Too many DMPCs, it's overtaking the whole lore of the campaign.
Time for one hell of a slow realization dnd horror story. because it only became worse with the recent sessions. Hello so I've been a player for this campaign for a good while and slowly but surely, I got information that the NPCs in the campaign are the DM's PCs (from either campaigns they didn't get to finish or never got to use in the first place.)
Now, please keep in mind that I know the difference between a prominent NPC vs a DMPC. One DMPC is a sort of handler for the party, is usually present and if they aren't... then they're always present in session epilogues (Think post-session vignettes like what Aabria Iyengar does.) It would have been alright to have this DMPC, let's call them Suit, if Suit weren't always the center of attention for lore.
- Like Suit just had to be there and caused all of the party's problems in lore before session 1 happened because of a prophecy to get their sibling back.
- To add from above: How Suit was there for a PC's important backstory battle, how they were the direct reason for the tragedy for the Kid PC, how they were the reason why one of the PCs became an orphan, how he caused another Kid PC to have to deal with a world ending issue that Suit caused, and how they were always there watching when my PC was going through all reincarnations.
- When Suit DID get their sibling back, sibling immediately becomes a Deus Ex Machina saving the party against SUIT. Because Suit literally wished to tear the party mentally to shreds after crashing out in character over my PC being close with another character that looked like Suit's sibling. (The sibling also acts like the paragon of goodness and honor and how dare my PC kill them in their first incarnation type of vibes that kept going.)
- How Suit knows EVERYONE everywhere, contacts and what not. Like all NPCs, Suit knows them.
- How the lore is spotlighted on Suit being the favorite of his patron (they're a warlock with levels, told us the players that they're like level 18-20. We're level 11.)
- How Suit has multiple people after them romantically, like 3 of them (one being very murderous over other people that like Suit). The one likely to get together with Suit is their favorite character from an animated media too. Which keeps on appearing in the lore despite: not meeting any of the PCs for so many sessions, not being a part of ANY of the PC's lore directly, was not originally part of this campaign either (Is from this DM's friend's campaign, they both share the same favorite character), is becoming another DM's DMPC in another campaign that isn't theirs. (SO BASICALLY, DMPCS, FROM TWO SEPARATE DMS.)
- How Suit hates my PC for what they did in lore (not lore that I wrote for my character either but was orchestrated by this DM.)
- How Suit did what they had to do and wants the players to see that Suit is very morally gray because they only acted based off my PC's past self being a chaotic evil murderous tyrant and how much they get canonically belittled for something they don't even remember. Along with epilogues with how much they're such a good caretaker for children and is like a regular person with a job. (Suit remembers my PC's past incarnation which again, never wrote this one in for my PC lore).
This is just one of the DMPCs. Another is Suit's other friends/co-workers also being PCs this DM played or never got to play. Them being key figures in the world, all of which has much more spotlight or importance than the party. Despite not being directly related to any of the party's lore at all. Because of them being like the heroes of this world, how they run the government, and how big they have influence in this world.
With how things are going, I will not be playing any further campaigns this DM throws out. (They already put up a campaign they're gleaning interest for, did not want to join.) No DND is better than Bad DND.