so regardless of its Sidekick role is with the Magic Initiate or Ritual Caster feat. I use those two often for weakly magical NPCs like small-town priests or a local wiseperson with a knack. An animal or monstrous sidekick probably could not do the same, but could select Charger or Savage Attacker. The Grappler or Tough feat could make your Muscle sidekick more useful than an increase to their stats. Use common sense to determine whether your sidekick is eligible for a feat, and feel free to make suboptimal but thematic choices for your sidekick! Familiar Advancement & Death The Familiar role is available only to creatures created by the find familiar spell, who have an innate mental connection to their hero. But your familiar could choose another role instead. Only a familiar of the Chain Pact warlock can make full use of the Muscle features, but a Specialist could be just the thing for an eldritch knight's familiar. In any case, once a familiar is allowed to take Sidekick levels, it can no longer have its form changed by recasting the find familiar spell, and if it drops to 0 hit points, it dies rather than vanishing. It may be returned to life by spells such as revivify or other magical means, but if it is resummoned by the spell, it loses all sidekick levels it gained previously. Sidekick Roles Every sidekick endeavors to support and assist their hero. Various sidekicks do so in different ways, however. Some sidekicks are magical familiars, psychically bonded to their master and supportive of their rise to arcane power. Others offer the labor of their bodies, their strength, or special skillsets their heroes do not have. When you choose a role for your sidekick, consider making them more of a foil for your character. The Familiar The Familiar's duty is to watch over its master and shepherd their growth as a mage. The most mercantile familiar might view this as a contract for greatly extended life and comfort, but for many familiars, their master's wellbeing is one with their own. Improved Familiar When you choose this role for your sidekick at 3rd level, your familiar awakens to its new role as your watch animal and bound spirit. Its Intelligence score becomes 10 unless it was already higher. The range at which you can communicate telepathically extends to one mile. If your familiar has no languages, it gains the ability to understand one language you speak, although it cannot speak except during the hour after midnight. Your familiar is discomfited by the presense of cursed items and unfamiliar spells on its master. It knows if there is a cursed item within 5 feet of it, and if you are targeted by a spell you would not normally be aware of from the divination or enchantment schools, including spells like clairvoyance or detect thoughts, your familiar becomes aware of it and can alert you to to the spell if it is within 5 feet of you. When the familiar becomes aware of such a spell, it learns its school, which it can communicate to you, but not the nature or source of the spell. Adjutant Skeptic At 6th level, your familiar has become more sensitive and resilient to external effects.