“Monstrous” NPCs

[rhythmsoundmotion]

I was talking with a game master (not on ENWorld) when I realized why I might disagree with many people.
They believed only the “standard” ancestries should be NPCs. In other words if the player characters are getting rumors, quests, or advice it’s going to be a human, dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling or similar.
I don’t have such a prohibition, I think the players can be lead by rumors of a reward to discussing returning an item stolen from a Gnoll settlement. Or the were rats might know who is at the graveyard stealing bodies.
This to me explains why I am so interested in details about certain monsters, because it adds detail to these NPC to party communications. Whereas many others just want the stat block, thank you very much.

 

[overgeeked]

I'm the same as you on this. I don't care what kin or species or race the NPC comes from. Anyone can be a quest giver, a shopkeeper, a bartender, etc. I like that cosmopolitan approach far better than "all X are evil" approach. That's just boring to me. Especially after dealing with it for 20+ years before abandoning it. But it's not a common approach. I've had D&D5E players rage quit on me because my orcs weren't mindless savages.

 

[TwoSix]

They believed only the “standard” ancestries should be NPCs. In other words if the player characters are getting rumors, quests, or advice it’s going to be a human, dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling or similar.

I don't think I've ever met someone like that.

Seems very limiting.

 

[J.Quondam]

That's a really strange thing to see at a D&D table. Personally, I'd feel criminally remiss as GM (or player) if I wasn't speaking as (or listening to) all the weird non-humanoid things that could possibly hand out rumors, dreams, hints, puzzles, orders, deals, and so forth.

"If it's got lips, it can give a quest-- and the lips are optional!"

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I've had D&D5E players rage quit on me because my orcs weren't mindless savages.

Wow. That's disappointing. I'm not actually surprised, cos people are weird. But still... wow.

 

[payn]

I don't think I've ever met someone like that.

Seems very limiting.

Thinking further on it, im guessing some folks might be more comfortable with white hat black hat style of gaming. Monstrous folk are firmly in the black hat territory and any attempt to humanize them is seen as out of bounds. Im not saying, im just saying.

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

I think some of it comes from “serial killers can’t like vanilla ice cream” because serial killers are unknowable, edgy, and weird not you know, very troubled people.
So they think monstrous NPCs would not want or need “normal” things.

 

[Li Shenron]

They believed only the “standard” ancestries should be NPCs. In other words if the player characters are getting rumors, quests, or advice it’s going to be a human, dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling or similar.

This limitation simply absolutely makes no sense.

 

[Celebrim]

I don't agree, but I would say beware who you make bargains with. If you make a bargain with something like a dragon that considers conversation with you part of a dining experience, don't be surprised if it goes badly.

 

[Umbran]

In other words if the player characters are getting rumors, quests, or advice it’s going to be a human, dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling or similar.

I have never seen that in all my years of gaming. I suppose that someone coming at ttRPGs from videogames might have that idea in their head - NPCs are for interaction, monsters are for fighting.