>>716000443
You can have your own party from the beginning or you can recruit NPCs.
They will (hopefully) have their own personalities and goals and should act independently.
I've once had two companions I tried to ditch in the middle of a dungeon and they stabbed me for it.
I've also split the party in two formations, sending one team into the battle as a decoy while my team infiltrated the bad guys' base.
Good luck.