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Resting and the frikkin' Elephant in the Room
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 7204481" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>So, in regard to NPCs....they very clearly use different rules than PCs. The books do say that you can use PC creation rules for NPCs if you like, but recommends not doing that as it would require a lot of extra work. And in all of the published material, I can't think of any NPC who has been constructed like a PC. Not even such a major character as Strahd uses PC creation rules.</p><p></p><p>So instead of talking about the likes of Elminster and Drizzt when we talk about NPCs, wouldn't it make more sense to talk about the NPCs that PCs will encounter? For example, the elemental cultists from Prices of the Apocalypse. They have a variety of abilities designed around a theme, and they are designed to be a threat to the party. Must we assume that an NPC with a CR of 4 has adventured enough to gain such a "level"? I wouldn't think so....otherwise each cultist would have to be designed individually. Unless we want to assume that every Black Earth Guard the PCs encounter have had the exact same experience.</p><p></p><p>CR is reflective of threat level to PCs, and is not necessarily indicative of any kind of accumulated experience by the NPC. Certainly a wyrmling dragon has very little experience, but is likely a higher CR than a kobold chieftan. </p><p></p><p>It is very clear that NPCs do not function the way PCs do. Or at least, that is not the game's default expectation. So a high CR wizard in the town the PCs visit doesn't have to have an adventuring history at all. Perhaps he's just an old wizard who has become proficient in magic through study and daily non-combat casting.</p><p></p><p>I mean, if we insist that the mechanics MUST determine NPCs' histories, then the only NPCs of proficiency will be the ones that go out and kill things....no experts in any field unless they are just constantly killing things and getting XP. </p><p></p><p>Which seems pretty absurd.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 7204481, member: 6785785"] So, in regard to NPCs....they very clearly use different rules than PCs. The books do say that you can use PC creation rules for NPCs if you like, but recommends not doing that as it would require a lot of extra work. And in all of the published material, I can't think of any NPC who has been constructed like a PC. Not even such a major character as Strahd uses PC creation rules. So instead of talking about the likes of Elminster and Drizzt when we talk about NPCs, wouldn't it make more sense to talk about the NPCs that PCs will encounter? For example, the elemental cultists from Prices of the Apocalypse. They have a variety of abilities designed around a theme, and they are designed to be a threat to the party. Must we assume that an NPC with a CR of 4 has adventured enough to gain such a "level"? I wouldn't think so....otherwise each cultist would have to be designed individually. Unless we want to assume that every Black Earth Guard the PCs encounter have had the exact same experience. CR is reflective of threat level to PCs, and is not necessarily indicative of any kind of accumulated experience by the NPC. Certainly a wyrmling dragon has very little experience, but is likely a higher CR than a kobold chieftan. It is very clear that NPCs do not function the way PCs do. Or at least, that is not the game's default expectation. So a high CR wizard in the town the PCs visit doesn't have to have an adventuring history at all. Perhaps he's just an old wizard who has become proficient in magic through study and daily non-combat casting. I mean, if we insist that the mechanics MUST determine NPCs' histories, then the only NPCs of proficiency will be the ones that go out and kill things....no experts in any field unless they are just constantly killing things and getting XP. Which seems pretty absurd. [/QUOTE]
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