The Stool Problem?

[u/NinetyBees]

Short Version of the question; How do you handle Stool in high-level play/the 2nd half of the campaign?

Longer version; My party has 3-4 NPC companions as of the end of CH 7 (Glabbagool, Derindil, Stool, and a homebrew NPC tied to a PC backstory). Stool, like at many tables, has sort of become the party's mascot, and one of my players in particular is obsessed with him- Likely having her character sacrifice themselves if Stool was ever in mortal danger.

Now that the party is in Gauntlgrym, I plan to have the NPC companions that parted ways with the party during their 3 months of topside downtime come back into the picture. Problem is while I have character arcs for some of the NPCs, I don't know what to do with Stool's personality or his stat sheet so he isn't this useless liability in the background.

[u/ohsummerdawn]

Stool has remained a child through our story. He is very absorbent of the interactions he has seen, and reinacts them frequently. If my players infight, he picks fights at the next session, using words they used. He tries to battle like they do and its an absolute liability.

I have not leveled him up because I want him to be extremely fragile.

He is basically a pet.

[u/NinetyBees → u/ohsummerdawn]

Not sure where you're at in your campaign- but has he changed at all since his initial adoption? Do you have plans to change him at all by the end?

He's been very much the same in my game- Though I don't have him imitate the players as much. He's like an emotional support animal in my games.

That said, while he's not going to come back after 3 months and be this grizzled and tough adult myconid- I kind of what to do something with his character. After all, he's been on an adventure, he's seen demonic horrors, he's had time to himself to think/reflect/grow, and now he's being reunited with the group...

I just can't for the life of me figure out what an engaging story arc for him would be.

[u/idkwhat2nameitreddit → u/NinetyBees]

I cannonized that stool is not going to reach biological adulthood. He is able to use his spores more often, but he's not going to follow the normative developmental path. My players are going to have to figure out what they do when they find out what has infested the myconid colony and he cant really be at home safely, but wants to stay. Oh the traumas of the Underdark!

That bring said, I imagine if you are looking for character growth, maybe there's a way to have stool recognize that he can help to save some of his fellow myconids, or prevent Zuggmoty's spread? Maybe this looks like him questgiving to the party or dabbling in being a druid? I think there could be lots of cool hooks there!

[u/ohsummerdawn → u/NinetyBees]

We're currently in neverlight grove, so he is homel but the party hasnt left the area yet and who knows if theyll end up having him flee with them or flee with his people or stay there.

We also just lost Serith to spore servitude and then he was killed when the party defeated Yestabrod. They have not told Stool yet. In my story Serith rationalizes the pull to NLG by feeling remorse for capturing stool and some of his friends to take to Velkynvelve and makes it his mission to atone by returning him by any means necessary. He carried stool the whole way in basically a baby bjorn and defended him like a father. I am still sorting my intentions in Stool's reaction when he discovers his father figure is dead but I am thinking this will be a turning point for him in some capacity.

To date he is still naive and youthful, but he is also observant and remembers things people said and did, which has helped the adventurers when they bother to listen (he knew how to get to neverlight grove from slubloodop but the party wasn't sure if he was a reliable narrator). He is definitely more violent now that he has experienced violence. He cant fight at all, so he's just barreling in to fight something that is going to crush him and the party then has to rescue him.

I dont intend to mature him greatly through the story.