A Leash for "Helper" NPCs

[Arnabas]

Is there any way to have NPC "helpers" tied to a character so that they stay within a certain distance?

It's a long-running joke that NPCs like to die. Characters like Lady Jane go out of their way to get killed, but I always try my best to keep them alive.

 

Tonight, I was doing the "Find Stansfield at the Meeting" mission and as I progressed through the sewers with Sgt Russel, I was constantly healing him and doing my best to protect him.

 

Then, for some reason that I don't know, he suddenly went nuts and decided to run to the end of the map, aggroing everything that he ran past. I tried to catch up to him, but he died pretty quick. 

 

So, is there some way to make the NPCs less suicidal?

[Rudra]

Yes, there is. Ignore them and make the path to their destination safe before freeing them. No mobs to aggro on, no mobs to kill them.

[Arnabas]

Yeah, but when they are following you and standing by your side, they tend to get hit by AoEs or enemies that you can't draw to yourself.

[Rudra]

That's why you don't fight near them. For instance, using Lady Jane from the OP, when I see her, I run right past her group until I break aggro with them and then clear out what is still aggroed. That pulls the mobs a little away from her and keeps others from throwing attacks near her. Then when the path to the chest is clear, I go back and fight her spawn away from her. Because they pursued me slightly earlier, it is much easier to do even if I'm on a melee.

 

Edit: And if you need a ranged attack to pull the mobs anyway and you are on a melee character? The origin power like Throwing Knives or the START powers like Blackwand are handy pull tools. (To be used once the path for the NPCs is cleared first.)

 

Edit again: And if there is an ambush after you freed them? Sprint or other fast move ahead into the approaching ambush and murder them post-haste. (Edit yet again: And if you cleared the map before freeing the NPC? You can typically see the ambushes moving on the map and try to avoid them.)

 

Edited May 3 by Rudra

[MTeague]

For that matter, my redsiders would like a way to bonk their kidnap victims over the head, and fireman's carry them out the door, rather than asking them nicely if they'd care to follow me.

[Starhammer]

1 hour ago, MTeague said:

For that matter, my redsiders would like a way to bonk their kidnap victims over the head, and fireman's carry them out the door, rather than asking them nicely if they'd care to follow me.

I would sacrifice (temporarily) my access to attack powers to be able to do this (Only affecting Self or whatever, like Rest).