lukelightning
First Post
Bah. I love it when enemy clerics heal themselves...it keeps them from zapping me with magic (such as a nasty inflict critical wounds.
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Should a NPC cleric heal himself?
- Thread starter Aeson
- Start date
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I avoid clerics casting healing on themselves. Instead, they cast invisibility, then heal themselves, then place beneficial spells on their allies and then have invisibility drop with their highest level inflict spell on the enemy's healer.
That's my take on DM ethics. Players play dirty, and so should intelligent NPCs.
That's my take on DM ethics. Players play dirty, and so should intelligent NPCs.
wingsandsword
Legend
I just realized what this reminded me of, a player once who complained that NPC's should never use potions, scrolls or other consumable magic items in their possession, and that DM's who equip them with them are unfair.
The reason? The amount of gear an NPC gets must be precisely equal to the NPC wealth-by-level table (or so he says), and thus when you kill him and take his stuff, you get exactly "X" amount of treasure. If he's chugging Cure Serious Wounds potions, reading Fireball scrolls, and pulling items off his Robe of Useful Objects to try and get away, the DM is "cheating" because he's reducing his treasure value with each turn, or as he put it: "He's drinking our treasure!"
The reason? The amount of gear an NPC gets must be precisely equal to the NPC wealth-by-level table (or so he says), and thus when you kill him and take his stuff, you get exactly "X" amount of treasure. If he's chugging Cure Serious Wounds potions, reading Fireball scrolls, and pulling items off his Robe of Useful Objects to try and get away, the DM is "cheating" because he's reducing his treasure value with each turn, or as he put it: "He's drinking our treasure!"
ThirdWizard
First Post
Whizbang Dustyboots said:
Throw in some summoned monsters, and I'm on board with that!
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Gah, I knew I forgot something! (This was an actual NPC kobold cleric of Tiamat's moves in a recent adventure.)ThirdWizard said:
The best part is that, after the PC-classed kobolds killed/knocked unconscious the two player characters they faced (after the player characters killed the mook NPC class kobolds) and were busy robbing the gnome cleric's body, other player characters finally arrived and chased them off.
The players now have a real bone to pick with these kobolds next time they run into them. What I'd intended as a one-off encounter has given me a memorable pair of NPCs (Pick, the kobold cleric of Tiamat, and Blacktooth, the kobold ranger) for future adventures.
Arbiter of Wyrms
First Post
This is often why intelligent NPCs are so mad at the PCs in the games I run. They have their own evil (or noble) agendas, but in the end, it's about killing the PC's and taking their stuff (and the stuff rightfully owned by all of the NPCs and monsters the PCs have already savagely cut down.) My players know better than to use consumable items within view of NPC opponents.wingsandsword said:
As for the actual topic, yeah, this was totally out of line and a gross violation of the GM code of ethics.
GM Code of Ethics said:
Olaf the Stout
Hero
Gee, you wouldn't want to do something terrible like make the final encounter with the BBEG a challenging, memorable encounter now!
I can't believe that they complained about a cleric healing himself and the AC 21. What did they expect him to do?
He's a cleric for crying out loud! And did they complain about the rogue sneak attacking, the fighter using power attack and the wizard casting spells at them?
Just out of interest, what level is the party?
Olaf the Stout
I can't believe that they complained about a cleric healing himself and the AC 21. What did they expect him to do?
He's a cleric for crying out loud! And did they complain about the rogue sneak attacking, the fighter using power attack and the wizard casting spells at them?Just out of interest, what level is the party?
Olaf the Stout
the Jester
Legend
Aeson said:
Sheesh!!
Your players sound like a bunch of whiners. "Oh, wizard bad guys shouldn't cast spells, it just prolongs the battle. Oh, and your fighter npcs? Bad form, letting them wear armor!"
In my just barely tongue-in-cheek opinion, you need to tpk them and let 'em know that they don't always get to win.
