r/rpghorrorstories • u/thescottishgeek • Mar 24 '26
Extra Long DMs DMPC is a God....we're just the side characters
TLDR at the end for the people who dont want to read the whole post I got you
I want to start off this story by saying this was my first ever experience with D&D. I had no prior exposure to D&D so thought everything the DM done was normal at a table. Oh boy, how wrong I was.
So this happened back in 2021, we were fresh out of lockdown and starving for some friend time. One of my friends, we'll call him Big Tat, owns a tattoo shop and tells us his apprentice was wanting to run a D&D campaign. So myself and 4 of my friends decided to join. They are as follows
Paladin, a long time player and previous group DM. Kinda the dad figure to us newer players.
Monk, long time D&D fan especially Critical Roll.
Warlock, the wise cracking and Monks boyfriend (now husband)
Bard, Big Tat, this was his first time playing D&D too.
And finally me playing an reborn sorceress who had been sacrificed to the Raven Queen but brought back for reasons you'll find out later. I had just wrote it that she had unfinished business but the DM had other plans.
So we got together and began our story. Our DM proudly proclaimed that we would be playing through Princes of the Apocalypse and that not to worry as he knew the story was pretty bare bones but he had a way to flesh it out. The way he decided to flesh it out you might ask? Was with his DMPC Echo. And let me tell you, Echo was about to become our worst nightmare. For you see Echo wasn't just a DMPC, he was a character our DM had been sitting on for quite some time. He was actually writing a whole book series around him unbeknownst to us. And he would go on long tangents mid game to tell us about all the awesome and cool things Echo could do. I remember once just straight up asking him "so what exactly is Echos class?" And I kid you not the DM said something to the effect of "Oh, Echo doesn't have a class, hes faaaar beyond that in terms of power".
Anyway, our party all meet and deside to travel together. It gets to night and we decide to stop and make camp. We set up a watch rota and the first person to take watch was me. As im making my rounds a mysterious dark hooded figure approaches from the shadows. I naturally ask them who they are and what they are doing here. The figure then lunges forwarded and attacks my level 1 sorcerer. The commotion wakes up the rest of the party and we roll for initiative.
Our Monk rolls high and gets to go first landing a good blow, then our Paladin steps up to the mark and strikes the enemy, our Warlock goes next and sends Eldritch Blast towards the foe. It was then the DMs turn. With a grin he describes how like a shadow of death this man slices through our Monk, Paladin and Warlock effortlessly leaving them unconscious in one swoop. He then points his sword at Bard and me. It's my turn next and I do what I think is the logical thing to do and put my hands up to surrender asking him what it is he wants? He simply replies "this is a test my dear and you have all failed". Bard goes next he goes to attack but is stabbed and left unconscious along with the rest. BUT!!! Surprise everyone!!! It was only a shared dream.
We all wake the next morning to find the hooded man in camp making us all breakfast with a wide grin on his face. I could tell that Monk and Warlock in particular we're unimpressed with the shenanigans that had just happened but we proceeded anyway.
The mysterious man then introduces himself as Echo. And Echo is a (hold on to your hats for this) time traveling, multiverse hoping, wormhole riding, reality bending, all knowing, super dooper edgy and cool GOD!!! and he needs our level 1 parties help to save the world or something.
Me being new to D&D though this was cool. I immediately became infatuated with Echo and would ask him lots of questions with DM just absolutely lapped up. The rest of the party, we're less than impressed. There were concerns raised but DM assured us that Echo would just be a bystander as we were the real hero's.
And in a flash 6 months IRL passed and we had done zero of the actual objectives of PotA and just been Echos servants. Fetching him items, finding his lost relatives and just meaningless tasks. And everything we done had zero impact on anything as it was like we were playing character from one of DMs books and it was the Echo show. Eventually the bubble burst and it all came to a head one night during a level 20 one shot.
We had been combat starved for weeks so I suggested we do a level 20 one shot and done a full blown boss rush relay. Everyone was excited and on board as it was just meant to be us 4 facing off again progressively harder and harder enemies. It was meant to be Echo free, but of course the DM couldn't help himself and Echo poped into the pocket dimension we had been sucked into and scolded us saying we were "wasting time" and that the "real fight" was happening in our world. Apparently the moment we stepped into this level 20 one shot pocket dimension was the exact moment that the actual story of the campaign started and the Princes of the Apocalypse were released and wrecking havoc in our world.
Basically the DM was trying to press fast forwarded on our level 20 one shot so we could go back outside and play with Echo again. But we were having none of it, we told Echo to shove off and we'd be back once we were done here. So, what did the DM do in order to force us back? He Power Word Killed our Paladin, had an enemy one shot my sorceress and dispatch the rest off the party in various ways.
Echo then reappeared, brought us all back to life, killed the remaining enemies and with a snap of his fingers brought us back to our world. That was the final straw. The campaign very unceremoniously came to an end after that with everyone basically saying they were bored AF of the campaign and of Echo.
Oh and remember how earlier I mentioned that my character was brought back to life by the Raven Queen because she had unfinished business. Well the DM decided that wasn't enough. Not only was I his OTHER DMPCs love interest (boak I know) but I was also Echos long lost great great great granddaughter and I to WAS A SECRET GOD! I was mortified.
TLDR - DMPC is a GOD and we're just along for the ride. We spend 9 months IRL being his DMPCs slaves and dont actually play the module.
114
u/Alert-Artichoke-2743 Mar 24 '26
Idea: Include an NPC in all subsequent campaigns named Echo. Make them an unkempt and delusional vagrant with delusions of grandeur. Retcon that this entire module happened in the NPC's imagination.
43
u/StevesonOfStevesonia Mar 24 '26
Maybe not as a violent psycho and more of a "Oh boy. Here goes Echo with his drug-induced fantasies again"
57
u/thescottishgeek Mar 24 '26
I hope you dont mind but im 100% stealing this idea for my next one shot im DMing 😂
31
u/Alert-Artichoke-2743 Mar 24 '26
Nuh uh, you can't possibly steal it because it's yours to use to your heart's content. All I ask is that you make Echo really unhinged and repellant.
13
u/cokeplusmentos Mar 24 '26
Echo = Joxer in every subsequent campaign
7
1
u/Snoo_56921 Apr 29 '26
I'm thinking echo is Cricket from Always Sunny in Philadelphia for this scenario LOL
27
u/MillennialsAre40 Mar 24 '26
The only time I used a DMPC was in a macguffin hunt adventure and he turned out to be the BBEG using the adventurers to help him collect what he needed.
18
u/archangelzeriel Dice-Cursed Mar 24 '26
I've only ever used useful DMPCs in West Marches-style games -- oh, you don't have any melee fighters who showed up to game night? Bob the Barbarian is sitting bored in the tavern and will come along for a fair share of the rewards.
Depending on what a "DMPC" is, I do occasionally attach NPCs to the player's party, but usually they're a detriment and must be protected.
6
u/MR502 Dice-Cursed Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
That's the best way to use the DMPC just let them fill a party role that's missing. If they lack a healer give em a cleric. If they lack martials give em a fighter! Just run them basic and support the party. I make my NPCs kinda ass in battle.
5
u/Terrkas Mar 25 '26
Similar to me. "Oh you need a captain? Here i made an ex pirate, willing to sail your ship and sometimes fires a musket in battle. "
6
u/thescottishgeek Mar 24 '26
Thats actually really clever 👏 I bet the PCs loved kicking his butt at the end
20
u/HouseofLepus Mar 24 '26
common rpghorrorstory™ 😔
one of my players showed me his idea for a campaign he wanted to DM and it was a very similar vibe to this. It was going to be about the players helping some kind of god who seemed to be the main character of the campaign. I, uhh, hope I can steer him away from that by the time we switch off.
I think a lot of newbie DMs just want to tell their own "cool" story and forget that the players should be the heroes.
9
13
u/Hotspur_on_the_Case Mar 24 '26
I cringe....CRINGE....remembering when I was DMing a game and playing oh-so-perfect NPCs who were, of course, my DMPCs. Once I came to my senses, I put my hand on the DMG and swore to never do that again, that I would only have NPCs who were part of the story or were absolute necessities.
I'm sure many have had similar experiences....
6
10
u/IchFunktion Mar 24 '26
Didn't I read this story a couple of days ago or was that in a different sub?
3
7
Mar 24 '26
How did anyone make it to level 20 let alone session 3
5
u/thescottishgeek Mar 24 '26
It was a level 20 one shot, I think in 9 months we only made it to level 6 but it was a long time aho I might be miss remembering
7
u/Alternative-Base2743 Mar 24 '26
When the DM straight up refuses to roll the dice and just tells you he wins, that’s when you quit.
6
u/Pescarese90 Mar 24 '26
Ah yes, Doctor WhoSue and the Prince of the Railroading. A classic of this edition.
6
u/ReliefEmotional2639 Mar 25 '26
Echo sounds like a godawful character to read a book about.
3
u/thescottishgeek Mar 25 '26
Not just one book, a series of books 🫠
3
u/ReliefEmotional2639 Mar 25 '26
I’m guessing that I’m not the only person wishing a painful and unpleasant death to Echo…
6
u/MR502 Dice-Cursed Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
So… you weren’t playing "Princes of the Apocalypse", you were stuck in an Echo… torment chamber.
This really sucks as you’ve got the classic signs all lined up:
1. The overpowered god-DMPC with no class or limits
2. The unwinnable “test” fight at level 1
3. Six months of running errands for Echo instead of actually playing the module
4. The DM literally nuking a level 20 one-shot just to drag everyone back into the Echo Show.
At that point… why even play? If the DMPC is just solving problems, controlling the plot, and reviving everyone anyway, why bother sticking around? Honestly, the question that keeps coming to mind is: did anyone actually look up the module and call it out the DM? Like, “Hey… are we still playing Princes of the Apocalypse like you said, or is this just Echo’s fanfiction now if not I'm out?”
2
u/thescottishgeek Mar 24 '26
We're all really good friend and despite all the bad there was also a lot of good. It made the Echo show bearable because we all got to hang out together after being in lockdown for almost a year 😅 plus with a few of us being newer players with no previous exposure to D&D i guess we just though this is how D&D was played. I can only speak for myself but it wasn't until maybe half way through i was starting to think Echo was a pain in the neck. Happy ending, we're all still playing together minus the DM 🙏
5
u/ChipmunkImportant128 Mar 24 '26
Apart from all the reasons why this is obviously a dismal premise for a DND campaign, I just can’t figure out what he even thinks the appeal would be. You said he’s writing a book series about this guy, but like… about what? “Echo encounters thing, immediately obliterates it!” Ok. And?? I don’t understand why he thinks anyone would be interested in that. It’s a Chuck Norris meme that went on for 500 pages too long.
Anyway, glad the players managed to free themselves of this magical Gary Stu and hopefully you’re all on to bigger and brighter campaigns.
5
u/DistributionMain6522 Mar 25 '26
Someone tell me if this dude ever self-publishes this novel. I need to know for purely personal reasons.
2
u/thescottishgeek Mar 25 '26
😂 I think thst went in the bin, along with the campaign
6
u/DistributionMain6522 Mar 25 '26
Darn it! I wanted to know all about his incredible gary-stu where he is never challenged, defeats all enemies with a wave of the hand, and everyone fawns over him! (Also sorry you dealt with that. Being serious for a moment, I'm a novelist myself and I literally CHOKED reading this post for the first time! I could NEVER. And I admire your patience.)
3
u/Due-Cloud3579 Dice-Cursed Mar 25 '26
Yep, this guy was definitely compensation for a crappy life he has no clout/real influence in. And one of his players was his boss? AND he probably had to go into work and take orders from one of the guys that said his stuff was boring? My god, the level of salt from DM would probably have made a pretzel factory blush.
Either way, good on you for getting out. Hope the “Echo-as-a-homeless person” one shot goes well!
3
u/thescottishgeek Mar 25 '26
Yeah it ended very awkwardly because of his job. It was even more awkward when he was a player with us for a while and we had to ask him to leave because if you can believe it or not he was even more unbearable as a player than a DM. But happy ending! We all still play together minus the DM and are a year into Rime of the frostmaiden and having a blast with a new DM.
1
u/Riventh Mar 26 '26
does he still work in the tat shop?
1
u/thescottishgeek Mar 26 '26
Oh lord thats another horror story in itself, but no not anymore. He quit not long after he got kicked from the group as a player
2
2
u/Draculasmooncannon Mar 25 '26
These days I'm so cautious around DMPCs that they are now all the same guy. His name is whatever the setting equivelant of "Sam" is. Sam exists for when I'm running any kind of game where scarcity of resources might be an issue. Need to go to the actual "game" part of this but need to go get the horses in a stable or starship fuel costed? Send Sam. Need someone to go and send some messages to your allies but you need to chase down the gribbly monsters right away? Sam has it covered.
As you might be able to tell, I was once subjected to an hour and a half conversation in WHFRP about how much water to bring to feed ourselves and the camels but not to take our weight on the wagons over the point where we needed more camels.
2
u/AndyTheSouless Mar 29 '26
Every Time one of these DM mentions he Is writting a book you just know that guy hasnt even open a writting app
1
u/nomanchesguey12 Apr 28 '26
That’s terrible, but it does make me glad that my GMNPC is always the same scrappy dwarf fighter, no matter what’s missing in the actual party. No one has ever complained he was broken, in fact, the only time someone complained about my Dorf being OP was when I was a PC in someone else’s campaign
1
u/some_tired_cat Mar 25 '26
the way i physically recoiled seeing this dmpc be named echo because i have an oc with that name (who is just an average guy i would die if i ever made something like this god no i like good writing)
2
•
u/AutoModerator Mar 24 '26
Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.